It's not the caps, it's the cones. They're too short and the hammer spring is too weak and this is common with all of the smaller Ubertis and Piettas. Don't even bother trying to use the factory nipples, replace them before even starting with slixshots and consider increasing the spring strength. Use Remington #10s with slixshots and, that along with proper hammer spring strength, will prevent cap jams and ensure reliable detonation.
@@dchil15 same with me. Never felt the need to exchange the cones on my 1862 Pocket Navy. I live in Switzerland so RWS are almost the only caps available here (rather non available at the moment, it seems). Don't know if its 1055 or something else, but they work quite well.
Holy cow I had about given up on the repercussion series. These are by far my favorite videos. I know they are time consuming for you guys and take longer to produce but I love showing off my Walker C&Rsenal shirt. Thanks. And a good chance to use some ballastol
@@ryanallen2887 oh yea, the twists and turns of the colt company are just astonishing. None of it should have worked out but it did due to pure ego mixed with luck.
I have a long barreled 6 shot that my great grandfather carried in a coat pocket while traveling the rail as a signal repairman. He later had an Iver Johnson safety hammerless that he absolutely wore out.
If you can't find 31 round balls, 00 buckshot works great, it will shave a lead ring without too much difficulty. Marty's moulds are great too, but they are easier to burn your hand on than a Lee mould. With either mould pick up some flush cutters to trim the balls from the mould
At 1:18:15ish Papa Othias and Mae are discussing the weight of two of the revolvers, I recently ran into a similar situation with the much more modern Ruger LCR. The .38 Special +P version is about an ounce lighter than the .22lr version because the cylinder has less mass compared to the 22lr.
It is pretty impressive to see how a trained shooter can the old pieces with such skill. It is a solid reminder that no weapon teck will help you if you do not know how to use it.
I think the number of anything seen in posed photographs of the time can be misleading when it comes to equipment. Most of those photos were made in some kind of photo studio, either in a building or traveling. Soldiers generally didn't go walking around with their weapons and infantry enlisted men didn't carry sidearms like pistols. What they did was pick and choose from the photographers props. Lots and lots of photos were made in a north Mississippi photo gallery showing the same pistol, the same big knife, and the same "Jeff Davis and the South" sign, leading to the legend that young Confederates headed off to war with big pigsticker knives and Colt pistols.
Seriously, that's antique Bubba-ing. Use a Swiss file and cut a small line (5 or 6 strokes) on each nipple. Orientation doesn't matter as long as a the spark has a small path to travel to, it be over pressured enough to split the cap, then point straight up, cock the hammer, aim, then pull the trigger. Repeat. That was the drill as far as I could find. Some creative people even used a knife to cut a line, to get better reliability. You take a stone shaped like a bullet larger than the cylinder/barrel bore turn it enough by hand to put a very light beveled edge of each cylinder bore, and the cone. The result if you use ball ammo to load. I had an Inox New Army (1858 Remington) .451 bore, .454 Hornady ball ammo, and using FF Pyrodex (couldn't find FFF close by) it was a blast to shoot. It was easier to load, I didn't have to worry about a possible chain fire because I pulled the first bullet I loaded to almost 1/8 inch of compressed lead dead center of the now elliptical round. Perfect seal!!! So much smoother, no more cap jam, was really fun to shoot. I couldn't believe I pulled it off. Black powder pistols are not a joke, I love them!
Very cool. Gotta love not only the fantastic information in these videos but the great visual production as well as the live fire. Thanks again guys, cheers from downunda!
I love this series, glad you find the time to sneak some reprocution in the schedule. The history is so informative! I also discovered the ballistol swabs so good for them sponsoring you!
Now this is what I was hoping to see. I love the pre Single Action Army revolvers. The Richard Mason conversions are some of my favorites by appearance.
The problem you had with the caps can be solved by adding an additional mainspring on the mainspring assembly. Yes it will fit. As far as .31 caliber balls buy a 5 pound bag of 00 buckshot and you will find that 80-90 present of the shot will be useable.
Fitting an extra mainspring will be a pain unless you cut down the second mainspring. I stiffened a remarkably weak Dragoon mainspring by adding in the spring from an 1860 Army, and the shorter 1860 spring made it much easier than doubling up with another Dragoon spring.
@@BogeyTheBear I tried the double main spring on my 1849. The roller was just barely on the top spring and it was almost too difficult to cock. When I get a chance, will try shortening the lower spring.
I don't have time to watch this today, but I am beyond excited to see it! I just picked up a 1862 Pocket Police Replica and so this makes me even more excited!
@@billcarson1465 Aside from the looks of the swept barrel and half-fluted cylinder, I love the size of the 1862. It’s a small framed revolver that can handle a standard service load and conical of its big brother the 1851. I feel like it’s the pinnacle of the percussion Colts.
I've got an original 1849 pocket, it's a late serial at 329014, but the odd thing is that there is no 'safety' stops on the cylinder. (I was under the assumption that the notch in the hammer was to be used as the 'rear sight' until you set me right.) not a one, and it doesn't look like they were rubbed off, although the engraving on the cylinder- the 'scene' is absolutely nonexistent save for the wheels of the carriage. it's very worn, but the rifling is immaculate. it's a 5 inch barrel, and it fits nicely in my jeans pocket. it's no wonder they made them for so long, it's a very nice little gun. I've never shot it due to my inability to find the proper percussion caps, but I'd imagine it'd shoot fine. the action is strong and reliable, I often play around with it when I'm sitting at my computer.
My Uberti " '62" (pocket police) actually had the hammer contacting the frame before it contacted the cap ....it took a little clearancing to make mine 100% reliable. MARK Hubbs (eras gone bullet molds) has some nice high speed footage of the hammer blowing back and allowing caps to jam in new and exciting ways.....properly tuned with good cones and these are quite fun and trouble free little blasters.
the "Baby Dragoon" you have looks to be an Armi San Marco (ASM) . They tend to be poorly made , yet dimensionally accurate copies of period guns. I was able to repair my 1874 .22 short C. Sharps & Co. Pepperbox to firing condition using an ASM clone as a donor ( lets face it original parts can't be found ) with very little fitting.
I can vouch for them being poorly made. I have an ASM Peacemaker that my dad bought me for my 18th birthday. Less than a year owning it, the half and full cock notches broke at the range. The steel was just garbage, according to the gunsmith. It's been sitting in a shoebox for the last 20 years, because parts are unobtanium, and neither Pietta nor Uberti parts fit properly. (Thank Goodness Cimarron Firearms took returns on parts at the time.)
Fascinating. Plus, you have inadvertently provided me with several excuses that I can now use in defense of impulsively buying far too many Beretta 950 jetfire pistols.
Another fine example of firearms history that you two have provided. What interests me about firearms is their mechanical aspect and that is provided by you in an easy to understand manner.
Regarding the cut down recoil shield, my bet is it may have been to allow detonated caps to shake loose and fall free of the gun after firing to reduce the likelyhood of them tying up the action.
Me too, there is so much more to percussion revolvers than colt. I would like to see more British revolvers. I guess the manufacturers stick with what sells.
Production costs would make the retail price of that Adams make you scream. Also, there is probably note nough interest to warrant the expense and tooling, for production.
The recoil shield was cut off to allow spent caps to fall off rather than get hung up on the frame’s formerly sharp edges. I sometimes pack one of these ‘49’s with a 4” barrel around home in a strong side leather holster. It carries small enough to be forgotten and puts a bullet anywhere I want out to 25 yards. It’s not much for “stopping power,” but it’s a very comfy piece. I can see how it was so popular.
I carried a 1851 Navy .36 reproduction in the Colorado Rockies in 1971-72. Two things I think you overlooked unless I missed it. First, the rear sight is a notch in the hammer at full cock. Despite this, it is one of the most accurate handguns I have ever fired. Second, you need to grease over the balls after loading the chambers to prevent a jumpover double ignition which happened to me. The ONE time I skipped this vital step it went BAMBAM and the cylinder chamber on the left upcoming fired in addition to the one out of the barrel! My peripheral vision caught the snow kick up off to my left. This is very disconcerting. I carried a small tin of Crisco for this purpose. An old timer told me about this when I bought it, and I never again forgot. The soft lead ball just sheared off and did not hurt the gun, but could've hurt a bystander.
I will tell people something that I learned at geological field school. You want the big dumb thing that go bang right up until you need to cram it into a van and hump it for several hours over hills. Then you want the lightest thing that is big enough for most situations, and you want to convince the sucker newbie to drag the giant hammer/gun/work light out *just in case*. Big thing need more energy to move, and the smaller thing is gonna work 95% of the time. Unless you are absolutely loaded with cash and can afford horses and valets, go with the small or mid-sized one.
Had my order in with Taylor since Aug of last year. After seeing this video only makes me more wish to start shooting again. Great video. Keep them coming.
And yet Rob says he's no pistolero! I wonder if the cut-out frame on the last pistol you showed was intended to reduce the high incidence of cap jams with colts (which was a problem then just as it is today). A note abut the powder load: You said that filling the chamber made for a "hot" load, but remember that Colt's original loading instructions said not to measure the powder, but just to fill the chamber as much as you can and still get the ball in. So ultimately, you were loading it exactly as Colt suggested, and it wasn't a "hot" load at all.
Companies aren’t known for spending a lot of money on equipment for their employees so I can see Wells Fargo buying up a bunch of 3inch/no rammer pocket models at a discount because they weren’t selling and issuing them to their employees. 1:09:02
My dad has a buddy with a colt pocket .31 that has been in the family since new, his is a 6 shot with a lot of the upgrades you went over, I got the chance to repair it due to the original hand breaking, a reproduction was fitted bit not correctly, I was able to correctly fit the had and saved him having to replace it( he does have a spare now). I was given the option to shoot it but lacked the correct bullet/ball. I still have the pictures from when I took it in to make the repairs.
the old green colt book has a lot of advertisements over the years. i’d look it up but i gave it to a buddy. i have one from 1861 in decent shape. thanks for the detailed history. i’m surprised you didn’t mention the gain twist rifling.
For many years i carried a Colt Peacemaker with 6 rounds loaded and the hammer dropped all the way down so the firingpin rested between two cartridge rims which stops the cylinder from rotating and carries the gun safely. Despite the current pc safety stories I doubt any cowboy or lawman shorted themselves a round for safety’s sake
These old style guns are great. As a youngster I bent a spring to use in it and it worked. I left it behind when I moved out of state. I live revolvers of the right caliber for the job at hand.
Ooh, that would be cool. Dunno if it's likely, though. I've not looked at all, but I wouldn't expect a gun using such a short lived and niche cartridge as pinfire would do well on the repro market.
55:28 Kinda late but my guess is that those used to be a similar type of conversion to the thuer and had a cutout for the firing pin plate. The relief cuts on the recoil shield may have been for thumbing in or ejecting cartridges from opposite sides or an attempt to mitigate capjams after they were bulk converted back to percussion.... this is all conjecture of course so take it with a heaping spoon of salt.
I have an 1862 .36 sheriff model with a fluted cylinder that I love 💕. Its a flat shooter out to 70 yards at least, maybe more. I don't push range much farther than that. It's a beautiful six shot and I put the hammer down between cylinders and holster it fully loaded. It's the pride of my collection so far.
Hello C&Rsenal crew. I'd like to add a few points to your discussion about the stopping power and the effectiveness you have at around timestamp 1:01:53. I think we should keep in mind that most pocket pistols were intended to keep burglars and robbers at arms lenght. Those usually weren't fanatical warriors charging at you with a spear and the determination to either kill you or die trying. They instead usually were low life characters who looked for an opportunity to get hold of some extra cash without doing much work. The prospect of being wounded or even condemned to a slow and painful death after being shot with even a small calibre round was usually enough to convince them to let you go unharmed. The only thing that might have helped them was to show up in greater numbers than you might have shots at the ready, which could convince you that giving up your purse was better than risk being stabbed by whoever overcame your defensive fire. For that scenario, being able to shoot 5 times instead of just one or two before being defenseless was a strong selling point, regardless of the actual effectiveness of each shot. As long as it scared the crooks away, it did its job.
1:07:24 I actually keep a baseball in my bag for the purpose of knocking the wedge in. Takes up less space than a nylon mallet and you can always throw around the baseball when you're not shooting.
If you heat Italian bubble gum up bright orange, and rub it in kasenit or even sugar, reheat to bright orange, and quench (in H2O), you should get a reasonable case hardened surface.
Use #0 buckshot. I have a 1849 Colt pocket with 3 inch barrel. Tried 31 caliber 1) .310 Dia. balls which followed the ram rod out of the chamber - not good. 2) .315 Dia. Shaved no ring of lead off the round ball - could push into chamber with thumb. 3) used a #0 single ought soft lead buckshot. It is the perfect size. Shaved lead ring. Penetrated more pine boards. And cost about 1/2 as much as a swaged .310 or .315 ball.
@@MichaelJohnson-tw7dq Because the notch represents an unsupported area over the percussion cap. The caps deform in weird ways because of that. Sometimes they stick on the nipple until they hit the frame as the cylinder rotates, and then fall into the action or jam between the nipple and frame. Without the notch, the caps usually fall harmlessly off the nipple when you pull the hammer back.
First off I love these Reprocussion episodes. I can't wait to see more and you better believe I'll let Rock Island Auctions and Ballistol know they're backing a winner here. As re: "carryability" and defensive action. The Walkers/ Dragoons (Walkoons?) are, as has been stated, Martial pistols hence the saddle holsters &c. The manual of arms for the Walkoons would almost certainly not involve quick-draw McGraw style antics. Same reason the officers belt pistol was carried right side, butt forward. No one was slappin' leather and haulin' smokewagons around with the Walkoons (I mean MAYBE if ambushed and caught completely flat footed). Not to say that the Large Fellows didn't wander off and weren't used as belt pistols. I'm 6'2" and stout and my "2nd Model" dragoon repro put me off of owning or carrying a Walker. It's too damn big. The '49s (and their ilk) were actual carry sized whether in "pocket" or holster/belt or sash. Not to mention concealable for those towns where open carry was prohibited. The other thing that I read, I think in Chapel's "Guns of the Old West", was that often civilian pistols both single-shot and revolvers were loaded by gunsmiths (especially in places like San Francisco or back-east) for the owners ensuring a "professional" loading job. I really question how many cap and ball era gunfights went into "extra innings" and required a refill under (several seconds) stress. Even the Cavalry/ Dragoons/ USMI or whatever would probably be in hand-to-hand with bayonets or sabers or caracoled away (or whatever the mid 19th century cavalry maneuver was called) to do administrative pistol manipulation. Othias' .45/.46 vs 9mm comment made me realize that I think the context of how civilian and martial guns were used in the mid 19th century is important and also 20th/21st century value judgements may muddy the waters. I feel like if I was a greenhorn riding to the gold fields I'd think "I have my .54 rifle, 5 shots from a Colt's revolver and then my knife, fists, and teeth if the balloon goes up". I wouldn't necessarily think "and If I shoot my revolver dry, I can spend 4-10 minutes fumbling flask, ball, and cap" I would 100% reload my rifle. If your "bad" baby dragoon repro IS an Armi San Marco (EMF - Early Modern Firearms imported them for a long time) their quality was long regarded as spotty. Some of my first BP/ Conversion revolvers were EMF/ASM and they were just fine. Your mileage, as can be seen, has varied.
55:30 Final Mystery... I would think the back of the frame was shaved away like that to help with Cap Jams and keeping the action clear. There also looks to be a "trough cut out under the cylinder to this effect as well.
48:32. Theres the reason not to buy these guns. If you have to make expensive alterations to keep the caps from falling off ask yourself why didnt the manufacturer get this worked out for modern day shooters?
It's not the caps, it's the cones. They're too short and the hammer spring is too weak and this is common with all of the smaller Ubertis and Piettas. Don't even bother trying to use the factory nipples, replace them before even starting with slixshots and consider increasing the spring strength. Use Remington #10s with slixshots and, that along with proper hammer spring strength, will prevent cap jams and ensure reliable detonation.
Haha hi Karl
I find with my Uberti 62 pocket police that RWS 1055 caps are perfect for the original nipples.
@@dchil15 Yep, pretty standard in Europe
@@dchil15 same with me. Never felt the need to exchange the cones on my 1862 Pocket Navy. I live in Switzerland so RWS are almost the only caps available here (rather non available at the moment, it seems). Don't know if its 1055 or something else, but they work quite well.
Hey Karl love the work you do!
“Oh he might have gone on livin’ but he made the fatal slip, when he tried to rob the miner with the small iron on his hip, small iron on his hip”
Or possibly replace “but he made the fatal slip” with “but he came in second best” and have the small iron placed “in his vest”.
@@DebatingWombat Brilliant.
Say lil iron instead. It more cuter
Small iron
Small iron
Colter wall need to do a small iron remix
This is a certified Colt Classic
You aint from connecticut if you aint nevuh done this befo
AHAHAAA
"Damn son where'd you find this?"
I have talked to curators of museums who could not give an awesome presentation like this!
Holy cow I had about given up on the repercussion series. These are by far my favorite videos. I know they are time consuming for you guys and take longer to produce but I love showing off my Walker C&Rsenal shirt. Thanks. And a good chance to use some ballastol
They have covered it in the supporter videos, the reprocution series is less frequent due to longer production needs of it.
"Never give up!" - affluent Japanese man standing in the ocean look for fish and / or crabs and being rather inspirational
Love repercussion!!!
@@ryanallen2887 oh yea, the twists and turns of the colt company are just astonishing. None of it should have worked out but it did due to pure ego mixed with luck.
I have a long barreled 6 shot that my great grandfather carried in a coat pocket while traveling the rail as a signal repairman. He later had an Iver Johnson safety hammerless that he absolutely wore out.
Reprocussion deserves LIKES! Like it everyone, we need more of these ACCESSIBLE parts of the hobby!
Absolutely. Many of these guns cost $300-$400 making them available to far more people than some rare item from WWI.
If you can't find 31 round balls, 00 buckshot works great, it will shave a lead ring without too much difficulty. Marty's moulds are great too, but they are easier to burn your hand on than a Lee mould. With either mould pick up some flush cutters to trim the balls from the mould
At 1:18:15ish Papa Othias and Mae are discussing the weight of two of the revolvers, I recently ran into a similar situation with the much more modern Ruger LCR. The .38 Special +P version is about an ounce lighter than the .22lr version because the cylinder has less mass compared to the 22lr.
This series is the best I cannot get enough of the reprocussion episodes.
HOLY SHIT Rob (British muzzleloaders) has some significant skill with a pistol! Yes I'm well aware of his skill with rifles and smoothbores.
It is pretty impressive to see how a trained shooter can the old pieces with such skill. It is a solid reminder that no weapon teck will help you if you do not know how to use it.
Trust me, it was all luck.... You haven't seen my Webley shooting yet...
@@britishmuzzleloaders I call bs… don’t sell yourself short, Brother
I find that mine shoots a foot high at 15 yds. I've been told they were sighted for 100 yards.
The reproduction percussion revolver shipped right to your door is the last bastion of American freedom, dude.
Amen 🙏
You could do that in Canada too up until a few months ago thanks to Trudeau dont let them take your rights
@@RADIZ2013lackface is just a cucking funt.
@RADIZ2013 they are doing same in my state can't buy any guns now if you have petty misdemeanor on record
@@RADIZ2013new york
1:11:01 - 1:11:09
This is the cutest part of the whole episode. Stop being so perfect for eachother you two😭
The eras gone guy loaded 4f under his bullets. He got results on the upper end of .32acp performance.
I think the number of anything seen in posed photographs of the time can be misleading when it comes to equipment. Most of those photos were made in some kind of photo studio, either in a building or traveling. Soldiers generally didn't go walking around with their weapons and infantry enlisted men didn't carry sidearms like pistols. What they did was pick and choose from the photographers props. Lots and lots of photos were made in a north Mississippi photo gallery showing the same pistol, the same big knife, and the same "Jeff Davis and the South" sign, leading to the legend that young Confederates headed off to war with big pigsticker knives and Colt pistols.
My thought exactly
The knife part is at least believable to a point. Most folks would've had a knife just for some extra use. Not as big as those photo knives though
More like a large kitchen knife then a Bowie
1:33:25 there you have it. In Mae's opinion. It's OK if it's a bit smaller, as long as it has a good weight to it, and there is a smooth firm rod.
😏
Seriously, that's antique Bubba-ing. Use a Swiss file and cut a small line (5 or 6 strokes) on each nipple. Orientation doesn't matter as long as a the spark has a small path to travel to, it be over pressured enough to split the cap, then point straight up, cock the hammer, aim, then pull the trigger. Repeat. That was the drill as far as I could find. Some creative people even used a knife to cut a line, to get better reliability. You take a stone shaped like a bullet larger than the cylinder/barrel bore turn it enough by hand to put a very light beveled edge of each cylinder bore, and the cone. The result if you use ball ammo to load. I had an Inox New Army (1858 Remington) .451 bore, .454 Hornady ball ammo, and using FF Pyrodex (couldn't find FFF close by) it was a blast to shoot. It was easier to load, I didn't have to worry about a possible chain fire because I pulled the first bullet I loaded to almost 1/8 inch of compressed lead dead center of the now elliptical round. Perfect seal!!! So much smoother, no more cap jam, was really fun to shoot. I couldn't believe I pulled it off. Black powder pistols are not a joke, I love them!
Very cool. Gotta love not only the fantastic information in these videos but the great visual production as well as the live fire. Thanks again guys, cheers from downunda!
I love this series, glad you find the time to sneak some reprocution in the schedule. The history is so informative! I also discovered the ballistol swabs so good for them sponsoring you!
Now this is what I was hoping to see. I love the pre Single Action Army revolvers. The Richard Mason conversions are some of my favorites by appearance.
I absolutely love Reprocussion and am very excited to see the next one.
I was rewatching these yesterday, and this is perfect to help me keep getting my cap and ball fix.
Bought my first can of Ballistol because of Y’all.
The problem you had with the caps can be solved by adding an additional mainspring on the mainspring assembly. Yes it will fit. As far as .31 caliber balls buy a 5 pound bag of 00 buckshot and you will find that 80-90 present of the shot will be useable.
Those buck shot are also good for gallery and "cat's sneeze" loads for .30 cal rifles.
Fitting an extra mainspring will be a pain unless you cut down the second mainspring. I stiffened a remarkably weak Dragoon mainspring by adding in the spring from an 1860 Army, and the shorter 1860 spring made it much easier than doubling up with another Dragoon spring.
@@BogeyTheBear I tried the double main spring on my 1849. The roller was just barely on the top spring and it was almost too difficult to cock. When I get a chance, will try shortening the lower spring.
I don't have time to watch this today, but I am beyond excited to see it! I just picked up a 1862 Pocket Police Replica and so this makes me even more excited!
Good choice! Def my favorite Colt.
@@Wil_Roadagain I love it so far, but I have not been able to shoot it. I will hopefully take it out Saturday!
@@Wil_Roadagainwhy is it your favorite Colt ? Just curious
@@billcarson1465 Aside from the looks of the swept barrel and half-fluted cylinder, I love the size of the 1862. It’s a small framed revolver that can handle a standard service load and conical of its big brother the 1851. I feel like it’s the pinnacle of the percussion Colts.
@@Wil_Roadagain I see. But can it really handle the same powder charge than the 1851 Navy ? Sorry I'm kinda new to cap and ball guns.
I've got an original 1849 pocket, it's a late serial at 329014, but the odd thing is that there is no 'safety' stops on the cylinder. (I was under the assumption that the notch in the hammer was to be used as the 'rear sight' until you set me right.) not a one, and it doesn't look like they were rubbed off, although the engraving on the cylinder- the 'scene' is absolutely nonexistent save for the wheels of the carriage. it's very worn, but the rifling is immaculate. it's a 5 inch barrel, and it fits nicely in my jeans pocket. it's no wonder they made them for so long, it's a very nice little gun. I've never shot it due to my inability to find the proper percussion caps, but I'd imagine it'd shoot fine. the action is strong and reliable, I often play around with it when I'm sitting at my computer.
I have Pietta repros of Colt 1849 and 1862 models. I love them!
My Uberti " '62" (pocket police) actually had the hammer contacting the frame before it contacted the cap ....it took a little clearancing to make mine 100% reliable. MARK Hubbs (eras gone bullet molds) has some nice high speed footage of the hammer blowing back and allowing caps to jam in new and exciting ways.....properly tuned with good cones and these are quite fun and trouble free little blasters.
I need to know more about the magic of Ballistol! please show us more!
I long ago saw a display of the 5 most important tools of a miner 49er included was this pistol. Excellent show, as usual.
The Wheel gun channel is back!
We are going to need a smaller Othais for this firearm.
Can’t wait for you to do a show on the Remington New Army!! Love this series!!!!!
I second that motion!!! 🤠👍
the "Baby Dragoon" you have looks to be an Armi San Marco (ASM) . They tend to be poorly made , yet dimensionally accurate copies of period guns. I was able to repair my 1874 .22 short C. Sharps & Co. Pepperbox to firing condition using an ASM clone as a donor ( lets face it original parts can't be found ) with very little fitting.
I can vouch for them being poorly made. I have an ASM Peacemaker that my dad bought me for my 18th birthday. Less than a year owning it, the half and full cock notches broke at the range. The steel was just garbage, according to the gunsmith. It's been sitting in a shoebox for the last 20 years, because parts are unobtanium, and neither Pietta nor Uberti parts fit properly. (Thank Goodness Cimarron Firearms took returns on parts at the time.)
Fascinating. Plus, you have inadvertently provided me with several excuses that I can now use in defense of impulsively buying far too many Beretta 950 jetfire pistols.
Another fine example of firearms history that you two have provided. What interests me about firearms is their mechanical aspect and that is provided by you in an easy to understand manner.
You have me on midway looking at pocket navys before the ep is even finished.
I love these episodes... and started using Ballistol about a year ago... works great on my flintlocks... I buy it by the gallon can...
Regarding the cut down recoil shield, my bet is it may have been to allow detonated caps to shake loose and fall free of the gun after firing to reduce the likelyhood of them tying up the action.
That’s exactly what it looks like with the groove cut underneath the cylinder.
I totally dig the cap & ball series. Y’all one of my very favorite channels. Thanks!
I love these Colts. Love the c&arsenal too Great
Every time I watch a Reprocussion episode, I get frustrated that nobody makes a percussion Adams repro.
Me too, there is so much more to percussion revolvers than colt. I would like to see more British revolvers. I guess the manufacturers stick with what sells.
Production costs would make the retail price of that Adams make you scream. Also, there is probably note nough interest to warrant the expense and tooling, for production.
The recoil shield was cut off to allow spent caps to fall off rather than get hung up on the frame’s formerly sharp edges.
I sometimes pack one of these ‘49’s with a 4” barrel around home in a strong side leather holster. It carries small enough to be forgotten and puts a bullet anywhere I want out to 25 yards. It’s not much for “stopping power,” but it’s a very comfy piece. I can see how it was so popular.
I carried a 1851 Navy .36 reproduction in the Colorado Rockies in 1971-72. Two things I think you overlooked unless I missed it. First, the rear sight is a notch in the hammer at full cock. Despite this, it is one of the most accurate handguns I have ever fired. Second, you need to grease over the balls after loading the chambers to prevent a jumpover double ignition which happened to me. The ONE time I skipped this vital step it went BAMBAM and the cylinder chamber on the left upcoming fired in addition to the one out of the barrel! My peripheral vision caught the snow kick up off to my left. This is very disconcerting. I carried a small tin of Crisco for this purpose. An old timer told me about this when I bought it, and I never again forgot. The soft lead ball just sheared off and did not hurt the gun, but could've hurt a bystander.
I was about to sit down and rewatch Project Lightening for another time, but yay, new video!
[This is my support comment.]
YAAY, a new Repercussion!! This is going to be great!
Finally! Mae sized revolvers!
I have an 1849 made in the 1850s. It's visually in good condition, but the cylinder is locked up
watching on utreon and youtube to support the show.
thanks for another informative episode!
Back at it!! great to see a fresh episode.
I will tell people something that I learned at geological field school. You want the big dumb thing that go bang right up until you need to cram it into a van and hump it for several hours over hills. Then you want the lightest thing that is big enough for most situations, and you want to convince the sucker newbie to drag the giant hammer/gun/work light out *just in case*. Big thing need more energy to move, and the smaller thing is gonna work 95% of the time. Unless you are absolutely loaded with cash and can afford horses and valets, go with the small or mid-sized one.
Had my order in with Taylor since Aug of last year. After seeing this video only makes me more wish to start shooting again. Great video. Keep them coming.
And yet Rob says he's no pistolero!
I wonder if the cut-out frame on the last pistol you showed was intended to reduce the high incidence of cap jams with colts (which was a problem then just as it is today). A note abut the powder load: You said that filling the chamber made for a "hot" load, but remember that Colt's original loading instructions said not to measure the powder, but just to fill the chamber as much as you can and still get the ball in. So ultimately, you were loading it exactly as Colt suggested, and it wasn't a "hot" load at all.
Companies aren’t known for spending a lot of money on equipment for their employees so I can see Wells Fargo buying up a bunch of 3inch/no rammer pocket models at a discount because they weren’t selling and issuing them to their employees. 1:09:02
My dad has a buddy with a colt pocket .31 that has been in the family since new, his is a 6 shot with a lot of the upgrades you went over, I got the chance to repair it due to the original hand breaking, a reproduction was fitted bit not correctly, I was able to correctly fit the had and saved him having to replace it( he does have a spare now). I was given the option to shoot it but lacked the correct bullet/ball. I still have the pictures from when I took it in to make the repairs.
Thanks!
the old green colt book has a lot of advertisements over the years. i’d look it up but i gave it to a buddy.
i have one from 1861 in decent shape. thanks for the detailed history. i’m surprised you didn’t mention the gain twist rifling.
In the Mid 1980's EMF had those colt pockets on sale for $35.00 each. I bought a bunch of them then to sell and don't have a single one left.
For many years i carried a Colt Peacemaker with 6 rounds loaded and the hammer dropped all the way down so the firingpin rested between two cartridge rims which stops the cylinder from rotating and carries the gun safely. Despite the current pc safety stories I doubt any cowboy or lawman shorted themselves a round for safety’s sake
congrats on the sponshorship
Love the series , can’t wait for more!!!!👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
OH BOY! I was wondering when we’d get the next episode!
Love this series.
Love this series!
These old style guns are great. As a youngster I bent a spring to use in it and it worked. I left it behind when I moved out of state. I live revolvers of the right caliber for the job at hand.
I love the Reprocussion series! I also love these little pocket Colts!
Love this series!, hoping for one on the LeMat
Ooh, that would be cool. Dunno if it's likely, though. I've not looked at all, but I wouldn't expect a gun using such a short lived and niche cartridge as pinfire would do well on the repro market.
@@nathanbrown8680 The LeMat was originally a percussion revolver and that is the model used in the US Civil War. There are reproductions of it sold.
YES!! PLEASE!!! 🤠👍
If there is ever a wall of Othais quotes, "I want the big one radaboomdaboomboomboomboom" should be at the top of that wall.
And another stellar episode 🤙🏼
Pow, Pow, (black) Pow-der! All this reminds me of my SP-101 placed side-by-side with the GP-100 (but without as many design changes).
55:28 Kinda late but my guess is that those used to be a similar type of conversion to the thuer and had a cutout for the firing pin plate. The relief cuts on the recoil shield may have been for thumbing in or ejecting cartridges from opposite sides or an attempt to mitigate capjams after they were bulk converted back to percussion.... this is all conjecture of course so take it with a heaping spoon of salt.
I have an 1862 .36 sheriff model with a fluted cylinder that I love 💕.
Its a flat shooter out to 70 yards at least, maybe more.
I don't push range much farther than that.
It's a beautiful six shot and I put the hammer down between cylinders and holster it fully loaded.
It's the pride of my collection so far.
Hello C&Rsenal crew. I'd like to add a few points to your discussion about the stopping power and the effectiveness you have at around timestamp 1:01:53. I think we should keep in mind that most pocket pistols were intended to keep burglars and robbers at arms lenght. Those usually weren't fanatical warriors charging at you with a spear and the determination to either kill you or die trying. They instead usually were low life characters who looked for an opportunity to get hold of some extra cash without doing much work. The prospect of being wounded or even condemned to a slow and painful death after being shot with even a small calibre round was usually enough to convince them to let you go unharmed. The only thing that might have helped them was to show up in greater numbers than you might have shots at the ready, which could convince you that giving up your purse was better than risk being stabbed by whoever overcame your defensive fire. For that scenario, being able to shoot 5 times instead of just one or two before being defenseless was a strong selling point, regardless of the actual effectiveness of each shot. As long as it scared the crooks away, it did its job.
Most villains do not get along well with other villains which is why you rarely see them in packs!!! 🤠👍
Cool! More Reprocussion!
"This is the beginning of the civilization of Colts."- Mae, 2023 (colourized)
Love the black powder stuff can’t wait for the 51 navy I have 3 of them there my favorite black powder handgun
Love picking these up at pawn shops and bringing them back to life.
That may be the smallest group I've seen yet. Good shooting, Mae!
And the first time Ihave seen her keep her eye open too.
I believe the very open back was to prevent cap jams 🤔
The heeled bullets are perfect for making paper cartridges as well as being more accurate. Nice video
In defense of carrying the dragoon. It would make a hell of a club.
Thank you for all you guys do
Thanks for tip about Balistol. That stuff is amazing!
1:07:24 I actually keep a baseball in my bag for the purpose of knocking the wedge in. Takes up less space than a nylon mallet and you can always throw around the baseball when you're not shooting.
If some viewer could supply a tin of Navy Arms caps from 30 years ago your cap problems would be solved.
I second that motion!!! 🤠👍
.31ish caliber pocket pistols are so pretty and small. Keep up the ballistol plugs! I love the stuff and the smell
Great episode guys!
Ballistol is a pretty nice product, couldn't have a better partner imo.
If you heat Italian bubble gum up bright orange, and rub it in kasenit or even sugar, reheat to bright orange, and quench (in H2O), you should get a reasonable case hardened surface.
Might I suggest the final quenching be in used motor oil!! 🤠👍
My favorite series! 😍
OMG so i binge the reprocussion series and when i get home from work they post after months of no progress
The most popular colt before peacemaker & python.
Use #0 buckshot. I have a 1849 Colt pocket with 3 inch barrel. Tried 31 caliber 1) .310 Dia. balls which followed the ram rod out of the chamber - not good. 2) .315 Dia. Shaved no ring of lead off the round ball - could push into chamber with thumb. 3) used a #0 single ought soft lead buckshot. It is the perfect size. Shaved lead ring. Penetrated more pine boards. And cost about 1/2 as much as a swaged .310 or .315 ball.
Agree wholeheartedly!!! 🤠👍
The notch in the hammer causes the cap issues. It's a tradeoff between having a safety notch and having caps not jam up the action.
@@MichaelJohnson-tw7dq Because the notch represents an unsupported area over the percussion cap. The caps deform in weird ways because of that. Sometimes they stick on the nipple until they hit the frame as the cylinder rotates, and then fall into the action or jam between the nipple and frame. Without the notch, the caps usually fall harmlessly off the nipple when you pull the hammer back.
Get leather ties on the loading levers of the early colts to keep it in place and in the worst case from locking up the gun
First off I love these Reprocussion episodes. I can't wait to see more and you better believe I'll let Rock Island Auctions and Ballistol know they're backing a winner here.
As re: "carryability" and defensive action. The Walkers/ Dragoons (Walkoons?) are, as has been stated, Martial pistols hence the saddle holsters &c. The manual of arms for the Walkoons would almost certainly not involve quick-draw McGraw style antics. Same reason the officers belt pistol was carried right side, butt forward. No one was slappin' leather and haulin' smokewagons around with the Walkoons (I mean MAYBE if ambushed and caught completely flat footed). Not to say that the Large Fellows didn't wander off and weren't used as belt pistols. I'm 6'2" and stout and my "2nd Model" dragoon repro put me off of owning or carrying a Walker. It's too damn big. The '49s (and their ilk) were actual carry sized whether in "pocket" or holster/belt or sash. Not to mention concealable for those towns where open carry was prohibited.
The other thing that I read, I think in Chapel's "Guns of the Old West", was that often civilian pistols both single-shot and revolvers were loaded by gunsmiths (especially in places like San Francisco or back-east) for the owners ensuring a "professional" loading job. I really question how many cap and ball era gunfights went into "extra innings" and required a refill under (several seconds) stress. Even the Cavalry/ Dragoons/ USMI or whatever would probably be in hand-to-hand with bayonets or sabers or caracoled away (or whatever the mid 19th century cavalry maneuver was called) to do administrative pistol manipulation.
Othias' .45/.46 vs 9mm comment made me realize that I think the context of how civilian and martial guns were used in the mid 19th century is important and also 20th/21st century value judgements may muddy the waters.
I feel like if I was a greenhorn riding to the gold fields I'd think "I have my .54 rifle, 5 shots from a Colt's revolver and then my knife, fists, and teeth if the balloon goes up". I wouldn't necessarily think "and If I shoot my revolver dry, I can spend 4-10 minutes fumbling flask, ball, and cap" I would 100% reload my rifle.
If your "bad" baby dragoon repro IS an Armi San Marco (EMF - Early Modern Firearms imported them for a long time) their quality was long regarded as spotty. Some of my first BP/ Conversion revolvers were EMF/ASM and they were just fine. Your mileage, as can be seen, has varied.
55:30 Final Mystery... I would think the back of the frame was shaved away like that to help with Cap Jams and keeping the action clear. There also looks to be a "trough cut out under the cylinder to this effect as well.
I have a repo 1849 pocket colt and love it.
48:32. Theres the reason not to buy these guns. If you have to make expensive alterations to keep the caps from falling off ask yourself why didnt the manufacturer get this worked out for modern day shooters?
Thanks! Another great piece of history.
I believe the cut away recoil shield was intended to relieve the issue of percussion caps binding as you should the pistol. Just an idea