Question about new brass framed 1851 Navy by Pietta

[ChasMack]

I was wondering if anyone had any real experience shooting a brass framed BP revolver? Do they last as long as steel if loaded light most of the time? Do they wear out easy? These are a couple things I have heard about brass framed revolvers. I know there are people here who know a lot more than me so I'm picking your brain! I'm mainly interested in the .44 caliber revolvers, but it would go for the .36 as well. Thanks!

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Brass is softer than steel so you have to be careful, plenty of folks have overdone their brass frame revolvers to the point of no return.
I'd stick with 36 caliber since the "Navy" meant 36 caliber, and there were no 44 caliber 1851 Navys back in the day. Also since a 36 cal load is generally lighter than a 44 cal load the brass frame has a better chance to hold up.

On the plus side, brass frame revolvers are known for having a smoother action all other things being equal. Think of it like having built in brass bushings.

Unless there is some strong force pulling you toward a brass frame, I'd recommend a steel frame. They don't cost much more.

 

[Crawdad1]

Really depends on how often are you going to shoot this revolver. Brass frames are fine for occasional shooting. More than occasional, get the steel frame, more you can do with it.

 

[swathdiver]

They'll last longer than you if taken care of and that does include not overcharging them with powder.

Our favorite sixguns and most natural pointers are Pietta Griswold and Gunnison .36 caliber sixshooters. Being my youngest daughter's, she likes to ring steel with 15 grain charges pushing a cast round ball. 20-23 grains is about all it's .369 chambers hold anyways so with a wad and the aformentioned load, the ball is close to the chamber mouth but still room for another couple of grains.

I reckon you could shoot 20 grain charges of FF powder until you meet the great I Am.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Nobody was telling us to keep the powder charges light back in 1968 when I bought my brass framed Uberti 44 caliber 'Navy'. I can tell you for a fact that too many 30 grain charges stretched the frame and now it is a wall hanger.



Keep the charges light and you should be fine, or spend the extra cash on a steel framed model. I will never buy another brass framed C&B revolver again.

On the plus side, brass frame revolvers are known for having a smoother action all other things being equal. Think of it like having built in brass bushings.

That does not make a whole lot of sense to me. The moving parts are steel, and they are rotating on steel screws. Don't really see where the 'brass bushings' idea kicks in. I have lots of steel framed single action revolvers. A smooth action is achieved by smoothing the parts so they rub against each other with less friction.

 

[webrx]

i have 2, one is new, one I have had 5 or 6 years.

The older one has been cut down to a 3.25 in snubby.

I shoot 20grains of FFFG 777 in mine, no issues so far, still tight. I typically load off revolver (in a stand for the snubby).

have heard but no personal experience that loading on the gun can also stress the arbor

i believe max load on the brass frames is 25 grains, but 777 is a little hot so I keep mine to 20. they shoot fine

IMO they are fine if you are willing to keep loads under 25 grains (by volume) and should last.

Nothing wrong with brass if you take precautions, you would not want to fish for marlin with a light spinning combo, and you would not want to shoot a brasser with a 35gr load. If you overload, eventually something will give.

JMO

Dave

 

[45 Dragoon]

I know of two that were set up as tests to shoot "regular steel frame loads" . I understand they aren't showing any signs of " imprinting " on the recoil ring. If setup to close tolerances, they should be ok.

The only revolver I know of that was ever damaged while loading was a brass framed Remington. It's a weak design and even though it was my first revolving cap gun, it was the last brasser ive ever owned.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

 

[Hellgate]

I've got a couple of brasser Colt's revolvers and they seem to be smoother without any tuning than steel frames. The hammer, right wing of the bolt & the hand wear into their place quickly. I do not exceed 20grs in my 44s and so far, so good but Ive got about 14 other C&Bs so the brassers are not my main match guns.

The recoil rings on some brassers are much thinner than on others and tend to indent quickly. Once that begins, the cylinder has a running start before slamming back into the ring and the gun goes downhill from there.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

The brass bushing analogy, while not meant to be taken too literally, is in reference to comparing steel and brass off the shelf replicas which both tend to invariably have plenty of points where quality of fit and finish of the internals are less than desirable. Those points where steel meets brass "Break in" quicker than steel on steel and can result in smoother operation.

Proper tuning, and finishing would be much preferred.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Are the "brass" frame revolvers literally made of brass these days?

Back in the day, the Confederacy made revolver frames from bell metal, which is a bronze alloy that sorta looks like brass but is harder; the 1866 Winchester Yellow Boy frame (receiver) was gun metal, another bronze alloy, brassy but tougher than brass.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Are the "brass" frame revolvers literally made of brass these days?

Howdy Again

Excellent question. The 'bell metal' that was often used for confederate 'brass framed' revolvers was often exactly that. Because of the difficulty obtaining steel in the south during the Civil War, church bells were often melted down to provide raw material for revolvers. You are correct that Bell Metal was actually a bronze, not a brass. The composition was usually about 4/1 Copper/Tin.

Gun Metal, which was commonly used in firearms is also a form of bronze. Gun Metal was usually 88% copper, 8-10% tin, and 2-4% zinc. Sometimes a little bit of lead was added to help the metal fill a mold better. The 'brass framed' Henry rifles actually had Gun Metal frames.

Back to your original question, a number of years ago I had the brass side plate from an Uberti 1866 rifle tested for the metal content. The result was 56% copper/44% tin. A true brass, not bronze. I do not know if this is the same brass that Uberti uses in their brass framed revolvers, but I suspect it is.

 

[DPris]

40-some years ago a buddy loosened the arbor in his brass "Navy" .44 at under a hundred rounds, and he wasn't pushing it hard.
Gun was unrepairable.

My brass .36 Navy has been retired for a long time now.
Still in good shape, but doubt I'll ever shoot it again. Sentimental value now, I didn't know any better back then.

Some have good lifespan, others don't.
To me, not worth the risk.
Never bought brass again.
Denis

 

[Hellgate]

I've noticed that different vintages of brass framed Colt's revolvers have different thicknesses of the recoil ring. The thin ringed ones get peened by the cylinder sooner as the surface area is less.

Driftwood: That photo of your brasser is the gun for which I fell in love at first sight as a high schooler and wanted one so bad my dad thought I had a girlfriend since I was daydreaming about getting one. Fortunately, I got a steel framed '61 Navy that is still as tight as the day I got it in 1969. If I'd gotten the brass one I'da shot it to hell in no time and maybe not made a career of shooting them. I've owned 38 or 39 since.

 

[webrx]

While this is not a new or novel concept, one other reason to perhaps buy a brass revolver, is that you get a gun that can shoot reduced loads (25 grains or less), but if you buy as I have done - a sheriffs length barrel, a normal length barrel, and one I cut down to 3 1/4, you can also swap the barrel onto you steel framed revolver and you have 3 different options. Add a conversion cylinder and that makes it even more fun.

The price of a brass revolver, on sale at Cabelas, and with a $20 off coupon if you spend over $100 dollars and you get a fully functional gun for the price of a barrel.

Just putting this out there for those who had not thought of it.

d