1851 Navy comparision

[LonesomePigeon]

Here is a comparison pic of the 1851 Navy by different manufacturers. How many differences can you see?

Top: Uberti 2015 production.
Middle: Colt 2nd Generation F-Series.
Bottom: Gregorelli & Uberti circa 1959/60.

[ssb73q]

Hi Lonesome, interesting thanks for posting. All three have different hammers, triggers, trigger positions, and finishes. The middle one has a squareback trigger guard and may have a longer frame based on the longer forcing cone. The bottom one has the plunger screw coming in from the left, the wedge is wider, and the grip finish is different from the other two.

Tell me more, tell me more ....................

Regards,
Richard

[99whip]

A couple more quick ones;

The dovetailed loading lever catch on the top one is wider than the bottom two models.
Barrel lugs on the Colt model is thinner than the other two models.
Grips on the top model look noticeably wider or maybe just camera angle

[LonesomePigeon]

 One of these days I am going to take some actual measurements but the things I notice are:

The barrel lugs are all quite different in shape.

The front of the frame where the frame pins are located are different thicknesses, Uberti the thickest, Colt next thickest and GU slightly thinner than the Colt.

I think the GU may have a slightly larger recoil shield than the others.

The GU has a significantly smaller diameter barrel that is a lot more tapered.

The wedges are different on all three.

The GU has no cylinder engraving.

Something that cannot be seen in the pics is the GU has a wide, square rear sight notch in the hammer. It also has a fast twist barrel, something like 1:8.

ssb73q, I am not sure if the Colt has a longer frame. That's something I hadn't noticed that I'll have to measure. The rest of your observations are correct, I think.

99whip, yes the grips on the Uberti are deffinately wider than the other two. The rest of what you said is also correct.

[Hawg]

ssb73q, I am not sure if the Colt has a longer frame. That's something I hadn't noticed that I'll have to measure. The rest of your observations are correct, I think.

I doubt the frame is longer because they're both made by Uberti.

[LonesomePigeon]

Hawg the C-Series frames were made in Italy but the F-Series frames were made in USA, according to a quote by Lou Imperato. That's not to say they are any better than Uberti made frames as I have heard of several 2nd Gen 1851 Navy's with shot loose arbors, including the one in the picture.

[Hawg]

I know they made screws and some internal parts for the F series in the old Iver Johnson factory but this is the first I've heard of them making frames.

[LonesomePigeon]

Excerpt from Dennis Adler's book, Second Edition Blue Book of Modern Black Powder Values, published by Blue Book Publications.

 "They were all hand-fitted. There was no way to do mass production," explains Imperato. "We had the barrels, cylinders and backstraps cast in Italy (as Forgett had done), but we finished them off in-house. We made the frames, the center pins, nipples, all of the screws, springs, and built every F Series gun at Iver Johnson Arms. We even used the old style color-case hardening method with the charcoal and bone meal, and Colt's exclusive Colt Blue Finish. They turned out pretty good. In fact, I think our finishes were actually better than Colt's single actions being done in Hartford."

[Hawg]

Well cool. You taught me something.