Part of an old pistol from Civil War site..Need Information.

[dg39]

A month or so back I gave some information to a detecting friend about a Civil war era site I had researched.
He hunted the area and came up with a number of items. One of them is the pistol trigger and grip pictured below.
There are some numbers on the part.
It is 4-1/2 inches long.
3 inches high.
There are four course threaded holes in the part.
It appears to be cast. Very good condition.
Can anyone ID the type of gun and it's age for me.
It came from a significant historic area and could be tied to an old plantation home and the Civil war..if it is of the right time period.
Thanks!
DG

 

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[ivan salis]

the brass is "pretty" but the steel holds up much better * if buying a replica * -- during the civil war the south was drastically short of steel for military needs --so all of the guns parts that were not "must be made from steel" --were often made of brass to save the steel for parts that ABSOLUTELY HAD to be made of steel. -- THE NORTH HAD NO SHORTAGE OF STEEL SO THE UNION GUNS WERE NORMALLY ALL STEEL .

 

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[Gunny71]

I agree that its from a colt 1860 Army .44 cal pistol.
Colt never made Brass frame 1860 army revolvers, and brass framed replicas should use lighter loads.
Great find!
Here is my Uberti 1860 army clone. Its a hoot to shoot, and suprisingly accurate.

Here is a picture of a real one.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Here is my Uberti 1860 army. Its a hoot to shoot, and suprisingly accurate.
Great find!

Here's a pic of my .44 in action.....Love the smoke cloud. Second pic is my pistol

How many grains powder do you guys use? Mine is like a cap gun compared to my .45 or .50 caliber rifles. I doubt I could kill a hog with it unless I am very close.

 

[Gunny71]

I edited my post above before after your reply bigcy, but this is from Wikipedia.
I dont remember the exact load Im using now, Ill have to break out the powder measure and check.

There are very few variations on the 1860 Army Revolver, but there was limited production of a 7.5-inch barrel model.(Wilson 1985), and a lightened model with cylinder flutes. According to importer Cimarron Arms Company, this was called the "Texas Model" because a number of them came into Texas shortly after secession. The goal was to make use of silver spring steel of controlled carbon content and greater strength, but the thinned cylinder proved inadequate and sometimes exploded.(ibid wilson)

Military 1860s had elongated screw lugs on the side of the frame to mount a detachable shoulder stock.

Original Colt Army Model 1860 revolvers had steel frames. Modern replicas are made by many manufacturers, some of which have steel frames and some of which have brass frames. Brass frame replicas are intended for use with lighter loads than the 30 grains of FFFg powder that may be used with modern day steel frame replicas, typically ranging from approximately 12 to 15 grains up to 20 grains of FFFg powder.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

My flask is metered to 30 grains, unfortunately I need a new one since the gate is messed up for some reason, and I've gotten a few hot loads recently. Mine will shoot through the bottom of a cast aluminum skillet at about ten yards, or through a wet phone book using Hornady .451 balls, I also use Traditions .451s, but they don't seem to get the same penetration. I think the lead is a bit softer in them, (or at least the batch I got). I'd like to cast my own eventually just to play with different hardnesses in the lead.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I think I use at least 30 grains but I havent used it for a few years. I just carry it for close up encounters but I dont have much faith in it truthfully. I also use wads to prevent chain fires.
I use 100 grains in my rifles. My .45 sidelock Mountain Rifle that I built from a kit is super accurate.

 

[steelheadwill]

Awesome find and very interesting post!
love seeing all the old firearms
I'll add a couple pix, an 1858 Beals New Navy triggerguard and the pistol it came from.
Best Digs all!

 

[dozer dan]

wag, 1851 colt copy made for southern troops in .36 cal

or it could be any from any number of pistols of that era that were part brass.

im kinda thinkin that the trigger guard was at one point, more round but could have been damaged in battle or even

by a plow years after.

this one pictured was posted on here for a long time trying to authenticate it with many mixed opinions, then just

kinda faded away. at the one year anniversary of the last posting of replies i figured i'd repost it because

t-net had new members with new insight and ideas. when i did reposted it, one of the moderators

(who shall remain nameless) decided he wanted no more of it and deleted it then sent me a insulting letter as to why.

i'm guessing because it wasn't "found in a friends chicken coop".

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

this one pictured was posted on here for a long time trying to authenticate it with many mixed opinions, then just

kinda faded away. at the one year anniversary of the last posting of replies i figured i'd repost it because

t-net had new members with new insight and ideas. when i did reposted it, one of the moderators

(who shall remain nameless) decided he wanted no more of it and deleted it then sent me a insulting letter as to why.

Yes I remember it. You posted good pics. I dont understand why you cannot bump it back up. Just make a post in it, and its back up to the top. I found that bumping it is better than starting a whole new thread. Or you can post a link to it here http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,224899.msg2906183.html#msg2906183

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

there are serial numbers right below the top screw hole, looks alot like this pic of an 1860 colt revolver trigger guard

Yes the serial numbers can be checked by Colt and they will tell you when it was sold but I cant find the link..

 

[dg39]

this one pictured was posted on here for a long time trying to authenticate it with many mixed opinions, then just

kinda faded away. at the one year anniversary of the last posting of replies i figured i'd repost it because

t-net had new members with new insight and ideas. when i did reposted it, one of the moderators

(who shall remain nameless) decided he wanted no more of it and deleted it then sent me a insulting letter as to why.

Yes I remember it. You posted very good clear pics. I dont understand why you cannot bump it back up. Just make a post in it, and its back up to the top. I found that bumping it is better than starting a whole new thread. Or you can post a link to it here, unless it has been deleted.

The guard appears to be an exact match.
DG

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Sorry dg, we kinda hijacked your thread a bit.

I think we've narrowed it down pretty well though, you might want to send some pics and the serial number to Colt, and see what they have to say. If you look at the "Battlefield Relics" forum, someone recently found a barrel for one. Actually I'll be you could almost built a whole pistol out of parts I've seen found on Tnet.

 

[dg39]

No problem with the nonessential post's. They sometime just add a little color.
I am pretty sure it is a 1861...36 cal. trigger guard.
I am suprised most did not see the difference in the shape of the trigger guard itself. Not noting its curve.
The guard was found in an area where a major plantation home dating before the civil war was located.
The home was moved to another location years ago and is now a major tourist attraction in my home town of Alexandria, La.
I was glad to receive the item and verify it. I am Director and Curator of the Louisiana History Museum and use this site quite a bit.
It is quite useful most of the time to help in ID of artifacts given to the museum. If you are interested in finding out more about the museum go to:
www.louisianahistorymuseum.org

I will post a few more items in the next day or to that need information.
Thanks!!
DG

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

No problem with the nonessential post's. They sometime just add a little color.
I am pretty sure it is a 1861...36 cal. trigger guard.
I am suprised most did not see the difference in the shape of the trigger guard itself. Not noting its curve.

Dont you mean 1851? Here is the Colt patent. http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/10/the_colt_model_.html
Note the trigger guard.

 

[dg39]

No problem with the nonessential post's. They sometime just add a little color.
I am pretty sure it is a 1861...36 cal. trigger guard.
I am suprised most did not see the difference in the shape of the trigger guard itself. Not noting its curve.

Dont you mean 1851? Here is the Colt patent. http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/10/the_colt_model_.html
Note the trigger guard.

The water was muddy, 1851 is correct.
DG