Discussion Colt vs Remington

[Capt7thWvCoA]

Which pistol was better and more over favorited by troops in the field ? Me personally I like the remington new model army . I carry a reproduction on my belt when I go to reenactments.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

Colt vs. Remington could start a fight that would last longer than the one in the 1860's!

 

[JOHN42768]

Remington was built stronger with the top strap, but Colt had much better P.R.people and liked making gifts to the right sources. Maybe Remington did also for all we know. I kind of favor the Whitney Navy myself

 

[Shootist]

I agree with John42768, a lot of good marketing and what ever else was necessary. Personally I like the feel of the Colt army and its balance in my hand (original or copy) but I am partial to the navy.
However and it's a big however, the Remington offered something colt did not;
The ability to quickly swap empty cylinders for loaded ones! Now throw the Adams in and let the sparks fly

 

[on again]

good looking guns only drawback is that they are precussion,,,,not self conatined bulltets...

 

[Booner]

I don't know which pistol those in the army of either side preferred, but for the guerrillas who fought in Missouri, it was the .36 cal. Colt.

 

[Old Soldier]

Colt had all the patents and the production facilities. Colt set the standards, but patented every new development. There were far better pistols than the Colt at the time, but they always had 'patent evasion' technology so no under-barrel rammer or a different mechanism. Double-action was frowned upon, even though they were the better close quarter battle weapon. Smith & Wesson did the same - patenting the 'through bore cylinder' ie any cylinder made for cartridges.

 

[ConfederateCanuck]

I love both, and nothing beats the look and feel of an 1851 Navy, but if my life depended on it I'd choose the Remington New Model Army over the comparable Colt1860 Army. Based on practical experience, it is far less likely to jam due to spent caps. It has a stronger frame and cylinder, is more accurate, easier to maintain, less tiny parts to lose, and doesn't have that goddamned(!) wedge.

 

[bayonet]

I agree with John42768, a lot of good marketing and what ever else was necessary. Personally I like the feel of the Colt army and its balance in my hand (original or copy) but I am partial to the navy.
However and it's a big however, the Remington offered something colt did not;
The ability to quickly swap empty cylinders for loaded ones! Now throw the Adams in and let the sparks fly

So true the Remington was faster and easier to reload. When your in the thick of it that makes a big difference. As others said here Colt simply had the brand name, history, reputation, and business smarts, etc.

 

[CowCavalry]

The Colt's point better, the grip on the 51 navy makes it feel like a natural extension of your hand, it was retained for the 73 single action army. I agree, the Remington is a more robust design but I love the look and feel of the Colt.

If I am not mistaken, the accounts of a loaded cylinder being swapped out during the war has been discounted as a myth, it has been proven that there were no revolvers shipped out with spare cylinders to the Army. And you couldn't just order one to fit, they would have to be hand fitted to the revolver. Officers were issued revolvers and they were mostly used to keep their own men from running to the rear or to put down a wounded horse and cut him out of the traces, in the case of an artillery officer. Cavalry used revolvers and the answer was to carry multiple ones, not spare cylinders.

 

[Cornpone and Molasses]

Chevy or Ford?
I'm sure it was something like this.

 

[limestone1863]

Prefer Colt Navy for light weight, balance & fit. Also like Whitney equally. Heavy Remington very good also. PS. If was back in 1930's to 50's would have been Ford man. But in 1960's was a Chevy man. My opinion & I'm full of them.

 

[limestone1863]

The Colt's point better, the grip on the 51 navy makes it feel like a natural extension of your hand, it was retained for the 73 single action army. I agree, the Remington is a more robust design but I love the look and feel of the Colt.

If I am not mistaken, the accounts of a loaded cylinder being swapped out during the war has been discounted as a myth, it has been proven that there were no revolvers shipped out with spare cylinders to the Army. And you couldn't just order one to fit, they would have to be hand fitted to the revolver. Officers were issued revolvers and they were mostly used to keep their own men from running to the rear or to put down a wounded horse and cut him out of the traces, in the case of an artillery officer. Cavalry used revolvers and the answer was to carry multiple ones, not spare cylinders.

Yep!

 

[CowCavalry]

Which pistol was better and more over favorited by troops in the field ? Me personally I like the remington new model army . I carry a reproduction on my belt when I go to reenactments.

Prefer Colt Navy for light weight, balance & fit. Also like Whitney equally. Heavy Remington very good also. PS. If was back in 1930's to 50's would have been Ford man. But in 1960's was a Chevy man. My opinion & I'm full of them.

I have an 1851 and 61 Colt navy models, the 61 may be one of the the most aesthetically pleasing handguns ever made, IMO.

 

[ConfederateCanuck]

I have an 1851 and 61 Colt navy models, the 61 may be one of the the most aesthetically pleasing handguns ever made, IMO.

Well, if we're gonna go with aesthetically pleasing, although the 1851 Navy is a piece of art (truly an iconic gun), the sexiest Colt is the 1862 Police (I like the 5.5" barrel version the best).

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

For me, a real deep blue/black Remington army with ivory grips just "does it". No engraving - just plain pretty!
I have a Uberti repro. that I bought way back in 1968 or so and it's shot thousands of lead balls since then. It isn't real pretty anymore though.
I had a Colt army once, but that disappearing rear sight bugged me. The grip on the Colt is probably better, the Remington grip is sort of small and my little finger ends up under instead of on it.

 

[Joe Whitworth]

Cylinder swaps are a myth. My first cap and ball was a Remington, I was happy with it until I bought my first Colt. Colts are pretty, Remingtons aren't, the smooth flowing lines of the Colt are more pleasing to my eye. Remingtons foul up quickly, getting sticky and binding the cylinder causing a bent hand spring when trying to cock the hammer. After firing 2-3 cylinders the Remington is done shooting until the cylinder pin and cylinder are disassembled and cleaned, I get tired of shooting a Colt before it becomes unshootable due to powder fouling. YMMV

 

[ConfederateCanuck]

Cylinder swaps are a myth. My first cap and ball was a Remington, I was happy with it until I bought my first Colt. Colts are pretty, Remingtons aren't, the smooth flowing lines of the Colt are more pleasing to my eye. Remingtons foul up quickly, getting sticky and binding the cylinder causing a bent hand spring when trying to cock the hammer. After firing 2-3 cylinders the Remington is done shooting until the cylinder pin and cylinder are disassembled and cleaned, I get tired of shooting a Colt before it becomes unshootable due to powder fouling. YMMV

Perhaps, though I can't say I really have noticed that. I will be more mindful the next time I shoot those guns. I think however, that it would be fairly easy to clean the cylinder pin on the Remington. Just drop the loading lever and slide the cylinder pin out, wipe it down, do the same to the cylinder, put it back in. That really wouldn't take too long, and there are no tiny little parts (like those infernal dangnabbitfangled wedges ) that can get lost while doing that.

 

[BartlbyAdams]

I have an 1851 and 61 Colt navy models, the 61 may be one of the the most aesthetically pleasing handguns ever made, IMO.

I agree from a pure aesthetics perspective. The 1861 is just beautiful. Three slides from my research presentation on the USS Sangamon.

 

[bayonet]

For me, a real deep blue/black Remington army with ivory grips just "does it". No engraving - just plain pretty!
I have a Uberti repro. that I bought way back in 1968 or so and it's shot thousands of lead balls since then. It isn't real pretty anymore though.
I had a Colt army once, but that disappearing rear sight bugged me. The grip on the Colt is probably better, the Remington grip is sort of small and my little finger ends up under instead of on it.

"disappearing rear sight"? Got me there what are you talking about? The rear sight is actually on the hammer when you cock it.