Backstory on this gun...the very first black powder gun I ever owned was an 1858 Remington blued version imported by Navy Arms. There were 3 revolvers in the case at the LGS when I went to purchase one; two blued and one SS Remington. While the SS gun was a real drooler, it was a lot more expensive, so I purchased a Navy Arms blued version. I never got to fire it. While playing with it less than a month after purchase, the hand spring broke (which I didn't know anything about at the time) and the cylinder wouldn't always lock into battery. I sorta freaked out and brought it back to the store to see what could be done. The manager knew little or nothing about BP guns and didn't want to deal with repairs. By this time, the other blued version was gone, so he offered to exchange the Navy Arms for the SS version, even-Steven. Twist my arm! No objections on my part!
Turns out is is an Armsport (Miami, FL) import of a Armi San Paolo 1858 manufactured in 1978. It had been in their inventory for quite some time, as this was around 1983. This gun is so easy to feed and care for it's not funny! A quick wipe-down with a damp rag is all it needs but I give 'er the Full Monte every time I shoot it. I've nicknamed it "Old Faithful" because I always drag it along as a backup whether intending to shoot it or not and most times I end up doing just that. It always fires, doesn't experience cap jams, and generally rings the gong every time it goes off.
This was the same gun I used to salute DD4 (Steve) after his untimely passing by snapping a cap in the backyard and toasting his memory (see below)
