September 21st-Snap-A-Cap Day

[Bishop Creek]

Len,
Those pistols appear to be originals, do you shoot them? It looks like the English pistol has a replaced cock (hammer) on the original lock.

[Len]

Bishop,
yes I shoot'em both, but sparingly, with just 15 grains of BP. Both are originals.
The English one is identical to this one (but more used)
https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1170508.1
When I won mine at a net auction in 2013, there was the beginning of a crack at the bend of the cock, just above the screw. So I carefully repaired the crack by TIG welding. The darker surface comes from "oil blueing" and will wear off with time. Got it for $600, which I thought was a bargain.
The Griffin is .62 (prolly .60 when manufactured). The French is .50

P.S.
This photo from the above link shows a peculiar detail on the cock. There's a crack and a hole.
As if someone stopped a crack by drilling a hole, which is a common method in both metal and polymeres.

[Bishop Creek]

Thanks for the info Len, very nice pieces. Must be fun to actually shoot original 1700s pistols.

[Len]

You're welcome Bishop,
yeah it's great fun, but I bet you have even more fun with your .62 as you can feed it more BP than I'm willing to venture.
Tell us more about your adventures.
(we seem to have de-railed from this thread. Maybe the Capt'n could  move our stone-lock ramblings to a separate thread?)

[Bishop Creek]

I use anywhere from 50 to 70 grains of 2F in my flintlock pistol, kicks like a mule. And to keep this post in line with the thread, I may fire it off in honor of those forum members who went before us, like DD4life, from whom I bought lots of black powder stuff.

[Captainkirk]

Just a reminder, boys...this coming Saturday, September 21st is Snap-A-Cap. For those of you who are busy Saturday, any time this week will suffice. If you live in an area where snapping a cap is illegal, immoral, or impossible any old thing will do. You can blow up a balloon or lunch bag and pop it. You can shoot off a kiddie cap gun. You can toast our fallen comrades with Coca Cola, milk or orange juice...doesn't matter. Just raise your glass, pop your cap (or whatever!) and remember those CC members who have gone on before us, and tell your tale, snap a pic or two if possible. (I'm still trying to pick out this year's nominee for capper-snapper myself!)

 

[Ringo]

I'll raise a glass (or two) tonight to the memory of my friend Sourdough, gone but not forgotten.

[Len]

Shot flinter this afternoon. Smoke, bang, smell, toll. Using Steve's patches and wax and Emery's dispenser

[Captainkirk]

I have chosen my Navy to do the honors this evening. Still working on the toast part. Decisions, decisions!

[Captainkirk]

Mission accomplished, men. I chose my EXCAM .36 Navy Colt for the honors, and broke open a fresh can of Remington #10 caps. Libation of choice was Christian Bros. brandy.
Outside it was muggy and still, with the only background noise being the cicadas (which despite the darkness, never seem to shut up and sleep) and the frogs "reee-ing" in the inky darkness. I stepped out behind the garage and with the brandy doing most of the talking, offered up a salute; Here's to you, Emery, Jim, Steve and Johnny, and anyone else I might have forgotten or missed; to you, boys..." , raised the Colt skyward and...CRACK! 10 minutes later my ears are still ringing. A single cap in the still night is quite a noisy little bugger...once inside, I once again raised the toast and polished off the brandy. And hope, just for a moment, that our friends past (and passed) are smiling upstairs.  Slainte.

[Captainkirk]

G, IIRC aren't you also a big fan of .36 cal, Navies? Alongside your '58 NMA do you also have one of those Remington-Beals models chambered in .36 caliber? I see that they offered it in .31 as well. Frame wise, were they the same size as the .44 NMA version? I wonder if any of the Italian makers ever produced one of the Remington's in .31 or .36 caliber? I know I could Google it but I prefer hearing from you guys here. 
Consarn it all! I couldn't wait. Pietta, 1863 Pocket Remington in .31. https://www.jedediah-starr.com/closeup.asp?cid=14&pid=2816&offset=4

To answer your question, Z, The original Remington Navy (.36) was noticeably smaller than the NMA. Ironically, the Pietta repro NMA is actually both larger and a bit heavier than the originals and other repros as well, including Uberti, ASM, Lyman/DGG (Armi San Paolo), Euroarms and ASM (Armi San Marco). And to top it off, Pietta used the same frame and cylinder (underbored) for their 'Navy' model and just stuck a 6" barrel on it. Yeah, it's way heavy compared to the petite little Lyman Navy I sold to my son. If you had a jones for one I'd say go Uberti and you can ditch the billboard barrel in the process, or look to an older used Lyman or ASM. They do pop up every so often on the auction sites and forum classifieds.
The '63 is a horse of a different color, as you've seen. .31 cal, pop-up trigger, and only holding around 10gr of 3f, available in brass and steel, this is one brasser you wouldn't need to run away from as 10 grains of 3f is, well...you get the picture.
Speaking of pictures, the Lyman is the top right one in this pic;



I should've kept it....

[Zulch]

G, IIRC aren't you also a big fan of .36 cal, Navies? Alongside your '58 NMA do you also have one of those Remington-Beals models chambered in .36 caliber? I see that they offered it in .31 as well. Frame wise, were they the same size as the .44 NMA version? I wonder if any of the Italian makers ever produced one of the Remington's in .31 or .36 caliber? I know I could Google it but I prefer hearing from you guys here. 
Consarn it all! I couldn't wait. Pietta, 1863 Pocket Remington in .31. https://www.jedediah-starr.com/closeup.asp?cid=14&pid=2816&offset=4

To answer your question, Z, The original Remington Navy (.36) was noticeably smaller than the NMA. Ironically, the Pietta repro NMA is actually both larger and a bit heavier than the originals and other repros as well, including Uberti, ASM, Lyman/DGG (Armi San Paolo), Euroarms and ASM (Armi San Marco). And to top it off, Pietta used the same frame and cylinder (underbored) for their 'Navy' model and just stuck a 6" barrel on it. Yeah, it's way heavy compared to the petite little Lyman Navy I sold to my son. If you had a jones for one I'd say go Uberti and you can ditch the billboard barrel in the process, or look to an older used Lyman or ASM. They do pop up every so often on the auction sites and forum classifieds.
The '63 is a horse of a different color, as you've seen. .31 cal, pop-up trigger, and only holding around 10gr of 3f, available in brass and steel, this is one brasser you wouldn't need to run away from as 10 grains of 3f is, well...you get the picture.
Speaking of pictures, the Lyman is the top right one in this pic;



I should've kept it....

Thank you Cap for the education. I like the display. So you sold/traded the Lyman? What provoked that? Another revolver?
I used aa ASM Dragoon, Model II for the honors of the annual snap-a-cap yesterday afternoon.

[Captainkirk]

Thank you Cap for the education. I like the display.

Thank you. Some of those guns are gone now, replaced with others. I still have 7 or 8 NMA's though

So you sold/traded the Lyman? What provoked that? Another revolver?

Constant harassment from one of my sons. He shot it and just had to have it.

I used aa ASM Dragoon, Model II for the honors of the annual snap-a-cap yesterday afternoon.

Good man.