Handguns of the Confederacy

[Rcampb6131]

Jim, the Dance .44 will slide on to the arbor of the G & G, but it is a tight fit.  In addition, when attempting to cock the hammer, the cylinder locks up the action.  It probably could be made to work with a LIttle gunsmithing.  IMO, the Dance would need a customized bolt installed in order to use the G & G .36 cal. cylinder. 
Tc

[sourdough]

Jim, the Dance .44 will slide on to the arbor of the G & G, but it is a tight fit.  In addition, when attempting to cock the hammer, the cylinder locks up the action.  It probably could be made to work with a little gunsmithing.  IMO, the Dance would need a customized bolt installed in order to use the G & G .36 cal. cylinder. 
Tc

Thanks, TC! Valuable information for me. You have made my day (sort of!) by steering me down a good path. You have probably saved me a bunch of money and heartache down the line.

Still scratching my head as to the non-cut water table dimensional difference between the Dance and the 1851 Navy. I find it hard to believe that Pietta created a new frame for the Dance as it does not seem to be nearly as popular as the 1851 Navy (insofar as sales), unless there was an additional milling process on the Dance water table to remove a few thousandths of steel to fit the cylinder (perhaps at the same time as the recoil shields were milled off?). I sure would like to be a fly on the wall in the Pietta factory! I would be interested to see the external cylinder diameter difference between the Dance .44 and the 1851 Navy cylinders, as well as the depth of the bolt slots on those cylinders, but I am not asking you to do that. You have been very gracious.

Info much appreciated, sir.

Jim

[Rcampb6131]

Jim, I don't have a micrometer, but here is a picture of the two cylinders.  You can see the difference.

[Captainkirk]

Wow...that's significant. Almost like the difference between Dragoon and Army.

[sourdough]

Thanks, TC!

Still puzzled as to how Pietta got that to fit an 1851 Navy frame unless the water table was milled some.

Guess I get to save my money for something else!

Jim

[Hewy]

Here, from my collection, are the most produced revolvers by the Confederacy:

Top to bottom, Griswold & Gunnison by Pietta, (approx. 3,700); Leech & Rigdon by Uberti, (approx. 2,500 incl Rigdon & Ansley); Spiller & Burr by Pietta, (approx. 1,400); J. H. Dance & Bros by Pietta, (approx. 364 plus 136 .36 cal.)

Source:  Confederate Revolvers, by William A. Gary, K8 Communications, 1987.

Little by little I am entering the collectors roll.The reason I picked this post, is that I am working on
obtaining the  same four Confederate revolvers as shown in Rcampb photo.
Not quite there yet, but getting close.
Hewy

[sourdough]

Here, from my collection, are the most produced revolvers by the Confederacy:

Top to bottom, Griswold & Gunnison by Pietta, (approx. 3,700); Leech & Rigdon by Uberti, (approx. 2,500 incl Rigdon & Ansley); Spiller & Burr by Pietta, (approx. 1,400); J. H. Dance & Bros by Pietta, (approx. 364 plus 136 .36 cal.)

Source:  Confederate Revolvers, by William A. Gary, K8 Communications, 1987.

Little by little I am entering the collectors roll.The reason I picked this post, is that I am working on
obtaining the  same four Confederate revolvers as shown in Rcampb photo.
Not quite there yet, but getting close.
Hewy

Well, Hewy, after that you need a Schneider and Glassick, an Augusta Machine Works, a Columbus Fire Arms Mfg. Co., a Rigdon and Ansley (12 bolt stops), a George Todd, a Tucker, Sherrard, and Company, and others.

[Source: "Confederate Handguns", Albaugh/Benet/Simmons (1963), pub. Bonanza Books New York]

Just trying to help adjust your bank account to Make America Green Again!

 

Or, you can cheat (like I did) and use 3 different Pietta 1851 Navy Type .36 pistols (1851 Second Model, 1851 Third Model, and G&G) to create 5 different "historical" replicas (to add a S&G and a L&R) and many fantasy pistols by swapping barrels, cylinders and frames with no tools required.

My favorite Pietta fantasy pistol: 1851 Navy Second Model Dragoon .36 (using the Second Model steel frame/SB trigger guard and the G&G barrel/cylinder). I still think that Colt should have manufactured this while still marketing SB trigger guards:



We all have to admit that I am doing no service (when I die) to future replica collectors when they acquire my Pietta S&G and L&R and cannot find any reference to Pietta making these models (so far). If one wants to brown formerly blued parts (as in creating a George Todd) sobeit, but I disdain anyone defarbing an original replica so as to create something that may be construed as a true original. To me, that is not what replica collecting is all about.

Just my $.02 worth.

Happy hunting and modifying replicas to fit.

Jim

[Hewy]

sourdough, I don't have the...aah.. dough , to get more. So the four I have *.
will do for now.
*The Dance and Leech & Rigdon are in route to me.
 

[Captainkirk]

And don't forget the Big Daddy...the LeMat.