Recommend 44 cap and ball revolver

[Emmett]

with the different manufactures and models of revolvers, I’m looking for a sturdy quality revolver.
Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TFoley]

Uberti, Pietta, Pedersoli.

Unless you are buying second-hand, then there are a ton more. My own recommendations is for a rigid frame - replica of the Remington New Model Army of 1858.

Everyone else will now join in.

It helps us to help you to know roughly where you are located. USA? Europe? Africa? Asia? Antarctica? Give us a clue, eh?

 

[hawkeye2]

If you are looking for an entry level revolver I would recomend an 1858 Remington and don't buy a brass framed gun. The Colts are flashier and point better but have some issues that can be frustrating for a newbie. Nothing that can't be overcome but they can distract from the inital shooting experience. The Remington is easy to load and clean and it's free from cap jams. You don't have to worry about long or short arbor problems and the resulting barrel to cylinder gap as you do for most Colts. You will have to cap the Remington with your fingers but I have never found that to be troublesome. Once you have the correct diameter ball the only thing you have to worry about is finding a powder charge that suits you. Disclaimer: once you have advanced beyond the plinking stage you will find that all Italian revolvers will need some tweaking. Personally I go with Piettas over Uberties as they are cheaper (Cabela's) and seem to be of equal quality though I plan on having to do some work to any revolver anyway.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Get a Colt model 1851 sheriff brass in .44.

Thems was used and carried by folks like General Lee because the south did not have the knowledge to make steel frame guns.

You can get them made by peiotta in Italy for Cabelas for like $199. Work good. No reason to pay more elsewheres.

 

[rodwha]

I got a Pietta NMA for Christmas 2013 and found it had several issues, most somewhat small. It shoots several inches left. Were it dovetailed like the Uberti I could easily adjust it.

The loading window won’t allow for most conicals/bullets. I had to open mine up considerably to accept my custom WFN bullet that was just .460” long. That’s not an issue for everyone though.

The chambers are way undersized for the bore. Supposedly they start off around .446” and mine has .452” lands. So mine was sent to a fellow on another forum who reamed them to .449” and chamfered the mouths. I’d still like them closer to bore and am considering a .451” reamer and stopping short of the bolt stop notches.

The fit of the grip panels was in want, and I just don’t care for the reddish hue, plus my hands are a small so I sanded the grips to fit me and the gun better.

The hammer nose is too wide to fit into the safety notches on the back of the cylinder. I had to file the hammer nose to fit properly. Mine are field guns so a working safety is important to me.

The edges on the working were fairly sharp and quickly were etching the cylinder so I smoothed them up.

However I must also say that outside of a faulty cap not having the priming compound it has been 100% reliable and keeps running all day when I use Ballistol on the cylinder pin.

It also is rather accurate for a 5.5” barrel. When I was shooting at least once a month for hours at a time I was getting 3.5-4.5” groups because of a flier or two I never attempted to scrutinize (could be a chamber or two has an issue) at 15 yds shooting offhand. And it hasn’t mattered what projectile I’ve tried (a .457” ball, my 170 and 195 grn WFN bullets) with the 30 grn setting (3F Olde E weighs about 33 grns).

My understanding is the Uberti slightly edges the Pietta when it comes to the Remington models, but Pietta has less issues when it comes to Colts. Then choose which grade and barrel you’d find most useful.

Will this be a range toy? More? Is this cheap fun or something nice?

 

[TFoley]

You could, of course, opt to miss out on all the PITA problems that seem to attend many Italian C&B revolvers by buying the best c&B revolver ever made in the history of the C&B revolver - the Ruger Old Army. It looks a bit like a Remington crossed with a Ruger Blackhawk c*******e-firing revolver, because it is. It is built like Mount Rushmore and will likely last just as long.

Of course, not being 'zackly a replica of anything, and depending on the version equipped with spiffy adjustable sights, it is NOT HC, if that matters to you. Most you see are stainless steel, but there were blued versions in small numbers with 7.5 and shorter barrels - called the 'Vaquero'. figure on paying between $400 and $600 these days - those who have them will not be parted from them - mine was bought on my birthday 1986, and has had a bazillion ball down the barrel and still looks mostly like new.

 

[Emmett]

Uberti, Pietta, Pedersoli.

Unless you are buying second-hand, then there are a ton more. My own recommendations is for a rigid frame - replica of the Remington New Model Army of 1858.

Everyone else will now join in.

It helps us to help you to know roughly where you are located. USA? Europe? Africa? Asia? Antarctica? Give us a clue, eh?

Live in New Mexico

 

[Eutycus]

This could turn into an interesting viewpoint on differant revolvers. You failed to mention if you were interested in buying new or secondhand. And what caliber. The field has somewhat narrowed in the past few years but there are still some very good ones out there and most have already been mentioned. Don't overlook the Ruger Old Army if you can get your hands on one. Its not a copy of the Colt or the Remington but kind of in a category by itself. But still a very well made revolver.

 

[hanshi]

I've only owned two c&b revolvers; a Remington NMA and a Rogers & Spencer. They were both completely reliable and as accurate as most modern revolvers. Both had steel frames and no issues.

 

[Zonie]

with the different manufactures and models of revolvers, I’m looking for a sturdy quality revolver.
Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Since your new here, I don't know you so I'll suspect that you might be new to cap & ball revolvers.

When someone says NMA, they are talking about the 1858 Remington New Model Army revolver. It's frame surrounds the cylinder providing support both at the top and at the bottom. The cylinder rolls out the side of the frame for cleaning the gun.
The Colt cap & ball pistols on the other hand is called an "open top" because the frame of the gun is only below the cylinder.
This isn't as weak as it first looks because the Colt has a very large cylinder arbor that the cylinder rotates on and this arbor is a snug fit in its hole in the barrel, below the bore. A removable wedge locks the barrel in place to hold the pistol together.

The grip on the Remington is a bit smaller than the Colt's grip and it doesn't fit everyones hand. The Colt grip on the other hand (no pun intended) fits almost everyones hand and has been called the most comfortable and "point-able" grip on any pistol made.

I don't recommend buying a brass framed gun. Although both the Colt and Remington have brass trigger guards, the more durable guns all have a steel frame.
The "brass framed Colts" are close copies of the Confederate pistols. These Confederate revolvers were all .36 caliber and the reason for their brass frame was iron wasn't plentiful in the South. It is rumored that the Confederates collected all the brass they could from donations of pots, pans, jewelry and even church bells to make their brass framed revolvers. As I said, unless your acting out the part of a Confederate soldier, get a steel framed gun. They are worth the extra cost.

Oh. Someone mentioned HC earlier and you might see the abbreviation PC. HC stands for "Historically Correct" and PC stands for "Period correct". The terms tend to overlap one another in what they mean but if you are wanting something that was used by a Mountain Man, a cartridge gun wouldn't be something you would want. The era of the fur trappers was over long before cartridge guns were available to the general population. This means a cartridge gun would not be HC or PC for the mountain man era.
Both of these terms are important to the folks who do reenacting. If your not interested in reenacting, feel free to ignore the comments about something being HC or PC.

 

[ppg1949]

I use an inline capper on all my C&B revolvers then thumb the cap down. I like the looks of the Colts but my Remington's & Rogers and Spencer shoot better. If you get a brass framed Colt be real careful about loading to much powder. I had a faulty measure on a powder flask and it caused my first and only brass frame to shoot loose. A gunsmith tried to fix it to no avail.
P.S., I'm not a fan of Pietta. I've problems with them in the past and no longer buy them. To me their quality control on tolerances is lacking.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

My own preference leans toward Uberti. I have several both C+B and cartridge versions and their workmanship and accuracy have been excellent. I find the 1858 Remington design easier to load with conicals, easier to cap and if you want to perform the Clint Eastwood cylinder swap, easier to reload. I find the Colt1860 Army with its removable barrel, easier to clean. Also, the front sight on the Uberti 1858 is dovetailed, meaning you can adjust POI for windage. The 1860's always shoot high, therefore I replace the stock front sight with a taller one.

 

[bang]

Have 4 pietta 1858s. 3 44cal, 1 36. Brass on anything over 36 vacuums wind.
Oh, and never ever any issues in the 20+ years I've had them.
Best goto 1858 is the 320 one at cabelas. Hit inside a door knob all day long at 25 yards. Never had to reream cylinders of the 6 spares I have.

 

[Emmett]

This could turn into an interesting viewpoint on differant revolvers. You failed to mention if you were interested in buying new or secondhand. And what caliber. The field has somewhat narrowed in the past few years but there are still some very good ones out there and most have already been mentioned. Don't overlook the Ruger Old Army if you can get your hands on one. Its not a copy of the Colt or the Remington but kind of in a category by itself. But still a very well made revolver.

New or used 44 cal.

 

[Emmett]

Since your new here, I don't know you so I'll suspect that you might be new to cap & ball revolvers.

When someone says NMA, they are talking about the 1858 Remington New Model Army revolver. It's frame surrounds the cylinder providing support both at the top and at the bottom. The cylinder rolls out the side of the frame for cleaning the gun.
The Colt cap & ball pistols on the other hand is called an "open top" because the frame of the gun is only below the cylinder.
This isn't as weak as it first looks because the Colt has a very large cylinder arbor that the cylinder rotates on and this arbor is a snug fit in its hole in the barrel, below the bore. A removable wedge locks the barrel in place to hold the pistol together.

The grip on the Remington is a bit smaller than the Colt's grip and it doesn't fit everyones hand. The Colt grip on the other hand (no pun intended) fits almost everyones hand and has been called the most comfortable and "point-able" grip on any pistol made.

I don't recommend buying a brass framed gun. Although both the Colt and Remington have brass trigger guards, the more durable guns all have a steel frame.
The "brass framed Colts" are close copies of the Confederate pistols. These Confederate revolvers were all .36 caliber and the reason for their brass frame was iron wasn't plentiful in the South. It is rumored that the Confederates collected all the brass they could from donations of pots, pans, jewelry and even church bells to make their brass framed revolvers. As I said, unless your acting out the part of a Confederate soldier, get a steel framed gun. They are worth the extra cost.

Oh. Someone mentioned HC earlier and you might see the abbreviation PC. HC stands for "Historically Correct" and PC stands for "Period correct". The terms tend to overlap one another in what they mean but if you are wanting something that was used by a Mountain Man, a cartridge gun wouldn't be something you would want. The era of the fur trappers was over long before cartridge guns were available to the general population. This means a cartridge gun would not be HC or PC for the mountain man era.
Both of these terms are important to the folks who do reenacting. If your not interested in reenacting, feel free to ignore the comments about something being HC or PC.

Thank you for the information

 

[Emmett]

with the different manufactures and models of revolvers, I’m looking for a sturdy quality revolver.
Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

I thank all that offered information on the C&B revolvers.

 

[TFoley]

Brass on anything over 36 vacuums wind.

Translation, please.

 

[Many Klatch]

By the way the Ruger Old Army is a fine gun, but it is not longer made and Ruger no longer makes parts for it.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Have 4 pietta 1858s. 3 44cal, 1 36. Brass on anything over 36 vacuums wind.

Anything over 36 caliber with a brass frame just isn't right. What do vacuums do? They suck up debris.

By the the way, I don't have a high opinion of the 44 caliber Colt Navy patterned pistols but others are entitled to their opinion.

 

[Eutycus]

I realize a brass frame is alot weaker than steel, but it can be extended or made to last longer if light loads and a loading press are used. I'm still fairly new at revolver shooting but I'm under the impression it's the "gorilla power" of loading the revolver with the loading lever that does alot of the stretching. Especially if oversized balls + big loads of powder are being loaded. I'm also of the opinion that a brass frame is better looking, to me anyway.