1851 Pietta Sheriff

[Tidewater_Kid]

I always wanted a brass framed revolver. I like the looks of the short barrel. I know about their limits and I intend to shoot light loads through it. I have a 1860 and 1858 steel frame, but I have R&D cylinders for them. I have plenty of lead round balls and powder and caps.

Cabela's has these for $50 off and I got $5 shipping. Not a bad deal. Can't wait to try it out this weekend.

TK

 

[BlackPowderBen]

Nice gun, let us know what kind of accuracy it has

 

[Doc Hoy]

TK.....

Yes, Nice purchase.

Some years ago, I came up with a pistol very similar to yours in an uncanny cheap deal.

I found the pistol to be adnormally accurate in my hands. The first shots I fire from the pistol went into a four inch tree at 15 yards. That is the first four to six shots, no rest, 100% into the tree.

Then I had a chain fire in that pistol. First and only chain fire I ever had.

It loosened up the arbor on the pistol. I went to a little trouble to tighten it up but I don't shoot it any more.

Super accurate, only chain fire, pistol purchased almost free. I am thinking the pistol is haunted. (I actually looked to see if the serial number ended in 666.)

Anyway, back to yours, It will be interesting to see if the pistol fits in your hand in such a way as to be a quite accurate combination of shooter and pistol.

 

[Tidewater_Kid]

Well I hope to try it out this weekend. I'll let you know how it shoots. It feels more like the SAA in my hands. I like my 1858 and 1860, but they are a bit front heavy.

TK

 

[Bishop Creek]

Looks a lot like my first cap and ball pistol, an 1851 Navy brasser that I bought in 1969. With it, I experienced my first and only chain fire. What do you think Doc?

 

[Hellgate]

A shooting pard uses a pair of 44 brasser Sheriffs models in Cowboy Ation matches and with 20grs powder, a wad and .454 ball he makes plenty of smoke and noise. I thought he was overloading them with 30 grs but he said it was just 20. I think the short barrels made them louder than expected.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Response to Bishop Creek

Mine is a C.O.M.

Can you recall the manuf or yours?

 

[bedbugbilly]

I had an older Navy Arms brass frame with a round barrel - .36. It was lot's of fun and I've kicked myself many times for trading it off!

I don't know how difficult you'll find the shorter loading lever to use but mine reeked havoc on the hands at times. If I remember correctly, I had a short section . . . about six inches . . . of 1/2 PVC pipe that I would slide over the lever to get a little more oomph on it.

Nice looking pistol . . . enjoy!

 

[Tidewater_Kid]

Bedbugbilly,

I have seen several folks complain about the force required to use the shorter lever. I have an empty 577/450 casing that will add about 2.5" inches to it. I'll give that a try.

I have looked at the loading presses for load just the cylinder.

TK

 

[Bishop Creek]

Doc Hoy: Mine is a C.O.M.

Can you recall the manuf or yours?

It was so long ago that I don't remember who made my brasser. Likely one of those companiess no longer in business. It wasn't a Uberti, that much I recall. It was stolen from me around 1974.

 

[Doc Hoy]

BC

Got it.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Back to TK

I admire you for waiting until Cabela's has one of their sales.

Nice job and congrats on the new pistol.

 

[AKexpat]

Not to down your new purchase, but I have noticed that Pietta does not put nicely figured "European Walnut" wood on their pistols these days; rather it is quite plain. I bought a Pietta 1851 Navy steel .36 just after Christmas from Cabela's in 2014 (date code [CM]) with rather plain wood (I have since used that wood to create a Clint Eastwood silver rattlesnakes grip), and desired a better figured Pietta piece. I found one on Ebay for $38 but it is some sort of hardwood with very nice figure. IMO, the folks that sell parts on Ebay go to Cabela's (or others) and sort through their stock and find the best looking revolvers and part them out. I do not believe any attention is paid to barrel/cylinder gap, etc.: that's up to the purchaser, and that's pretty good for scroungers like me looking for wood, barrels, cylinders, wedges, et al, and prices are slightly above or equal to or even less than parts obtained from VTI, Taylors, or others where you have no idea what you are receiving insofar as appearance.

Good luck in your endeavours.

Myself, I am waiting for Cabela's to put the Pietta Griswold and Gunnison .36 on sale around the holidays. At $220 now, it is still not a bad deal.

With the addition of that pistol to my Pietta 1851 Navy squareback (with a possible addition of my spare large round TG) I can create at least five pistols (with a few fantasies using the squareback TG: Ashley @ Taylor's may possibly procure a squareback TG if you desire):

1851 Navy Squareback 2nd Model .36

1851 Navy 3rd Model .36

Griswold and Gunnison .36

Schneider and Glassick .36

1851 Navy Squareback Dragoon .36 (Fantasy)

I am also looking to purchase a spare 1851 Pietta barrel to cut down to create an "Avenging Angel" model.

One of these days these guns/parts will go into a huge wood presentation case if the money holds out.

Ad nauseum

Jim

 

[Tidewater_Kid]

Doc,

I don't have any self control, just lucky they were on sale when I decided I had to have one!

Jim,

Looking at parts on eBay is what I do daily. I was looking at the various 1851 parts and saw parts for the Sheriff's model. I did the math and it quickly added up to more than the $149.99 from Cabela's. I laughed and thought I would buy two and part out the second. Might make enough to pay for the first, but I just couldn't part out a new revolver.

The grips were a little disappointing, but you can always upgrade those.

TK

 

[Doc Hoy]

TK is right

I think it has long been the case that you could buy a Pietta on sale from Cabela's and actually make aprofit selling the parts on eBay.

I recently parted out a used 1861 Colt and got a total of 170.00 for the parts I sold on eBay. It allowed me to sell the frame (sale of which eBay does not permit) on this forum for a reasonable price and brought the total return to nearly 200.00. Even the empty box can have value.

 

[Smokin'Joe]

I like mine with an antique patina.

 

[4V50 Gary]

antique patina lacks nicks & dings that older guns generaly have.

 

[Tidewater_Kid]

Well I made it to the range today and was able to shoot 4 cylinders worth. It works great and I'm very pleased how it shoots. Dead on at 25 yards.

TK

 

[Doc Hoy]

Good TK

I don't recall ever chronying rounds from a Sheriff's model but my guess is the speed is down somewhat from a longer barreled pistol.

I think the pointing characteristics of the pistol have a lot to do with the geometry of the pistol. I found mine to be pretty good, not just in windage as I recall but in elevation too.