Traditions 1851 all steel .44 Colt revolver review

[vervillev]

I received my 1851 Colt in all steel from Sportsmans Warehouse last night and have just finished unboxing and cleaning it to get the surface oil off.

First impressions:
1.) It's very nicely fitted and blued and the brass is very well done. It kinda sparkles a bit.

2.) The bolt sticks in 2 of the cylinder recesses and I'm going to polish the internals to get it slicked up a bit along with the offending recesses.

3.) It has the "Pietta Heel" at the grip, but I'm fine with it as is and it points fine in my semi large hands and, to me, is just a divine handling revolver.

AND, 4.) To conclude, it is the best money I've spent in a long time and I'm looking forward to shoot it and regulate the sights if need be.
Sportsmans warehouse has these for $219.00 plus shipping.

Will post pics as soon as I figure out how for this sight.

 

[Don]

That's a decent price for that gun these days. Enjoy!

Don

 

[Arrowheadmaker]

I was wondering how you tuneup the bolt and cylinder, as I have a colt navy 1851, that could use some tuning in that area.

Mine hangs up a bit when the caps are on, and I have to press the hammer on the cap more till the trigger clicks back, then I can turn the cylinder again as it will cock then.

What I been doing is putting the caps on and then going through each cap and press it on with the hammer, then I can shoot normally as the cylinder will turn good then. Rem #10 caps work good but
can't always get them. I think its a bolt & cylinder problem.
Thanks for any Info ! Robin47

 

[lethemgo]

I use a dowel I made out of walnut to push them more after I put them on...might not need to but figure it doesn't hurt. Also made the other end of dowel fit the wedge to push it out when cleaning....kind of a colt multi tool. Seat my felt wads with it too.

 

[Arrowheadmaker]

Sounds good, yeah I'll have to get one and try it out.
Thanks ! Robin47

 

[BowerR64]

Here is a link that might help you tune it up.
Tunning a pietta colt

If i were you on those nipples, take them all out of the cylinder and one by one fit the caps on. Those that are tight put the threads side into a drill and with some emry cloth turn them down till they slip on better. Dont get into a habbit of using the hammer to press them on IMO this is asking for an accedent.

The thing is, after you fire them a few times cap fouling will build up on the nipples and they will get even tighter. I strictly use #10 Remington caps and on a few of my guns ive done this so that i can continue to use only 1 size cap.

If they fit tight clean they arnt going to get any better.

This is my opinion but i feel most chain fires are caused by this problem. A tight fitting cap that bairly clears the back of the frame is not good. Once you fire the chamber your on the cylinder kicks back into the frame and can detonate those caps that are up to high and set them off.

 

[vervillev]

As far as tuning my newly acquired Pietta, I took it all apart and detail cleaned all of the preservative off of it and checked all of the lock work for any machine marks and burrs and used some bore butter to lube it up,then worked the action a bit and all is good.
Every gun is different
I have an 1858 Euroarms that needed the hand to be fitted and the bolt and bolt recesses honed a bit and it all fell into place.
It takes a bit of mechanical aptitude to do this work and I'm a shipbuilder by trade with some machinist background.
That helped a lot.
The Euroarms was a gifted kit gun and was rough when I got it but over time,utilizing patience, it's now a gem.

 

[BowerR64]

your right and these websites help alot. All these guys have been doing this for years so they know all the tricks. It takes alot of reading to first understand the lingo so you can understand what the guys who already know the tricks are talking about. They throw out little hints here and there and never really explain it all.

The Remingtons usually dont need much out of the box to get going and shooting good. The colts on the other hand are a little different. The colts have way to many things that can go wrong i feel to keep them shooting consistant.

I finally poked and poked the other guys enough that they finally opened up and spilled all their secrets with em. My colts dont shoot near as good as my Remingtons but they shoot better now then they ever have thanks to the guys on these forums.

 

[Wes/Tex]

The Remingtons usually dont need much out of the box to get going and shooting good. The colts on the other hand are a little different. The colts have way to many things that can go wrong i feel to keep them shooting consistant.

That's funny since my experience has run just the opposite! Then again, that's also what makes this sport so entertaining! :thumbsup:

 

[CaptainKirk]

Here is a link that might help you tune it up.

The Pettifogger series (Part 1-4) are THE definitive articles to read and digest, partially because of the excellent photos, and partially because he explains the internals in a way that you UNDERSTAND what you are doing, and WHY.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

that is what I do - but gently after a close look at the nipples/caps.
so far no ADs or chainfires. :thumbsup:
cap and ball revolvers are every bit as dangerous when carelessly handled as modern .357 revolver.