Shooting .36 Navies at 100 yards and other fun..

[Boston Bill]

Ok, thanks

 

[Coinneach]

Made it from a scrounged industrial steel step. It hangs from a repurposed wooden cross armed Real Estate sign holder.

I've got some hardened Armour steel plate from an old WW2 Matilda tank I use here for a long range target shoot.

 

[snidlly67]

I have a 1851 Navy Colt in 36. It belonged to my gggrandfather in the Civil War. I've always wanted to shoot it but I'm a little afraid.

 

[Stantheman86]

I have a 1851 Navy Colt in 36. It belonged to my gggrandfather in the Civil War. I've always wanted to shoot it but I'm a little afraid.

I'd put one through it with a light 20 grain load but probably just one. It would be tempting to load all 6 just to hear that gun roll through a cylinder and connect with your ancestor but I'd be nervous that something would break, the Murphy's Law of a chain fire or anything else

Maybe that old Veteran needs to stay retired as a display gun just because it's important to your family history

 

[Rudyard]

I've never myself shot any revolver at long range. But the noted Victorian author Hans Busk wrote of shooting a Navy Colt at long ranges probably a Pimlico Colt & he calls it' a pocket rifle' & extols its ability's I think he had a rear sight added to the barrel, .The Book that describes it is his ' The Rifle & how to use it .1859 or so that date being the principal year peak of the surge in Rifle Volunteering in the UK .
Rudyard

 

[snidlly67]

I'd put one through it with a light 20 grain load but probably just one. It would be tempting to load all 6 just to hear that gun roll through a cylinder and connect with your ancestor but I'd be nervous that something would break, the Murphy's Law of a chain fire or anything else

Maybe that old Veteran needs to stay retired as a display gun just because it's important to your family history

Is there somewhere you can buy 56-56 rounds for it? I have about 6 rounds that came with it.

 

[snidlly67]

Is there somewhere you can buy 56-56 rounds for it? I have about 6 rounds that came with it.

Sorry wrong post.

 

[M. De Land]

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I like to make rigs for pairs of revolvers, I feel , if you're going to load 1 you might as well load 2 of them. And clean 2 of them.....

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The brace of Pietta Schneider and Glassicks......these are repros of fightin guns that were used on the Battlefield, not 25 yard Bullseye pistols so , having taken my Walkers to 100 yards , let's see what the .36 Navy type revolver does at 50 and 100.....

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50 yards, was actually very good, offhand with a one hand hold and my off hand supporting my arm. Not trying to "group" and there were some hits to the side of the target, above, below, but I'd say roughly 75% of my shots hit inside the silhouette.

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100 yards.......not so much.....most of my shots missed. Obviously a heavier .45 ball or bullet with 50 gr of 2f below it is going to reach out and touch better than a .36 ball with 20gr of 3f pushing it.....we're basically talking pocket pistol velocities here but .36 Navies with 16gr charges and a conical were used by Cavalry in some cases during the war, and in some of my readings the Confederate cavalry guys absolutely loved the .36 as a fighting gun so it will do the job.

I was never expecting consistent hits at 100 yards with a .36, given the drop, having to hold a little high , and the coarse sights but with a little skill and practice it can be done.

I didn't use anything on top of the ball and no wad. After 18 shots per gun, they became sticky and needed to be wiped out. Totally acceptable by my standard for stock revolvers.

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As a little side project, I brought a can of Pyrodex P, RS and 777 Pistol powder that I opened in 2008 , and stored in an ammo can..... and tried it in the 2 other .36 Brassers I brought

All of it went bang, with CCI #11 Magnum caps. The 777 was a little split second hang fire and I remember now why I don't like subs......they burned no cleaner than the Holy Black, aren't any more accurate, the smoke is an acrid, white obnoxious cloud not the sweet, heavy smell of the charcoal of the Black, and it offers no advantage to me other than I can buy it at a sporting goods store and use it for this very purpose, just fun popping on a rainy afternoon with some cheap brass frames and not have to use any of my Blackpowder . I would never let a sub darken the bore of something like my Parker-Hale Enfields.

At the revolver velocities these balls are going the wind would play real hob with them beyond 50 yards. Actually for long rang shooting one would be far better off with a conical and loaded with a press outside the gun to get them seated straight,.
Earlier in another thread when I was referring to one hand shooting I meant just that, no support arm used as in bulls eye work.
Now for shooting out to about 50 yards max I would give the accuracy edge to the round ball but after that I'd go with a conical.

 

[nick_1]

I shot my .36 navys at 100yrds as a teenager with relative success. just roundball. the key to long range pistol shooting is to be able to see your impacts and make corrections. i learned in a 300yrd gravel pit and could have great success when training there regularly. last really long shot was a one and done with my .45auto on a steel turkey silhouette at 100yrds. there is no correction with my trapper or remingtons at 50yrds but at 100 its about 10 inches for the trapper. havent tried the Remington yet.