wow, very happy i found this video with the original Colt, mine was manufactured in 1862, i just love making my paper cartridges and shooting it every month or so,,,,,,,,,,,, love the powder & smoke smells, thanks for showing and telling the history, cheers,,
Love it . I too have a Original 1860 Army . And I also shoot mine with my hand rolled cartridges. I just loged on and bought two cartridge 44 boxes from cap and ball myself. Love his chanel too . Thanks Mike 👊
1:00 “...there are replicas for that...” To that I say, that’s your own personal property. Do what you want, it’s yours. No man shall tell another what he can or can’t do with his own property
@@keithlucas6260 The .44-40 didn't exist until the 1870s though. And the modern ubertis in .44-40 can handle smokeless loads(although you can still use black powder if you want).
I love these old Colts A friend of mine back in the 60's and early 70's had an original 1860 Army that was his granddads in beautiful condition. Boyd was in his late 70's back then his granddad was in the 21st Ohio infantry. Boyd was a good old boy for a Yankee and i got to fire his 1860 Army. I left for the Army in 71 and only saw Boyd one more time in the mid 70's when i was an Army Recruiter before he past a 88. Great video Mike.
My wife overheard your reaction on that second shot and said, " he sounded pretty calm for a chain fire". Mike that was a great presentation. Always enjoy your channel. Thanks
"To protect themselves from claim jumpers and other brands of idiots." I like that quote. This is probably why Colonel Colt called his 1873 ,45 revolver "The Peacemaker."
The 1860 Colt - my first love. As an 8year old I saw it in "How the west was won" in the hands of "Luke Macahan". The most beautiful handgun so far. How they managed to make it sleek, still a powerful 44... well, it is good design indeed.
I really like both of your guys videos. The other guy is cool because of his awesome accent. I do agree with you about shooting the old guns. Cars were made to be driven, not abused, but driven. The same with guns. I actually just bought my first black powder revolver. I bought a griswold from emf. I have always wanted to try this type of shooting, and watching your videos has only made it worse. Now I want a 1851, and a 49.
I have an old 12 ga single shot. My dad got it used when he was 14, gave it to me when I turned 14 and is still my go to shotgun at 64 yrs. My son also loves it. Well built and meant to be used.
Mike, in '64, a shooting friend and I used to fire his great-grandfather's 1851 Navy. We were in high school and didn't know a ton about gunsmithing. We had a chain fire and didn't know what is was. We stopped shooting it because we thought it might have a cracked cylinder. Thank you.
I know this is an older video but I just wanted to say I really enjoyed your stories and history lessons. I’ve got my eye on an 1860 army so thanks fir being my teacher.
Lodgewood is AWESOME. They repaired my original M1842 Aston single shot pistol and a few years later, my Parker Hale repro Enfield musketoon. Great folks!
When you shot that first pistol I said "Man, that was a stout load! And so was the second". Glad you are safe and I hope your pistol is undamaged as well. Now I will be on tenterhooks awaiting part II. (edited for spelling)
THANK YOU! GOD, I cannot tell you how many times I've had to explain to people, guns are made to be SHOT! You do an immense disservice to a gun by making it a permanent museum piece in your safe. It's like owning a car you never drive, a watch you never wear, or a tool you never use. If you aren't going to shoot it, don't buy it. Museums have their pieces already.
I have a model 1894 Winchester that was made in 1896. I shoot it a lot. It is one of my favorite guns. Like you said; If it is in good shape, shoot it. That's what they were made for.
As soon as you said 'original' I said 'oh my goodness'! Since my new-found love for black powder guns I am really looking forward to my next visit to Gettysburg Battlefield & Museum here in PA. Thanks for your posts!
Excellent video Mike , I really like your 1861 army and if I owned one I’m in the same frame of mind as you , it was meant to be shot not looked at in a case . Update on us poor shooters in the Uk , one of the three clubs I am a member of has been given the go ahead by the government to re open after the lockdown caused by the pandemic . I have some .36 cartridges made up by capandball jig stored in my capandball period nearly correct boxes burning a hole in my pocket since lockdown ready for the range next week . I can’t wait . Keep the videos coming please and thank you . Keep the faith and stay safe .
Mike i totally agree! Guns were meant to be used and thats what they were designed to do! Obviously some exceptions exist but i shoot 99% of my antiques. Keep up the great work!
I really love the history and explanation for everything from shooting to replicas because I never held a gun in my life but im planning on writing a story set in 1870s. All I wanna say is thank you for being a cool guy and help me learning about guns
That chain fire caught me off guard lol. That reminded me of the chain fire I had in my double barrel caplock 12 gauge. One barrel misfired and the second shot set off both. 160 grains of fffg isnt very fun on the shoulder.
I agree, it's fine to shoot antique guns as long as they are mechanically sound. i shot an original civil war burnside cavalry carbine a month ago, and it i was putting lead downrange like it did 160 years ago, and it was thoroughly cleaned afterwards.
I love shooting the old guns! So long as you do the maintenance, they should be used. I shoot my grandfather’s Remington Rand 1911. I shoot my antique drilling. Nothing lasts forever.
I warmly welcome. My name is Adam and I'm from Poland. I really enjoy watching your movies. In 1863 an uprising broke out against the partitioners in Poland. If we had such colts then I think that the Russians would get tengie spanked. Very great respect. Adam from Poland.
Sir you are very humble. I'm happy you didn't boast or talk down on the seller for asking too much for the gun. I would have chuckled a bit when I saw them come down to my price.
My Pietta 1860 Colt Army replica is still in great condition, purchased from EMF in early 1980's and by now ... haven't fired it in 30 years. No Rust, great looking. I should shoot it sometime. This replica I have is made to accept cartridges, with plenty of space just behind the ramrod.
i think you are right with back story of the pistol. how many kids grand kids took the pistol out of the sock drawer or barn and shot them when no one was home and they never got cleaned.
When treated with the dignity and respect they earned and deserve, I don't have any problem with occasionally putting lead through a mechanically sound original. Shooting such a living example of history imparts a sense of fulfillment that can't be had from something manufactured the day before yesterday in another country, regardless of how true to design it is.
Thank you so much for making this video, I'm currently looking at an 1860 I'm considering purchasing and your video and some book work is a great help!
mike i wanted you to know you have helped get me into shooting black powder revolvers, even if they are as much a pain in the ass to legally own here in canada as any other modern handgun
What an absolute beauty. Nice to see these old pistols getting the love they so rightly deserve. One day I hope to get an original, however I have a good selection of COPIES of Colt’s early work, from the Patterson through Dragoon, to the 51,60,61 and several 62 police. Enjoy the history and shooting of these 19th century works of art . Have learned a lot from your videos and articles. Keep on putting out the great content please.
Great video. I like to see those old weapons being used. I have an original Colt Navy made in 1862. Some of those old guns really held up well. Mine has much of the finish remaining.
Good for you shoot it! I cut my cap and ball teeth many years ago on an original Colt 1851 Navy from a cased set. I shot it with corrosive caps which ,was what we had at the time, Du Pont FFFg powder, and balls cast in the miserable little steel mold that was in the cased set. It was cleaned after shooting very carefully and it was not hurt at all. I wish I still had it.
When I was young, I bought a used Ruger 3-Screw revolver in .357 magnum. I checked it out and it seemed to have a light trigger, but then so did my old flat-top .44, so I didn't think anything of it. Loaded it up at the range and cocked the gun at low ready. It went off about two seconds later, still at low ready. I emptied the gun and sent it off to Ruger for the transfer-bar safety conversion. I don't shoot Black Powder, but a chain fire sounds terrifying.
I’m really impressed you saw fit to invest in restoring and giving new life to a great piece of history. Good on you. (I did the same thing for a beautiful early-19th century cello, which set me back more than I’m willing to admit, but it’s worth it; forty years later I’m still playing on it and it sounds better than ever.)
oh wow, that chain fire. I'm glad no injuries. Looking forward to finding out more in part 2. I'm new to these and your channel is a great find for me. thanks
She looks to be in outstanding condition that's got to be like hopping into a time machine. I'm looking forward to rendezvous on a side note. in regards to the people saying not to shoot this revolver if anyone can load and operate it correctly it's you and I can think of no better way to honor the item and those who owned it previously it's a testament to craftsmanship.
I have a Pietta '51 Navy and a Uberti Case colored Remington with a Howell's .45 Colt conversion cylinder. Now I'm wanting another 1860 Army. I had a Pietta some time ago, also had a Rogers & Spencer from Dixie Gun Works. I always wanted a Starr DA but they're getting expensive.
I thought that first shot looked a little ‘lively’, hope no damage resulted; looking forward to part 2 to find out what caused it. Thanks for sharing with us.
Thank you sir can't wait for the second round great looking revolver and it sounds very interesting as they say if the walls could talk have a great weekend sir
What a coincidence. I was just think about writing to you earlier today about asking you if anyone had captured a chain fire on video and if it damages the gun. I will be watching for part 2 so I can hear your breakdown of what happened.
Thanks for taking the time to make the video.it was great.im looking foreword to part 2..there's always something special about shooting the originals.thats just not there with the replicas....just my own personal fears/worries kinda always had me uneasy with the design of no top strap on such a powerful pistol. I know it's just fine.but it's always in the back of my mind.im much more at ease mentally with a Remington
Diaries of the period suggest most revolver owners of the pre-cartridge period carried a powder flask, and leather bag of bullets and metal tin of primers. People back then gladly saved a penny for a little extra work. So no, they did not buy pre-made cartridges. That was considered a waste of money. Many gun owners continued to shoot cap and ball long after cartridge guns came to town because they didn't trust the cartridges, and they were so much more expensive.
A clean, properly maintained, well lubricated black powder revolver essentially does not wear if used. Theoretically it will wear slightly, but the wear would be completely unmeasurable.
Great story and a great firearm! I hope to own one of these someday. For now, I just have the Pietta version. I'm curious - how did you know it was a chain fire?
I know what you mean when you got people say “oh you shouldn’t shoot that gun it’s too old you’ll ruin the history blah blah blah” make no mistake there are some that should be left alone but there are others that for me anyway if it still works I’m gonna shoot it. Currently I’m trying to find black powder 12 gauge shotgun shells for my 1887 Winchester lever action shotgun (made exactly in 1887)
I'm guessing the original cones on the Army Revolver do not match modern cap sizes well. Glad all the chain fire did was send some extra bullets sailing down the sides of the barrel! After that first shot I though "Wow, he must have that loaded super heavy" Lol, three chambers going off at once will look that way!
Makes you wonder what stories that gun could tell if it could talk. Was it sitting in a newly minted officers holster as he rode off to the battle of Nashville or others like it in the later years of the civil war? Was it carried by a railroad foreman for defence when the Union Pacific made its carving journey west to unite both coasts of America? Maybe in the belt of a homesteader as he cleared the brush of his new property, hoping to start his new life on the plains, or maybe a prospector in Rockies who carried it with him as he panned mountain streams for the gold that inspired so many others to come west. Maybe it was checked with the barkeep as it's owner sat at a bar and shared a drink with Sheriff Hickok in Hays, Kansas or Wyatt Earp in Tombstone. We never know.
What a beautiful piece I would love to have one but can't afford one.but remember one trigger pull for one projectile anything more than that is considered a machine gun🤣
The law in the US defines a firearm as shooting a metallic cartridge. Black powder don't count as guns, don't require background checks, can be mailed to your home directly, can have stocks attached, and even chainfires don't mean anything legally
I was having a discussion with a friend I met in hunt showdown. An it revolved around realoding the gun during a fire fight. He said a cap & ball gun couldn't be reloaded on the battlefield. Same with paper cartridges. I feel that its possible just harder then it is today. Maybe the caps would be the more complicated part.
In general, for the infantry, revolvers were a last ditch weapon, used when the fighting was close, fast and furious. There wasn't time to reload anything. In the cavalry, where revolvers were often the primary weapon, troopers carried several, often four to six fully loaded revolvers.So combat reloads were not the norm...but they did happen. Paper cartridges made the process much faster, but, you're right, capping was the slowest part of the operation.
I need to see part two now ! just love your videos , I just purchased a Colt 36 cal police made by Colt I guess in the 1970's embellished by the Heritage foundation with a display case this thing is gold washed whatever that is with all kinds of ridiculous embellishments even the wedge is scrolled with I guess gold plating they purchase from many gun mfgs and then make them very shinny and beautiful / ugly and then advertise in magazines as show pieces , anyway I bought on GunBrokers . com And when I receive it I will take apart clean , deburr and take it to the range and fire it I believe guns are made to shoot not to display only . I am going to try to make a video on this funny , cute , beautiful , over embellished , ugly pistol who knows it might turn out to be one of my favorites .
