Remington Pocket Model vs. Colt 1849

[BSA1]

The winter weather has made getting to the gun club range difficult. In addition the smokeless powder shortage is putting a severe crimp on my shooting until supply finally catches up. In the meantime I need something to help break the cabin fever. A little 31 will be fun to pop some rounds off in the back pasture.

I am considering getting either a Remington Pocket Model or Colt 1849 (Pietta copies) 31 C&B revolver. The main reason for the Remmie would make fora little brother to my 44 1858 like Pale Rider.

Looking for comments between the two models. Well actually three since the 1849 Wells Fargo does not have the rammer.

 

[Old Fuff]

Italian reproductions of the 1849 Colt Pocket Model come with or without a bullet rammer. If you are looking to shoot one get the version with the rammer. You may also find that a 6" or so piece of seamless metal tubing slipped over the rammer handle will give you some helpful additional leverage on those revolvers with a 4" barrel. Also avoid those with a small square-back trigger guard - unless you have very small hands.

The little Remington is cute, but smaller and lighter then the Colt. Thus I have found it to be harder to hit with. Neither of these toys has very good sights, but considering they're original purpose it would seem they didn't need them.

 

[Tommygunn]

I have heard of the plunger arm on the Remmie breaking at the pivot point (where the screw holds it to the frame) because of the thinness of the metal there, though mine has not suffered from this.
The Colt models that do have a rammer don't have this problem, but you say the Colt you're considering won't have the ram. That means you must disassemble it and use the cylinder arbor to puch the balls into the chambers. A longer more laborious process.
BTW I was unaware Flli.Pietta made the Colt 1849 model; I thought only Uberti and maybe Palmetto made them. IIRC Armi San Marco used to (they are extinct now).
The Colt model is also a larger gun which may be good for holding it and general use.

 

[BSA1]

Tommygunn,

You may be right. Oh well Uberti will work fine.

 

[Crawdad1]

I didn't see the Colt Pocket on Pietas web site only the Remington. The Uberti built '49Pocket uses the exact frame size of the original Colts and are sweet to handle. I had a Uberti '49 pocket with its conversion cylinder.

 

[EljaySL]

I have the Uberti "Wells Fargo" version (no lever) and a Pietta 1863. I like them both. Some thoughts.

The Remington copy is way smaller. It's just tiny. Not sure if that's a pro or a con.

The lack of a trigger guard on the Remington makes it feel kind of weird to shoot.

The Colt copy has somewhat larger chambers - .319 versus .315 or something close to that. I use .323 and .319 balls respectively.

I run an external loader for both. I definitely don't trust the smaller loading levers. The Remington is obviously a little easier to pull the cylinder on and off.

 

[Berkley]

The Remington copy is way smaller. It's just tiny.

Especially in terms of the grips:

 

[EljaySL]

And with the lack of a trigger guard it's really slim through the middle.

 

[BSA1]

Any comments about the spur trigger on the Remmie? I'm not sure I like it's small size and design.

 

[desidog]

Well, my pocket remington was mine for less than a week... my wife took a shine to it...

Overall, they are both fun guns; i have two older Navy Arms .32 Colts, one with load lever, and one without, both with 6" barrels, and a Uberti with a 4" bbl. I'm thinking about snubbing the one without the load lever, because between the two, i always take the one with the lever to the range.

For shooting, I'd say get a Colt with a load lever and a longer barrel. The pocket remington is fun; but I just can't hit anything with it.

 

[perldog007]

My .02 USD. Get the one that tugs your heartstrings. My back up revolver is a 1938 Colt New Pocket .32 S&W long with a 2" bbl. "I" frame I reckon, it's smaller than a J frame and a nice guy at a cop shop but another snap on my JayPee J frame holster to hold it secure.

I fell in love with it at first sight. Nobody else can hit a damn thing with it. The fixed sights are probably regulated for the heaviest slug they were making in '38 and the barrel is crush fit with the front sight leaning a bit left.

The grips are tiny, and the action while fine ain't no Smith and Wesson. Still I love this gun and never qualified less than 286 of 300 and got a 290 one year.

If you can't get jiggy with the one you love, maybe the other one will start to look good. Let's be real, most of us don't need our BP guns as tools of survival. Get what you like, Pale Rider is a fine character to emulate. Given the range of possibilities and things people do I'm not going to judge you harshly for that. And so what if I did?

You'd still have the one you like.

 

[72coupe]

This is a Colt's 1862 Pocket Police with a 6 inch barrel. It is very small and 36 caliber and I like it a lot.

 

[perldog007]

I like those too, to me the '62s look like they would be fine for general kit gun stuff and pretty handy to have if you are hunting with something that does a lot more damage, the '62 seems to have a fine reputation for accuracy and there's no shortage of information on how to make them more reliable.

I will probably get a .31 first and I'll probably get the remmy. Due to my little Colt that kept my N frame service revolver company and the amount of times we paid the rent together I'm just drawn to the topstrap design and have a soft spot for diminutive revolvers. In a pinch they are so much more comforting than harsh language, bad breath, fingernails, or any combination thereof.

There is also something about having that "New York Reload" especially if your antagonist doesn't know it's there. Personally when I get to being concerned any comforting thought is a good thought.. that's just me.


But a slightly shorter Navy Model is appealing on many levels, nice gun!

 

[Crawdad1]

You could also get the '62 Pocket Police with the 4 1/2 inch barrel. They're sweet.

http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/blac...1-2-blue-finish-with-case-hardened-frame.html


If you want to see the actual frame size and how small they are for the '49 Pocket (or the '62 Police if you decide to go that way) compared to the '51 Navy frame here is a picture of them side by side.

 

[EljaySL]

I have the '62 as well and like it a lot but it's not as "different" as the .31s if that's what you're looking for. (I think mine has the 4.5" barrel but don't have it handy).

@BSA - the actual trigger feels really nice on mine, it's just once you cock the hammer if you're used to laying your finger alongside the trigger guard there isn't one. I never know where to put my finger while I'm getting up on target.

 

[BSA1]

I am buying this gun for medical reasons...doesn't cabin fever qualify as a illness. ;-)

I have looked at the Uberti Police but it is too large for the pocket and too small for a full size gun. A 31 caliber will give me lots of bangs from a pound of powder and lot of small lead balls until warm weather gets here.

Gun show next weekend. Maybe I will get lucky and find used.

Thanks guys.

 

[whughett]

I just wish I could solve the problem of my Remington pocket not firing caps. Fires the conversion cylinder with 32S&W ok, nada on percussion caps. Am hoping an order to VTI for new nipples and an additional main spring will solve the problem. Nipples came in yesterday, no joy there, main spring on back order. If the main spring doesn't address the issue then I guess I'll have to use the gun with only the conversion cylinder.:banghead:

 

[kBob]

whuget,

Is it possible that the hammer was modified to make it work best with the center fire conversion cylinder?

You have made absolutely sure there is no cap debris in the frame preventing the hammer from going fully forward, right?

I once had a Colt 49 clone of brass frame that about drove me crazy. I had it apart a dozen times and could find nothing wrong with it. Simmply because I was so frustrated I dragged the tip of a flat bladed screwdriver I was using in disassembly down the bottom of the hammer channel in the frame. A very thin piece of cap material spalled off the bottom of that channel. The gun had been dry fired so much by a previous owner that the cap material had been hammered so much it blended in with the brass frame and was invisible. This is now the first thing I check for.

-kBob

 

[whughett]

kBob: Is it possible that the hammer was modified to make it work best with the center fire conversion cylinder?

It is possible, the cylinder was fitted by a gun smith, see attached photo.

The hammer is "slightly mushrooming" the caps, and even transferring some of the compound into the nipple.

I have tried several brands and the two sizes of caps 10 and 11. A cap will fire occasionally so I am thinking weak main spring.

 

[44 Dave]

Back the nipples out part of a turn to tell if the spring is strong enough or the hammer not hitting.

 

[whughett]

Back the nipples out part of a turn to tell if the spring is strong enough or the hammer not hitting.

Tried that as well as new nipples

 

[PRM]

I owned one of the CVA (Pietta) Pocket Remingtons for several years. It always performed. I've often wished I hadn't sold it. It was one fine, small, pocket pistol.

On the Colt side, I've never had the 1849, but do own a 2nd Generation Pocket Navy and Pocket Police. Although larger, they are very portable and and real gems.

I say you will be happy with either.

 

[StrawHat]

The Uberti Pocket Models (Police and Navy) are built with the same frame as used on the 31 caliber Models. The cylinder is enlarged at the front and the frame is cut for the enlargement. Otherwise, the dimensions are the same. The same idea as the 1860/1851.

Kevin

 

[Crawdad1]

And with the 4 1/2 inch barrel it would be as handy as the '49 Pocket.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

There had to be a reason the Colt 1849 in all it's variants was the all time best selling percussion revolver of all time. More of them were sold than any other model, over 1\3 of a million sold. Add in the Pocket & Police .36 models which are the same frame, the Police having an 1860 style barrel and the Pocket having an 1851 style barrel and it is over 1\2 million guns.