"Colt Revolvers: The Greatest Handguns of the Old West" Topic

"The Frontier West was nothing if not a place of opportunity. It offered an unlimited number of ways to perish including disease (a big favorite), thirst, starvation, weather, livestock, serpents, insanity, and, of course, your fellow man. There was not a lot you could do about anything except the last, and for that the remedy was: Get a gun…"

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Two things spring to mind

"God merely created man – Samuel Colt made them equal"

And

"Rooster Cogburn : Why, by God, girl, that's a Colt's Dragoon! You're no bigger than a corn nubbin, what're you doing with all this pistol?

Mattie Ross : It belonged to my father, he carried it bravely in the war, and I intend to kill Tom Chaney with it if the law fails to do so.

Rooster Cogburn : Well, this'll sure get the job done if you can find a fence post to rest it on while you take aim."

In the 1969 movie the gun was actually a Walker Colt, while in the 2010 movie they actually used a Colt Dragoon (aka the Colt Model 1848 Percussion Army Revolver)

I have reproductions of the .36 Navy and the .44 Army percussion revolvers and they are so much fun to shoot. They have to be cleaned often and spare cylinders are a must but the effort is worth it.

I've had the Pietta version of the Paterson and it is pretty awkward. However, the 1851 Navy is almost perfect.

Switching out cylinders on a Remington black powder revolver is way easier than on a Colt. If you have the wedge on the Colt in correctly and have the right gap, it requires a tool to knock out the wedge. On a Remingtion all you have to do is drop the loading lever, move the hammer to half cock and the cylinder drops right out. Although I do carry a Walker for reenacting, my son prefers a Remington .36 Navy. TIG

I second tigrifsgt. The Remington back strap enables an easy cylinder change, not only C&B but to cartridge conversion, and back again. Cartridge conversion for a Colt was a little more permanent.

That being said, after the 1873 Peacemaker hit the seen, everything swung Colt in popularity. However, as we all know, popular doesn't always mean best. C&B existed alongside cartridge pistols for many years with the 1851 holding popularity with noteworthy shootists like Hickcock.

I rather think I might have preferred a Schofield during those transition years. Economics being a driving factor, ACW surplus small arms were around for decades.

Thanks.

Armand

I have to agree with Pyrate Captain. If I was going after an old west cartridge gun, it would be a Schofield. Its much easier to load and it ejects all six spent cartridges at the same time. The Colts empties have to be dropped out one at a time. Also, for any of my friends out there who don't know, the Schofield is a Remington. Tom Selleck carried a Schofield in some of his western movies.

Thanks also…

Armand