Any .36 caliber fans out there?

[ZVP]

I just ordered my second .36 This time from Cabelas. It's a .36 Steel Navy Model discounted a whopping $80 from the origonal catalog price!
You can't do wrong with a .36 for the purposes I want it for. I'm replacing a worn out Cimmaron Arms Plinkerton with a more powerfull better built gun I think that if the .36 was good enough for Civil war Troops, it ought to serve me well plys it'll add a touch of class as a trail /field gun. I have been searching around the net for load information and have found that the modern metals are so tough that this one will be almost impossible to overload!
BP is hard to get where I live but Substitutes are easy to get. I normally shoot Pyrodex with an over the powder wad. I use fillers in some guns, in some I don't. The revolver's accuraqcy tells you how to load it and I go with the most safe and accurate loads. I like my fingers and eyes and load well under maximum loads.
I already know the .36 is avery accurate caliber and that BP shoots the ball really fast! This gives you a bit more FPE than the .22 RF and near to a .32/380 auto depending on how heavy you load it.
I think the Navy Model will do well carried openly in a Cross-draw Holster and 5 rounds of .36 ball from a 7 1/2"bbl ought to be enough for vermon such as a pack of dogs and snakes. Yea I KNOW it's nothing to take after a Bear!
Where I go there aren't any bears but lots of BIG rattlers.
Got a FAT 3 footer!
Gosh I HATE waiting for a new gun, this is like serving a waiting period! well I already have all the shoting suppliesall Ihave to do is waut for the brown truck to knock at the door.
Till it gets here, I just have to pack my .357 Vaquero as I'll pack the Navy Model...
ZVP

 

[BHP FAN]

 

[BHP FAN]

 

[BHP FAN]

 

[BHP FAN]

Yep, I like .36's.

 

[ZVP]

Willyboy Curious about your Derringer What caliber is it?
I have a Cobra .38 Special and a Davis .22 LR, both are a ball to shoot and the .38 Special has a set of extra 3" barrels giving it (in reality) more power than a 2" Chief's Special and there is no cylinder gap either.
I like the OU Remington style Derringer a lot.it's not only a good gun but an art form to boot!
I like your Avenging Angel also! Not a piece to underestimate! Their power was supposed to be pretty good.
I like short guns of all sorts. sure you loose s little power with the abreviated barrels but the carry convience is worth it.
ZVP

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Yep. I mostly shoot my .44s but I have an Uberti 1851 Navy and a Pietta Remington .36.

 

[J-Bar]

Guilty. I have 4 Uberti London 1851 Navy .36s that get rotated through cowboy action matches. Gonna shoot a couple of them in a match tomorrow as a matter of fact!! I guess that qualifies me as a fan. I have owned 1860s and enjoyed them, but the less refined appearance of the 1851 appeals to me. Hands don't fit a '58 Remmie well at all.

 

[Hellgate]

ZVP,
What I have used as a snake load in my '61 Navy is about 10grs powder, a 3/8" card wad, almost fill the chamber with #9 shot and top off with another card wad. You are better off to have more shot than powder as you are not shooting at geese 50 yards out; you're shooting at a snake 3 feet away. If you really want to make yourself appear sick and impotent, just pattern the loads and see how thin the pattern is. By experimenting with various powder and shot combos you might find a sweet spot load. If you do, let us know. I "kilt a squarrelle" (Spermophilis californiensis-greydigger) with my snake load once when it hopped out onto a tree trunk about 3 or 4 feet away and froze long enough for me to smoothly draw and fire. The squirrel just gripped the tree trunk, shuddered a second or two and fell off dead to the ground. I might have used #6 shot but we were in snake country. It was a long time ago.

 

[Prairie Dawg]

I like .36s.
Think the Colt Navy is the best pointing revolver I own.
Have a coupla second gen cased Colts -- Gen. Lee & Gen. Grant Commeratives that I got in a trade from J-Bar. They are shooters!
And I have a pair of Uberti 1851s.

For the most part, I don't shoot 'em in cowboy matches tho, cuz I got tired of spotters calling misses cuz they weren't paying close attention, so I mostly shoot 44s now.
--Dawg

 

[45-70 Ranger]

Started out with a Dixie Gun Works "Spesco" import '51 Navy copy back in 1964 if I remember right. That, another '51 by AMS and a Spiller & Burr. I enjoy the 36 as it's kinda like the .38 Spl of C&B..And as others have said so well, the '51 and '61 Navys are great natural pointers. And the '51 just plain looks good as is. Yeah, I'm a fan of the 36 to be sure..

Wade

 

[Hellgate]

Prarie Dawg,
Have you tried the LEE 130gr conical for the 36 cal in your Navies? My '61 Navy (and Euro Remingtons) just love them. They "thump" the targets a little harder and knock over fallers better (as if we shoot fallers anymore!). The two lower driving bands are rebated a little and line up fine for ramming. There could be a problem with the '51s as they don't have the clearance under the rammer like the '60s, '61s, & Remmies do. The conicals do shoot a little bit higher than the balls.

 

[BHP FAN]

My Remmie Derringer is an FIE .38 special, and the Cartridge gun next to my .36 snub is the .38/.357 Thunderer, by Uberti.I have two 1890 Remington Police Ubertis in .38/.357, and a New Dakota .38/.357, a Rossi levergun in .38/.357, two Pietta .36 Remmies with the Treso nipples, an Uberti Remmie .36 Kirst converted to .38, the Spiller and Burr .36's....

 

[Jaymo]

I have a Pietta 51 Navy 36 and would like to get a Pietta Spiller and Burr. I'm mainly a .44 fan, though.

 

[45-70 Ranger]

Hellgate,
I use the Lee 130's all the time. With 777, I can just lube 'em with Lee Liquid Alox and the weapons stay super clean! And yes, the '51 is a might tight to get them to load, but I press them into the chamber by hand then use the ball starter from my 50 cal. to push them a might deeper to get under the rammer. Yeah, they do shoot a might high like you said, but boy do they have a punch! Took out a cotote with my '51 slip gun last month as he ran past me in the woods one night. Got a lucky hit, but that 'yote only ran a few yards and fell out deader than a doornail! Yup, I do like those Lee conicals!

Wade

 

[BHP FAN]

Hey, Wade you sure are right about the Triple Seven and Alox combo. Cleaner than some smokeless cartridge guns....

 

[ZVP]

Evidently the .36 is "enough gun" for many of you! I like the caliber because it is so darn accurate at many ranges.
The farthest I have ever targeted my London was 25 yards and because of "me", it didn't group as well as I expected and then I ran out of caps so I couldn't go on testing.
Next, my Hammer Spring broke and my testing is on "hold".
I just ordered a Piettia Gov't model .36 so when it gets here (Naturally it's backordered!) I'll try the 25 yard shooting again...
Before my gun broke I did get to test it for groups @ 7 and 15 yards. I got good but high shooting groups.
The best part about the caliber is the economical powder loads it takes!
It's too bad that my gun broke before I got to test it much. I am going to both get the London fixed and get the Gov't Model so I have a pair! I have a pair of Remington .44's and soon I will have a pair of .36's.
An intresting mix of high velocity, accuracy and economy. It appears that many shooters think the "little .36 is plenty of gun!
ZVP

 

[BHP FAN]

So did a lot of Civil War soldiers, sailors and cavalrymen!

 

[Prairie Dawg]

Morning Hellgate:
Have not tried them.
Thanks for the tip though.
I'll pick me up a mould & give them a go.
--Dawg

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Here's another .36, my Uberti Colt 1851 Navy Squareback.

 

[ZVP]

BHP,
I have the Cobra .38 variation and really enjoy it a LOT! I had a buddy load some "squib" loads (Kind of a .38 CB Cap) for plinking purposes. They are loaded with a 90gr RNFP and a minimal powder load. Out of my Vaquero, they do aroundaround 600fps. Till I get to chrony the load, I am estimating 480-500fps. Probablly pretty near the origonal .41 specs. With the long Barrels on the Derringer and full charge standard load probablly exceeds a Model 36 Chief due to the barrel not being vented. I also have a .22rf Derringer and like it too I have not found anyone who'd reload a BP .38spl "Squib" for the Cobra. That might be interesting!

RE: Squareback trigger guards.
Evidentlly they only put them on the beginning of the production of the .36 and shortly changed to the Round triggerguard configuration. I like them both and hope to get a Squareback one day!
I really like these .38's they balance like nothing else and the .36 caliber is way easier to shoot tatgets with than the slightly heavier recoiling .(not historically correct).44. I have a Brass framed.44 Piettia that I shoot with only 20gr loads and .375 round balls. It is very accurate and groups well. I just prefer the .36 ,probally a hangover from shooting .38 Spl/357Magnums. I just like the bore size!
Doggonit, my darn hammer spring broke just as I got some 380 balls to try out!
I shoot a .22 gr charge in my Uberti London model. It seems to be it's favorite charge! The Uberti London is a very smooth operating revolver with a light hammer spring, far easier to cock than the Piettia .44. Maybe it is done to help contain the .44's higher pressure and to keep the Hammer down on the Nipple? I have been told that sparks entering through the nipple is a large part of the Chainfire problem. In that case a tougher hammer is NO problem...
Glad there are so many .36 fans out here! They are great revolvers that are a pleasure to shoot!
Maybe later we can post a string of favorite bullet/ ball loads to compare with eachother???
ZVP

 

[Fingers McGee]

I'm kinda partial to Navy caliber revolvers.

 

[[email protected]]

I love my 36

 

[ZVP]

I have a Uberti London .36 and I really like the Grip Shape! It is truely one of the best that there is! It differs much from the Piettias in the heel of the hand area! I had to take a rasp and a file to my Piettia but with a little time and work I ended up with a perfect shape for my hand!
The Uberti London has an excellent bluing job and it operates very smoothly. The cocking action is the lightest I have on any Single Action revolver I own! Center fire, BP or Rimfire, the Uberti beats them all!
ZVP

 

[ZVP]

Dave,
How would you raqte this Remington? Have you had any cap jamming issues with it? Are you glad that you chose this one over an Open Top Colt?
ZVP