Make: F.A.P., Fratelli Pietta

Model: 1851 Navy

Serial#: 50534

Year of Manufacture: 1974, XXX Date Code. First year of revolver production.

Caliber: .36 Cal.

Action Type: Single-Action Revolver with 6-Round Cylinder and Rammer.

Barrel Length: 7 ½" Octagon

Sights/ Optics: The front sight is a brass mortise code fixed at the muzzle. The rear sight is a v-notch in hammer, visible when cocked.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are one piece smooth wood. There is modest handling wear with intermittent finish loss on the edges. There are scratches and scuffs. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grip is in Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blued barrel and cylinder. Case Color packing lever and hammer. Brass frame and grip frame. Engraved.

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is dark and the rifling is sharp. There is rust in the lower half portion of the bore. There is scattered surface rust in each chamber. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 4/10.

Overall Condition: The revolver retains about 90% of its metal finish. There is thinning on the leading edges. There is a thick turn line on the cylinder. There is light intermittent oxidation with surface rust around the nipples and rear of the cylinder. The barrel has mold play to the frame. The brass has some tarnishing. The case colors are strong on the packing lever, trigger, and parts of the hammer. The screwheads are tool marked. The markings are lightly worn. Overall, the revolver is in Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. There is mild play between the barrel and the frame. We did not fire this revolver. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box Paperwork and Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1851 Navy became one of the most recognizable percussion revolvers of the 19th century, combining a trim .36-caliber frame, octagonal barrel, and excellent handling qualities in a design used throughout the antebellum period, Civil War, and American West. This F.lli Pietta reproduction is especially interesting as a very early example of the company's percussion-revolver production: Pietta's own company history states that it entered historical revolver production in 1974 and that the Model 1851 Navy figured in its first major order. The XXX Italian proof-date code likewise corresponds to 1974, placing this revolver at the beginning of Pietta's long association with reproduction cap-and-ball arms.

This engraved 1851 Navy retains about 90% of its original blue, case-colored, and brass finish, with edge thinning, a pronounced cylinder turn line, scattered oxidation, and surface rust around the nipples and rear of the cylinder. The smooth wood grip remains in Good condition with honest handling wear, while the bore retains sharp rifling but is dark with rust and rates 4/10. The action functions correctly, and the engraving, brass frame, and unusually early 1974 production give this example considerably more collector interest than a typical later-production reproduction. For the black-powder enthusiast or collector of early Italian replica arms, this is an appealing first-year Pietta 1851 Navy with distinctive period styling and plenty of character.