Colt 1851 Navy

[Griff]

A little over a year ago, I noticed the barrel on my 2nd Gen Colt 1851 was loose. Significantly so... It wiggled about 1/16th of an inch at the end of the barrel. I'm sure that if I didn't mostly use this pistol for cowboy action, it would have affected accuracy. (Totally tongue-in-cheek, as there's no way it didn't)! After deciding that I lacked the skills to take on repairing it... I turned it over to a gunsmith. Who kept the gun for about 9 months and gave it back to me... clean and totally assembled. Along with 4 other 2nd Gen 1851s I had him do the "Manhattan conversion" on, along with a new Cimmaron 1878 coach gun. When I got home I noticed the barrel was still loose on this gun. "Ooops, I forgot to do that, it wasn't on your bill" Rather than drive 2 hours and leave it again, I turned it over to another gunsmith just down the road from me. Who admitted, "I don't know how to repair that." So, I told him I do some research and let him know what I learned. Well...it appears you have to drill out a locking pin, unscrew the arbor and either "upset" the threads for a better interference fit, sleeve the frame and cut new threads to fit the arbor in the sleeve, or... seemingly, the "go to" fix is to JB Weld the arbor in place, add a new lock pin, replace cylinder, barrel & wedge, and allow the JB Weld to set. So, that's what he did. I picked up the frame, cylinder, barrel & wedge from him this past Saturday on my way out of town... and I must say, it is rock solid. When I get home this Saturday, I'll reassemble the rest of the gun and test fire it. Maybe attend a local match on Sunday. I've got my fingers crossed that everything is still within tolerances and it'll still set of caps and operate correctly. Of the 4 1851s I use for cowboy action, this is one of my favorites. Along with the other three it sports the Manhattan conversion, a Ruger hand spring & plunder, plus a wire bolt trigger spring by "Heinie". I'm sure Colt afficionados will find the work I've had done to these sacrilegious... but... it's a tool for my competition. & I prefer reliable, dependable tools! Since no topic is complete without pictures...

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Here's a video of me shooting it before I found the problem.

It's the first gun fired.

[Ysabel Kid]

Cool video!

Hope it all works out for you!

[JimT]

Of my black powder guns the 1851 Navy is favorite. The 1862 Pocket Police .36 is the second favorite. After using the '51 I can see why they liked the gun in its day. It points very naturally and the .375" ball with a full load of 3Fg under it is not to be under estimated.

[LeverGunner]

I've not owned a 1851 yet, but I think it's the best looking cap and ball revolver ever made.

[gamekeeper]

Nice to see you in action Griff, my old Uberti 51 never got used that much but was my favourite BP gun.

[Griff]

Of my black powder guns the 1851 Navy is favorite. The 1862 Pocket Police .36 is the second favorite. After using the '51 I can see why they liked the gun in its day. It points very naturally and the .375" ball with a full load of 3Fg under it is not to be under estimated.

A lot of the cowboy action crowd seem to think you have to have a .44 to knock over plates on a rack... I've never had a problem I just know that I need to hit them in upper half to upper third of the target.

Well... I got home this afternoon and proceeded to put the gun back together. Fired off a cylinder of caps... No problemo... sharp crack and lots of spark. Supposed to storm here tonite thru tomorrow, but Sunday sounds much improved, and there's a cowboy match 50 miles up the road to attend...

Starting to show a little wear and tear, but mechanically sound again!

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[JimT]

EXCELLENT!

[2ndovc]

very cool!

My fist handgun my dad bought me is an old Italian import, probably made sometime in the '70s. I was 12 or 13 and shot the snot out of it until I got a S&W Model 17, .22lr. Still have them both, but my favorite BP revolver is a Ruger OA with the fixed sights.

jb

[Bill in Oregon]

Started my BP career with a brass-framed 1851 imported by Hawes that Dad let me buy from a little gun shop south of Eureka, California, in 1970. Can't recall if Speer was selling swaged round balls that early, but I did also buy a pound of DuPont FFFg, caps and a little tube of "Beare Grease" to put over the ball and still got out of that shop for about $50 -- big money for this high school junior 55 years ago. Ran a lot of rounds through that shooter and educated Dad, little brothers and many high school pals to the wonderful mysteries of the cap and ball revolver. Almost no one had seen one in those days. I prefer an 1860 to the '51, but that's just me.
Glad yours is all tight and slick Griff!

[Pat C]

So what exactly was loose the arbor to frame fit?

[JimT]

I bought an early Italian copy of the 1851 in 1969 or 70. It was a brass-framed version. I shot it a lot and then began experimenting with heavy duplex loads. One day when I fired a shot the barrel, cylinder and arbor went down range. My heavy loads had loosened it until it all came apart. That didn't discourage me. I just figured I needed a stronger gun. Within a few years I had a copy of the 1858 Remington .44 and that proved to be the gun!

[Griff]

So what exactly was loose the arbor to frame fit?

I suspect that the original fit of the arbor to frame for this gun was a mite off. But... it has been shot A LOT! And although I don't shoot heavy loads, (probably fewer than 5 rounds have exceeded 15 grains of 3F with a RB) and those still w/round balls, just a bit more powder.

[Pat C]

Back 30 years ago I purchased NIB 1851 Black Box that was 22nd one made . I couldn't bring myself to shoot it. But sadly traded it .

[yooper2]

The first handgun i was allowed to carry around the farm was an Italian .36 Remington copy. It came with a cheap right handed flap holster so my grandad cut the flap off and I carried butt forward on my left side (Im left handed). I kind of groused about it but grandad told it was cavalrymen carried and I thought nothing more of it. Shot a ton of small game and varmints up to coyotes with it.

Since then I've had a bunch of cap and ball revolvers come through my hands though currently I have only that old 36 remington, an original Rogers and Spencer, a pair of 1858 Ubertis, a Pietta 1860 Army, and a Uberti 1862. I learned my lesson with brass frames a long time ago!

Your video has me thinking I need to hunt up a good 51 Navy!

Eric