Cap and Ballers .36 or .44 ?

[Alabama]

Which do you prefer , the .36 or .44 ? And why ?
Both , is an acceptable answer too here ! 

If I had a preference it would probably be the .36 for a few reasons , some bias of course , but we all are loyal for no good reasons for many things in life , right . 
My first C and B was a Colt 51 Navy , fell in Love then , still in love now .
The .36 is a wonderfully accurate round . ( hard to argue the .44 is any less accuarte but it may be a little because of earodynamics ) There is areason the Olympians use .177 and not .22 Calibers !
Loaded hot the .36 can take out any 350 lb. Logger , I meen steel plate 
You save money on powder with the .36 . ( barely a valid point , money , who cares if your saving money , but maybe you do  )
Ditto with lead .
Better barrel harmonics , thicker steel same gun barrel ( Remington Navy as exapmle  ) more accurate , less heating of barrel too .
That ones hard to argue , but you could try 
Less abusive to your frame and parts , truth in the .36 ........

Cons if any are to me , less knockdown power , period .
Not as much smoke and fire ! 
You get teazed for shooting a girly caliber . Just kidding , nobody teazes me when I am holding a gun 
And its far from a girly caliber , there are no girly calibers , guns kill with any caliber , just ask any girl if you dare to teeze her . 
Not many cons here 

Pros of the .44 are ,
lots of fire and smoke , big perk there .
Pleanty accurate .
Great knockdown power .
Can take out Deer easilly .
Intimidating end of barrel when pointed at you .
I'm a Warthog too , so love it also for firepower and big booms .

Nearly a draw for me , but if I had to choose it would be the .36 for all the stupid reasons I can think of , mostly loyalty to my first love , the stupidest of all of them 

Sincerely , Alabama

[Ransom Gaer]

Hi Alabama,

I have both and shoot both, but I use my 1860 Armies the most at matches.  So I would have to say I prefer .44 caliber.  Two things in particular for me.  I like the larger grips on the 1860 Army.  Point of impact seems to be closer to point of aim with the Armies.  Otherwise it boils down to liking the boom and roar of the .44 as well as the little bit of recoil the .44 has.

Ransom Gaer

[Dick Dastardly]

I shoot a brace of 1860s and a brace of ROAs.  Love 'em.  Have both C&B and Kirst Konverter cylinders for the works of 'em.

Since I haven't settled on a design for the 36s yet and I have Two great bullet designs for the 44s (EPP-UG 150 grain & DD/ROA 210 grain) the 44s are favorites.  Soon as I get the final drawings and tooling made I'll be getting a brace of 36s. . .

DD-DLoS

[Mason Stillwell]

44's
More to hold on to

Nuff Said

[Fiddler Green]

I guess I'm the dissenter here. I shoot both the '51 (.36) and the '60 (.44) and think that the '51 is more accurate and more controllable at speed. Not that the recoil is that much on either one. The 1860 seems more solid and makes a bigger boom but it can't match the little '51 for hitting where it's aimed. That big boom produces a big cloud of smoke, too. While that may be fun on the range, it's hard to see that black steel plate through. That said, steel plates are not that hard to hit and both do a fine job (when the cap goes off). I think that the C&B pistols are more accurate then the cartridge guns.

Bruce

[Alabama]

That's interesting Dick Dastardly ?
You'll buy two .36's when its time because your gonna build bullet molds first for them ? VERY COOL way to think !!! 
I built two 4' by 3' gun cabinets before I filled them up because I knew I wanted allot of cap and ball guns in my life . 
Build them and they will come , great extended vision we both have obviously . 

Alabama

[Fingers McGee]

I've always liked the looks, feel, balance, accuracy and economy of the .36 Cal '51/'61 Navy models.  Which is why they make up the majority of my main match guns; although I also have a few .44 Cal '51s and '60s.  My '61 Navies loaded with  20 gr of fffg and .380 roundball managed to take care of any knockdowns they are used on; make plenty of smoke & fire; and ring even the long range targets with regularity.

Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee

[Paladin UK]

Gotta be 36s fer me...

I used ta ONLY SHOOT 44s `n`45s  until I met my first 51!! soon followed by a 61 and also a little ol 62 Powlice!!

Yup, Lurv, their feel and pointability. Also, having slightly smaller hands the fit is Brill!! Oh and did I mention that they point Soooooo well!!

I think regardin Smoke there aint that much difference `specially iffn ya use a lubed wad, And we aint downin Bufffalo I feel my 36s ring steel ...Jest fine!!  I also think they are the purdiest handguns ever made. OH yeah, and I almost fergot!! they point Sooooo well!! 

Paladin (What lurvs his 36s  ) UK

[hellgate]

I started out in CAS in 1992 with a '61 Navy and a 357 blackhawk in the Modern category. Back then there was Traditional, modern, duelist and black powder. I quickly went to 44cal '51 Navies from ASM for the extra knockdown power since our pistol targets were either cardboard IPSC or BIG, HEAVY FALLERS. It was actually more fun then to watch and hear the big targets clang their stands as they slid down their poles. You had to hunk them up to reset them on a hanger that let the target stay with the stand but when hit in the upper 2/3 it would slightly twist or rock back tipping it back where it would drop straight downward with a nice metallic clank.
With the 36, when called upon to drop something I would use the LEE 130gr conical. I could only get about 15grs FFFg into the Colt under the longer conical. In a 36 remington I can get 20grs under the lead. With the 44 "Navies" I had the best of both worlds: the feel of a Navy with the knockdown of the Army. I still shoot them about twice a year and they are as reliable as ever.

Fast forward to now: I use Uberti and Euroarms Remington 44s because I can stuff 30 grs under a ball or 200gr conical when I feel festive or really, really need to put some steel down. The only drawbacks I can see for the 36s are less knockdown power for poppers (use a Remington Navy with 20grs under a 130gr conical) and the lighter sound of a hit on dead steel with the 81gr pill which can cause scoring errors.

I basically shoot averything in my cabinet but have only acquired two more 36s since '92: a pair of very used Euroarms Remington Navies. They hold more powder and lead than the Colt 36s. The savings on powder and lead for the 36s is pretty small compared to the other expenses like GASOLINE, rifle/shotshell ammo, & match fees.

[Noz]

1860 Armys because they fit my hand. The fact that a 44 comes out the little end is of no real consequence. If you want to be around guns that buck and roar, go watch Fingers and his 36s. Make as much noise as a Walker. Well, almost.

[Brizco-Z]

Alabama,

I am perplexed.....I do agree with what Ransom said and yes I do like both the 51 and the 1860 models.  I also lean, from time to time, to the solid frames of the Remington NMA, as well.  I too use my 60's at most of the regional and state level because of their knock down power and I love the balance and grip feel of the 51's, they do handle mighty nice.  All my C&B revolvers have been gone over to smooth them up and clean up their action and all, as of today, lock up tight and time extremely well.  I haven't a one that fails to shoot well if I do my part.

So when it comes down to heping you choose, you'd better count me out.  Of the Colt repros, I have as many as I doo cartridge load revolvers (them self contained cartridge things are just a passing fad, anyway).  Just love the action of these cap & ball guns, they take me back to the earlier history of the american firearms and the true gun that "helped" to win the west, there were so many.

Well Alabama, you got a tough job on your hands best way to tell is to get yerself a handful of each, don't rule out the Dragoons, the ROA's and, the 49's, the Pocket models, all others of Colt design.  And although some only load five rounds you can still drop the hammer on the centering pins.  Rule to go by too, is to pick a pair and spare based on whether you can get a conversion cyclinder for the moodel too.  I do prefer Uberti but, I have a few more recent models from Pietta and I honestly can't complain.  The quality has without a doubt gotten very good.

Good luck to you pard, if it's Cap & Ball and well made, you can't go wrong,

Brizco-Z

[Alabama]

You obviously have not seen my collection Brizco , look to the Dark Side pic threade , I don't have a problem choosing much of anything , just curious who liked what and why ? 

Alabama , thanks for the thoughts though

[Riot Earp]

I prefer .36 caliber because I like .38 Colt/Special cartridge conversions.

[Alabama]

As much as you love your Leech and Rigdon Riot Earp , of course you love the .36 !!!! 
Fine gun too , need to get one dern it and just get it over with !!!!! 
I have noticed in my cases the almighty .44 has takin over the Majority rule now , so I need to catch up agian so the .36's don't feel left out . That means I may need to buy two Leech and Rigdons , hmmm ...

Alabama

[Dalton Masterson]

I like em both! When I wanna go fast I use my Colts, in whichever caliber, usually .44 tho for the intimidating roar. I did use my .36s at a regional this year, but that was mainly due to my .44s needing some TLC and repair from our State shoot right before.
I have enough powder in my .36s that they have a nice boom and do have recoil, but the .44 is so much nicer with a steady diet of 30gr and round ball.
Even my Starrs are enjoyable in .44. DM

[Roosterman]

I have  '51 & '61 navies, and 3 '60 armies with navy grips. I like them all. I have trouble hearing if I'm hitting steel plates with the navies because I'm so deaf, not so with the armies. I've been shooting C&B's since last June in all the shoots I go to. So far, (knock on wood) they have never failed me.
I have been shooting the armies more, not sure why though....probably the checkered ivory grips.....

[Fiddler Green]

I have enough powder in my .36s that they have a nice boom and do have recoil, but the .44 is so much nicer with a steady diet of 30gr and round ball.

30 Grains, Yikes!       30 grains of what?

I shoot 20 grains of Pyrodex, at the range, in my .44 and 15 grains in SASS. I guess I'm more into hitting the trarget and getting a new site picture then making allot of noise. 


BTW: I shoot 15 grains of Pyrodex in the .36, at the range and 12 grains in SASS.

Bruce

[Roosterman]

I've settled on 19gr in the .36's and 24gr in the .44's. These seem to be the most accurate loads in my guns.

[Fiddler Green]

I've settled on 19gr in the .36's and 24gr in the .44's. These seem to be the most accurate loads in my guns.

19 grains of what? Can you be more specific? I find 12-15 grains of Pyrodex FFFG in my 1851 Navy and 15-20 grains of the same in my 1860 Army is the best.

Bruce

[Dalton Masterson]

Fiddler, I use 30 gr of 2F Kik or Goex and a nice soft homecast round ball. Target aquisition is not a problem, but then I have been shooting them for a loooong time. My Walker gets 48gr and a round ball. It aquires targets fine too.

In my .36s it is around 23 gr if I remember right. I just cut off a spout once I hit a full enough cylinder, so cant remember specifics anymore on them. I dont have to mess with fillers, and get good compression on either one.

Used to use pyrodex, but didnt like it. Save it for my shotgun loads.

I cant imagine 20gr. in a .44 would be much fun, after shootin what I do.    As a double duelist, the recoil helps put the hammer back under my thumb allowing for a faster repeat shot.

DM