Much awaited Pietta Colt 1851 Navy Brass arrives!

[Half-Cocked]

It's here! Overall I'm very pleased.

Have a couple questions and comments though...

The bore.

The bore of this gun is blued. First gun I have ever owned that has a blued bore. And I've never heard that on the unboxing videos and YouTube so just wanted to mention it. Also the muzzle end is not crowned. Which I learned is normal. The rifling is shallow. I am pleased with the barrel as it cleaned up very quickly and is slippery!

The action seems very nice but what do I know first black powder pistol.

There is the tiniest pitting in the brass which I could care less about. I hope to wear this gun in with plenty of my own little pits and scratches and tales of use.


The wedge does not protrude far on the other side and was extremely easy to remove during initial cleaning. Upon reassembly I did tap the the wedge slightly with a wooden dowel and now it won't come out with finger pressure. Hopefully it's tight enough in there.

The cylinder
The cylinder itself does have some front and back play which I expected. there is enough room to slide a piece of paper between the front of the cylinder and the back of the barrel. I hope this is not an issue I don't know what the exact tolerances are.

The gun was fired and proofed are numerous proof stamps on the cylinder and the barrel. They cleaned it up pretty good after firing it.

Again overall I couldn't be happier. You'd have to be real nitpicky to find any issues with this budget pistol that's built extremely well. Talkin 204 shipped.

My two biggest concerns are the gap from the cylinder and the wedge pin not seating properly and protruding to the other side. I turn to you fine folks for advice on those two items.

Would I do anything in this purchase differently? yes I would have bought steel frames and bought two of them.

Now if I can only find number 10 percussion caps I can finally get to shoot this thing.

 

[TFoley]

In replone to a couple of your points - ALL firearms made in the 14 countries signed up to the CIP are required by the home law to submit any firearm made for commercial sale to be proofed in the national or state proof house. Evidence of this compulsory even must be indelibly stamped on the pressure-bearing parts of the firearm - in this case, barrel, frame and cylinder. In order to give an impression of a replica as an original arm, many shooters and re-enactors remove all traces of modern proof marks - a process called de-farbing. This is a criminal offence in the place of origin and also in all the CIP signature nations, where physical evidence of proof is a legal requirement for the onward sale of any modern or replica firearm .

In other words, if you lived in the UK, or any other of the 14 CIP countries, you would have to submit the arm for re-proofing before you could legally sell it on.

The cylinder gap is generally between ten and fifteen thousands of an inch in a new revolver, IOW, a piece of paper like that used by you is just fine. Over the years of shooting this will gradually enlarge somewhat - more on a brass open frame revolver than on a modern steel gun. My Ruger Old Army - remembering that it has a solid frame - show no signs whatsoever - even after probably tens of thousands of shots since 1986 when I bought it. However, open-framed designs like yours can, and do show signs at this point after extensive amount of shooting

 

[Half-Cocked]

In replone to a couple of your points - ALL firearms made in the 14 countries signed up to the CIP are required by the home law to submit any firearm made for commercial sale to be proofed in the national or state proof house. Evidence of this compulsory even must be indelibly stamped on the pressure-bearing parts of the firearm - in this case, barrel, frame and cylinder. In order to give an impression of a replica as an original arm, many shooters and re-enactors remove all traces of modern proof marks - a process called de-farbing. This is a criminal offence in the place of origin and also in all the CIP signature nations, where physical evidence of proof is a legal requirement for the onward sale of any modern or replica firearm .

In other words, if you lived in the UK, or any other of the 14 CIP countries, you would have to submit the arm for re-proofing before you could legally sell it on.

The cylinder gap is generally between ten and fifteen thousands of an inch in a new revolver, IOW, a piece of paper like that used by you is just fine. Over the years of shooting this will gradually enlarge somewhat - more on a brass open frame revolver than on a modern steel gun. My Ruger Old Army - remembering that it has a solid frame - show no signs whatsoever - even after probably tens of thousands of shots since 1986 when I bought it. However, open-framed designs like yours can, and do show signs at this point after extensive amount of shooting

I don't mind the proofing marks that all matter of fact makes me feel better. They're so tiny people can't even see them from afar.

any thoughts on the bluing inside the bore though? I thought I was kind of cool I wonder if it will last.

It's good to know that that Gap is not an issue. I plan to fire this thing use it for a while and then hang it up before it can't be fired. By then I'm certain I'll have plenty more steel frame items from pietta.

Overall I am extremely satisfied by EMF and Pietta. I would not hesitate to do business with them again and will in the future.

 

[bore_butter]

i went in search of #10 remmington caps yesterday at cabellas and academy sports and it was a waste of time. cabellas had #11's so i got all of those.

 

[Half-Cocked]

i went in search of #10 remmington caps yesterday at cabellas and academy sports and it was a waste of time. cabellas had #11's so i got all of those.

I did manage to find one website one or two that had caps but you have to buy a thousand and pay hazmat. With shipping and everything it came to about $75 I just don't have that much right now I'm hoping to find some at Williams a local gun shop.

I have a feeling this cap shortage is going to last a while. 209 caps are still available.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The bluing in the bore won't last. It was easier to blue the entire barrel than take the time to plug the bore. Since the revolver is loaded in the cylinder and there's no patch, the barrel doesn't need to be crowned. Its the forcing cone at the other end of the barrel that may need some smoothing.

Measure the cylinder mouth and order balls slightly larger so a ring of lead is shaved off indicating a perfect seal of the ball to the cylinder.

209 primers will not fit any nipples used on your revolver. Leave those for the unmentionalbles.

It may be easier for you to get a set of #11 nipples for your revolver. Measure the length of the cone as several nipples are offered with different cone lengths as well as needing the correct thread pitch such as 6-0.75. Track of the Wolf has a good selection of nipples.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/807/2

 

[Grenadier1758]

Cleaning accessories are sized for a rifle. Your cleaning jags will be a bit undersized, but thick cleaning patches will clean quite well.

Be prepared for a lot of fun.

Get a nipple wrench sized for a pistol. The nipples are smaller than rifle nipples and an appropriate sized nipple wrench will make all the difference. I've used one from Dixie Gun Works or Track of the Wolf for over 30 years.

 

[Half-Cocked]

Cleaning accessories are sized for a rifle. Your cleaning jags will be a bit undersized, but thick cleaning patches will clean quite well.

Be prepared for a lot of fun.

Now I know these are entry level pistols. Not to take anything away from the quality. I have seen other gorgeous looking rifles and pistols of various configurations. Flint lock, cowboy cartridge etc.

That being said I am absolutely in love with this little pistol. As finances allow I'm going to be collecting you much more.

Modern firearms are nice for home defense and maybe hunting. These historic black powder rifles and pistols though are something else entirely.

They are absolutely worth collecting many many different styles.

 

[Treestalker]

Gabrielp, I own and love 4 brass framed revolvers; two Colt Navy style, and two Remington New Army style, all .44s. Don't push your gun with heavy loads; you don't need to and the gun will last indefinitely with a milder diet of say 20-25 grains of 3fg. If you shoot it that day, clean it that day. I don't consider brass framed guns inferior; they're not magnums and should be treated like the fine ladies they are. Treat them right and they'll treat you right in return.

 

[nightwolf1974]

MMMMM.....Brass Framed 1851 Navy .....(drools ) What can I say? I love the Brass Framed 1851s! My very first C&B revolver was an old Brassie. Getting a pair of Pietta Griswold & Gunnison reproductions next month! (drools some more!)

 

[Half-Cocked]

Gabrielp, I own and love 4 brass framed revolvers; two Colt Navy style, and two Remington New Army style, all .44s. Don't push your gun with heavy loads; you don't need to and the gun will last indefinitely with a milder diet of say 20-25 grains of 3fg. If you shoot it that day, clean it that day. I don't consider brass framed guns inferior; they're not magnums and should be treated like the fine ladies they are. Treat them right and they'll treat you right in return.

I am far too cheap to put any more powder than needs be. That is one of the reasons I got into the cap and ball world. Lol.

I tell ya my preferred vehicle is a compact and if I lived back then I'd probably try to get goats to pull my wagon because they would eat less.

They are pretty though aren't they! And that brass patina is almost immediate with hand oils alone. A lady... That is a very good analogy my friend.

 

[Maven]

It's here! Overall I'm very pleased.

Have a couple questions and comments though...

The bore.

The bore of this gun is blued. First gun I have ever owned that has a blued bore. And I've never heard that on the unboxing videos and YouTube so just wanted to mention it. Also the muzzle end is not crowned. Which I learned is normal. The rifling is shallow. I am pleased with the barrel as it cleaned up very quickly and is slippery!

The action seems very nice but what do I know first black powder pistol.

There is the tiniest pitting in the brass which I could care less about. I hope to wear this gun in with plenty of my own little pits and scratches and tales of use.


The wedge does not protrude far on the other side and was extremely easy to remove during initial cleaning. Upon reassembly I did tap the the wedge slightly with a wooden dowel and now it won't come out with finger pressure. Hopefully it's tight enough in there.

The cylinder
The cylinder itself does have some front and back play which I expected. there is enough room to slide a piece of paper between the front of the cylinder and the back of the barrel. I hope this is not an issue I don't know what the exact tolerances are.

The gun was fired and proofed are numerous proof stamps on the cylinder and the barrel. They cleaned it up pretty good after firing it.

Again overall I couldn't be happier. You'd have to be real nitpicky to find any issues with this budget pistol that's built extremely well. Talkin 204 shipped.

My two biggest concerns are the gap from the cylinder and the wedge pin not seating properly and protruding to the other side. I turn to you fine folks for advice on those two items.

Would I do anything in this purchase differently? yes I would have bought steel frames and bought two of them.

Now if I can only find number 10 percussion caps I can finally get to shoot this thing.

View attachment 39537View attachment 39538View attachment 39539View attachment 39540View attachment 39541

There is enough room to slide a piece of paper between the front of the cylinder and the back of the barrel. I hope this is not an issue I don't know what the exact tolerances are.

If there was no clearance, it would be difficult to rotate the cylinder because of [black]powder fouling. Even my modern CF pistols have a bit of a gap between the cylinder face and rear of the bbl. Also, look into replacing the factory nipples with a set of Slix Shot nipples from Bad Man Productions, They changed a poorly performing Ruger Old Army into a 100% reliable shooter (with #s 10 or 11 caps). Nice gun, btw!

 

[Zonie]

In case it wasn't mentioned, the wedge does not have to protrude outside the far side of the barrel when it is properly installed. In fact, many new Cap & Ball, Colt revolver reproductions have wedges that don't stick out.

When the barrel is being installed, just push the wedge thru the slot and give it a slight tap with something. That's all that needs to be done.
After doing this, the wedge should not be able to be pushed out with just finger pressure but a light tap on the end of it should loosen it up enough to allow it to be pulled out far enough to remove the barrel.
That screw on the side of the barrel next to the wedge is there to act as a catch for the spring on the wedge. The idea was, with the little spring catching on the head of the screw, it wouldn't be easily lost when the barrel was removed.

 

[Half-Cocked]

In case it wasn't mentioned, the wedge does not have to protrude outside the far side of the barrel when it is properly installed. In fact, many new Cap & Ball, Colt revolver reproductions have wedges that don't stick out.

When the barrel is being installed, just push the wedge thru the slot and give it a slight tap with something. That's all that needs to be done.
After doing this, the wedge should not be able to be pushed out with just finger pressure but a light tap on the end of it should loosen it up enough to allow it to be pulled out far enough to remove the barrel.
That screw on the side of the barrel next to the wedge is there to act as a catch for the spring on the wedge. The idea was, with the little spring catching on the head of the screw, it wouldn't be easily lost when the barrel was removed.

Well if that is the case then we are right where we need to be! Now the spring or narrow side of the wedge is on the right side correct? opposite the screw side?

I’m gonna watch another video and make sure I didn’t put it in backwards.

post update:

Sorry Zonie I answered my own question. I have it in 100 percent correct and it is exactly like you mentioned. Slight tap in slight tap out.

 

[B P Arn]

Gabreip, if you can only find #11 caps, they will work.

You can make them work even better if you follow the link that 51colt posted last week: caps coming off Pietta 1858 remington .44

 

[Half-Cocked]

Gabreip, if you can only find #11 caps, they will work.

You can make them work even better if you follow the link that 51colt posted last week: caps coming off Pietta 1858 remington .44

That is an awesome tip. I did not have a chance today but tommorow I will venture out to see what is available.

I need pyrodex as well. The T7 I have is not approved for brass use. I know people have and it would probably worked just fine but I have been advised not to. Really no problem there I will use the T7 up too in something else.

If I had the funds I would buy 1000 caps and 5 pounds of real black right now online. I am 100% certain I would use all of it too. Wonder when that second stimulus check is coming?

 

[B P Arn]

I have used 777 in my brass framed revolver with no problems. There is no sense spending money on something that is not really what you want when you have something available that will work every bit as well, but is it your decision to make.

Do you have the other items you will need, such as a powder measure, bullet lube, gun lube (I use Ballistol), cleaning equipment, etc...?

 

[Half-Cocked]

Set on all that stuff minus a nipple wrench. I even have mats for the range, sand bags, targets, cleaning and greasing supplies, a powder flask and measure precharge tubes a range rod, hollow bit screw driver set. I ended up contacting hodgdons they advised not to use T7 they also had a disclaimer not to post the actual conversation without their permission that is why I was being a bit cryptic.

I also have a bunch of other stuff I haven't even mentioned that is kinda why I am broke lol. On the brighter side I took a video if that bore!

1851 Pietta Navy Bore Scope

 

[B P Arn]

I made a nipple wrench from a 1/4" drive socket, as has been mentioned. when I first started out with cap & ball, and it still works great! I broke the store bought one the first time i used it!

If you have a Dremel with some abrasive cut-off disks you can easily make one for yourself.

 

[Half-Cocked]

I made a nipple wrench from a 1/4" drive socket, as has been mentioned. when I first started out with cap & ball, and it still works great! I broke the store bought one the first time i used it!

If you have a Dremel with some abrasive cut-off disks you can easily make one for yourself.

I was thinking of investing in an angle grinder and a bench vise I'm sure they'll come in handy for other stuff as well. All the tools we collect along the way...