i thought there was no such thing as a 51 in 44...
http://classic.gunauction.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=14413650
There wasn't. That's not a .44. You can tell a .36 from a .44 because a .44 has a rebated cylinder and water table. Somebody also destroyed about 700 bucks worth of value by chrome plating it.
The auction link specifically states it is a .36. I agree with Hawg about the value of the pistol. As the last current bid is $315, it has little collector interest. Might be a very nice wallhanger.
I know this is an "original" Colt 1851 Navy that has been "purtied up", most likely in the 60's to make it more "presentable" (my father was one of those guys who loved the buffing wheel and refinishing original wood: sigh!), but I would like to weigh in on replica 1851 Navy type pistols insofar as the .44 rebated cylinder on an 1851 Navy brass frame, which is absolutely historically incorrect.
Please do not run with the idea that all replica 1851 Navy type frames with a rebated cylinder/stepped water table are the
only way a replica 1851 Navy type can be a .44 Pistol.
Pietta has created a J.H. Dance and Brothers .44 on an 1851 Navy steel type frame (nothing more than an 1851 Navy frame with the recoil shield milled off). It has a straight cylinder (no rebate) and no stepped water table cut. However, their .44 cylinder is much larger in diameter than their standard .36 cylinder, which says that the factory milled down the water table to allow the cylinder to fit, and also modified the cylinder stop bolt.
There is a guy hereabouts (rcampbell) who knows a lot about that.
Sorry, I am OT.
Regards,
Jim