Since it obvious there is some confusion concerning C&B revolvers I thought I might point out a few things having been involved in owning, shooting and gunsmithing them since about 1965
For one, assuming that the average modern percussion revolver is in anyway as carefully made as an original Colt or Remington is delusional.
So unless things have changed recently:
First. They invariably come from a cottage industry system in Italy.
Second. There are 2-3 quality grades within the SAME BRAND in every case I have seen or experienced. So you can get sterling examples from Uberti and the next is barely useable. Even when ordering direct from Uberti USA. BTDT
Third. Since they are cottage industry there is likely variation in parts especially those not critical to assembly.
For example. If the firearm has some nipples that caps fit good on and some that they don't it could be that some of them came from a sub contractor in one part of town and some from another and/or the gun is second or third grade the maker supplies what he is paid to supply or what he can get away with. So while the nipple THREADS for example may be to a standard the rest is variable. Diameter/taper/length of the section the cap seats on for example. If its made little to long it will effect the diameter.
So if there is a variation in how the caps fit there are options.
First find another cap brand, I recommend Dynamit Nobel. Not all cap brands are created equal.
Second buy new nipples, hopefully they will be better quality or at least uniform.
If they are too long or too large in diameter resize them.
Buying a C&B revolver. Success will depend on the IMPORTER. Some importers check the guns and will not accept the lower grades. Some don't care and sell lower grade guns for the same price or close too what a first grade gun would cost.
I hate buying a reproduction revolver unseen.
Back when I had an FFL I ordered a SAA revolver from a company I will refer to as every morning fixit. I ordered and sent back 2 consecutive revolvers and gave up. These were all parts interchangeable with the original etc etc. But were simply not up to par.
So if the reader wants to buy a percussion revolver what to do? I would buy or have it ordered from Cimarron and keep my fingers crossed till it arrived.
I would not buy from Cabela's or any other mass market outfit.
Ideally if I could find one of the 1st issue "second gen" Colts at a gunshow look it over and buy that. But this is still not an iron clad way to get a good one. The last "Colt" (these were assembled by H&R from imported Unberti parts) 1860 I had shot so high that even changing the front sight was futile since it needed to be VERY high.
So its a manure shoot. Pay your money and take your chances. There is a good chance it will be deficient is some way. The less it costs the more likely to be problematical.
The best C&B I ever owned and one of the best revolvers of any type I ever owned was a Western Arms full flute 1860 Army. Shot very well indeed needed a minimum of rehardening (Colts often do too) and I wish I had kept it. Western Arms, near as I can tell was very picky about the arms they accepted. I suspect that Cimarron is the current incarnation of this company but this is a guess.
So attempting to judge an 1850s-60s made C&B revolver by the performance of ANY of the replicas is an exercise in futility. One is made by people who really don't much care in a country 1000s of miles away. The other was made by a company that had at least some modicum of quality control and did not want there reputation tarnished since the firearms were at the time front line high tech self-defense weapons.
To give some insight. Colt made an early batch of their Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle's with faulty extractors. Worse they were the first ones shipped to Colorado and perhaps other places in the west where a working firearm was critical.
After this they practically could not give them away. Even though the mid-framed pistol cartridge version was fast and reliable and accurate. It was made by a MAJOR force in American firearms. They did not sell well after the bad batch went out. Somebody goofed. I suspect someone was looking for a job after this.
So companies that produced firearms that did not work did not last long or had other sources.
Some of the ones that DID work did not make it.
Colt had the large revolver market and Winchester the repeating rifle market. Everyone else was second fiddle at best.
So don't order a cheap C&B revolver or even an expensive one and think its as its as durable or reliable as what G.G.Grampa carried against the "darned" Yankees in the War of Northern Aggression or shot Rebels with during the "Rebellion" (depending).
Its "unlikely".
Dan
For one, assuming that the average modern percussion revolver is in anyway as carefully made as an original Colt or Remington is delusional.
So unless things have changed recently:
First. They invariably come from a cottage industry system in Italy.
Second. There are 2-3 quality grades within the SAME BRAND in every case I have seen or experienced. So you can get sterling examples from Uberti and the next is barely useable. Even when ordering direct from Uberti USA. BTDT
Third. Since they are cottage industry there is likely variation in parts especially those not critical to assembly.
For example. If the firearm has some nipples that caps fit good on and some that they don't it could be that some of them came from a sub contractor in one part of town and some from another and/or the gun is second or third grade the maker supplies what he is paid to supply or what he can get away with. So while the nipple THREADS for example may be to a standard the rest is variable. Diameter/taper/length of the section the cap seats on for example. If its made little to long it will effect the diameter.
So if there is a variation in how the caps fit there are options.
First find another cap brand, I recommend Dynamit Nobel. Not all cap brands are created equal.
Second buy new nipples, hopefully they will be better quality or at least uniform.
If they are too long or too large in diameter resize them.
Buying a C&B revolver. Success will depend on the IMPORTER. Some importers check the guns and will not accept the lower grades. Some don't care and sell lower grade guns for the same price or close too what a first grade gun would cost.
I hate buying a reproduction revolver unseen.
Back when I had an FFL I ordered a SAA revolver from a company I will refer to as every morning fixit. I ordered and sent back 2 consecutive revolvers and gave up. These were all parts interchangeable with the original etc etc. But were simply not up to par.
So if the reader wants to buy a percussion revolver what to do? I would buy or have it ordered from Cimarron and keep my fingers crossed till it arrived.
I would not buy from Cabela's or any other mass market outfit.
Ideally if I could find one of the 1st issue "second gen" Colts at a gunshow look it over and buy that. But this is still not an iron clad way to get a good one. The last "Colt" (these were assembled by H&R from imported Unberti parts) 1860 I had shot so high that even changing the front sight was futile since it needed to be VERY high.
So its a manure shoot. Pay your money and take your chances. There is a good chance it will be deficient is some way. The less it costs the more likely to be problematical.
The best C&B I ever owned and one of the best revolvers of any type I ever owned was a Western Arms full flute 1860 Army. Shot very well indeed needed a minimum of rehardening (Colts often do too) and I wish I had kept it. Western Arms, near as I can tell was very picky about the arms they accepted. I suspect that Cimarron is the current incarnation of this company but this is a guess.
So attempting to judge an 1850s-60s made C&B revolver by the performance of ANY of the replicas is an exercise in futility. One is made by people who really don't much care in a country 1000s of miles away. The other was made by a company that had at least some modicum of quality control and did not want there reputation tarnished since the firearms were at the time front line high tech self-defense weapons.
To give some insight. Colt made an early batch of their Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle's with faulty extractors. Worse they were the first ones shipped to Colorado and perhaps other places in the west where a working firearm was critical.
After this they practically could not give them away. Even though the mid-framed pistol cartridge version was fast and reliable and accurate. It was made by a MAJOR force in American firearms. They did not sell well after the bad batch went out. Somebody goofed. I suspect someone was looking for a job after this.
So companies that produced firearms that did not work did not last long or had other sources.
Some of the ones that DID work did not make it.
Colt had the large revolver market and Winchester the repeating rifle market. Everyone else was second fiddle at best.
So don't order a cheap C&B revolver or even an expensive one and think its as its as durable or reliable as what G.G.Grampa carried against the "darned" Yankees in the War of Northern Aggression or shot Rebels with during the "Rebellion" (depending).
Its "unlikely".
Dan
