True gunslinger weapon

[PowderBoom]

Hey guys

Im keen on buying a true cowboy gun to go with my Acubra and riding coat. The revolver will be used for shooting baloons and cans and practising my quick drawing tecnique. I am intrerested in the 1858 rem. or 44. dragoon or similar. What do you guys suggest. It needs to be a rugged and reliable gun that can handle many, many days of spitting death at whatever is in front of it. But it also needs to be true to that time period..........Billy the kid, Wild Bill, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday etc.

 

[Russianblood]

Wild Bill Hickock favored the 1851 Colt Navy pistol even when cartridge guns came around. That would be a good, inexpensive starting place. Stick with a steel framed one as brass frames are weaker.

 

[David Teague]

Best handling revolver of the cap-n-ball era was the 51/61 Navy. Wild Bill Hickock carried a brace of em.

I do too.

Cheers,

DT

 

...practising my quick drawing tecnique. It needs to be a rugged and reliable gun that can handle many, many days of spitting death at whatever is in front of it.

Quick draw? Spitting death?

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

You are going to shoot yourself in the foot!!

No kidding, you are going to shoot yourself in the foot!! I've seen it happen!!!

Could we promote a bit of responsibility and safty here Gentlemen?

Quick draw is one of the most damaging activities one can impose on a revolver's innards. Slaming those parts together breaks something on a regular basis. The words rugged, reliable and quick draw should not be used in the same sentence!

Want to be true to the era and the nature of the people? Do like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill both advised...draw slowly, take careful aim and then squeeze the trigger.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Earp, Holliday, Masterson and such all favored the 1873 Colt peacemaker. For Cap&ball I think the 1860 Army in .44 caliber may be more to your liking. It holds more powder than the .36 caliber if busting ballons with blank loads is what you have in mind. Billy the Kid was a later era and probably not a user of cap&ball revolvers, said to have favored the double action Colts but is also known to have used the Peacemaker.
In the cap&ball replicas the choice of Colt or Remington is a personal preference thing. I have owned several of each and prefer the Remington for accuracy of aimed fire but the Colts just seem to ballance and point better for quick point and shoot sort of stuff. I like the grip and hang of the 1860 a bit better than the 1851 but either is fine and much better than the Remington which seems to cramp my second knuckle against the rear of the triggerguard such that I have modified the Remington guards to get more room at the rear. :grin:
And let me add, "GHOST IS RIGHT!"

 

uhhh....I did quick draw for over 10 years and never had a mishap. Nor have I ever witnessed one. I am aware of exactly two. I reckon a lot of folks don't shoot themselves in the foot.

It does demand the utmost in diligence and attention to detail....otherwise there will be a mishap.

For most of the men you mentioned the '73 Colt SAA, S & W #3 or Schofield or 1875 Remington would be more historically accurate. Hickock did indeed prefer the '51 Navy....and they are a fine handgun, I still own and shoot one.

Vic

 

[Toomuch_36]

For most of the men you mentioned the '73 Colt SAA, S & W #3 or Schofield or 1875 Remington would be more historically accurate. Hickock did indeed prefer the '51 Navy....and they are a fine handgun, I still own and shoot one.

Vic

If memory serves me, I believe Hickock's '51 Colts had been converted to .38 short Colt cartridge.

Toomuch
...........
Shoot Flint

 

[Legionair]

Ghost and the others are right.... If your going to do quickdraw, spend a lot of time getting REAL good with WAX bullets.

If you ever shoot yourself, you'll be damn glad its wax and not lead. Wax is fine (and sometimes required) for quickdraw anyway.

We need to focus on safety. We are not involved in life or death here. Back then when a mans life could depend on his speed out the holster, I could understand practicing for this.

But today is different.... Play, dress up, have fun..... but be safe.

Just an opinion...

Legion

 

[John Taylor]

The use to sell cartridges called leg savers. They are reloadable blanks. Wax bullets can hurt at close range. If you want something that will hold up better than the rest then get a Ruger. Any gun that is used for fast draw will ware out faster.

 

I read in an issue of 'Guns of the Old West" which said Wild Bill carried '51s in town but prefered a big 44 Army or a Dragoon for field use. Maybe I read too much.

 

[PowderBoom]

Quick draw? Spitting death?

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

You are going to shoot yourself in the foot!!

Listen here ghost,
You can laugh all you want. We are all here to do the same thing and that is to have fun. How you have fun and how i have fun are totally differant....so dont mock other people and their interests, rather say something constructive. As for firearm safety (shooting myself in the foot)....I am a profesional field guide in the madikwe game reserve SA (yes that would be where all the lions, elephant etc. live) i have done more "advanced weapon" corses than you have fingers or toes and all of the exercises are quick fire and are timed. Here we do not use BP, but .375 H&H rifles that would blow your leg clean off.............and what can i say, im still standing.

 

[Musketeer]

Any of the Dragoon revolvers are going to be way too big and heavy for quickdrawing, but the '58 Remington ought to be just fine. Get one with a steel frame, and buy a bunch of extra springs at the same time, since the old style flat springs used in these guns are small and can be somewhat delicate. I would get a few extra hand springs and bolt/trigger springs in particular.

 

[PowderBoom]

Thanks for all the info.
One more question, should i buy stainless or steel? Ive heard that stainless is brittle and is prone to cracking, what do you suggest? I like stainless because of the anti rust properties.

 

[echo89]

Thats based in fact, but on old mettalurgy. Stainless in firearms is just fine. It may ruin what you are looking for in a "true cowboy gun", however, as it was not available in the day.

DC

 

[Musketeer]

What echo89 said pretty much sums it up. If you like the stainless, then go with it. It will give you a far more rust resistant finish than the plain carbon steel guns, though the stainless used in guns could be referred to as "high carbon" stainless steel, meaning it has a higher carbon content and lower chromium content than other stainless steels, so the gun WILL rust if neglected long enough. A stainless steel gun will just give you a lot more leeway as far as maintenance goes. :hatsoff:

 

No need to worry about stainless in a BP firearm, but if you're trying to be period why use something so completely un-period? Blued steel, color case hardening and walnut grips is what it is for me.

Vic

 

[jethro224]

Quick draw? Spitting death?

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

You are going to shoot yourself in the foot!!

Listen here ghost,
You can laugh all you want. We are all here to do the same thing and that is to have fun. How you have fun and how i have fun are totally differant....so dont mock other people and their interests, rather say something constructive. As for firearm safety (shooting myself in the foot)....I am a profesional field guide in the madikwe game reserve SA (yes that would be where all the lions, elephant etc. live) i have done more "advanced weapon" corses than you have fingers or toes and all of the exercises are quick fire and are timed. Here we do not use BP, but .375 H&H rifles that would blow your leg clean off.............and what can i say, im still standing.

Yeah! Anybody that can quick-draw a .375 H&H rifle oughta be able to handle a 51 Navy! :blah:

Just kiddin', Powderboom.
Seriously, I think Ghost was being constructive (after he had a chuckle) by making sure you were aware of the danger to yourself and the extra wear on your gun. Lighten up a lil bit. :v
Like you said, everybody is here to have fun. Laugh along with 'em.

I can't tell you much about pistols, but have fun learning and do be careful.
I always heard it was your knee that gets shot. :shocked2:

And, Welcome to the forum! :hatsoff:

 

Here we do not use BP, but .375 H&H rifles that would blow your leg clean off............

Wow, you even talk like "Dirty Harry", but the line was "blow your head clean off". :rotf:

Since the art of "quickdraw" probably started in the 1950's in Hollywood, why are you asking on a Traditioanl Muzzleloading site?

No offense, just asking. :v

 

[David Teague]

If you want look of stainless steel, yet be PC, don't forget you can get a nickel finish on some handguns.


DT

 

[Legionair]

I would suggest, if you can, go handle a few different pistols. The size of the grips and the angles are different.

The Rem is nice, but a little to big for me to be comfortable with.

The '51 navy works real good for me, but the '60 army is frightening. I've taken some "fast draws" with it (wax bullets only and light loads), and the thing almost jumps into my hand and cocks itself.....

Almost like it was looking for somebody....

P.S. No offense meant earlier... I don't know your experience and skill level. And I'd hate to hear that somebody shot themselves without warning.

What you do now is up to you... :haha:

Legion