What revolver to buy

[erzengel]

I wonna buy a second revolver and yeah, want to aks for your recommendations and experience with differnet modells

I already have a Rogers & Spencer made by Neumann-Pietta in the middle eighties.

I fell into the strong conviction that I need a second revolver and that it should be a replica of one of the modells from Colt.

The octagonal barrel from the 1851 Navy whispers take me.

On the other hand, the Walker say take me.

Than the dragoons tipp on the shoulder, what is about us?

Only one revolver to buy. No more.

What purpose is the revolver intended for?
Well, must be good enough to do competiton at 25m and have a fair chance to get good groupos.

Shall be fun to shoot, easy to clean, good to maintain, lovely outlook without being overdone ..., most probably a replica by Uberti.

Thank you very much already now for your help and encouragment.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

You really do make it difficult to choose. One model you didn't mention was the Colt 1860 Army. I have one or more of the revolvers you mentioned. The Colt 1851 Navy .36 is fun to shoot. The Walker is really fun, but it takes a lot of powder because I load mine full charge. You can shoot the Navy almost three times for every one time you shoot the Walker. The Walker is not one I would carry in a holster on a regular basis.

If you want a .36 caliber, There is the 1851 Navy and the 1861 Navy. There are other, smaller revolvers. Those are more like a pocket gun.

The Colt 1860 Army and Colt 1861 Navy are both beautiful and slender. They remind me of a pretty woman's leg.

I guess what it all amounts to is what pleases you, and what you can afford. I would definately recommend the Uberti copies for revolvers to shoot on a regular basis. They aren't marked up with stampings all over the barrels and frames. On the ones I have and have seen, the fit and finish was excellent.

Good luck... :thumbsup:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I guess what it boils down to are: how much powder can you use with each shot that you take? And #2: What kind of a Pistolero are you to begin with, and how much experience do you have with large caliber hand guns?

If you're used to the heft of say a .44 Mag with a full lug underneath the barrel, and can handle it well (recoil, noise, etc.) and get good groups, then a Walker would be a good choice. Otherwise stick to something that doesn't weigh-in at over four pounds empty. And are we going to shoot this gun in the traditional duelist-style (strong hand only) or are we using both hands?

If you're used to the blast of a .357 Mag, the Walker should be O-K, if not you might want to opt for the '60 Army or one of the .36 Navy's.

My Walker wins competitions, using my regular 50 grain charge of 3Fg Goex, a wonder-wad on top of the powder, and a .454 Hornady ball.

May you make enough money to eventually buy them all!

All the best,

Dave

 

[CoyoteJoe]

If you want real tight groups you'll probably have to do some work on any revolver you buy. A very common problem is chamber diameter smaller than bore diameter. That is easily fixed by reaming the chambers. That is one big plus for the .44 calibers since Speer & Hornady make balls of .451, .454 & .457" so whatever your chamber size ends up you can find a ball to fit.
Most .36 calibers run .375" groove diameter and if you ream the chambers to .375" or .376" you'll need a ball of .377-.380" and they are not widely available.
With all of that said, my Navy model .36 is good for 1 1/2" groups at 25 yards if I'm having a good day. My 1860 Army .44 won't do better than 2" on my best day, more commonly 2 1/2" but I like the long grip and the graceful lines and I think I shoot it better offhand than I shoot the Navy.
With any of the open top revolvers you will find the elevation changes according to how the wedge is set, so it is best to set up the cylinder gap using a feeler gauge of .004-.006". Set it the same every time and she'll shoot the same every time.

 

[erzengel]

I have all of the "modern" guns you mention and some more. I do not load .44 Mag to more than is required by the competiton rules. That leaves me with about 750 Joule, no need for 1200+ Joule.

I have to do competiton single handed and that is why the Walker is not the fist choice. For fun, I can take both hands.

I forgot, the Rogers & Spencer is .44 therefore a .36 migth be nice and that is why I did not mention the Army in .44. But they are a options to.

Those octagonal barrels, :hmm: they whisper loud, very loud.

It is very difficukt to convince myself who the one it shall be. Would be easier buying four but that is out of question.

I hope you can give me the arguments to convince myself for the one and the only one I shall get.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Do you have a sporting goods store or gunshop where you can go and actually handle the revolvers? That is what I would suggest you do if possible.

Those .36 cal revolvers are pleasant to shoot. The octagonal barrel on the 1851 Navy is classic. And the slender barrel of the 1861 Navy is a thing of beauty.

You might just have to get one of each. :hmm:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

The Colts are too pretty and varied to make an argument for just one :surrender: . Which ever one it is, you'll surely be glad to own it!

That being said, I'd go with the .44 cal 1860 Army. Light enough to use strong-hand only, only takes 20-25 grains of powder to make it work, and a friend of mine shot his (during a competition) and put two shots through the X-Ring of a B-19 International Target at 50 yards :shocked2: . Your mileage may vary :haha:

Dave

 

[jimmytheshank]

"On the other hand, the Walker say take me."

Get a Walker. Period. :wink:

 

[poordevil]

Get the Uberti 1851 Colt with the square back trigger guard. :hatsoff:

 

[mykeal]

The good news is that you can't make a wrong decision.

The bad news is that you can't make a wrong decision.

Makes it tough to make any decision.

This is a matter of personal choice, so there's no way we can provide a compelling argument for any given gun.

The 1851 Navy .36 is a very popular gun for many reasons. Every collection should have at least one. Since you are eventually going to have one of each (don't fight it; it's going to happen), start with the 1851 and have a good time. You won't regret it.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

The good news is that you can't make a wrong decision.

The bad news is that you can't make a wrong decision.

Makes it tough to make any decision.

This is a matter of personal choice, so there's no way we can provide a compelling argument for any given gun.

The 1851 Navy .36 is a very popular gun for many reasons. Every collection should have at least one. Since you are eventually going to have one of each (don't fight it; it's going to happen), start with the 1851 and have a good time. You won't regret it.

Their like Wise potato chips...you can't have just ONE! :haha: :thumbsup:

Dave

 

[Long Johns Wolf]

Since competition shooting was mentioned I am throughing in my 2 €-Cents - and I am biased: have you considered getting a well maintained 8" barrel Centaure 1960 New Model Army, ideally one of the blued/case hardened variety or a stainless one? For competition I would shy away from the ones with the stainless.
I know a couple of pards on both sides of the big pond who use them successfully in bulls eye competetion for years already.I found a blued/CCH one recently who was used by an elderly gentleman in DSB competition for over 40 years and still going strong.
Long Johns Wolf

 

[erzengel]

Their like Wise potato chips...you can't have just ONE! :haha: :thumbsup:

Dave

:thumbsup:

Yeah getting four instaed of one but the limit is only the one more; else I would get them all for storage, economic and legal reason .

That makes the decisison difficult. Where I go to get the one, there will be all modells at display and I can get them to hold.

What is about the Dragoons?

If only competiton counts, I would go for Rogers % Spencer by Feinwerkbau, Remington Army match by Hege or one of both by Pedersoli.

But I want a classic one. That is Colt to me.
It take some time to decide and yes, it is difficult.

 

[LeMat1856]

.
. sep 24 / 1:20am


3rd model dragoon would have been my choice from the start but for a different reason: they will / can accept the 45LC conversion cylinder.

this gives you the looks of '51, improvements of time and testing, plus flexability for the future.. the best of all worlds.

look at taylor's website for ideas and prices (a little higher then some, lower than others).

~d~

 

[Mike Brooks]

I'd go with the navy for target shooting. All of my navies shoot well.

 

[erzengel]

What do you say about an Colt Army in cal. .44
made 1960 in Belgium on the original machines from Colt and only once fired?

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Almost 50 years old and only once fired? I might save that one and buy one to shoot too :hmm:

Dave

 

[nkbj]

Everybody oughta get an 1851 brass frame 44 first. That way they can shoot it loose and buy other models.

 

[erzengel]

I am going to secure that one first. :thumbsup:
I know the owner very well and that revolver is really shot only once. :bow:

:hmm: And than take the appropiate steps
to get a second gov. paper :youcrazy: permitting to buy more of such guns. :grin:

Well my private finance minister might tell me otherwise with the second half sentence of the second paragraph. :redface: :surrender:

 

[Long Johns Wolf]

Go for the Centaure if you can Erzangel.
But be aware that Centaures were not made on old Colt machinery. That is one of the many myths about them. This particular one was published in DWJ 1971 and it is simply not true!
For the "truer" story see www.1960nma.org
Long Johns Wolf