BP Pocket Pistols ???

[saands]

I have had a 1858 Army full-sized (super-full-sized IMHO) revolver in .44 for a couple of decades now. I enjoy it, but I've started to think that I'd like something smaller than this 7.5" bbl'd monster. I see the .31 cal pocket pistols and they look to be a good size and am wondering if they can be had in any other calibers. I found a 5.5" .44 Navy, but at 12" OAL that one is about 4.5" longer overall than the 31's ... does anyone make a .36 or a .44 in the smaller size?

TIA,

Saands

[Steve499]

Uberti makes .36 pocket revolvers, which just means the frame size is the same as the .31 caliber pocket pistols. I have a pocket navy and it reminds me a lot of a Ruger Bearcat as far as size and handling go.

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_92_187_189&products_id=1031

[JayC]

Or if you prefer the look of the 1860 Colt, Uberti makes an 1862 Pocket Police in .36, available with either a 5 1/2 or 6 1/2" barrel.

[mykeal]

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/mykealsm/Guns/Colt%201862%20Police/656.jpg

This is what you want. .36 cal, 5 1/2" barrel.

Several people sell them; Arms 2 Armor is just about the best price around at $258.
http://arms2armor.com/store/product31.html

Cabela's is a little cheaper at $230, but they don't tell you who the manufacturer is and they specify the barrel as 5".
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=D1TKFJ3MUJGXICWQNWRSCNQK0BW0IIWE?id=0003239210085a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=1862&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=1862&noImage=0&_requestid=73092

The Pocket Navy is probably good too, although I don't own one of those. I see that DGW's price for the Pocket Navy is about $40 cheaper than their price for the Pocket Police.

[w_houle]

Would the North American Arms BP .22 count?
http://www.naaminis.com/naac&b.html

[saands]

Would the NAA count? Kind of ... That is actually the model that got me thinking about a smaller BP pistol in the first place ... but it sounds like even the long chambered "22mag" version is still going to be like a BP powered pellet pistol ... am I wrong about that? There is precious little chrono data available on black powder pistols ... I really have been surprised by that. BTW, I was hoping that this pistol would at least have enough to take a ground squirrel down :D

Thanks,
Saands

[w_houle]

I am thinking about buying a NAA BP revolver, but the only thing I can find that I am not too keen on is that they use 4F powder and I don't know how available the powder is...

[saands]

Well ... the .36's ARE sounding interesting ... the '62 Police at Cabela's is a Pietta according to the tech specialists there. At least it isn't a Palmetto and it seems that Arms2Armor is out of stock on the Uberti ... Midway is also out of stock and their price is 270 anyway. Since Cabela's also has the Pocket .31 in stock, I'm thinking that the right choice is going to be "BUY BOTH!" ... I need to see if they are OK with me buying both and then shipping one back. This way, I know up front that I will incur $10 extra shipping, but I'll be able to at least hold them both before making the decision ... who knows, maybe I'll be so impressed that I'll KEEP 'em both :cool: I hope my wife doesn't read this one :eek:

Saands

[subgunner]

I have a Cabela's Pietta 1862 police, it's .36 cal and is the same size frame as Pietta's 51, 60's frames, (also have both) . As for pocket pistols the smallest is Pietta's Remington 1863, next is Uberti Colt 1849. I have both and they are .31 cal. Have heard that Uberti's 1862 police is on a small size frame. (Don't have one) It's only 5 shot as Cabela's Pietta 62 is a 6 shot. Hope this helps.

[mykeal]

Before you give up on the Uberti, try these two places:

(A word of caution - the S&S link is to a 3.5 Mb pdf file, which is their entire catalog. If you have a dialup modem you may not want to click on that link. The Colt Police picture is on Page 11 and the price is on Page 12.)

S&S Firearms, $240
http://www.ssfirearms.com/images/07 Cat/SS0752-67.pdf

and Jedediah Starr, $250
http://www.jedediah-starr.com/ubertirevolvers2.pdf

They advertise the guns as having a 6 1/2" barrel, however, which, if correct, may not be what you want. Anyway, may be worth a try.

But, nothing at all wrong with the Pietta, in my opinion, especially if it's a new gun. They have come a long way in improving their quality and the new guns seem to be nearly as good if not just as good as Uberti.

[Old Dragoon]

This S & S link will get you to the homepage and you can download just the portion of the catalog that you want.

http://www.ssfirearms.com/

Call them and talk to Phil, he's a good guy and will steer you right.

[Hafoc]

Another option is the .31 pocket Remington. I got mine from Cabela's. It's a five-shooter, made by Pietta, and so far it's worked fine for me.

[DrLaw]

I have the Wells Fargo 4" and .36 Police in 6" from Uberti. Both are fantasic guns. Same frame (almost) for both. Both are also very accurate and I have a blast with them. Of course, the reloading of the Wells Fargo is a little slow, as is bullet making. Doesn't take too long to fill a single cavity mold, but it is a teeny tiny ball. I'd say get any Uberti and you will be one happy camper. :D

The Doc is out now. :cool:

[saands]

And I thought that it was tough to sort through all the variants of 1911's :eek:

Can anyone tell me the difference between an 1862 Army Police and an 1862 Navy Pocket? I JUST this minute realized that I was even looking at two different models! :o I'm looking at the .36 cal, 5.5" bbl, Uberti in both cases (DGW has the Navy for $240, and the Police for $280 as mentioned above). They both seem to be Colt designs. Other than the octagonal bbl on the Navy, is there any appreciable difference? :confused: :confused: :confused:

Thanks,

Saands

[mykeal]

Well, yeah, now that you mention it. The Police cylinder is fluted and the loading lever is longer by almost 1/2 inch. The barrel of the Police is also just about 3/16" longer. Give or take.

But that's about it.

[James K]

Those little guns are fun to shoot, and the originals at least are pretty accurate. But from a practical viewpoint, they have no advantage over a modern revolver or auto pistol since, from a legal point of view, they are still deadly weapons and would require the same license to carry as any modern gun.

Jim

[saands]

Carry? Nope ... not the idea here ... just something that would be easier for introducing folks to the sport ... and for some reason, black powder really strikes a chord with most :D BUT ... the 7.5" bbl of my 1858 makes it pretty nose heavy ...

Thanks for all the input ... seems like it'll be either the Pocket 31 or the Navy 36 ... and I really am leaning towards the pair :D:D

Saands

[JayC]

I read that the Pietta 1862 Pocket Police is a six-shot, while the Uberti is a five-shot. Which capacity/cylinder size is historically accurate for the original Colt model?

Also, some makers offer the 1862 Pocket Police in 5 1/2 and 6 1/2" barrel lengths, and some even offer the 1861 Pocket Navy in both, I believe. Which barrel length ias historically correct?

[Tom2]

If you really want to have a pocket sized revolver in 36 cal, you could do like they did back in the olden days and saw off some of the barrel on a not too expensive replica of a pocket navy or pocket police etc. Have seen them with the barrels cut pretty short, even to the point there is no loading lever but usually there is at least some kind of rudimentary front sight added on by the blacksmith or ertswhile gunsmith. Not factory approved but nontheless a realistic conversion that was done many times for people that wanted to stick a gun in the vest pocket out of sight. Especially perhaps the more economically minded or those in remote places without gun shops galore.

[mykeal]

The picture of the Pietta Pocket Police in Cabela's catalog shows a 5 shot cylinder. I own a Uberti and it is also 5 shot; it has a 5 1/2" barrel. I don't see a cylinder that small as a 6 shot in .36 cal - that would seem to me to have walls that were too thin.

The only original I've ever seen had a 6 1/2" barrel and a 5 shot cylinder.

[subgunner]

The Cabela's Pietta 62 Police is a 6 shot in .36 cal. I have one and the frame is the same size as the 51 and 60 frame. It's a nice pistol, but not as small as the frame of the Uberti 62 Police.

[mykeal]

The Cabela's Pietta 62 Police is a 6 shot in .36 cal. I have one and the frame is the same size as the 51 and 60 frame. It's a nice pistol, but not as small as the frame of the Uberti 62 Police.

Interesting. I really mis-read the picture on Cabela's web site. That is a six shot cylinder. I just assumed it was a small frame.