1860 Army 44 vs 1851 Navy 44?

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McPhee

New member
I have a 1851 Navy 44 Pietta in brass from Cabelas. They also have a 1860 Army 44 in steel. The two guns look similar. What are the differences other than the brass vs. steel?

Also the 1860 Army write up at Cabelas says there is a NAVAL battle scene on the cylinder???? Why a Naval scene on an Army pistol????

I am still looking for a steel gun to shoot with the 1851 Navy looks in either 36 or 44.

thanks,
McPhee
 
I

Ideal Tool

Moderator
Hello, McPhee, Those Italians have taken a few historical liberties as when it comes to arms design. Colt never made the 1851 revolver in .44 and didn't make it in .36 with a brass frame. As far as naval scene, this took place between U.S. forces & Mexican, May 16, 1843. As far as being on "Army" revolver ?? perhaps they didn't want to pay extra expense for new roll die
Perhaps since Sam spent some time before the mast, he had a weakness for naval themes? If I were you, & going to do alot of shooting, I would go with the steel frame. Best of luck!
 
J

joe sixgun

New member
those open tops are beautiful aren't they? the steel is definitely stronger but if you don't go for the max loading every time, the brass is good.
keep shootin'!!!!!!!!!!
 
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arcticap

New member
AFAIK, some of the differences between the 2 models include:

1. The Army has a longer grip. However the grip frames from the same manufacturer should interchange.

2. The Army has a round profile barrel while the 1851 Navy's is octagon.

3. The Army has a ratcheting or cammed loading lever while the Navy's simply pivots on a bolt.


For further details and differences:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Army_Model_1860
 
M

mykeal

New member
Also the 1860 Army write up at Cabelas says there is a NAVAL battle scene on the cylinder???? Why a Naval scene on an Army pistol????
Click to expand...
Simple. It's not an 'Army' pistol. It's an New Model revolver in Army caliber. The Army and Navy designations are contemporary. The roll markings were done to prevent counterfeiting and had nothing to do with who the guns were sold to.
 
M

McPhee

New member
I agree

I agree with what the people who responded said.

Cabelas sells an 1851 Navy with round barrel. I bought one for the son-in-law on sale when the octagon barrel model went off sale. Now it is back on sale and I wish I had waited as the octagon barrel is way better looking.

I am interested in the looks of the gun as opposed to having one that is simply a good shooter. Everything I buy has to feel good and look good to me whether it is a gun, a knife, a hammer, a fishing reel, or whatever. If a knife, for example, holds an edge and cuts well, but looks ugly to me, then I won't buy it. Looks is as important to me as function.

So when pondering the dilemma of getting a good shooter in steel that looks good, I was asking about the 1860 Army 44 in steel it was to see if anyone used one and if they held up OK. They are not historically accurate as several pointed out. That is OK with me. I am too old to care. I do not intend to use a $200 gun as a hedge against inflation. I intend to use the gun to have fun.

Thanks for all your answers and help. I appreciate it.

McPhee.

ps. I just ordered the steel 1860 Army instead of the steel 1851 Navy in 36 cal. I am not concerned with saving money on powder and lead. I just want to have fun with the years I have left making some smoke, a big bang and impressing the grandson.:)
 
F

Fingers McGee

New member
What we now refer to as the 1860 Army was originally marketed as the New Model Holster Pistol of Army caliber. It was the lighter replacement for what was then called the Improved Holster Pistol of Army Caliber - or what we now know as the 3rd model Dragoon.

What we now refer to as the 1851 Navy was variously known as the Ranger, Old Model Navy, Revolving Belt Pistol, Revolving Navy Pistol; the Old Model Belt Pistol of Navy caliber; and in an 1860 ad was called Belt Pistol, Army and Navy.

The Army bought and used as many of the '51 Navies as the Navy did Interestingly enough, the '51s that the Navy bought had blued iron BS/TG while the ones purchased by the Army had silver plated brass BS/TG. You'd think it would have been the opposite since blued iron would rust easily in a salt air environment where silver plated brass wouldn't.
 
I

Ideal Tool

Moderator
Colt nomenclature

Hello, Fingers Mcgee, Of course you are righ on with the colt designation for the 1860 army. I have alot of Colt books, but with no one to speak of such things, after awhile one tends to get a bit rusty. I am glad there are fellows out there like yourself to keep us on our toes. Now I find it interesting that the two branches of service, the army and navy really didn't get along that well, and chose their own type of weapons. The navy still clung to the .36 even after ctg. revolvers came out , in their 1851 conversions to .38 Colt, and later, with the double-action models. While the army used .44 Colt conversions and finally the model P .45. Then in the 90's, the army adopted the .Colt .38...Was this a matter of "change" for no other reason than change?...Now where have I heard that before?? And the resulting hot water it got them into! Than they both went to .45, and today, they are both using a nominal .36 (.354) round....And they again find themselves fighting fanatical Muslums! The more things change in this old world, the more they stay the same!
 
M

madcratebuilder

New member
I have a 1851 Navy 44 Pietta in brass from Cabelas. They also have a 1860 Army 44 in steel. The two guns look similar. What are the differences other than the brass vs. steel?
Click to expand...

The two major differences are the grip size and loading lever design.
 
D

Doc Hoy

New member
To answer MsPhee's question...

The 1860 design has excellent strength.

I have five revolvers based on that design. A Belgian Centaure, two Colts, an ASP and an ASM. (ASM is brass) I have shot The Belgian, one of the Colts, the ASP and and ASM. They are all a lot of fun to shoot and leave the shooter with a lot of confidence in the pistol.

Of the various Colt clones, I think the 1860/61 is the most attractive pistol.
 
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TomADC

New member
Not to hi-jack but I have a pair of 1851's consecutive serial numbers in .36 cal the are Pietta's I'm thinking of parting with would like to sell as a set any idea what a fair price would be?
These are called civilian models due to the backstraps being chromed.
 
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TomADC

New member
Zullo74 thanks wasn't sure, here's a picture:

389392025.jpg
 
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Chuckwagonsam

New member
1860's

Here's 2 of my 6 1860's. I use these for Cowboy action shooting. I removed the bluing. They have conversion cylinders to shoot 45 colt or Schofield's. Love the 1860 open tops. Great fit in your hand and is considered one of the easiest guns to point and shoot.
100_0637.jpg
 
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TnRebel

New member
I use Remington #10 percussion caps (pinched slightly together) on my 1860 Colt Army 44 , for re-enacting and I use it to hog hunt.

9j0fa1.jpg

2yuhm46.jpg
 
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