what to do? 1851 fantasy 44 or sell and buy 1851 36's

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midland man

midland man

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well guys I want to purchase a 1851 navy in 36c as I own two fantasy 44's in the 1851 frame or I guess format but one is in brass and the other is in steel in which I did from a kit from dixie gun works. so the problem is the one I did from a kit the steel frame model I have it shooting super good tight groups and so I know it really well! the one in brass shoots closely as good but the one in steel is the best and so I was thinking about selling these or trading them for a new 1851 navy in the period correct 36 caliber so guys what do you think should I keep these even tho they are not period correct or go ahead and change over to the period correct 36 caliber? and if so is the 36 caliber really accurate and does it still have plenty of power, and whats the difference between the two other than the larger ball more powder? thanks for ya'lls help! p.s. and yes I love the 1851 navy and want to stay with that model of pistol...
 
Keep them both and buy two more. If you sell the kit gun that you built and tuned and love to shoot so much, you will regret it later. That's a keeper to hand down to your kin. Hardly any recoil with the .36s and they can use less powder and lead so they are more economical to shoot. Might need 20+ grain charges to knock down steel targets though with round ball.
 
I'd definantly keep the steel kit-built one if it shoots that well.
I guess I'm an oddball. I keep "saying" I don't care for those fantasy guns, I like those that are repros of actual real ones.
But I actually own a few fantasy guns!
Well .... some fantasies are nice .... the short-barrel sheriff models are nice, compact versions .... sorta like ones that might have been made in 1877 by some guy out on the frontier if he wanted an 1860 with a shorter barrel to "clear leather" faster.
"To each his own," I guess.:)
 
Can a black powder weapon made with modern steel and production techniques actually be called "historically correct?"

My advice is if both the weapons you now have are reasonably accurate and you have built up a good skill level with them you should keep them. While I like .36 caliber weapons especially in the "Navy" style I would not sell a well functioning handgun to raise the funds. But in my mind- the true lesson of history is a tool that works well for the job at hand. While your 44s may not be historical in configuration, it sounds like they are spot on in mindset.
 
Resale value on run of the mill percussion revolvers is usually pretty low. A kit gun would bring less. Might as well keep them and enjoy them, then add to the collection.
 
Given the lower resale on brass and on DIY-kit....I'd take apart the brasser, and keep the barrel (to chop into a snub-nose) and cylinder (speedy reload) for use with the steel frame gun, and keep the other parts as spares or sell them.
 
Officers'Wife said:
Can a black powder weapon made with modern steel and production techniques actually be called "historically correct?"

My advice is if both the weapons you now have are reasonably accurate and you have built up a good skill level with them you should keep them. While I like .36 caliber weapons especially in the "Navy" style I would not sell a well functioning handgun to raise the funds. But in my mind- the true lesson of history is a tool that works well for the job at hand. While your 44s may not be historical in configuration, it sounds like they are spot on in mindset.
Click to expand...

Well, I believe we're talking design, not material. Building them out of historic steels would make them weaker, and 1860 production techniques would skyrocket cost.
So it's just not going to happen anyway.
 
Tommygunn said:
Well, I believe we're talking design, not material. Building them out of historic steels would make them weaker, and 1860 production techniques would skyrocket cost.
So it's just not going to happen anyway.
Click to expand...

Not the point, even changing techniques would necessitate design changes to conform to the procedures. That's why production plants always have an engineer or fifteen handy.
 
Frankenstein it. The brass frames truly aren’t worth much once you shoot the first shot from it. Cut that bad boy down to nothin on barrel length and make a cowtown saloon special. Then on the steel, just keep it as nice as possible and pass it along to someone very special down the road. If you still want a 36 then bygeorge you ought to buy one. They aren’t terribly expensive. Call it a early Christmas present.
 
It’s best to keep the guns you have if you like them but if I needed the money any brass frame .44 would be the first gun out the door. An 1851 (steel, .36 of course) is a lovely thing to have and shoot. I hope you can get one soon.
 
Elmer Keith (author, famous shooter) spoke of Confederate Cavalrymen that he had conversations with when he was a young man in the early 20th century. They spoke very fondly of the stopping power of the .36 round ball from their Colt Navys.

No better endorsement than that, from the men who actually used them in combat: the .36 is an effective gun, and apparantly hits harder than its on paper numbers might lead one to believe.

I've found them fun and accurate. A bit cheaper to shoot, too. Get a Pietta STEEL FRAME .36 Navy and don't look back. Check out Cabelas for periodic sales, you can get them for cheap. Do not get a brass frame gun, not as durable in the long haul and not historically correct. You can also get an Uberti which is excellent and maybe a little more historically correct but they're more expensive and most say the fit and finish aren't any better these days.
 
midland man

I would stay the course with the .44s (an accurate gun is always a keeper in my book), and get a new .36 cal. Model 1851 Navy the next time they go on sale at Cabelas (at least that's what I'm thinking about doing)!
 
In the past few years Cabella's black powder firearm sales have happened around Father’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For C&B pistols the price reduction is usually around fifty bucks and free shipping. Depending upon personal circumstances and time of year, deferring another purchase is either worth the wait ... ... or not.

It's always good financial ethics the drive a hard bargain with retailors but lurking behind every decision of this nature is that old adage: Just Do It.
 
midland man

My wife got my BP revolvers when they went on sale at Cabela's around Thanksgiving time. Speaking from experience I would order as soon as they go on sale as they have a tendency to go quickly and then you have to wait on the reorder shipment to come in, which may take any number of months.
 
I think most of us when we say " historically correct " are referring to how a item looks, not how it was made. I forge steel and Damascus knives and no one has ever complained if I use coal, charcoal, or propane for heat. They do ask what kind of steel I'm using and at times it's a newer steel that wasn't available back in the day. No one bats a eye. So let's not get our shirt in a knot, if it looks like a gun that was once made, it's historically correct. JMHO
 
paul harm said:
I think most of us when we say " historically correct " are referring to how a item looks, not how it was made. I forge steel and Damascus knives and no one has ever complained if I use coal, charcoal, or propane for heat. They do ask what kind of steel I'm using and at times it's a newer steel that wasn't available back in the day. No one bats a eye. So let's not get our shirt in a knot, if it looks like a gun that was once made, it's historically correct. JMHO
Click to expand...
amen paul, plus guys think about it if back then they had the steels we have today wouldn't you think they would much rather used these than what they had then??
 
paul harm said:
I think most of us when we say " historically correct " are referring to how a item looks, not how it was made. JMHO
Click to expand...

That may be correct to a point, but a .44 1851 Navy has a rebated cylinder and a cut water table to accommodate it, but there was no such animal historically made in an 1851 Navy .44.

1851 Navies and their Confederate copies were in .36 caliber (Griswold &Gunnison, Augusta Machine Works, Columbus Firearms Co., George Todd, Schneider & Glassick) . The Tucker and Sherrard was made in .44 but it was not made on an 1851 Navy frame. Even the Dance Brothers .44 pistols were not made on a frame that was a copy of an 1851 Navy frame, but they did make a .36 on an 1851 Navy frame copy.
 
but guys if they had a and i'm talking about back in the 1800's if they had been offered a 1851 navy in 44c instead of 36c I bet they would had rather preferred the bigger caliber??
 
904E5790-B31C-4858-BE93-A30C298E3ADA.jpeg Being biased because I enjoy shooting .36 over .44(which is a great knock down caliber),
I find the .36 to be much more controllable with full loads.
 
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