i am an accidental BP shootist. Started out looking for a SA fixed cartridge revolver to replace my 25-5 in the field, being a 'city gun' and all. In .45 colt. Now I don't own any cartridge handguns. Love my Pietta 1851 Navy "Yank". 225 USD on sale at Dixie. I got Kaido Ojamaa's last two cavity 140 gr VKV mold. He has six cavity 145s all day. My opinion only this is the best woods loafing gun. One fellow already stopped a charging 120 lb wild pig with a .36 Navy replica and a VKV bullet by Kaido. . Go to Amazon Kindle store. Sixguns by Elmer Keith. You can read fhe first chapter for free. Fascinating write up on this weapon, Keith learned to shoot with one of these. The owner's manual recommends a pretty anemic loading for most of us. Colt's original instrucitons are more inspiring. Where legal a fine finishing pistol for bow hunting, or back up for a shotgun or rifle, cartridge or muzzle loading if you like having a side arm for more opportunities and smaller jobs. Shoulder stocks, shorter barrels, longer barrrels, different grips all available. Infinitely customizable. Legal for deer and bear in at least one state. There is a place where it is legal for me to hunt some critters with a high powered air rifle and others with a .36 blackpowder. I'm not telling where it is. Actually there are many. Also cool just to have and to hold if you never fire it. Priced right for art work too. Collectors can't go wrong. The most commonly carried weapon of my people afield is a stick, followed by an affordable .22 handgun or rifle, single shots are prized too so... Even if you think you hear bigfoot while making your lunch or coffee, you won't feel naked once you learn to shoot your Colt Navy replica. Addictive.
.44 Navy was not historically produced, but it is a historical design that never left the drawing board due to the production techniques of the day not being able to make one. So it's a production of a historical design, though not a reproduction of a historical firearm, if that makes sense. Point is, historically, they tried.
harkonen1000000 my understanding is colt actually made four .44 cap and ball revolvers to submit for review for the army but never went through, there is an original colt .44 in the Smithsonian.
I am aware of the design being on the drawing boards too. However, if they actually went ahead and placed the weapon into production, the resulting gun would still have received the 'Army' or 'Dragoon' designation. The .44 was an Army frame, and the .36 was a Navy frame. Hence the designations. The Dept. Of Ordnance decreed these changes in 1841. Naval sidearms were purely meant to be antipersonnel weapons, while Army and Cavalry sidearms must meet the power requirements to be able to kill both an enemy rider, the rider's horse, and to serve as a hunting and SHTF weapon in the wilderness. The .44 prototype was never entered into production because the big .44 Dragoons were still being produced until the tooling was scrapped in 1860 and the next generation of Army frame revolvers underwent production. The .44 "navy" would have basically been a Dragoon frame with a shortened cylinder. It would not have been a good investment for the Colt company, who already had very effective firearms on the global market. The .44 "navy" would have been equivalent to Glock producing a variant of it's Gen. 5 chambered in 9mm Makarov. It would be a flop, because that particular caliber is simply not that popular with the shooting sports world.
@@jeffshootsstuff it was a prototype. If you search 1851 navy .44 prototype, it will pop up a 1851 navy with a full fluted .44 cylinder with a rounded top, but octagonal bottom navy barrel. It's quite a sight.
Nice review, thank you. Loving the end picture where a 1851 Navy is put alongside an AR, like old meets new. Surprisingly those guns don't mismatch in that image, moreover they look pretty harmonious alongside each other.
@@jeffshootsstuff I was Tackleberry 2.0 with more gats when i was a security guard.Total range rat. Only have blackpowder handguns now. 2 remington replicas and two Colts. Love the Colt 1851 Navy for collector interest, it's pretty. Target shooting it's a challenge to get used to the sights on the first couple of shots, after you get past that boringly accurate. Hunting with it takes practice. Also a fine companion arm for a small or large bore hunting long arm. There are some places where one can hunt vermin with a high powered air rifle and pack a side arm for other opportunities. Love the 1851 for that kind of work. Everything we used to use .38s' for back in the day and more. Incredible value, my opinion only. Great first or second BP revolver.
I want to get my son one of these for his 21st birthday this August but EVERYWHERE I go, they are out of stock. Hopefully i will be able to find one in time.
I can't believe the price you got that for. Over here in the UK the Blank firing version costs 299.00 pounds sterling - the equivalent of $331.00 US Dollars.
@@jeffshootsstuff It's a great piece - it always reminds me of the Tuco 'Gun store scene' from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I'm defo going to pick up the blank firing version at some stage.
you sometimes get some frag back off the steel but it's AR500 armor plate and doesn't send ricochets. Bullets flatten and drop in front of the steel typically.
I personally prefer the .44 navy even if it's not historically accurate. Colt did have a prototype in .40 caliber if memory serves me right. Pietta also did away with the tail.
For interesting historical ref, regarding their power etc, look into these two stories,- 1- Hickok/Tutt and 2-The 'Medicine-Bow Butte' incident in 1858.
wish the pietta had that groove for the caps.. The groove there is for the capping tool, you can slide the tool in easier and get the caps on much quicker with that groove.. on the pietta its hard to get the tool in there without it. My piettas wedges were both hammered in there with like 20 lbs sledge hammers it seems like, i had to use a punch as well to get them off, but my punch slipped both times on both 1851 and nicked the gun near the wedge openeing.. this is what i dont get though.. brass is SOFT.. my punchs were brass, there is no way in hell a brass punch should have nicked and deformed the steel barrel like that by the wedge.. I have a hunch these piettas the steel is extremely cheesy and not hardened properly. I also recommend against using the caps to "clean" out the cylinders, especially if you want to load and keep the gun loaded.. the caps can cause corrosion... Youre bettter off using a gun cleaner that cleans oil and use that on the cylinder and nipples.. this also saves 6 caps.. caps are hard to comby today..
This is the second time I have watched this video. After the first I called my cousin who has worked at Pietta the last 18 years and ask him if the color hardening was faked. ANSWER the color hardening has never been faked but for the last 16 years Pietta has refined and intensified its process for color hardening as well as fit and finishing. Not everything read in forums are true.
I just got one in stainless....it's beautiful. I read that you cant load conical bullets in it because of the rammer shape. The Army to me seemed big and clunky.
I have the .44 Sheriff sweet shooter working on a Ranger. Eh .44 would have been correct Colt did have 4 or maybe 5 1 is on display Smithsonian. Due to war breaking out (Civil) never got started, although military approved. The .36 Ranger was already in production Military decided to to keep it going, instead of re-tooling for the .44. YES Colts Name for the .36 51 navy was the Ranger, our Government changed it (name) to .Belt Pistol of .36 caliber, Soldiers just called it the Navy due to the engraving on cylinder. Government did not object, as long as Ranger was left off. See Texas Rangers did what Government had failed to do, which was Defeat Mexico, Battle scene engraved on cylinder. It did not sit well with USA heads of the time.
The cylinder wedge has a spring retaining clip which need to be depressed before removal, would rather have a tight wedge than a sloppy fit, also read about Wild Bill Hickok's famous gunfight where he felled his opponent at 75 yards with a shot to the heart. The 1851 .36 is potent indeed.
That's interesting about the tail Jeff. Seems contrary to what I've heard elsewhere; the Pietta 'tail' appears to be consistent with the original. Certainly in your side-by-side comparison.
I did want to get a 36 Navy but I couldn't pass up the deal I got on my brass frame 44 1851 but from what I've found they did get made but wernt called Navy's they were called Griswold's and gunnisons or were jus made by them and called that
G&Gs were .36 caliber, and there were some differences with them and the Colt. Enjoy your pistol... don't stuff it full of powder or you'll beat the frame up quick. FYI the South did not make any .44 caliber Navies. The Spiller and Burr, Cofer, Griswold & Gunnison, Leech and Rigdon, and Augusta revolvers were all .36 caliber, as was the illusive (there weren't any production models, only samples) Schneider and Glassick. The only .44s made in the south were the Dance & Park and the Tucker & Sherrard Dragoon sized revolvers.
O ok thanks for the info my mistake I was told the g&g pistols were 44 and I also heard it was in the show hell on wheels not sayin it's exactly accurate but just what I heard I'll keep the grains low and powder dry thanks again for the input
I haven't done a decibel comparison but they are certainly not hearing safe... they are not supersonic and the "boom" is kind of lower in frequency, but I know from first-hand experience they are frickin loud without hearing protection. My dad shot a 3rd model Dragoon at a tree stump once when I was about 12 and I didn't cover my ears in time... my ears are still ringing. LOL
Ditch the Ballistol, which is mostly mineral oil (baby oil). The arbor needs more substantial grease. Even Crisco would be a better choice. Save your caps - get a can of compressed air used for dusting off keyboards & computer equipment. Awesome to see your side-by-side comparison of the Pietta with a Uberti.
Actually Ballistol is a paraffin based oil that except for it's characteristic stink is superior for black powder applications to almost anything else.
Thanks for the comparison. The reason why the wedge didn't want to come out was because it was functioning properly. You are supposed to remove the screw on the other side first before the wedge can come out. Not a big deal unless your putting 20k+ rds through it though.
The screw is to keep the wedge from completely coming out of the frame so you don't lose it in the field. But the wedge should still move with the screw in place. Enough to disassemble the pistol.
That seems like a dumb law for sure. Some people still shoot originals, and of course before the Italians started making repros, originals were all anyone had.
Oh they were men alright definatley men my great great grandpa was a confederate infantry man from north carolina he got bayonetted like 5 or 6 times when they were crossing the james river and lived through it and kept on charging im sure he carried a .36 on his side too so yea they were definatly men and dont discredit the .36 cal that was the civil war time era's .357 magnum wehave today im sure
i am an accidental BP shootist. Started out looking for a SA fixed cartridge revolver to replace my 25-5 in the field, being a 'city gun' and all. In .45 colt. Now I don't own any cartridge handguns. Love my Pietta 1851 Navy "Yank". 225 USD on sale at Dixie. I got Kaido Ojamaa's last two cavity 140 gr VKV mold. He has six cavity 145s all day.
My opinion only this is the best woods loafing gun. One fellow already stopped a charging 120 lb wild pig with a .36 Navy replica and a VKV bullet by Kaido. .
Go to Amazon Kindle store. Sixguns by Elmer Keith. You can read fhe first chapter for free. Fascinating write up on this weapon, Keith learned to shoot with one of these.
The owner's manual recommends a pretty anemic loading for most of us. Colt's original instrucitons are more inspiring.
Where legal a fine finishing pistol for bow hunting, or back up for a shotgun or rifle, cartridge or muzzle loading if you like having a side arm for more opportunities and smaller jobs.
Shoulder stocks, shorter barrels, longer barrrels, different grips all available. Infinitely customizable. Legal for deer and bear in at least one state.
There is a place where it is legal for me to hunt some critters with a high powered air rifle and others with a .36 blackpowder. I'm not telling where it is. Actually there are many.
Also cool just to have and to hold if you never fire it. Priced right for art work too. Collectors can't go wrong.
The most commonly carried weapon of my people afield is a stick, followed by an affordable .22 handgun or rifle, single shots are prized too so...
Even if you think you hear bigfoot while making your lunch or coffee, you won't feel naked once you learn to shoot your Colt Navy replica. Addictive.
Beautiful Pietta Navy 51.
Colt Navy 1851... I love, love, love, love, love...
indeed!
.44 Navy was not historically produced, but it is a historical design that never left the drawing board due to the production techniques of the day not being able to make one. So it's a production of a historical design, though not a reproduction of a historical firearm, if that makes sense.
Point is, historically, they tried.
harkonen1000000 interesting. Where can I learn about that?
harkonen1000000 my understanding is colt actually made four .44 cap and ball revolvers to submit for review for the army but never went through, there is an original colt .44 in the Smithsonian.
I am aware of the design being on the drawing boards too. However, if they actually went ahead and placed the weapon into production, the resulting gun would still have received the 'Army' or 'Dragoon' designation. The .44 was an Army frame, and the .36 was a Navy frame. Hence the designations. The Dept. Of Ordnance decreed these changes in 1841. Naval sidearms were purely meant to be antipersonnel weapons, while Army and Cavalry sidearms must meet the power requirements to be able to kill both an enemy rider, the rider's horse, and to serve as a hunting and SHTF weapon in the wilderness. The .44 prototype was never entered into production because the big .44 Dragoons were still being produced until the tooling was scrapped in 1860 and the next generation of Army frame revolvers underwent production. The .44 "navy" would have basically been a Dragoon frame with a shortened cylinder. It would not have been a good investment for the Colt company, who already had very effective firearms on the global market. The .44 "navy" would have been equivalent to Glock producing a variant of it's Gen. 5 chambered in 9mm Makarov. It would be a flop, because that particular caliber is simply not that popular with the shooting sports world.
Stainless
@@jeffshootsstuff it was a prototype. If you search 1851 navy .44 prototype, it will pop up a 1851 navy with a full fluted .44 cylinder with a rounded top, but octagonal bottom navy barrel. It's quite a sight.
Nice review, thank you. Loving the end picture where a 1851 Navy is put alongside an AR, like old meets new. Surprisingly those guns don't mismatch in that image, moreover they look pretty harmonious alongside each other.
I love the 36 cal! Nice video!
Thanks!
It called a 'Cap Groove'. To assist in hand guiding a cap onto the cone. Some had them, and some didn t. There were a lot of Navy variations.
Just like the 1911. Perfect civilian gun for the era.
Can you please tell me what the difference is between the 1851 Navy Colt 36 Cal and the 1851 Navy Yank 36 Cal? Thanks
You're tempting me to shoot some black powder. Thanks for the review.
Once you go black, you never go back! :D
jeffshootsstuff. true if it was ever spoken!!!
@@jeffshootsstuff I was Tackleberry 2.0 with more gats when i was a security guard.Total range rat. Only have blackpowder handguns now. 2 remington replicas and two Colts.
Love the Colt 1851 Navy for collector interest, it's pretty. Target shooting it's a challenge to get used to the sights on the first couple of shots, after you get past that boringly accurate. Hunting with it takes practice. Also a fine companion arm for a small or large bore hunting long arm.
There are some places where one can hunt vermin with a high powered air rifle and pack a side arm for other opportunities. Love the 1851 for that kind of work. Everything we used to use .38s' for back in the day and more.
Incredible value, my opinion only. Great first or second BP revolver.
that's the nices case color hardening I've seen. nice choice!
Your right about that! That's a gem of a cap & ball for colorful finishes!
I want to get my son one of these for his 21st birthday this August but EVERYWHERE I go, they are out of stock. Hopefully i will be able to find one in time.
I can't believe the price you got that for. Over here in the UK the Blank firing version costs 299.00 pounds sterling - the equivalent of $331.00 US Dollars.
Yeah for a while Piettas were ridiculously cheap here. Not so much anymore.
@@jeffshootsstuff It's a great piece - it always reminds me of the Tuco 'Gun store scene' from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I'm defo going to pick up the blank firing version at some stage.
Running almost 375 dollars now here in the us..
Bought mine 2 years ago for 295 with 2 day shipping..
I would be so scared of ricochet in there. You convinced me the buy a pietta those
you sometimes get some frag back off the steel but it's AR500 armor plate and doesn't send ricochets. Bullets flatten and drop in front of the steel typically.
I personally prefer the .44 navy even if it's not historically accurate. Colt did have a prototype in .40 caliber if memory serves me right. Pietta also did away with the tail.
Yeah the .44 cap and balls are more fun for me as well
found one under a chair cushion once. engraved cylinder and two old shots in it. I had to look it up. worth $60. I put it back. lol
LOL why is this chair lumpy??
For interesting historical ref, regarding their power etc, look into these two stories,- 1- Hickok/Tutt and 2-The 'Medicine-Bow Butte' incident in 1858.
Or the entire Civil War.
Nice vid, Jeff. I've got one of those, as well as a New Army. We'll have to go shooting out near The Farm sometime.
Where did you get the Navy from ? I have been looking for a mate to my Uberti Navy with the square back trigger guard love the 36's though,
Pietta finally fixed their brass backstrap. Now, if they would only use harder steel.
Considering the originals were made from iron, even the softest steel would be an upgrade.
wish the pietta had that groove for the caps.. The groove there is for the capping tool, you can slide the tool in easier and get the caps on much quicker with that groove.. on the pietta its hard to get the tool in there without it. My piettas wedges were both hammered in there with like 20 lbs sledge hammers it seems like, i had to use a punch as well to get them off, but my punch slipped both times on both 1851 and nicked the gun near the wedge openeing.. this is what i dont get though.. brass is SOFT.. my punchs were brass, there is no way in hell a brass punch should have nicked and deformed the steel barrel like that by the wedge.. I have a hunch these piettas the steel is extremely cheesy and not hardened properly.
I also recommend against using the caps to "clean" out the cylinders, especially if you want to load and keep the gun loaded.. the caps can cause corrosion... Youre bettter off using a gun cleaner that cleans oil and use that on the cylinder and nipples.. this also saves 6 caps.. caps are hard to comby today..
Nice video. I have to laugh at the "Patriotic" box when it is made in Italy.
Yeh, my Harley jacket says "An American Legend".... and then right next to it is the tag saying "made in Indonesia" LOL
Is the barrel rifled? Where'd you get the. 36?
And as of December 2023, Cabelas now has these Pietta .36 Navy Yanks listed at $359 😂
I know. They want $315 for the frickin brass framed ones. Crazy
If you haven't found the parts you need for that Colt, try VTI.
Jeff, did ya get your original Colt smokin yet?
Not yet. I need to get on that. Need to get a trigger spring and a nipple wrench that won't bugger up the original cones.
Just ordered one in 36 Cal. Is that your personal gun range that you built? Very nice..
Pietta removed the tail from their backstraps back around 2015. This looks like one of the ones without it.
Is it possible to use a new barrel from a Pietta on the Colt?
This is the second time I have watched this video. After the first I called my cousin who has worked at Pietta the last 18 years and ask him if the color hardening was faked. ANSWER the color hardening has never been faked but for the last 16 years Pietta has refined and intensified its process for color hardening as well as fit and finishing. Not everything read in forums are true.
Good to know, thanks!
Wipes off with alcohol....or a sharpie
marker. 100% fake color. They may be hardened but the color is not from that.
It is the trigger spring
I just got one in stainless....it's beautiful. I read that you cant load conical bullets in it because of the rammer shape.
The Army to me seemed big and clunky.
Real stainless or “old silver”?
Your stile far exceeds photobility . Most time dread watching range work but you make it bearable getting through it . Thanks
Thank you kindly!
I have the .44 Sheriff sweet shooter working on a Ranger. Eh .44 would have been correct Colt did have 4 or maybe 5 1 is on display Smithsonian. Due to war breaking out (Civil) never got started, although military approved. The .36 Ranger was already in production Military decided to to keep it going, instead of re-tooling for the .44. YES Colts Name for the .36 51 navy was the Ranger, our Government changed it (name) to .Belt Pistol of .36 caliber, Soldiers just called it the Navy due to the engraving on cylinder. Government did not object, as long as Ranger was left off. See Texas Rangers did what Government had failed to do, which was Defeat Mexico, Battle scene engraved on cylinder. It did not sit well with USA heads of the time.
Interesting, thanks!
Wish I could find that in a 5-5.5" barrel. They have the 44, which I might pick up just because, but I really wanted the 36 cal.
The cylinder wedge has a spring retaining clip which need to be depressed before removal, would rather have a tight wedge than a sloppy fit, also read about Wild Bill Hickok's famous gunfight where he felled his opponent at 75 yards with a shot to the heart.
The 1851 .36 is potent indeed.
Great video man! I have a pair of Uberti Cattlemen. I'd like to get a pair of Colt Navy replicas as well.
Thanks! I've been looking at Ubertis but am trying to save for a Colt. I want the real thing to begin with.
The percussion gun "made" by Colt and marked Colt are from Uberti parts.
Bunk Stagner, no. The later ones were, but not the early production.
got one last week from Cabela's but have not had time to shoot it yet.
whats the price range for original civil war revolvers?
Check gunbroker and look at completed auctions.
It's not broken, some slick shooter modified the guns this way, so they can shoot it with just pulling the hammer, may u have one of those
That's interesting about the tail Jeff. Seems contrary to what I've heard elsewhere; the Pietta 'tail' appears to be consistent with the original. Certainly in your side-by-side comparison.
Yeah I was surprised by that as well. People sure make a big deal out of it though.
Do you have to show your driver's license to purchase?
Bought mine on the internet, shipped to my house. Required an adult signature for the fedex guy when he dropped it off.
Found the felons
i think you are letting it scare you a bit . keep shooting it , handling and accuracy will improve
It may not have the thump of the 44, but I shore enuf do not want to be down range of it!
So much more accurate than the typical Thug shooting at you with a and of course they usually clearing a jam
I did want to get a 36 Navy but I couldn't pass up the deal I got on my brass frame 44 1851 but from what I've found they did get made but wernt called Navy's they were called Griswold's and gunnisons or were jus made by them and called that
G&Gs were .36 caliber, and there were some differences with them and the Colt. Enjoy your pistol... don't stuff it full of powder or you'll beat the frame up quick. FYI the South did not make any .44 caliber Navies. The Spiller and Burr, Cofer, Griswold & Gunnison, Leech and Rigdon, and Augusta revolvers were all .36 caliber, as was the illusive (there weren't any production models, only samples) Schneider and Glassick. The only .44s made in the south were the Dance & Park and the Tucker & Sherrard Dragoon sized revolvers.
O ok thanks for the info my mistake I was told the g&g pistols were 44 and I also heard it was in the show hell on wheels not sayin it's exactly accurate but just what I heard I'll keep the grains low and powder dry thanks again for the input
i cut a grove in my pietta it helps to insert caps
What barrel length is this
ChristSideUrbanStreetMinistry i would guess 7 1/2
Are these as loud as modern pistols?
I haven't done a decibel comparison but they are certainly not hearing safe... they are not supersonic and the "boom" is kind of lower in frequency, but I know from first-hand experience they are frickin loud without hearing protection. My dad shot a 3rd model Dragoon at a tree stump once when I was about 12 and I didn't cover my ears in time... my ears are still ringing. LOL
Ditch the Ballistol, which is mostly mineral oil (baby oil). The arbor needs more substantial grease. Even Crisco would be a better choice. Save your caps - get a can of compressed air used for dusting off keyboards & computer equipment.
Awesome to see your side-by-side comparison of the Pietta with a Uberti.
Ones an original 1861 colt navy revolver ones a Pietta.
Actually Ballistol is a paraffin based oil that except for it's characteristic stink is superior for black powder applications to almost anything else.
what price dear and whice websites you bye now.......?
If you got the extra money I'd send that coat off to Turnbull and have them restore it
Well, glad to see you learned how to pronounce. "Pietta"......COOL!!!
Where did I mispronounce it?
@@jeffshootsstuff Back when you got your 1860 Army. Just giving you a hard time.....you pronounced it
"PI-etta" :)
That last image is possibly the most America thing I have ever seen.
..if yours pulls the caps, there's a fix...
That’s a loud shooting lane. Definitely need ear protectors.
Yep. I double up and use foam plugs with muffs over top.
Thanks for the comparison. The reason why the wedge didn't want to come out was because it was functioning properly. You are supposed to remove the screw on the other side first before the wedge can come out. Not a big deal unless your putting 20k+ rds through it though.
The screw is to keep the wedge from completely coming out of the frame so you don't lose it in the field. But the wedge should still move with the screw in place. Enough to disassemble the pistol.
Isn’t she a beauty?
So lame i need license for repros. Have to buy expensive originals and they wont be perfect still.
That seems like a dumb law for sure. Some people still shoot originals, and of course before the Italians started making repros, originals were all anyone had.
Klin nie wychodzi to dopasuj broń
okeedoke
Lindas armas
Get a real BP pistol with a top strap, one pc frame and easy swap cylinder. Colt=junk. Remington design still in use today.
I’ll still be firing my colt while you’re cleaning that Remington. Also nothing like those sweet colt curves.
The AR-15 at the end offends my liberal brain. Lol
"Comes in .44, the man size"
So I guess the Confederate cavalrymen who had great respect for the .36 round ball and its stopping power weren't men?
Oh they were men alright definatley men my great great grandpa was a confederate infantry man from north carolina he got bayonetted like 5 or 6 times when they were crossing the james river and lived through it and kept on charging im sure he carried a .36 on his side too so yea they were definatly men and dont discredit the .36 cal that was the civil war time era's .357 magnum wehave today im sure
Not to mention he was also shot 2 or 3 times his name was Pvt Thomas H. Loftis he fought for NC infantry company k reids guard if i remember correctly