Just bought a Pietta 1851 Navy in .36, what do I need to know?

[45D]

I don't think we were spreading BS do you? Just what has worked for us. Maybe that other guy should field all questions from now on since he is all knowing?

I know what has worked for me and from others as well ( you're not the only one). Don't care to push decades old BS and I use caps in the shop for "test firing" so I know what works / what doesn't. Been involved with bp since 1972 so I've heard it, lived it, shot it , converted it, tuned it, modernized it, advanced it . . .
always willing to learn something new though.

Mike

 

[CaptainKirk]

Guys, Mike is one of, if not THE best C&B tuners in the business. I have 3 of his beauties and hope to have more of his Goon's Gun Works masterpieces soon. I have my own opinions on caps and no shortage of experience popping them, but since everyone seems to have their own 'recipe' and preference, I'll let you all duke it out, and leave it with a general guide of common sense:
1) If it falls off during cycling or gets swallowed down into the bowels of your Navy, it's too big.
2) If you have to pinch the skirt, see #2 above,
3) If it won't seat fully, it's too small.
4) If it takes multiple hammer strikes, see #3 above.
5) You don't need a $50.00 set of nipples to enjoy your C&B revolver.
6) Nobody can positively confirm a particular source where chainfires come from.
7) A nipple pick is your best friend. Your second best friend is a short piece of wooden dowel rod to firmly seat your caps at the firing line.

 

[Frontstuffer070]

No one said you need a 50 dollar set of nipples to enjoy them. That recommendation was and IS due to the scarcity of certain brands and sizes of caps. The OP asked what he needed to know. That is a need to know.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Hey all, this will be my first black powder gun and I was wondering if there are any kinks or anything I should know? Thanks!

This is a 44 caliber, but, the shooting & accessories are very similar.
Enjoy:

 

[CaptainKirk]

OP, is your 51 Navy steel frame or brass?

 

[ernbar]

Cci #11 and Remington #10 both fall right off all 4 of my pietta pistols.
Got to pinch those to keep them on factory nipples.

For me, CCI number 11s fall off on all my factory nipples while Remington 10s fit like a glove over them. Then my pistols with Slixshots use both 10 and 11 size caps perfectly.

Regarding these guns shooting high, I replaced the front sights with taller ones. I don’t want to be guessing where it’s gonna hit but rather have it print at POA.

 

[AlexB]

For me, CCI number 11s fall off on all my factory nipples while Remington 10s fit like a glove over them. Then my pistols with Slixshots use both 10 and 11 size caps perfectly.

Regarding these guns shooting high, I replaced the front sights with taller ones. I don’t want to be guessing where it’s gonna hit but rather have it print at POA.

I just recently got the Remington caps and was surprised when they did not fit any better.
The #10 diy die caps and then#10 3d printed fit very snugly and don't fall off.
Probably gonna switch over to treso or slixshot at some point but have the kinks worked out so no rush.
We are from St pete originally then moved to Montana in 09.

 

[Mike Keel]

I don’t have enough time to respond to everyone right now, apologies for that, but I already ordered quite a few CCI #11 caps. Will they work on the pistol or have I made some horrible mistake? I’d hate to have wasted money on that

I found # 10 caps at Cabelas You can always buy a Pedersoli percussion rifle for about $1200 to use up the #11 caps

 

[chiphasnoteeth]

Take the revolver apart and thoroughly clean and relube it. The factory nipples are gonna take a #10 cap ( Remingtons fit the best on my piettas with stock nipples) . A .375 or .380 round ball will do just fine. Slix shot nipples are a very good upgrade and help to greatly reduce if not eliminate cap jams. The gun will shoot high at pistol distances. Aim at his belt buckle.

Thanks for the advice! I got my gun in the mail today and tried disassembling it, but the barrel wedge is in there so tight that I've decided to give up. I looked over tons of videos & forums and it just pops out real easy for them, but mine will not budge (it also came out of the box with the wedge not completely flush/sticking out of its hole). I'm gonna try taking it to a gunsmith tomorrow. If they can't figure it out, any advice??

After you get familiar with your revolver, and begin to develop that revolver’s accuracy sweet spot. You can take a small needle file or knife edge file and slowly make a few passes in the rear sight notch of the hammer and start to moving the point of impact upward to match your point of aim. That is just what I do. I want my sight picture to be where the projectile hits.
Old Shepherd

What's your opinion on adding a taller dovetail sight? I don't really like the idea of filing down the hammer itself

All fantastic recommendations ^. They tend to shoot high. Like @ frontstuffer070 recommended, aim for the belt buckle. Since putting sliXshots on my 51 Navy, and 60 Army, not a single cap jam. Added bonus, #11's fit great. #10's are kinda hard to find. You'll have fun shooting it, and methinks you will be wanting to buy more.

Haha yeah, I've heard plenty about these Navy's shooting high... Slix shot nipples sound like a great investment! I won't buy any now, but probably soon.

Clean it, remove the nipples and clean those inside and out then apply a SMALL amount anti-seize to the threads and put them back snug is all you need not overly tight. Get your shooting supplies and go to the range and SHOOT it. After you are done come home and CLEAN it, oil it and put it away until the next time you want to shoot it - that's it - enjoy it!

Awesome, thanks! One question though - the barrel wedge is really stuck in my gun and won't come out no matter what I do. What should I do to try and get it out?

My Pietta 1851 Navy is one of my only revolvers that actually shoots point of aim with no sight modifications.

There are loads of YouTube videos on how to load and fire a black powder revolver.

Here are some tips:

Maximum accuracy will be around 12 grains of 3F powder.

Make sure your balls are shaving a ring of lead on loading into the chamber. Undersize balls cause chain fires.

When shooting, never allow any part of your hand to be beside or in front of the chamber. Shooting one-handed is safest.

Sounds like solid tips . That's less powder than I thought I'd have to use though!

Get a 2nd gun or learn to reload fast as the bad guy will get back up and now he will be ****** ! /Ed

Haha, thankfully I don't have to depend on this gun for my life. I think it'll be a fun target shooter though!

They may not fit properly on the factory nipples. But the sliXshots definitely will. After having a good cap jam, you will definitely appreciate them. I recommend one of their wrenches too.

I've heard quite a bit about the Slixshot nipples.. they must really be amazing. I'm for SURE gonna have to try them at some point.

You can try to pinch the cap a little to get it to hold on to the nipple a little better and you may get by that way. I've never liked the idea of doing that as I don't want to risk a chain fire (thats a whole other subject). As Snakebit said, get you a set of slix shot nipples and you can use any size cap you want on them. They truly are awesome and worth every cent.

Ahh ok. That answers my question. I might have to get new nipples sooner than I thought, if #11 caps won't even stay on consistently.

Guys, Mike is one of, if not THE best C&B tuners in the business. I have 3 of his beauties and hope to have more of his Goon's Gun Works masterpieces soon. I have my own opinions on caps and no shortage of experience popping them, but since everyone seems to have their own 'recipe' and preference, I'll let you all duke it out, and leave it with a general guide of common sense:
1) If it falls off during cycling or gets swallowed down into the bowels of your Navy, it's too big.
2) If you have to pinch the skirt, see #2 above,
3) If it won't seat fully, it's too small.
4) If it takes multiple hammer strikes, see #3 above.
5) You don't need a $50.00 set of nipples to enjoy your C&B revolver.
6) Nobody can positively confirm a particular source where chainfires come from.
7) A nipple pick is your best friend. Your second best friend is a short piece of wooden dowel rod to firmly seat your caps at the firing line.

Duly noted thank you sir.

This is a 44 caliber, but, the shooting & accessories are very similar.
Enjoy:

This is a really great video, I love this man's attitude and passion towards shooting... I can really tell he's passionate about it too. Seems like an awesome channel

OP, is your 51 Navy steel frame or brass?

It's steel frame

I found # 10 caps at Cabelas You can always buy a Pedersoli percussion rifle for about $1200 to use up the #11 caps

Haha that sounds like a whole other rabbit hole.. I'll keep it in mind though! I'm sure a rifle would be a lot of fun

 

[CaptainKirk]

A Good smack with a hard nylon mallet will likely loosen the wedge. From there you can tap it out with the squared end of half a clothes pin.
Resist the urge to use a steel hammer. Harbor Freight has a very nice nylon hammer for a few bucks. It's an essential part of your BP tool kit.

 

[Old Shepherd]

Chiphasnoteeth,
When I deepen the sight groove on the hammer, it doesn’t do anything to compromise the integrity of the hammer or how it strikes a nipple. It usually takes less than 1/16 of an inch. That is just squaring up the bottom of the groove to allow my eye to see more of an already short front sight. I have seen open top revolvers fitted with dovetailed rear sights. Putting a taller sight on the front will only make you shoot even lower.
I still have to place the front sight in the very bottom of the sight groove on my hammer. Then I put that on the center of my target and that is where my point of impact is.
Old Shepherd

 

[chiphasnoteeth]

A Good smack with a hard nylon mallet will likely loosen the wedge. From there you can tap it out with the squared end of half a clothes pin.
Resist the urge to use a steel hammer. Harbor Freight has a very nice nylon hammer for a few bucks. It's an essential part of your BP tool kit.

That did the trick, thank you so much! I just have one question now - does the wedge have to protrude out of the right side of the barrel? Mine isn't even poking out or flush at all, it stops JUST before being flush with the barrel. Is that a safety issue at all? It came from the factory not flush as well

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

https://www.henrykrank.com/media/pd...Ey6bpQezj4gBLvxqltaETXT886x5NLb3bE4NGY-X_IfvP

 

[snakebit]

Chiphasnoteeth,
When I deepen the sight groove on the hammer, it doesn’t do anything to compromise the integrity of the hammer or how it strikes a nipple. It usually takes less than 1/16 of an inch. That is just squaring up the bottom of the groove to allow my eye to see more of an already short front sight. I have seen open top revolvers fitted with dovetailed rear sights. Putting a taller sight on the front will only make you shoot even lower.
I still have to place the front sight in the very bottom of the sight groove on my hammer. Then I put that on the center of my target and that is where my point of impact is.
Old Shepherd

Ol Shep, can I ask what you used on that sight notch? A few passes with a hacksaw and clean her up with a needle file?

 

[Old Shepherd]

I was blessed with a well made and expensive needle file set from a dear old friend (now passed) that had been a full time gunsmith. You could use a good hacksaw blade to start. That might work very well. Then a needle file or maybe even a thin stone. With me it is an eye sight issue to get a clear sight picture on just enough front site to hold a clean sight picture. On some of my revolvers it was just as simple as cleaning up the rough casting boogers in the groove.
Old Shepherd

 

[ernbar]

Extremely very easy fix. Pulled out the original sight post and replaced it with K&S brass rod from Hobby Lobby. Now it’s a little under 1/4” and prints pretty much POA.

 

[snakebit]

Extremely very easy fix. Pulled out the original sight post and replaced it with K&S brass rod from Hobby Lobby. Now it’s a little under 1/4” and prints pretty much POA.

View attachment 342336

Nice. Can you remember the diameter of that rod? Did you have to thread it?

I was blessed with a well made and expensive needle file set from a dear old friend (now passed) that had been a full time gunsmith. You could use a good hacksaw blade to start. That might work very well. Then a needle file or maybe even a thin stone. With me it is an eye sight issue to get a clear sight picture on just enough front site to hold a clean sight picture. On some of my revolvers it was just as simple as cleaning up the rough casting boogers in the groove.
Old Shepherd

With there amigo. My eye sight is terrible (early cataracts).

 

[chiphasnoteeth]

Chiphasnoteeth,
When I deepen the sight groove on the hammer, it doesn’t do anything to compromise the integrity of the hammer or how it strikes a nipple. It usually takes less than 1/16 of an inch. That is just squaring up the bottom of the groove to allow my eye to see more of an already short front sight. I have seen open top revolvers fitted with dovetailed rear sights. Putting a taller sight on the front will only make you shoot even lower.
I still have to place the front sight in the very bottom of the sight groove on my hammer. Then I put that on the center of my target and that is where my point of impact is.
Old Shepherd

Ah, ok. That makes sense then, I thought it would affect the hammer's strength a bit, but it's good that it doesn't. Oh and don't the Navy's tend to shoot high? So wouldn't a dovetail sight help, because they make it shoot lower?

 

[Old Shepherd]

Not just everyone can cut a dovetail. If you decide to go that route, practice on some scrap pipe or bar first. Then tape it on the barrel and look at where your front site has you looking. Do this on a mark on the wall about 10 feet away. It might be fine or you may now have to put in a higher front site to make things work. It is your gun and you need to do what makes you happy or works better for you. Try not to make it too much trouble or it will make it a chore instead of a fun thing. I assume that is why you got the revolver in the first place. To have some fun.
Old Shepherd

 

[ernbar]

Nice. Can you remember the diameter of that rod? Did you have to thread it?

Unfortunately I don’t have the package it came in and don’t remember . I sized the post with my calipers and matched the size. No threading, but a tight friction fit.