What's the attraction

[Hawg]

for 1851 revolvers in .44? I don't understand it. They never existed in the old days.

[mykeal]

The 1851 is a fine revolver, and the .44 is a fine caliber.

Having said that, I don't own one, although I did restore a beater that my brother-in-law bought at an auction, so I know a little about them. I wouldn't personally buy one; I spent my money on two 1860 Armies to get the .44 Colt.

I think you can consider the answer to that question to be the same as why people insist on stuffing the chambers full of powder, regardless of the effect on accuracy. It goes boom better.

[Hawg]

Well, I'm a chamber stuffer I guess, if you want to call 35. grs. stuffing. My accuracy is just as good there as it is at 25 grs. I'm no paper puncher. To me there's nothing more boring but I consistently hit softball sized targets at 25 yds. with two 58's and a 60. Good enough for me. I'm sure there were some chamber stuffers back in the day too.

[Raider2000]

I have one, not my favorite piece but I have it none the less Stone Mountain "bought it off a friend bout 10 years ago to help him out of a jam," it shoots quite well keeping consistent 2 inch groups at 25 yards.

I'd sell it to some one if they wanted s real decent shooter but no one has ever come up with the $$$$

[CraigC]

I reckon I'm too much in love with the 1860 for it to appeal to me. Navies is just "supposed" to be thirty sixes.

[sundance44s]

I agree a 1851 Navy should be a 36 cal ...of course I like shooting historically correct // for the feel if nothing else .
The Itilians have come up with a few of their own invention . Like the brass framed 1858 Remington .

[scrat]

Who says its an attraction. Who cares if they never made it in a 44.

I dont


i have 3 cap and ball revolvers, 1 50 cal inline, a 30-30, 9mm, 45 acp, various 22's and shot guns.

the last thing i need is a 36 caliber. That would require another mold more lead, more space to put them in. With my 3 revolvers being a 44 its so much easier to only have to cast one size and be done with it. So who cares if johhny reb turns in his grave. i dont dress up in civil war clothes on weekends. I shoot for myself.

Thats why i have a 1851 44. Come to think of it i might just buy another one too.

[Hawg]

Who says its an attraction.

I've just noticed that on several different forums folks are asking what loads, etc. for 1851 .44's so must be some kinda attraction other than historical. Or maybe they just don't know history or like you just don't care.

[scrat]

or like you just don't care

That i can drink to.

Having said. i believe its supply and demand. Who knows somone it italy screwed up and made one in 44 then it just took off. They are not going to stop though. Especially with places like Cabelas selling them for 139.99. If anything they may not be historicly correct. However they are getting more and more people into the sport of C&B revolver shooting. That in itself pays for itself. Though a lot of people learn the history. Such as i have having several C&B revolvers. It gets you into the addiction. Later on some people will understand the history and start purchasing history correct replicas. In the future i might get a 36. For now though im leaning more towards a Dragoon. another 44 cal. So im still not looking into getting a 36 caliber and start casting for one gun.

[Fingers McGee]

Hawg, et al.

I've got a pair of the Pietta 1851 Navy Marshal models - 5 inch barrel, engraved, in the white. They're purty guns, fit my hand (although I like the 2nd Gen and Uberti grip profile better), are pretty accurate CAS guns, and fun to shoot. I've also got one of the Marshals in .36 that I use as a back-up for my Navy Arms Frontiersmen.

I think most people think that the .44 will work better for CAS (ya know, those dreaded knockdowns), would be easier to load cause of the bigger projectile, and arent really that concerned about the historical accuracy part.

My regular guns are .36 cal Navies.

[mykeal]

they go boom better.

[Hawg]

I'm not being down on anybody for having or wanting one. I was just curious. I don't have a .36 or a 51 either but thinking about getting one in .36. Just not sure it'll have enough "boom" for me.

[scrat]

What caliber to you shoot for now. Do you cast your own. If its a 44 then you kinda just answered your own question.


Yes a .36 will use less powder and a little less lead. However if your casting for a 44 then its just so easy to keep casting for a 44. Next question do you use wads. Well then you need to find them for a 36 or make them. if you shooting 44 already its just easier. I can say with out a doubt the 1851 44 shoots pretty good. i have the 139.99 from cabelas. i bought it during one of those 4.95 shipping deals so it was a hard bargin to pass up.

[Hawg]

I've got two 58 Remingtons and a 60 Colt. Yes I cast my own. Yes I use wads and make my own. I already have a punch to make .36 wads and a mold isn't but 25 bucks or so. I already cast .44 balls, .45 ACP, .44 WCF, three flavors of .50 and two flavors of .58 minies. One more won't make a bit of difference.

[berkmberk1]

Its correct enough for me!

When I open the case or pull it out of it's holster, its a "Colt 1851", a clone perhaps, but thats what it is for me. I am not trying to display it as an original or an exact replica of an original. It isn't going into a museum display to be peered at or have it's dimensions checked for historical research......its going to be holstered, and shot, and utilized for annihilating thousands of percussion caps, consuming pounds of powder and peppering many large pieces of paper or steel!

It cost me a lot less than any other 1851 correct caliber or not!

Its the same caliber as my 1858 Remington meaning I only have to stock one size ball.

If I ever get the urge to be historically correct, I'll buy a real one.

In my opinion Colt should have made the 1851 in .44.

[long rider]

You know i would like to have a go at
casting my own round balls, it looks like
a lot of fun, but there is a very big prob
with it, and its called the wife
when i told her i would like to get into casting,
she said we will all die from lead poisoning
well what can you say about that, so that
put the lid on that.

[Raider2000]

Originally Posted by scrat

Thats why i have a 1851 44. Come to think of it i might just buy another one too.

Want to buy mine?

[scrat]

how much what type pm me

[scrat]

very big prob
with it, and its called the wife
when i told her i would like to get into casting,
she said we will all die from lead poisoning
well what can you say about that, so that
put the lid on that.

ouch. My wife doesnt even know it yet but in a few weeks im going to be making my own black powder. Go figure

[CraigC]

I wasn't dogging anybody either. I didn't even know they made `em until about a month ago when somebody posted about one. I can't say that the one I lust after is anymore historically correct, I want a 4¾" cartridge conversion so bad I can taste it. Maybe I'll just use .38Colt brass in those .38Special chambers???

[berkmberk1]

As my experience with them grows, I see my calibers diminishing........I'd next like to try an 1849. If anyone saw National Treasure Book of Secrets, wasn't that what Boothe's compatriot used to shoot Ben Gate's greatgrandfather?

I'd also like to eventually add a Paterson................but I can't understand why they cost so much, unless its because they don't sell as many.......


And finally......................................if they made them both in .44 ................I'd be happy as a clam....... ....

[Hawg]

'd also like to eventually add a Paterson................but I can't understand why they cost so much, unless its because they don't sell as many.......

I don't imagine the market for them is very big and the folding trigger requires extra work. The barrel wouldn't require as much work because they can leave out the entire loading lever process but it's still a departure from standard machining. The five shot cylinder would be a specialty job too. Just my guess.

[Raider2000]

It could also be the design of the whole mechinism {sp}, very complicated by comparison to all other designs.

[CraigC]

The original Patersons suffered from reliability problems so I can't imagine it's easy to make one that works as well as most people would expect them to.