Pietta Old Army
(.44 cap and ball)
The Great Equalizer
God made men. Sam Colt made men equal.
There are few sayings in American Lore that are as well known
as this one. For decades, inventors had been trying to come up
with a practical method of operation for a repeating arm but
few had any real success. An illusive problem, it was finaly
solved by Samuel Colt and he received a patent for his idea in
1832. As indicated, his was not the first mind to envision a
repeating arm, nor was he the first to attempt to solve the
problem with a revolving mechanism. Colt's method was,
however, the first practical method of doing so and has
forever solidified his place in American and indeed world
history.
After founding the Patent Arms Manufacturing company, at
Paterson, New Jersey, he produced his first commercial models
of what would become known as the Patterson five-shot revolver
as well as various designs for revolving rifles and even
revolving shotguns. Eventually, some of these weapons found
their way into the hands of the Texas Rangers and in
particular one Sam Walker. Through whatever interractions may
or may not have taken place between Sam Colt and Sam Walker,
the result was the production of a larger pistol of .44
caliber holding six rounds instead of five. This new
six-shooter became known as the Walker. However, in all
probability, before any revolvers were commercially produced,
various conditions beyond Colt's control forced him to close
up shop in 1842.
Colt's next attempt at commercial production would come in
1847 at the outbreak of the Mexcan War with the government hot
after Colt's now famous revolver. In fact, in order to speed
production, General Zachary Taylor sent Walker up from Texas
to meet with Colt at his new facility in Whittneyville. With
Walker whispering in his ear, Colt produced his model 1847
revolver or what is most often refered to as the Walker
pistol with an improved model in 1848 which would become known
as the Dragoon. The Walker, while a simplified arm as compared
to the Patterson, was a massive revolver weighing in at over
four pounds, firing a round ball seated over a massive black
powder charge measuring as much as 60 grains.
Over the next 12 years, various improvements were made and
various models produced, not the least of which was Colt's
second most famous cap and ball revolver, the model
1851 Navy, which was favored by such men as
"Wild" Bill Hickok. At one point, Colt even set up a
factory in London to produce his revolvers although this
venture was frought with problems due largely due to the
innacuracy of the machines of the day employed at his
facility not to mention problems with a populace that had
become resentful of machinery which, while resulting in
increased output all over England, also resulted in the loss
of many jobs.
Colt Prepares for War
The year was now 1855 and an ominous wind blew over the
land. Tensions between the North and South, Abolitionists and
Anti-Abolitionists, and Federalists and Anti-Federalists were
growing fast. Many people saw conflict on the horizon but few
could foresee anything on the scale of what actually
occured. Few, that is, except for Sam Colt. Placing his own
interests aside, he enlarged his factory and began gearing up
for wartime production. Colt examined the political situation
of the day and determined that the conflict that erupted was
likely to last for about five years, a remarkable prediction
which went against the prevailing oppinion at the outset of
the war.
Type: |
Single-Action Revolver |
Caliber: |
.44 round ball |
Capacity: |
6 |
Barrel Length: |
8 in. |
Overall Length: |
14 in. |
Weight: |
apx 20 oz. |
Sights: |
Blade Front, "V" Notch Rear |
Finish: |
Blue with Case Coloring |
Market Price: |
$300-$350 |
In 1860, Colt redesigned his 1848 Army revolver to take
advantage of improvements in metalurgy and lessons he had
learned during the design and production of the Navy
model. The end result was a six shot .44 caliber pistol with a
frame not much bigger than the Navy, weighing in at a mere 2
pounds, 11 ounces. It seated a round ball over 30 grains of
black powder and, unlike the old Walker, had a latch for the
ramming lever which was an improvement over an earlier
latching mechanism to prevent the rod from coming loose during
firing and jaming the pistol, preventing it from being
recocked.
It is this pistol that is seen carried in the full flap
holster by officers in the Union Army (and even in the
Confederate army through the use of captured and replicated
models.) But Colt pressed himself so hard during the first
years of the war that his health declined rapidly ultimately
resulting in his death in January of 1862 at age 48. It is not
known how many of his model 1860 pistols were produced during
the war as a fire in 1864 destroyed most of his company's
documents, however Army Ordinance records show purchase of
approximately 130,000 with others procured by soldiers,
homesteaders, frontiersmen, as well as other nations.
Although cartidge weapons were becoming available even before
the war, some of these revolvers were being used on the
frontier right up until percussion caps started getting hard
to find. Many of these revolvers were also converted to load
and fire the new cartridge weapons as well. It is probable
that a holstered Old Army revolver could be found as late as
1890. While Colt held too closely to the oppinion that people
would always prefer to load their own powder and bullets,
ignoring the fact that cartridge weapons were just faster, the
company he founded would eventually come to see the light and
give us what would become perhaps the most famous gun in all
of history. But that is a story for another time.
Pietta's Replica
I've long loved black powder weapons and this is certainly one
of the best handling guns I've seen. This pistol was purchased
at Sportsman's Warehouse in the middle of '07. On one of
my various trips to their shop to check out their collection
of pistols and revolvers, I found myself wandering over to the
far end of the counter where few who were not "in the
know" visited. There on the wall was a line of percussion
revolvers gently teasing me, nudging me to pick one of them up
and take it home. A few fascinated gazes followed by brief
words with the store clerk and I did just that.
Complete with the factory rolled egraving on the cylinder
depecting, just as with the original, a navy scene (which is
ironic for an army revolver), Pietta's reproduction is pretty
faithful to the original. Disassembly is done by sliding a
locking wedge out of the left side of the revolver (not
removing, just unseating), releasing the ramming lever and
using the plunger against the cylinder for leverage, gently
removing the barrel followed by the cylinder. For a deep
cleaning, the pistol was provided with a wrench for
removing the nipples from the cylinder. At that point, it's a
matter of brushing and swabbing the pistol until it's clean and
lubricating as normal. (Note that Pietta recommends against
using petrolium based lubricants on this pistol.)
Care and Feeding
Loading and handling a percussion pistol requires a different
mindset than most are accustomed to. One thing you will notice
straight off is that there are many more accessories needed
with this pistol than with cartridge weapons. (Powder, lead
bullets, bullet lube, percussion caps, priming tools, a nipple
wrench with a wire probe for cleaning out the touch holes, and
a power flask and powder measure made of non-sparking
materials.)
If you're shooting black powder, carry a large case for all
the neccessities
The weapon itself also demands a great deal of care and
respect. First, you're handling powder directly. Powder is
sensitive to static and pressure. Handle it incorrectly and
you have a problem on your hands. Second, just storing the
powder can be a challenge. Black powder has an affinity for
moisture and if too great a quantity is left out for too long,
it will be all but useless unless properly dried (something
which I do not recommend trying unless you positively
know what you're doing.) Third, this is a percussion
weapon. That means percussion caps. Caps are akin to the
primers in modern bullets. When you're placing these on the
nipples of the revolver cylinder, firm pressure from a
fingernail can be enough to set them off. Get 100 of them
together in a small metal can, give it a good shake, and you
could end up minus a few parts and pieces. There is also the
matter of loading the chambers. Load too much powder and the
gun can blow up. While loading the powder, if you are foolish
enough to pour powder directly from the flask, if you catch a
hot ember in the cylinder you're loading or something else
sets it alight, you now have a grenade in your hand that most
certainly has the potential to kill you if it explodes. No,
black powder weapons are not to be taken lightly.
Not all powders are created equal. Black powder is delineated
by grain size, Fg, FFg, FFFg, FFFFg, and FFFFFg. These indicate
the grain size of the power granules. Different sized granules
burn at different rates. This can greatly affect pressures and
performance. "30 grains of powder" doesn't mean much until you
figure out whether you mean 2Fg or 3FG.
In practice,
Fg and FFFFg are not used expect in special applications. FFg
is most often used in shotguns, FFFFg sometimes is used in
priming pans of flintlock weaspons with FFg and FFFg most
often used in pistols and rifles. In my case, I use Hogdon's
Tripple7 FFFg powder. This pistol is safe with a powder charge
held to 30 grains or less of 3Fg black powder. Of course, Triple7
is a charcoal based black powder substitute and behaves somewhat
differently. Because of that, I typically load only 25 grains.
Note also that black powder charges
are measured by volume, not by weight so put that power scale
away. If this is an original revolver, reducing the charge
further would not be out of order, assuming the weapon is
even safe to fire. Of course, using T7 does come with one issue
unique to it: it should not be compressed. This is hard to
manage in a muzzle loader. Compression changes
the pressure levels that develope in the chamber. With T7, this
change can be much more greatly pronounced. T7 is also somewhat
more energetic than standard black powder so charges have to
be reduced somewhat to compensate. This powder was suggested to
me by the guy at the counter who did not know much about powder
weapons. T7 is best suited for cartridge reloading where
such can be controlled (and for shell reloading, I think it
will likely be my choice.) Hence, once this bottle is empty, I'll
probably go to Goex as a proper black powder instead.
Loading this pistol can be a chore in itself. To start, I like
to find a block or rock or something I can use to stand this
pistol muzzle up and lean it against so I can have my hands
free for the various stages. Bring the pistol to half cock and
load each cylinder with a charge of 25-30 grains of powder by
setting your powder measure appropriately, pouring from the
flask into the measure and then from the measure into the
cylinder. Seat a wad on top of the powder charge if desired
(this is not strictly necessary but can make the pistol
function somewhat better) and gently compact the powder. Be
careful not to apply too much pressure so you don't
accidentally set it off (this takes more force than you will
certainly use but it is still possible.) After this is done,
place a lubricated .454 diameter bullet on the end of one
chamber, rotate that chamber under the rammer, and ram
home. A small amount of lead will be shaved off the bullet as
it enters the cylinder. This is normal and assures a tight
seal. For my bullets, I use Hornady's Wonderlube and either a
plastic bag or small plastic tub to store the bullets in. Many
find that they do just fine with nothing more than
Crisco. This time honored lubricant works well enough but some
of the purpose made lubes have a chemistry designed to not
only lubricate but also to protect the barrel and help keep
powder residue soft so it can be more reasily removed. Many
folks also recommend sealing up the end of the cylinder with a
bit of lube or beeswax, especially when a full charge is used,
leaving no room for a wad. I live in the Phoenix area where
summer temperatures frequently exceed 108F so this is not
practical for me as the lube is more often than not liquid
instead of paste. Lastly, after and only after all cylinders
are loaded (load only 5 if you intend to holster this and
carry it around), pick up the gun with your left hand and the
capper with your right hand. Carefully slide a #10 cap onto
the end of each nipple, being careful not to use too much
downward pressure. (The whole point of a cap is that it will
detonate under pressure, after all.) At this point, the pistol
is now loaded and ready to fire.
Lots of smoke but not a whole lot of recoil
One thing to watch for with all muzzle loaders: misfire. This
comes in two forms, caps that don't ignite and powder that
doesn't burn. The first is reasonably easy to deal with. Just
put a new cap on but be very careful removing the old one as
it might still be able to fire. The second condition demands
far, far more caution. After a cap discharges, there is the
possibility of what is termed "hang fire" which is a
delayed ignition of the primary powder charge. If a cap fires
but there is no boom, do not move the pistol off
target, wait for about 20 or 30 seconds. If by this time, the
round has not fired, you should bring the pistol down to the
bench (making sure to keep the muzzle downrange) and try a new
cap. Should that not correct the problem, you may have a
plugged nipple. Take your nipple pick and poke about in the
little hole for a bit to make sure it's clear and try another
cap. If after all that, it still does not go off, the problem
is likely contaminated powder and you will need to remove the
bullet and powder from the gun after discharging the remaining
rounds. To do this, remove the cylinder from the pistol and
either use a bullet extractor or you can remove the nipple use
a small wooden dowel to push the bullet out from the back side
after shaking all the powder out. I cannot stress enough how
dangerous a situation a misfire can be. Always handle your
weapon with extreme care in these situations and if you're not
confident, it would not at all be out of order to call the
range master over to assist you.
Performance
So just how accurate are these pistols? Generally, not
very. Colt claimed that his Walker pistol was "Good on man or
beast out to 200 yards." In reality, if you're trying to hit
anything beyond about 50 feet, you're probably out of luck and
even at that, you'll be lucky to inflict a fatal wound. Yes,
yes, you all are about to remind me that with a Navy revolver,
Bill Hickok hit a man in the heart at 75 paces. I'm not saying
it's not possible to do that, just that it's not going to be
an everyday occurance. One of the reasons
for this is that since there is no top strap, the rear sight
on the Old Army revolver is a "V" notch cut into the
the hammer. Since this may not end up in exactly the
same place every time, there is a certain amount of error from
that alone. There is also the issue of the powder
charge. Since this is measured by hand each time, the exact
amount of powder may well vary as much as one to two
grains. With an inconsitant charge, the pressure in the
cylinder will be different and ultimately the velocity of the
bullet can vary widely.
Groups like this require more control than you might think
The larger problem however is the bullet itself. Today's
bullets are conical projectiles and tightly fitted to the
barrel they are designed to be used in. A conical bullet is
much more aerodynamically stable in flight than a round ball
is, even though it is spinning. So the further away you are,
the more likely it will be that this bullet will have veered
off course in some rabdom direction. Add to this that since
these bullets are either molded or cast, the specific weight
of each bullet will be a bit different than the next. All
these factors mean that you're lucky if you can get good
groups at 25 feet. At 10 yards, I was able to get 18 shots
into a 10 inch group. I suspect that if I had taken more time,
I could have brought that down to 5 inches. Still, that .44
caliber ball, weighing perhaps 180 grains, flying at 650fps or
better will do a number on you if you're in the way. For its
day, it was a pretty effective handgun.
One problem that has to be dealt with in all black powder arms
is the extensive fouling that occurs. Black powder does not
burn nearly as cleanly as modern smokeless powders do. This
means that on a gun such as this, without taking it down to
clean off the cylinder pin, pin hole, and barrel, after about
30 rounds, you're done for the day. After just 6 rounds,
things will start to get noticably gummed up. After about 18
rounds, you'll know you're pushing the limit. I normally stop
at 24. But function is not the only problem. These weapons
must be thoroughly cleaned immediately after each shooting
session since the residue from black powder is much more
coorosive than smokeless powder. Fortunately, for the tough
stuff, unlike smokeless powder, it is generally solulable in
warm water. Of course, if there are problems with your finish,
you can also oxidize the pistol so one must be careful.
Living History
Why do I love black powder weapons so much if they're so
innacruate and such a chore? Well, for one thing, the history
of the old arms is directly intertwined with world history and
the history of this nation in particular. Firing one of these
arms is a way to connect with that history. There is also
something almost spiritual about pulling that trigger and then
being envoloped in a cloud of white smoke, and for me, also a
huge adrenaline rush. As much as a chore it is and as long as
it takes to reload each time, I still find this perhaps my
most favorite pistol to fire even if I don't get to shoot it
that often. (Black powder weapons, because of the smoke, are
generally not permitted on indoor ranges, which means that I
have to go to the outdoor range which, for me, is out at Usery
Pass and not a few minutes away.)
The Colt mode 1860 SAA is perhaps the height of percussion
revolvers. Designed at a time when the nation was about to
need all the weapons it could get its hands on, Colt produced
a well made, simply designed, durable pistol which saw decades
of service both in military and civilian hands and left us one
of the most successful arms manufacturers in the world. This
pistol has an honored place in my collection.
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