1851 Navy .44? - Page 2

mmontag · September 22, 2011, 05:39 PM

I have a pair of steel framed Pietta 1851 Navy .44 PB pistols in 4.87 inch barrels. I call them 1851 Navy hybrids because they seem to be a hybrid between the 1861 Army and the 1851 Navy. Anyhow they are very accurate and pack a good punch and are very quick with the shorter barrel. I just love them because I really liked the 1851 Navy style over the 1860 Army style for some reason, but I wanted a .44 rather than a .36 cal. At the same time I also prefer a shorter barrel for a quicker draw so when I saw these I knew they were historically inaccurate but also a combination that I couldn't resist. I think that they are called the 1851 Navy Sheriff model.

Doc Hoy · September 22, 2011, 06:15 PM

I think it would be easier to come up with a list of the BP Pistols I don't like.

It would be a mighty short list.

Fingers McGee · September 22, 2011, 06:27 PM

There is only one type of BP pistol that I do not like.

ZVP · September 23, 2011, 05:41 PM

We allknow that the .44 is an incorrect caliber but to be honest, it SHOULD have been produced! The Caliber and feame size blend perfectlly and they shoot great!
I don't know why Colt was so hardheaded that they would not produce a Navy .44! Maybe the Gov't contractsstipulatedthatNONavy's were tobe made in .44??? You know how valuable that Gov't Contract was and Colt was just a businessman afterall!
I am glad that Piettia took it upon themselves to be historically incorrect! Through doing this, we have some really GREAT guns! Obviouslly the .44 would have been an instant success had it been made. Even so, I really love my .36caliber Navy's!
ZVP

Hawg · September 23, 2011, 06:59 PM

The government decreed that the navy caliber was to be .36 and the army caliber to be .44. The 60 Army was an improvement over the 51 with larger grips and a creeping loading lever.

MJN77 · September 23, 2011, 07:19 PM

Quote:

We allknow that the .44 is an incorrect caliber but to be honest, it SHOULD have been produced

It was, starting in 1873.

Navy size grip, frame, 7 1/2 inch barrel and they added a neat new topstrap.

Lou G. · September 23, 2011, 09:33 PM

After reading the above posts, let me comment that my study of collections of original frontier firearms has led me to the conclusion that just about anything was possible. For example, Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers were converted to single-shot pistols (one shown herewith, from a collection in Santa Fe); instead, why wouldn't the gunsmith simply order another cylinder from the factory? In like manner, I've handled a 16" Volcanic carbine and a M1866 Winchester carbine altered to single-shot muzzle-loaders. In the same vein (and contrary to what I've read here), the EMF "1851 Pepperbox" does indeed have historical precedents. (See my post on that thread.) So it's certainly possible that someone hung a .44-caliber barrel and cylinder (from one gun or another) on a '51 Navy frame.

zullo74 · September 23, 2011, 09:37 PM

Lou G,

That one made me cringe!

Fingers McGee · September 23, 2011, 10:33 PM

*Z$

Hawg · September 24, 2011, 04:46 AM

Quote:

So it's certainly possible that someone hung a .44-caliber barrel and cylinder (from one gun or another) on a '51 Navy frame.

It's possible but the frame would have had to have been rebated and then you'd have had a 60 army with a navy grip. So why go to the trouble of having a frame rebated when you could just swap grip frames?

September 22, 2011, 05:39 PM	#26
mmontag Junior Member Join Date: December 16, 2010 Posts: 7	1851 Navy .44 I have a pair of steel framed Pietta 1851 Navy .44 PB pistols in 4.87 inch barrels. I call them 1851 Navy hybrids because they seem to be a hybrid between the 1861 Army and the 1851 Navy. Anyhow they are very accurate and pack a good punch and are very quick with the shorter barrel. I just love them because I really liked the 1851 Navy style over the 1860 Army style for some reason, but I wanted a .44 rather than a .36 cal. At the same time I also prefer a shorter barrel for a quicker draw so when I saw these I knew they were historically inaccurate but also a combination that I couldn't resist. I think that they are called the 1851 Navy Sheriff model.

September 22, 2011, 06:15 PM	#27
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Mmontag I think it would be easier to come up with a list of the BP Pistols I don't like. It would be a mighty short list. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

September 22, 2011, 06:27 PM	#28
Fingers McGee Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2008 Location: High & Dry in Missouri Ozarks Posts: 2,113	There is only one type of BP pistol that I do not like. __________________ Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee - AKA Man of Many Colts - Alter ego of Diabolical Ken; SASS Regulator 28564-L-TG; Rangemaster and stage writer extraordinaire; Frontiersman, Pistoleer, NRA Endowment Life, NMLRA, SAF, CCRKBA, STORM 327, SV115; Charter member, Central Ozarks Western Shooters Cynic: A blackguard whose faulty vision see things as they are, not as they should be. Ambrose Bierce

September 23, 2011, 10:33 PM	#34
Fingers McGee Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2008 Location: High & Dry in Missouri Ozarks Posts: 2,113	*Z$ __________________ Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee - AKA Man of Many Colts - Alter ego of Diabolical Ken; SASS Regulator 28564-L-TG; Rangemaster and stage writer extraordinaire; Frontiersman, Pistoleer, NRA Endowment Life, NMLRA, SAF, CCRKBA, STORM 327, SV115; Charter member, Central Ozarks Western Shooters Cynic: A blackguard whose faulty vision see things as they are, not as they should be. Ambrose Bierce

September 23, 2011, 05:41 PM	#29
ZVP Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2009 Posts: 1,102	We allknow that the .44 is an incorrect caliber but to be honest, it SHOULD have been produced! The Caliber and feame size blend perfectlly and they shoot great! I don't know why Colt was so hardheaded that they would not produce a Navy .44! Maybe the Gov't contractsstipulatedthatNONavy's were tobe made in .44??? You know how valuable that Gov't Contract was and Colt was just a businessman afterall! I am glad that Piettia took it upon themselves to be historically incorrect! Through doing this, we have some really GREAT guns! Obviouslly the .44 would have been an instant success had it been made. Even so, I really love my .36caliber Navy's! ZVP

September 23, 2011, 06:59 PM	#30
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	The government decreed that the navy caliber was to be .36 and the army caliber to be .44. The 60 Army was an improvement over the 51 with larger grips and a creeping loading lever.

September 23, 2011, 09:37 PM	#33
zullo74 Junior member Join Date: August 8, 2009 Posts: 374	Lou G, That one made me cringe!