Is it worth it??

[Kentuckywindage]

I was at a gun shop today and he had a used, brass framed revolver. .36cal round barrel. I didnt ask to see it but i saw it said "made in italy"

Some years ago i had a brass framed .44 revolver that was made in italy and all 4 replacements they sent me were junk.

Is the .36 any better due to less recoil? I just dont want to get stuck with another one of those pistols that the barrel comes flying off, along with the rod the cylinder spins on :surrender:
He was asking $140

 

[Rebel]

You can get a New brass framed .44 from Cabelas for that price so wouldn't think a .36 would be any more New. It might be a good deal at half the price. :grin:

 

[Robert an saa fan]

Rebel is right about price.

Also, I think the newer brass frame revolvers have a stronger alloy of brass.

They do not tarnish as quickly as the older ones. The open top styles seem to stay tight longer... i.e. frame and barrel assembly stay tight and cylinder pin stays tight in recoil shield. In general a .36 caliber on an open top style should stay tight a bit longer.

Of course your mileage may vary. :haha:

 

[mykeal]

The longevity of any brass frame revolver has much more to do with how it's treated than it's caliber. They are not made for shooting heavy loads; fill the chamber up with powder on a routine basis and the gun will not survive long whether it's a .36 or a .44. Shoot an accurate load and and you'll get years of service from one.

 

[John Taylor]

I have never been one in favor of the brass framed guns as shooters. I have seen some that are in very bad shape and some seem to hold up better. I don't know if the later ones have better stronger brass but I would hope the companies making them would use the best they can get. If I were going to buy a pistol as a shooter I would spend a little more and get a steel frame. I do think the brass frames look good and make great wall hangers that can be shot on occasion. This is just my 2 cents worth, I know I will catch some flack over this.

 

[mykeal]

No flack, John. I agree completely with your point about the guns looking good but buying steel frames for shooting. I do the same.

I'd just like to point out that, in my opinion, the damage some have received is almost certainly due to abuse. They are, without a doubt, less able to withstand constant exposure to heavy loads than steel frame guns. And in every case the most accurate load is NOT a full chamber but something quite a bit less. There is no need to shoot full chamber loads in brass framed guns, so when it's done it's simply abuse.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

i used to shoot a 1851 confederate navy .44 brass frame from cabelas and i went through 4 replacements. The second pistol they sent me was damn scary. The pin that holds the shaft that the cylinder rotates on fell out and the entire assembly came off on me after the 12th shot. 3ed and 4th pistol they sent me wouldnt even cock. After that i never wanted to look at another revolver. Thats why i am a little iffy on these revolvers now.

 

[brubincam]

------get a Uberti------ :thumbsup: :hatsoff: :thumbsup:

 

[Bob Riegl]

:hmm: The price is a bit steep for a used gun. Made in Italy doesn't do it for me---if it's a Pietta I run not walk away from it---a Uberti is the only way I will ever go on C&B Revolvers. As was pointed out above get a Uberti, it may cost a few more bucks for a new one---but IMHO well worth the extra bucks. Brass framed revolvers are nice looking but, as pointed out here they will loosen up in time. However, that being said, you will probably not give it the use that our ancestors did. Brass was used by the South to save on the amount of steel used, as they had shortage due to blockading and lack of sufficient armories. :thumbsup:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Uberti's are the only way to go in my opinion! Never any problems with fit, finish or service.

You generally get what you pay for! A few extra bucks buys a lot of peace of mind!

Dave

 

[rebel727]

Pietta has come a long way in the last ten years or so since they got new CNC machinery. I have two and they are superb. :thumbsup:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I had a couple brass-frame Pietta's about 10-15 years back and they did good. I traded/sold them off but wish I had kept one judging by price they go for now. I rarely shot max charges in them however. mostly target loads. I now have Pietta's '58 'Buffalo' revolver (and ROA)

 

[Zonie]

I have no idea who made Kentuckywindage's other brass framed guns but they may have been made by several Italian companies who are no longer in business because of their poor quality.

A few other companies like Palmetto and Pietta are kinda hit and miss with some of their guns being fairly good and others being rather poor depending on the gun style or model.

I own 5 different brass framed revolvers. 4 of the 5 are of fairly high quality but one old CVA 1848 Wells Fargo is not only not historically correct, it is of very poor quality. The only reason I keep it is it looks nice hanging on my wall with it's blackened brass frame.
zonie

 

[Kentuckywindage]

I made a trade today over the net and i got this....[url] http://www.cabelas.com/cabela...t20817&parentType=index&indexId=cat20817&rid=[/url]

Its a steel frame so im happy with it. I'll give this one a try for a while until i can buy the actual one i want.

 

[Zonie]

I think you will be happy with your Remington Pocket Pistol.
I don't know if you've seen one up close and personal but, they are very small.
They could easily fit into a pocket and that, at least for me, makes shooting them accurately a bit of a challenge (but fun!).

I believe a .321 diameter ball is recommended and about 15 grains of FFFg powder (or Pyrodex P).
#11 caps fit rather loosely but hopefully your fingers are small because big fingers might have a little problem loading the caps on the nipples.
I would suggest that you try to stick with the .321 diameter balls rather than using OO buckshot (which is also .32) because the loading lever is very short and may have problems with loading the hardened lead alloys used in shotgun pellets.

These little Remingtons come in both brass frame and steel frame versions. When Remington made these guns he also offered them in both steel and brass frames versions.
The brass framed pistol is called a "First Type" while the iron framed pistol with a brass trigger sheath was called the "Second Type". The all iron version was called the "Third Type".
zonie