1851 colt navy revolver

[Trax]

So this weekend I made it down to Indy to see a friend and we went to a gun shop and I saw the coolest gun ever made (impulse buys always start with that). Its a replica of a 1851 colt navy revolver. I have never played with a cap and ball revolver, but for 200$ I was more then willing to give it a try. It is so much fun to play with and while it takes a while to load, its entertaining to pack the rounds and use the caps. Its my new favorite gun to play with on the porch of my grandparents house (they put an end to my AR15 shenanigans pretty quick).

Seeing as it is just a reproduction and has no true value I figured I would try my hand at engraving. I have engraved a few copper plates in the past (one for the side of my henry .22) and figured I would give real gun engraving a try.

I started with the back handle doing some scroll work and my initials. My camera does not take great pics but I think its turning out pretty good for a few hours with a hammer and chisel. It may never look that pretty but I like it because it makes it 100% mine.

 

[down3green]

Nice work on the strap.

 

[Joe Williams]

Actually, I think that looks pretty neat.

 

[Trading_Fool]

Beautiful. I have an old army 44, and I wish I had some decoration on it that I could do myself. Fine work

 

[2cool9031]

Very Nice Work!!

 

[sonovasailor]

Nice scroll work. Ever thought of doing it as a side business?

 

[Trax]

Nice scroll work. Ever thought of doing it as a side business?

lol sure. I will ruin anyone's gun for free. I have no idea how I am going to engrave the steel part with my little chisel though.

side note: anyone ever had trouble with the #11 primers being to big for the nipples? do 209 primers work on these guns? or maybe just go get some #10s?

 

[Hoosier8]

Wow, what a way to cool up a repro Navy.

 

[Compatriot G]

lol sure. I will ruin anyone's gun for free. I have no idea how I am going to engrave the steel part with my little chisel though.

side note: anyone ever had trouble with the #11 primers being to big for the nipples? do 209 primers work on these guns? or maybe just go get some #10s?

If #11 caps are too big, try pinching them before you put them on. You can try #10 caps, but #10's are usually considered the size for pocket pistols like the .31 caliber 1849 Colt Pocket Pistol. I believe 209 primers will be way too big for a percussion revolver.

 

[sepe]

I've got a replica in .38 special. Haven't shot it yet as it was an impulse buy at an auction.

 

[451_Detonics]

Looks very well done to me....

 

[WebSnyper]

Looks pretty darn good to me. Better than a lot of the stippling of plastic I've seen around here

 

[Claddagh]

Italian repros often have issues with many US-made brands of #11 caps. There's no absolute "standard" set of dimensions when it comes to cap sizes among the various manufacturers and it doen't take many 1000ths of an inch to make the difference between "snug" and "sloppy". FWIW, I use Remington or CCI #10 caps on my Italian repro 1858 Remington and Colt 1860's because they fit better than #11's. I don't like the "pinch" method much. It'll usually make them stay put well enough for routine handling, but I've found that I most often get a lot more tie-ups from cap fragments that way.

You can also buy a set of aftermarket replacement nipples from Dixie gun Works, etc. These often have dimensions just enough different to make #11's a snug fit. They aren't too expensive, and it's always a good idea to have a few spare parts on hand if you shoot C&B revolvers a lot, especially the Colt-style replicas. Nipples, hands and trigger springs are the things I try to keep handy. Those flat springs are a weak point of the design and breakage is relatively common with regular use.

 

[Sailor]

The 11's do not fit mine either.

 

[Delmar]

Seems like #10 are a little harder to find than #11. I buy my #10 caps at Big R in Warsaw. You can make a #11 work by pinching it out of round with a pair of pliers before you seat the cap, but I prefer using caps that fit well.

 

[col132]

Nice job with the engraving! I owned something like that once and had a lot of fun with it.

 

[Frazier]

I have several repros and orig cap and ball revolvers. I LOVE em!!! Want to shoot a hand full? Get a Walker Colt repo. (A cannon by any other name is still a big hole).

 

[Trax]

I know this is kind of a dead post but I figured I would give an update for my 1851 colt navy repro revolver. I decided to make it a tribute to one of my childhood western hero's. Wild Bill Hickok. The gun now has an aces and eights theme and has turned out well.

I still have a lot more surface area to cover with scroll work but I am a little hesitant to try. as an amateur gun engraver I scared to ruin anything that I have already done. I need to get a real engraver rather then the hammer and home made chisel I am using at the moment.

does anyone know a real gun engraver I could talk to? I LOVE to do this kind of work and would love some advise or training.

 

[Trax]

I forgot to show the top part which is the main part of the theme.

 

[alloyguitar]

Can you provide us with a bit more info about your technique? I've been wanting to try engraving, and am curious as to how others would go about it.