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Recommend 44 cap and ball revolver

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All I have ever owned were 44 caliber, my favorite is my 1860 army, and yes I like the longer original grip, I have shot six shooters for most of my life and the last 16 years in compition fast draw, granted in FD we shoot 45lc but then isn't a 454 ball realy a 45.
 
If you want a robust BP revolver and aren't too concerned about a nod to the past, then a stainless Ruger Old Army which is based on a rugged range of breech loading revolvers would be a good choice. A purposely designed modern BP revolver with adjustable sights and coil springs replacing the traditional flat springs used in replicas, it should provide a lifetime of regular use.
The downside is that it is heavy for single handed precision shooting and there is something nice about shooting "Spirit of the Original " revolvers which the Ruger cannot replicate.
If it were me, I would settle for a replica Uberti Remington 1858 NMA with an 8 inch barrel. I have two of these and a Ruger Old Army and much prefer the Remington's which lend themselves better to different styles of shooting with an added touch of historical heritage.
Brian

We've discussed this at great length in recent posts. The bad news about the ROA is that production stopped in 2008 and there are no spare parts that are not common with the Super Blackhawk. A few cottage industries make SOME parts, including a quick-release cylinder latch, but that means that you need a loading press....
 
For me it has to be a target model with the rear sight. I just can not shoot through the notch in the hammer.
 
The Remington is not really any more "robust" than the Colt, practically speaking. It just looks like it is.

Almost everyone gets the Remington, because it's a "superior design"... .or so they're told. In some ways it's better, in other ways, it ain't. Primarily, they don't suffer from the "cap sucking" problem that Colts can have (not always, but often enough). The exploded cap can stick in the safety pin notch in the hammer face and when you cock the hammer, it draws this bit of copper trash back and it can fall into the gun and really gum up the works. This isn't really a problem with the Colt design, but it's a problem with modern caps... which are way thinner than old caps. It didn't seem to be a big problem 120 years ago, but it can be today. The "fix" for this is a "cap rake", which I am now installing in my 1860. This is good old fashioned gunsmithery, so not for those who are not so inclined.

I will tell you that you definitely CAN have a cap jam with a Remington.. and it can be a b---- to fix. So they're not totally immune.

The place where the Colt is superior is the base pin. The Colt has a huge base pin with spiral grooves on it, and it laughs in the face of fouling. The Remington... well, it's a tiny pin that can lock up tight fairly quickly. You have to be more attentive and keep it clean and lubricated.

The other place where the Colt is generally considered superior is the handle. The Remington handle is awful. The Pietta is better than the Uberti, because the Uberti is closer to the original shape. Pietta attempted to fix it as best as they could. The Colt, of course... well, it's a Colt. :D Personally, I hate the stubby Navy two finger grip. I MUST have the Army length handle. For the Colt, I think the Uberti is closer to the original shapes, and are much better than the Piettas, but the Piettas are OK.

Whatever you get, go ahead and spring for good cones/nipples. The stock nipples MAY be ok...but more likely they are kinda undersized (the Pietta 1860 I'm currently working on still has stock nipples at the moment. CCI #10 caps "fit", but are still too loose. I don't like my caps falling off! :D I need to order TRESO nipples and CCI #11 or Remington #10 should fit well). Do not accept having to pinch caps! Get good nipples and the right caps to fit them. ;)
 
If you go to a "As Issue" match, the Remington 1858 is the pistol of choice. Don't see many Colts being used.
 
If someone just wants something that is ready to go, with less chance of frustration, I would recommend a Pietta "1858" Remington. Definitely buy good nipples. TRESO, or maybe the stainless ones from Track of the Wolf. These will be properly sized. No cap pinching headaches. Just keep that base pin clean and lubed. ;)
 
The Remington is not really any more "robust" than the Colt, practically speaking. It just looks like it is.

Almost everyone gets the Remington, because it's a "superior design"... .or so they're told. In some ways it's better, in other ways, it ain't. Primarily, they don't suffer from the "cap sucking" problem that Colts can have (not always, but often enough). The exploded cap can stick in the safety pin notch in the hammer face and when you cock the hammer, it draws this bit of copper trash back and it can fall into the gun and really gum up the works. This isn't really a problem with the Colt design, but it's a problem with modern caps... which are way thinner than old caps. It didn't seem to be a big problem 120 years ago, but it can be today. The "fix" for this is a "cap rake", which I am now installing in my 1860. This is good old fashioned gunsmithery, so not for those who are not so inclined.

I will tell you that you definitely CAN have a cap jam with a Remington.. and it can be a b---- to fix. So they're not totally immune.

The place where the Colt is superior is the base pin. The Colt has a huge base pin with spiral grooves on it, and it laughs in the face of fouling. The Remington... well, it's a tiny pin that can lock up tight fairly quickly. You have to be more attentive and keep it clean and lubricated.

The other place where the Colt is generally considered superior is the handle. The Remington handle is awful. The Pietta is better than the Uberti, because the Uberti is closer to the original shape. Pietta attempted to fix it as best as they could. The Colt, of course... well, it's a Colt. :D Personally, I hate the stubby Navy two finger grip. I MUST have the Army length handle. For the Colt, I think the Uberti is closer to the original shapes, and are much better than the Piettas, but the Piettas are OK.

Whatever you get, go ahead and spring for good cones/nipples. The stock nipples MAY be ok...but more likely they are kinda undersized (the Pietta 1860 I'm currently working on still has stock nipples at the moment. CCI #10 caps "fit", but are still too loose. I don't like my caps falling off! :D I need to order TRESO nipples and CCI #11 or Remington #10 should fit well). Do not accept having to pinch caps! Get good nipples and the right caps to fit them. ;)

I pretty much agree with you except for the fact of the ease of removing and replacing the cylinder on the Remington. It has its advantages over the wedge/barrel removal in many ways that outweigh the base pin issue to those who know the system (using 4f helps for one;)) . That wedge is a weak point for many.

Insofar as the grips go, I have t agree the 1860 is far superior to the 1851, but I really have no issue with the Remington's grips either as I don't have really large paws. I also like the grip on my 1st model Dragoon and it helps to handle the heavier weapon.

I think the overall balance too, affects the grip feel, as I am much happier with the feel on my '58 Navies and Sheriff's model than on my standard length .44s.

As far as the cap jam thing, polishing up the hammer handles that for me, or if that doesn't there is always the heavier mainspring route.
 
I'm not big on the cylinder swapping thing, which is all the rage. Everybody wants a "speed loader". The Remington does facilitate this, of course, but neither the Colt nor the Remington were really intended for that. I would definitely not like to keep taking the Colt apart over and over again to reload... though many people do it. The thought of wedge wear would bother me!

I'm a shoot, reload, shoot, reload, shoot, reload type of guy.
 

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