Video - Shooting the 1851 Navy Revolver

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

My first handgun was a brass framed 1851 Navy revolver that I got in 1972 when I was 17 years old. I loved that gun and I literally wore it out shooting it with heavy loads.

I've had a lot of Navy revolvers since then, and they have a real place in my heart. So I hope you enjoy this video.


And on an Off-Topic note. I do a lot of videos on modern guns too, but I don't post them here. If you'd like to see them you can "Like" my writer's page on Facebook where I post updates, or go straight to my YouTube channel.

http://www.facebook.com/mike.beliveau.writer
http://www.youtube.com/user/duelist1954?feature=mhee

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Mike

Another nice video. I've got you beat, I bought my old brass framed 44 cal 'Navy' in 1968. Mine is pretty worn out too, the frame is stretched and the barrel points pretty far up. I grew up near the old Ridgefield NJ showroom of Navy Arms. On my 18th birthday I borrowed my Dad's car and drove down and bought my 'Navy'. I think it cost $60. I still have it, but I don't shoot it anymore.

I see you prefer lube over the balls. I prefer wads between the ball and the powder. Too much messing about with messy Crisco when I was a kid. I went the felt wad route once they became available and never looked back.

[Slowhand Bob]

I bought my first one in the late 60s but not sure whether it came from Navy Arms or Dixie Gunworks.  Memory is a precious commodity for me now days BUT I do seem to remember a pair of short barl Colt revolvers from back then also but do not remember if they were 36s or 44s?   In those days I thought Dixie and Herters catalogs were the two greatest books ever written and contained all the combined knowledge of the generations and were only exceeded by the Bible.  As I remember it old man Herter invented everything worth having, or else was taught it by various old Indian chiefs!  A shame all of it was later stolen by other white men without giving due credit to Mr Herter!!!   

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

Howdy Mike

I see you prefer lube over the balls. I prefer wads between the ball and the powder. Too much messing about with messy Crisco when I was a kid. I went the felt wad route once they became available and never looked back.

Amen Brother!  Adds a little to the cost of shooting but I figure I save that much on soap from not washing my hands 12 times per day while shooting.  

Mike another enjoyable video, thanks.

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

Thanks Guys. I'm glad you liked it.

I got my first Navy from E.M.F. in the mail from one of the ads they used to run on the back pages of magazines. $50 or $60 sounds about right.

I still have peces of it in the parts box. I shot it so loose I had a quarter inch barrel cylinder gap. 

I used to put in as much powder as I could and still seat a ball and shoot it about 100 yards at a 55 gallon drum. Loved hearing that !!!BANG!!! when the ball hit the drum.

I've used the wads quite a bit, but I still put lube over the ball, even with the wads...force of habbit I guess.

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

Driftwood,

When I was a freshman in college in Rhode Island I saved my change and, when I had enough, I drove to Old Saybrook Connecticut to the CVA company. I bought my first flintlock rifle kit right out of their showroom. Later I found out I could have bought the same kit at any retail store for less money.

Hope you made out better at Navy Arms.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again Mike

I think I paid about the same as what they were being advertised for in the magazines. I seem to recollect the gun was advertised as the Army Model 60, or something like that, even though it was plainly of the Navy design. I thought I had a photo of it somewhere, but I don't seem to have one handy. I'll take one and post it. Mine shot loose enough that when the barrel was snugged up enough to have a proper gap, the barrel was pointing up and it used to shoot really high, so I retired it.

Funny thing, I had one of those CVA Flintlock kits too. I still have it but I haven't fired it in many years. Not very high quality. Did you have the one with the two piece stock? The front of the stock was a separate piece and they gave you a piece of brass sheet to cover the gap. I duded it up a bit, I made a ridiculous looking patch box with brass furniture I made up from sheet brass. I did a little bit of rudimentary carving on it too. It shot pretty good, but it was really low quality.

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

Hi Driftwood, Yup, My CVA had the ugly two-piece stock, but it could shoot. I won a few matches with it.

Then I moved to Pennsylvania and got bit by the flintlock bug. I made a dozen of them before I decided I was better off buying from a real rifle builder. I still use a .40 J.P. Beck style rifle I built, but mostly I use a trio of flinters that Matt Avance of Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading built for me.

I've got a .50 iron mounted York county rifle, a .54 iron mounted Virginia rifle with a sliding wood patchbox and a 20 ga fowler.

That 20 ga is a great small game gun.

I like doing CAS in the Spring and Summer and switch over to the 18th century for Fall.

[fourfingersofdeath]

I have been drooling over Navy Colts since I was a boy! They sure got the looks. I am a recent BP convert and ended up with a brass framed Remingtion and three ROAs. I will have to get myself a 36 cal Navy before long.

[Slowhand Bob]

I guess I like them small because the prettiest gun that Colt done, in my eyes, was the '63 model and it was the last before his death.  Somewhat over ten years ago I won a Uberti '63 with the fancy blue upgrade and I have kept it unfired.  Several years back I stumbled on a used one with standard blue and purchased it with the idea of using them in a match or two but it just hasn't happened.  For SASS shooting it is hard to find a 36 that is any better than the short barreled Pietta version of the '63, basically more of a '62 Nay design.  I have purchased around six or eight Piettas in the last three years and can say that my newer ones are head and shoulders above my older Pietta versions and I really do like some of the not-quite-so original offerings they have come out with.   

Speaking of  the little guns, Mike, how about a cap and ball side match video?  If you have the little '49 Colt, a tiny .31 Reminton and perhaps one or two of the little c&b Derringers, you could do an interesting video article on the guns of the early era gentlemen/gamblers.  The side benefit is that you get to shoot these sitting at a card table!  It seems like I have read somewhere that Colt sold more of the small frame '31s than any other cap and ball revolver they made??

[Crow Choker]

     If I was just starting or thinking about getting into cap and ball shooting, your video Mike would be very informative. Good job as always.
    My first cap an ball was a Eroarms '51 Navy in 44 caliber, the dreaded 'bastard' '51 Colt. Purchased in '72 for I think $70.00. Shot it alot, but it developed a 'hair' triggger sometime in the '90's, so I laid off shooting it much. Several years ago while preparing to move, I had it in my basement shop, as I was going to try and fix/replace the poor trigger. In the mess of moving, I placed it on top of some items destined for the burn pile(was just gonna lay it there for a minute), but somehow it ended up in the burn pile and fire. When I did rethink of it, I couldn't find it and then thought of the 'terrible'. Yep, I found the remains in my burn pit, grips gone of course, nice fire blackened color to it, the mainspring was so weak you could almost blow the hammer back and it didn't have enough tension to drop the hammer either. I cleaned it up, oiled, and stuck in a box where it remains today. Not having enough internal organs, lower male parts, or vertical bone in my back to fix it, as I figured firing it may 'burst' the cylinder or barrel. I did order a new set of grips, mainspring, hand(with spring), and bolt springs from Dixie and call it one of my 'been-gonna' projects to get it working again, but just as a wall hanger. I owe it that much. It's sort of my Josey Wales gun.
    I did get a 36 caliber Navy '51 Uberti from Taylors three yrs ago, but I like the 44 caliber much better. All my other Cap an balls are 44's, not that it makes a difference, but like shootin the 44 a whole lot more, so, about a year and ahalf ago, I got another '51 Navy Pietta from Taylors in 44 caliber (the dreaded bastard gun) and like shooting it much, much better. That's all I have to say-long winded ain't I !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

Slow hand, I have a Baby Dragoon in .31, but no Remingtons. Never was that crazy about the small remingtons. Maybe I'll do a video on the Baby D. at some point.

Crow Choker, truth to tell, I also prefer .44s, and I have a pair of .44 Navies, which I like very much.

[Slowhand Bob]

Shux BDM, you need to talk with Raven about a test gun loan for this particular project, I sure would be interested in videos and even a magazine article on their new offering.  If I understand what I have read , they are now offering a 'Micro Remington Conversion to .22RF.  I actually think this particular little gun is better suited to the small 22 Conversion and I am thinking you even have the option of an interchangeable .22 cap and ball cylinder??  Now this would probably make for a great article scoop and would most likely land you many many thousands of dallars in raises and who knows, perhaps a readers choice award!   

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

Bob,

When I talked to them at SHOT about the .22 conversions they told me they were going to work with Denis Adler to do an article for GOW. So I don't think I'm in that deal.

[The Pathfinder]

Great video, Mike. I knew we both had a thing for conversions and the old 44 Colt, but I didn't know you went to college in Little Rhody. Where you hail from originally? I grew up in Johnston, hung around Smithfield a whole lot and have a mess of family still in the South kingston area.

[Percussion Pete]

Nice video Mike. If I could offer one small negative comment.

I've found that the .375 balls fit too loose. In watching you load, it appears to be the case for you too. I think .380 balls are a better fit. Were you getting any shavings for the balls when you loaded?

As you mentioned in the video. It really is a .38 caliber gun.