lyman 36cal revolver

[duke21]

hey guys ,

i am new here, from west central indiana, can you say hoosier? thats me. anyway been shooting 50 cal long rifle for a while, got the bug for a revolver. really thinking small game hunting to be truthfull, otherwise fun plinking. i really like the appearance and build of the ruger old army, but feel 44cal is a bit heavy for squirrel and bunnies. not many revolvers around here but a few traditoins 44cal found a real clean Lyman 36cal blued steel remington type revolver. actually real clean and tight only thing that concerned me was the hammer did not rest on the "safety notches between the nipples very well. all else seemed real sweet. asking price was 199, before i left he offered it for 175 with no tax. what do you think, any opions on this gun or should i just buy a new 1860 or 1851 in 36 as i cant seem to find any remington types in 36 cal. you feedback is appreciated.

thanks

duke21

 

[arquebus]

A couple of months ago I bought a 'Remington New Army Police' .36 C&B revolver from Cabellas, made by Pietta. Cost me $179 + s&h. Apart from the heavy trigger pull, which I soon fixed, I was very happy with the fit & finish. At the range I tested it for accuracy at 25yds benchrested, & with 20gns Goex 3Fg & a Hornady swaged roundball it was printing 2" groups consistently. I used a little cream of wheat on top of the powder, so the ball sits almost to the mouth of the chamber, & lubed each chamber with Wonder Lube. Shoots very clean. Now if I could only get those 2" groups offhand! Anyway, check out Cabelas, for about the price of that used one you were offered you could pick one up a new from them.

 

[Boomer]

Oh boy are you fixin to have a bunch of fun!!!

For rabbit one of my favorites is my Uberti 1851. Its 36 cal & will hold 4" group at 25yds offhand (never bothered to bench her).
My own load is 20gr Goex 3f, 10gr corn meal & a .375rb then a dab of Crisco over the chember. This load brings the ball to the edge of the chamber mouth which IMO helps accuracy.

She is poison on rabbits! Never bothered to try it on tree rats because accuracy isnt suffient IMO.

I have used an 44cal 1860 on rabbits but stopped because a bad hit will bloodshot alot more meat then the 36 will... Thats an important consideration because while I do truly enjoy the hunt nothing tops it off like some fried rabbit fer supper :hatsoff:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

What ever caliber you choose target sights are gonna be a requirement for top accuracy (i.e. squirrel/rabbit head shot). Unfamiar with the Lyman but I'm thinking it was Italian made maybe Spain.
I've got a Ruger OA, you won't be disappointed with it. I haven't used it for small game, but it sure blew through a approx. 300 lb wild boar sow with a Lee mould slug at 30 ft. Passed clean thru, a quarteing away shot in the chest cavity that exited the lower neck area. I had to track it but not far, it left much blood after 50 yds or so and I saw the direction it ran anyway. Good eating! I used a .25 acp caseful of 4f under a 7.62x39 case of 3f as load. definitely has some recoil.

 

[duke21]

thanks for the feedback guys. today i went and looked at a 51' colt 36 cal. seemed pretty clean, but dont have much experience with the open top guns( no top strap on frame) timing of the cylinder and trigger feel where good and the appearance of gun other wise was nice. i did notice that if the wedge was snugged up any at all that the cylinder would bind. again, not much experience with the open tops, i am guessing that the screw next to the wedge is used to limit wedge travel to prevent the binding? i guess this is why i was leaning toward the 1858 lyman remington. I know i can buy new from cabelas ,but dont use credit cards( i am a bit old fashioned about that) and i really prefer giving my busines to the local mom and pop shops when they have what i want. frankly no one around here realy has much on traditional rifles and pistols , no less c and b revolvers. matter of fact the store i went to today, had a handfull of guns , but not one was on display in the handgun cases and i had to ask if they had any. i also asked about traditional rifles there and they said they hadnot sold one in 4 years, all inlines? i wish i knew of more places locally to check , but not having much luck.

thanks, and i welcome anymore feedback
\
duke21

 

[duke21]

boy now i am in a pickle. the colt 1851 which was really pretty clean was a buck and a quarter without much haggling( although that dealer doesnt buge much) the lyman 58 remy can be had for 150. its starting to get tempting. just dont know which way to turn here. i had a couple ROA that i knew about and was tempted to just get one of them but found out today , they are both gone. I really probably need to stay with the 36 cal anyway. i tried search engines to find muzzleloader dealers around here and have come up squat. i had found a site that listed dealers a few days ago, but cannot find it again. any ideas???

 

[arquebus]

For $150 I think I'd have to go with the Remington. Even though the Colt is $25 cheaper you'll get better, more consistent accuracy with the sight in the top strap than with the hammer notch rear sight on the Colt. As mentioned in my first post, I was more than happy with the accuracy of my Pietta/Remington .36 right out of the box. I think you'll be happier with a .36 over a .44 for squirrel & rabbit hunting.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I have a Lyman .36 revolver and I like mine real well. The grip is just a tad small for my hand, but it's perfect for the wifes grip. The Lyman gun requires a .380 round ball instead of the traditional .375. The chambers are slightly oversized and a .375 is loose and you chance a chain fire with a too small ball. I've fired up to 30 grains of powder behind a .380 ball and the recoil is too much. 20 grains of powder seems to be a good load in mine, probably about like a .38 special.
Ohio Rusty

 

[duke21]

hey guys , thanks for the feedback, that is what i really need. i need to hear input from users not salesman garbage. I am leaning real hard on that lyman. i called the dealer back today and he lowered the price to 150. its getting hard to walk away from. BUTTT!!! , had an old contact today just tell me he was selling two of his new in box Ruger old armies for 300.00 a piece. yes they are blue, 7.5" barrel with rosewood grips and adjustable sights. He is a cowboy action shooter and he had never used this pair. I think 300.00 is a fair price. But money is very tight right now. too many variables to this equation. I may have to put some money down on a couple different guns before this is through. I really like the 36 for small game, but always liked that big hunk of metal old army. what do you do about getting 380 balls for the lyman? i dont have any experience molding balls, although i am a metal fabricator so shouldnot be too difficult? Is there any secrets to get around the special ball problem. also why would they have made the bore .005 bigger, am i missing something?

duke21

 

[duke21]

me again guys, i could write daytime soap operas with all my thoughts going through my head. I have only had a couple local dealers ever really try to help me on the percussion gun issues. One is about 40 or 50 miles down the road and is real knowledgeable but has no revolvers in stock because they just dont move, but he is a black powder guy, he does the rendevous, friendship , and stocks all kind of long gun stuff and has tried to help me before. he and i talked a few times this week and he was wanting to sell me a new gun, if i didnt know better probably traditions brand. but didnt think he could get a NEW remy style in a 36 cal. we where also talking about long guns for the small game and of course he brought up the crockett 32 then came up with what he called a traditions " black squirrel" i know what the crocket is and it is nice. i could not find out much about the black squirrel. Darn it guys, i feel like a kid in the candy store and i only have a nickel to spend. i am on a budget, keep giving me some input so i dont regret where i went on this thing.

thanks so much and god bless,

duke21

 

[Boomer]

I have no experiance with the 1858's. I just dont like the look of them so never bothered.
I do own an Old Army & if you can pick one up for 300 then jump on it. They are over 500 new & are great shooting guns!

If you want to stay traditional & save a few bucks the only advice I can give you is buy what caught your eye 1st. I cant tell you how many times I have gone to the gun shop to buy "such & such" only yo have my head turned by some other cutie in the case. In every incident I bought what turned my head & while nto nessisarily regreting getting it but regretting not getting what I went there for.

Only peace of real advice I can give I will set this one in stone. No matter what you get make sure it has a steel frame if you plan to shoot it more than 'once in a while'. The brass frame are attractively priced but will loosen up with repeated use then all you have is a $100 paperweight.

 

[duke21]

decisions, decisions, decisions,

i found out today some money i was expecting would not be coming my way soon. i have done more investigating on the rifles and they all sound pretty nice, also found a reming 36 cal revolver with target sights for around 190. bad thing is when she checked on it for me, they are out of stock and no real idea of when it could be in. needless to say i am a bit disappointed. I really want the rugers but afraid that it is going to be overkill on squirrel and bunny.

so question, with the remington or colt 1851 36 cal. just how important do you think the target sights are. if important is it worth trying to put them on an existing gun or a waste of money. keep in mind i am talking head shots at 25 plus or minus yards. i know what i can do with a 22cal rifle and revolver with iron sights and have no problem with them, what is your input on the 36 cab and ball.

also , am i just kidding myself on hunting small game with these and should stick with a 32 or 36 cal rifle.

your feedback is appreciated.

duke21

 

[Jailbird]

Howdy Duke,
My Cabella 51's would do a body shot on a sql. at 25yds. --- maybe head shots if I could find a rest/brace to steady my aim :thumbsup:
Jailbird
Ps --- While I have not hunted with a C&B yet , there are many who use them for small game hunting and have fun doing it.

 

[Rebel]

I sent you a PM.

 

[DriBak]

I am new to BP and just recently purchased a Cabella's .36 pistol is it true that a .38 spl case full equals 20 grains of powder ?

 

[Rebel]

Not sure about that but as long as you leave enough room to seat the ball it is safe to shoot. In a revolver that is, not in a pistol or rifle. You can't over charge a revolver as long as you are using BLACK POWDER. Never use any knd of smokeless powder.

 

[jlynn]

More like 27-28 grains

 

[Napper]

I had a 51 navy that I got for shooting grouse durning M/L deer season you couldn't carrya a 22 pistol so went with the 51 navy I killed a lot of grouse with it and wish I still had it. You just have to take them out and shoot them till you can hit what you want a the range that you will be shooting at. tomm

 

[PitchyPine]

Just came from Cabela`s, don`t forget to look at the 1861 Colt in 36 cal, looks just like the 1860 44.

 

[Bougalee]

Seems a bit high for a used Lyman 58, I happen to own one though and have had it since 1972. Don't remember what I paid for it. I also bought one last year from Cabelas (Pietta) for around $175 or so, but they went up in price shortly thereafter. I like them both, check out the 1861 replicas or 1851s awh hell, they are all pretty nice.