London Navy balance

[Capt Billy]

I had (but sold in a fit of stupidity) a pair of 51 Navy London models from Cimarron, and now have a matched pair of Pietta 51 Navy models.
The question is: the London models seemed to have a far superior weight and balance. Can anyone explain why this would be?
The Pietta pair are steel (not as MUCH steel as the Londons) so to me is is a true mystery.

[Pettifogger]

The Londons have a steel backstrap and trigger guard.  These weigh a little more than brass, but not that much.  Did you weigh the guns you are talking about or is this just a mental impression?  "Seemed to have" infers this is past tense and not a current side by side comparison.  The good old days always "seemed" better. I have dozens of Navies, Uberti and Pietta, and there is no material difference in weight.

[Mako]

Capt. Billy,
Pettifogger is right about the difference in weight.  But he probably just misspoke and got it backwards, brass is heavier than steel.  It depends upon the specific alloy, but  anywhere from 7-9.9%.  The back strap and trigger guard are a small percentage of the overall weight of the pistol, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

The answer to your mystery lies not in the material but the manufacturer.  The Piettas feel wrong to you because of the grips.  Pietta Navy grips aren't correctly shaped.  The Uberti (Cimarron) shape is the most faithful to the original Colt's design.  I'm surprised Pettifogger didn't mention it since he has shown people how to reshape the Pietta grip.

It's not the weight, it's the grip...

Regards,
Mako

[Fox Creek Kid]

...It's not the weight, it's the grip...

I'll 2nd that.  The Uberti's are even better when you round off the bottom of the front inside curl just a tad.

[StrawHat]

I can not speak to 1851s as I don't own any.  1860s on the other hand, well I have many and I find the brass backed ones do feel a bit heavier in the hand then the steel backed ones.  It may be that hte ballance is shifted ever so slightly but there is a difference.  Or it amy be the shape of the grips as mentioned. 

[Harley Starr]

(saved for future referrence.)