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shoulder stock

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now I finally got my own
Belgian Centaure 1860.jpg
 
I have tried the stock on my 1860 Colt Army and found the cap flash t right at my nose was disconcerting to say the least.
Accuracy, however, did improve.
James L. (Bunk) Stagner
 
They definitely have utility, they just never caught on widely in the original Period.

I just think not many stocks were actually made originally and less were privately purchased or used by the military. Also maybe they just weren't seen as "cool" back then, kinda like Civil War era body armor that soldiers and Officers loved ones purchased for them that were quickly discarded . There's a whole chapter on this in "Myths of the Rifled Musket in the Civil War" .

I always wondered why you read few if any accounts of actual use of detachable stocks on revolvers during the Civil War or on the Frontier, given that most 1860 Armies were cut for them. Remington didn't seem to be worried about them.

Being an ex Army guy I know what it's like to have "uncool" gear that you get made fun of for so maybe shoulder stocks were one of the 1860s "why are you using that crap" gear

They seem like a great idea , I'd think they'd have been popular. I'd have probably used one.
The real reason shoulder stocks never became popular is because possessing one could get you marked as a professional assassin--at least that's the impression I got from the documentary I saw once.
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I have one and have used it. Certainly makes the gun steadier for long shots. While the flash is closer than holding the pistol one handed it isn't as close as the Remington revolving rifle I also own. The Remington is far more intimidating when it goes off. The detachable stock is just a bit longer and gets the flash just a little bit further away. I enjoy shooting it.

Originally Colt proposed the stocks as an issue item for the big Dragoon pistols. A soldier would be issued two pistols and one stock so one pistol could be used as a carbine. The idea was good enough to continue when the 1860 came out but never really caught on. It was an extra expense and by the 1860's the government (which Colt had hoped would be the major buyer) was occupied with supplying enough arms for the war and was more likely to just issue an actual carbine and only one pistol. Private buyers may have bought some but I suspect many simply bought an actual rifle considering the pistol to be just for close in defense.
 
I don't think they were ever intended to be held carbine style. Best use is pressed against the shoulder held one handed, from a loping horse.
 
I thought it was illegal to have detachable shoulder stocks
NFA explicitly exempts "firearms with primitive ignition (AKA Primitive Firearms)". The GCA references the NFA for it's definitions, and most state laws reference the NFA and GCA for their definitions. Nothing wrong with a pistol length barrel and a stock with these guns in most localities (always check before flaunting it around though :)). Shoulder stock makes a revolver a heck of a close range (50 yards-ish) groundhog gun. One could have a 12" barrel single shot pistol (or a dragoon/walker) and load it up like a carbine, attach a stock, and take it out deer hunting, realistically (sub 100 yard probably, but then again most hunting is anyways). Would be handy in a blind. Some state hunting regs specify a minimum barrel length, however.
 
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Is it even possible to get one of those stocks anymore?

I got mine about 10 years ago and it took me over 2 months to find one for my Pietta 1851 .44
cost me about $200, my revolver only cost $120
then I had to remove some screws from the pistol to add on the lug screws the stock secures against. That was a PITA.
I rarely get to use it, but I love it for a scrub brush gun. Crawling around, hunched down and with limited sight and maneuverability the stocked pistol shines. Accidently scared a mountain lion from a fresh kill one day. When it dawned on me why the deer was dead I backed out of that scrub at the ready as quick as I safely could do so.
 
Way cool vid, Hawk. If as a young dude I'd met her out on the trail I'd probably have just gone into a dead faint and fallen off my horse. That's my idea of an American girl.
 

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