1858 Confederate Navy model pistol
 

i just got a 1858 Confederate Navy.44 cal. pistol. i just got to shoot it the other day. any tips onshooting or upkeep?

RE: 1858 Confederate Navy model pistol
 

I've no idea what revolver you have as I never saw a 1858 Confederate Navy .44 caliber Revolver. I have owned a 1851 Navy revolver, and a 1858 Army revolver, but I was not aware of a 1858 Navy revolver other then the double action Starr Revolver made in 1858. But I think the Starr was a .36 caliber. So you have me stumped here.

If this Revolver is steel framed with a top strap, they are a little more rigid. They have a stronger frame and usually can accept a little stronger charge. Not that you have to do that. If this is a brass frame (which was common in the confederate forces due to lack of steel towards the end of the war) then you have to be much more gentle with the powder charges. If this revolver has no top strap, as was common with Navy revolvers,then you need to again, reduce the powder charges in them or you can actually damage the frame of them. Navy revolvers I normally shot with only 20 grains of powder. I personally ruined one Navy revolverin my youth...[:o]

I've always found that the revolvers shoot most accurate with a non maximum load. The revolver I am currently shooting has a max charge capability of 35 grains of 3f powder. I get best accuracy with 25-30 grains. Also when shooting them, be sure and cover the end of the cylinder after you have it loaded. Even if you are using wads in the cylinders. Please, cover the chambers with Crisco or bore butter or something. Otherwise you run the risk of a chain fire. Chain fires are dangerous. That was how I ruined my first rifle.

After you have fired the cylinders, pull the cylinder from the revolver. Wipe the back side of the cylinder. Also be sure you wipe the cylinder support rod and the frame off between loadings. This rod is the one that slides forward to hold the cylinder in place and on which it rotates. If you keep that clean you can spend more time on the range. If you fail to wipe these areas off between loading, The gun will fowl out, get to where it will not line up right, and even be hard to pull the cylinder support rod out at the end of the day.

At the end of the day, an easy way to clean the revolver is to take the wood grips off, and throw the disassembled thing into some dish soap and water. Or you can leave the grips one, and then, with a small brush, start scrubbing. Pay close attention to the nipples you remove and they cylinder. Be sure and use a good small brush in there and get that cylinder nice and clean. Then rinse it will. Also where the hammer falls forward into the frame, use Q-tips and make sure you get that area nice and clean. Or the next time you examine your prize, you will find rust there. When you put it all back together, be generous with the oil. Oil the revolver down real well. I like to really spray it one thick and then lay the revolver out on a cotton cloth and basically let it drain.

Revolvers are a lot of fun, but a real pain to clean. Maybe that's why I do not shoot mine as much as I should. If you could post a link or a picture to your revolver, I would sure like to see them. You will find them very accurate, and a lot of fun to shoot. I shoot mine (1858New Army .44 caliber with target sights)with .451 roundball and #10 percussion caps (Remington). I like Goex of the powder as I get the best results with that. I also have some small conicals I can load in the revolver, but they are not as accuate as the ball.

RE: 1858 Confederate Navy model pistol
 

Navy's are .36
Army's are .44
This was true until the reproduction market went crazy now they seem to put any name they can think of on a gun to sell more of them. I have 2 1851 navy .44 colt never produced them. rumor is 5 prodotypes were made but were not strong enough (iron cylinders) and the progect was dropped untill the 1860 army and improved metal (steel) was availible.
This is what I was told by a gun smith. If this is incorrect then I am sorry to have posted this. This is from the Pietta web site
*1858 NEW MODEL ARMY*[/i][/b]
The manufacture of firearms by Remington goes back to 1816 when Eliphalet Remington produced his first guns in Ilion, N.Y. Thanks to the talent of his designer, F.Beals, in 1858 he patented and started production of a revolutionary weapon : the 1858 NEW MODEL ARMY .44 [/b]cal.. As it happened for Colt, also for Remington the Civil War represented a significant turn. Federal Government granted to "Remington & Sons, Ilion N.Y." license to develop and change the initial project. These guns became the veterans of the Civil War. They were appreciated for the strength of their rugged frame, and were ideally suited for the heavy .44 cal. loads and for their shooting reliability and accuracy. The same gun was also produced in .36 cal. and, as it happened with Colt guns, it was the favorite of the American Navy which required small caliber guns for the hand to hand fights. Hence the name 1858 NEW MODEL NAVY .36 [/b]cal. given to distinguish it from the .44 cal. version.

RE: 1858 Confederate Navy model pistol
 

Does it have a brass frame? If it does, send it back and get something with a steel frame. I had constand jamming, stripped teeth on the hammer, barrel wedge pins blowing out when firing it and finally the one that got to me the most was when i fired one shot and the entire barrel and cylinder fell off. Theres a little pin that holds the shaft that the cylinder rotates on and that pin came out when it fired. Cabelas tried taking care of me by sending me a total of 3 replacement pistols, all of which had the same problems and one pistol i never fired because the hammer was jabbed from the factory. Stick with a steel frame revolver.

RE: 1858 Confederate Navy model pistol
 

Here are some pictures of many!

Civil War Sidearms

RE: 1858 Confederate Navy model pistol
 

Here is your gun, as I recall the frames of these-(the original ones, I think the originals also had a round bbl. to save on cost and production time)were made from brass alloy that the Rebs melted down from some famous set of church bells, the guns were nicknamed in honor of the church. Something I read years ago and can't quite remember the details.

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0006186210086a.shtml

For a good cleaning, I just disassemble the revolver and plop the parts in a pan of warm soapy water and scrub them with an old tooth brush. Dry them and use another brush to apply lube, you can use bore butter or make something similar. I find it takes about the same ammount of time as it does to clean a modern revolver shooting smokeless. Take a S&W 586, to really clean one well, you have to spend alot of time brushing out the cyclinder ends and chambers, the frame crevases, and of course the bore. Because you don't dissasemble it, you need to be carefull that excess cleaning fluid does not go in the action. The crud from smokless is harder to remove that BP, It takes quite a few patches with shooterschoice to get a smokless bore perfectly clean(especially when shooting lead), but only a 2-3 do the trick with soapy water on bp. The only real difference is that with a BP revolver, you need to clean it fairly soon after shooting and a smokless one can wait quit awhile.

For a quick cleaning of a BP revolver, especially if you plan to shoot it again anytime soon, try Go-Jo hand cleaner-(without Pumis). This stuff reallycuts the crud, does not get all over and in the action like a liquidand the lanolin in it leaves a little bit of moisture barrier behind that delays oxidation for the short term. I just do the bore with Go-Jo and grease it. The cylinder and frame get done with a brush and wiped with a rag, if you greased the nipples before you installed them then they won't rust in place very fast and the smaller parts in the action should have been greased after your last good cleaning so they will be fine too. I generally take mine out 3-4 times befor a complete cleaning, depends on the timeframe and amount of shots fired.

The cylinder pin on the Rems do not have grease grooves but by using a good lube on them, you can get 6-8 cylinder loadings befor cleaning is required. Just use a grease that will not get too stiff in winter and another one that will stay put in the summer heat. I vary mine by the amounts of bees wax I mix in.

Those felt wads do a decent job of preventing chain fires and have the added benifit of cleaning the bore somewhat. Putting lube over the balls also helps to prevent chainfires but it really aids in keeping some lube on the cyclinder pin and also in keeping the bore fouling softer. I've found that a little cream-O wheat over the powder does the same as a felt wad, is just as easy to put in and costs almost nothing. Just put some in an Old mustard bottle and squirt it in after you charge the chambers. A little practice and you will be able to get virtually the same amount in each chamber.

Enjoy your new gun, keep the loads on the lighter side since you have a brass frame. A guy who worked for me had one and it shot great, really good as I recall.

Doug