Contents
My
Replica Revolver (CO2 .177 Air Pellet)
The Colt Peacemaker is the ideal air weapon for plinking and target
practice. It is possible to use the weapon to kill close up vermin but a
.22 air rifle is best used to ensure an accurate and clean kill. The holster is important as it is the only safe way to carry the gun. I can fire the gun on my own land
within a specified safe distance of people and public
walkways, which in my case is not a problem.
The two videos that sold me on the Umarex CO2 .177 Pellet Colt Single Action
Army Replica Revolver was this one that demonstrated an authentic 1887
Colt
'Frontier' Single Action Revolver and a 2015 Colt Single Action Revolver
-
AND - A video review of the Umarex Colt 5.5" CO2 .177 Pellet Peacemaker loading and firing performance -
NOTE: I purchased one of the last Umarex Colt 'Blued' Peacemakers with the
longer 7.5" barrel - It is now no longer listed
on the Umarex Website. My gun is shown in the images further down the
page.
Click on gun image to link to a 5.5"
Barrel Antique Finish Version with an alternative choice of a 5.5" Barrel
Nickel Plated Version with White Grips (select from the box section on
the Umarex Website) -
I purchased the gun from Pellax in England and had it shipped to Livelines Tackle and Guns in Scotland. The weapon cannot be shipped to a private home address. I had to produce a copy of my Scottish Air Weapon Certificate Licence via email to Pellax and present the hardcopy to Livelines to uplift the gun. I could have picked up the gun at Pellax with my Air Weapon Licence but the distance from my home was too prohibitive. As always, if I walk around in the UK with the gun in public view, especially with the revolver in a holster, I may find myself in the chokey, a guest of HM Prisons - unless of course I attend a fully insured gun club range.
When you apply and receive your
air weapon certificate licence it is very important that you adhere to
any conditions for your use of the weapon. The main condition for my use
states "The air weapon shall be used for the shooting of all lawful
quarry, and for zeroing and practice on ranges and land, over which the
holder has lawful authority to shoot". The Colt Peacemaker air
revolver has enough velocity and penetration power, especially at short
range, to inflict a serious wound or even cause death to a person, so it
is kept in a secure gun cabinet within my alarm protected home to deter
theft and it falling into the wrong hands.
The reason I purchased the Peacemaker from Pellax - it was not on
their online website but the last one languishing in their storeroom. Apparently it
is in very short supply and Livelines in Scotland could not source the
weapon in the UK. NOTE: I appear to have the later model than the one shown
in the video, the only difference being that an Allen Key for
screw/locking the Umarex CO2 cartridge is permanently built into a metal plate
situated inside (at the base) of the removal grip. You simply use
the grip to insert the Allen key and screw the cartridge home, and then
replace the grip.
Umarex CO2 Gas Capsules & Crosman
Pellgun Oil
I am a great believer in purchasing gun accessories (if possible) from
the same manufacturer of the gun. So
fortunately, Umarex supply their
own CO2 gas capsules for their Colt Peacemaker.
Purchasing the capsules in large numbers is probably the most cost
effect way if you intend to
regularly fire your Peacemaker and I
have to admit, I enjoy firing my gun almost as much as riding my sports
motorcycle.
My first purchase was 20 capsules but in the future, I will opt for 50
units which can be purchased from most on-line gun suppliers. Online you
can use
JS Ramsbottom to order and they
ensure a swift delivery. Locally, I use
Livelines Tackle and Guns in
Scotland.
Using RWS HYPERMAX
.177 -
5.6 grain alloy conical pointed head pellets, you can expect to achieve
maximum accuracy and velocity with optimum penetration for up to 80
rounds from a Umarex CO2 Gas Capsule.
Heavier pellets, especially lead pellets, will reduce the ratio.
Before fitting a new Umarex CO2 Gas Capsule in the butt of my gun, I
hold the gun upside down and drip a small amount of
Crosman Pellgun Oil on the gun's
CO2 entrance nozzle. I then insert the capsule (gun still upside down) into the butt before I screw it home. The
oil helps keep the air seals of the gun from drying out. For full
maintenance of the Peacemaker, check out the section below on Walther
CO2 Cleaning Capsules & Barrel Cleaning Pellets.
WARNING:
After using the gun, never leave the CO2 gas
capsule in the gun. Remove it and before putting the gun away, pop a
small drop of
Crosman Pellgun Oil
onto the gun's air seal in the butt. This
facilitates the seal to be kept in good shape.
The Types of .177 Pellets
I have tried two types of .177 pellets with the Umarex Peacemaker and
both are very accurate BUT they display different
penetration
capabilities -
The
RWS
HYPERMAX is a lead-free ultralight high-velocity pellet with very
good precision and performance for field target competitions and
hunting. It achieves an up to 30 % higher velocity than standard
products in the same calibre. Together with its conical head shape,
this guarantees an excellent penetration power. Its brilliant high-speed
finish is especially environmentally friendly.
It is
suitable for airguns and air pistols - RA2318161 - .177 - 5.6 grain.
The
RWS
HYPERDOME is a very light pellet
with
a bulldog head shape and excellent penetration power. Due to its
low weight, it is faster than comparable standard products of the
respective calibre. It has a technically highly developed tin alloy and
a brilliant high-speed finish. This new development from RWS is
completely lead-free, and as a result environmentally friendly and
protects the barrel. The RWS HYPERDOME is highly accurate and achieves
very dense shot groups. For this reason, it is perfectly suitable for
field target and silhouette shooting. Also usable for hunting -
RA2318162 - .177 - 5.6 grain.
I found the RWS HYPERMAX offers the best overall accuracy and
much greater penetration power, especially as the CO2 capsule's gas
begins to lose its power - usually at around 80-90 shots.
Accuracy is greatly reduced if you fail to keep the rifled barrel of
your gun clean and the working mechanism well oiled. The Umarex Colt
Peacemaker is just like any other weapon and must be maintained. I have
included a Cleaning Section below on how to
clean and oil the gun.
RWS HYPERMAX and HYPERDOME .177 pellets can be purchased online from
JS Ramsbottom.
Firing the
Umarex 1872 Colt Single Action Army 'Peacemaker' Revolver
The Umarex 7.5" barrel revolver is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship
and a joy to load with Umarex shells. I wear a gun belt and holster with
30 x loops in the belt to hold the Umarex shells, which are preloaded
with .177 pellets. The gun belt makes it very easy to fire off 30 x
pellets before I have to reload all the shells. The ones I have fired,
go into a back pocket of my jeans which easily stores them all.
The video from Andy (above) provides a great overview relative to
preparing the gun for firing.
The sights are fixed, so one has to make accuracy and velocity allowances for -
-
Umarex CO2 capsule power (dissipates at around 80-90 shots - using RWS Hypermax 5.6 grain .177 pellets)
-
Weight of the .177 pellets being fired
-
Range to the target
-
Any wind interference
When inserting a new Umarex CO2 Capsule in the gun, make sure that you
do not overtighten the hex screw in the butt as this could exert too
much pressure on the CO2 capsule and damage the CO2 seal inside the gun.
Also place a small drop of Crosman Pellgun Oil on the top of the Umarex
CO2 capsule, before you fit it to the gun.
With a brand new Umarex CO2 capsule inserted in the butt and using
RWS
HYPERMAX .177 Pellets,
I fired off 80 rounds at 8.7 yards (8 metres) at various tins cans. The
rounds penetrated right though
both sides of the empty tin cans which where the strong metal type (not a
coke can).
As I continued to fire the Peacemaker, the power became progressively weaker
and at around 90 rounds, the .177 pellets penetrated only one side of
the cans, but surprisingly sometimes right through and sometimes only
dented the cans. At around 110 rounds, the power was gone from the CO2
capsule and I could not hit the target. A more serious issue was that
the odd round would misfire and remain partially stuck down the shell in
the chamber (requiring a new CO2 capsule to clear it).
So at around 100-110
shots, the likely hood of a pellet remaining in its Umarex shell is very
high. Ideally, it would appear that for accuracy and velocity, a new CO2
capsule should be inserted in the gun at around 80-90 shots. When you
remove an old CO2 capsule, you will hear the gas hiss as you
unscrew it.
My Umarex 1872 Colt Peacemaker has the original 7.5" Army barrel design
so there is a fair bit of weight forward of the grip for a single hand
held shot. The gun is very accurate but even the slightest waver of the
long barrel will send the shot wide and even more so when you shoot at 8
metres or an even greater range. Of course if you were firing at a human
sized target at 8 metres, you are guaranteed to hit it somewhere. Using
two hands, steadies the gun for a neater grouping of your shots but if
you shoot one handed, it is a very quick up to the gun site on the
target and fire before the barrel weight creates a waver. Take into
account, I am over 70 years old, so a younger guy might not have any
problems with a single hand held shot.
The Umarex Colt when hand held, even with both hands, is only likely (on
average) to achieve a 2" diameter grouping of shots at 10 Metres (10.94
yards, 32.9 feet) using
RWS
HYPERMAX .177 Pointed Alloy pellets.
Place the Colt on a support at 10 metres to the target and you will get
the grouping down to a 1" diameter in the centre area. The guns sights
are preset for a set distance which I think is approximately 10 metres -
if you are any nearer to the target, the gun fires the pellet high when
aimed at the centre. The Colt proves its worth for accuracy and pellet
velocity with excellent penetration. The handling, especially the
loading and re-loading along with the cocking of the hammer, is great
fun.
WARNING:
After using the gun, never leave the CO2 gas
capsule in the gun. Remove it and before putting the gun away, pop a
small drop of
Crosman Pellgun Oil
onto the gun's air seal in the butt. This
facilitates the seal to be kept in good shape.
Cleaning and Oiling the Peacemaker
(480 Shots Fired)
Having made enquiries with Umarex and Walther, I have designed a
methodology for cleaning the gun. My main cleaning tools are
Walther CO2
Cleaning Capsules which contain special oil for firing through the gun,
Crosman Pellgun Oil
and
VFG Fibre
Cleaning Pellets. The Walther Cleaning Capsules are recommended by Umarex.
Gun Accuracy After Cleaning
I have found that once my gun barrel is cleaned, I have to fire about 20
x RWS Hyperdome 5.6gr alloy pellets before the gun's accuracy is fully restored.
Lubricating the Inner Seals & Umarex Shell Seals
The main CO2 seal of the gun inside the butt is lubricated with a drip
of Crosman Pellgun Oil every time I fit a new Umarex CO2
capsule but there are other seals inside the mechanism that require to
be addressed. To do this I use
a Walther 'Oil Filled' CO2 Maintenance
Capsule as recommended by Umarex. There is a seal on each of my Umarex
shells, so I want to lubicate them as well.
I make sure that all my 30 x Umarex Shells are empty of pellets.
I then insert the
'Walther CO2 Cleaning Capsule' in the butt of the gun and load the gun
with the first 6 x Umarex empty shells. I hold the Peacemaker upside
down (outside) with the barrel slightly pointing down. After a few
seconds, I proceed to fire the gun and after each 6 rounds are fired, I
remove them and insert the next 6 shells, and so on, until all 30 Umarex
shells have been fired through. I keep changing the shells in order
until the Walther CO2 Cleaning gas is exhausted.
I then clean off any excess oil of the exterior body of the gun.
I had a hard time finding the Walther OIL Cleaning Capsules but
eventually I traced them to
Solware which is an online supplier
and the
delivery (1 day) was spot on.
Barrel & Umarex
Shells Cleaning
Due to the loading mechanism of the Peacemaker, where the barrel at the
cylinder has an inner moving mechanism, the Peacemaker must not be cleaned using an abrasive rod
or by
stuffing oiled lint up the barrel with a cleaning rod.
A .177 pellet travels down a Umarex shell before it enters the gun
barrel, so each shell must also be cleaned
with oil and a dry fibre pellet.
I use 30 Umarex Shells from my gun belt during each shooting session, therefore, with normal use,
I have 30 Umarex shells to clean as well as the barrel.
I clean the barrel by
loading the gun with 6 x Umarex shells, each with
VFG fibre pellets.
I load the pellets from the exit end of the shells and push them up
the
shells using a plastic rod, to just below the shell sealing ring- this
is to avoid any particles of fibre becoming lodged in the sealing ring. The first
2 fibre pellets
are lightly covered in Crosman Pellgun oil and the other 4 are
left dry. I then
fire the gun in the normal way, first the 2
oiled fibre pellets and then the 4 dry ones into a collection
bin and inspect the VFG fibre pellets for signs of cleaning.
My remaining 24 x Umarex shells have already been lubricated by the
firing of the Walther CO2 Oil Capsule through them so rather than repeat the oil removing firing process for my remaining 24 x Umarex shells, I insert VFG dry pellets
from their front, as above but instead of firing
them, I move them up and down the shells a couple of times using my
plastic rod, being careful to avoid the fibre of each pellet reaching
the shell sealing ring. Finally, pushing the dry fibre pellet out of the
exit end of each shell.
I was
unable to trace Walther Cleaning Pellets but
JS Ramsbottom and
Solware supply the VFG Brand.
Cleaning and Oiling the Gun Mechanicals
The Peacemaker is an all metal gun and has several metal moving parts
that require a few drops of Crosman's Pellgun Oil.
I remove the CO2 capsule as well as
any Umarex shells before cleaning and oiling the gun as follows -
-
The Hex Screw in base of butt (used for tightening up the CO2 capsule)
-
Trigger hole (gun held upside down)
-
Safety catch (gun held upside down)
-
Hammer section (all moving parts)
-
Cylinder rear gear spindle and front spindle (open cylinder loading flap)
-
Cylinder front top inner barrel (moves in and out of barrel to seal a cylinder chamber)
-
Cylinder chambers (open cylinder loading flap, slight oil smearing around chambers using a cotton bud)
-
Cartridge ejector spring and spine
After oiling, I move all the parts several times to disperse the oil
evenly. I do not fire the gun (CO2 capsule still removed) I pull the hammer
right back, hold the hammer, press the trigger and slowly release hammer
head back to the strike plate in the body - I repeat several times and it
also revolves the cylinder.
When oiling the cylinder parts and
the cartridge ejector, I
tilt the gun forward and
back several times when moving the parts to disperse the oil properly.
Gun Storage
For long-term storing of the gun, I will clean and oil it as above
and will store it with a drip of Crosman Pellgun Oil
on its CO2 entrance nozzle in the butt, there is no Umarex CO2 gas capsule
fitted and the 30 x Umarex shells are empty in the gun belt
with a small drip of Pellgun Oil on their seals.
Targets
I have put in links to the suppliers of these targets - please click on
an image to open up the link. My Umarex Colt Single Action Army 7.5" Long Barrel CO2 .177 Air
Revolver is fairly accurate but it might prove a bit of a stretch
in hitting the dead centre of those Remington 'Knock Down' figures or
similar targets.
I have started collecting tin cans from the dog food that I feed to my
foxes which make for great targets standing on a fence. I also like the
metal container (pellet collector) that holds paper targets. It can be
easily fixed or hung on a nail to a fence post.
A neat solution is the metal gong, which resonates when a bullet hits it and could prove ideal for a fast draw as it comes in all sizes -
Eventually, I will probably bow to the pressure of the 'fast draw' and get myself a Umarex Colt Single Action Army 5.5" Nickel Short Barrel CO2 .177 Air Revolver and the mandatory low slung holster for my right hip. The fast draw could potentially hit tin cans but a better target might be the exploding Splatterburst figure?
My
Holster for Colt SAA 7.5" Peacemaker
I found a great
leather maker, 'John
Beattie' at
Pistol Leather UK in England
that makes such items. I laid out my specifications, size, style, colour
and sent him an email for confirmation and a bank transfer for the
'payment in advance' which was very reasonable. I wanted a 'right cross
draw' holster from the left side of my waist that
reflected one from the 'Old Dodge City' era in plain 'aged' leather with
30 belt loops for my Umarex Peacemaker Shells. John ships out every Thursday, so I received my holster within one and a
half weeks of the order - awesome!
Check out my holster and belt rig in Image 1 - it is fully adjustable
for fitting thanks to the many belt holes and further adjustable by
shortening the entire belt by moving it's leather thongs further back -
these hold the two pieces of the belt together.
I specified a retaining leather loop on the holster for fitting around
the gun's hammer, which you can see in Image 2 below and the
loop's leather thongs (hanging down behind the holster) allow for
adjustment. My holster is fitted with a substantial leather loop for
fitting to the belt, see Image 3 - its broad and very well stitched to
the back of the holster and will stand heavy use.
Overall the fit, the re-enforced
stitching and the quality of the rig is second to none.
Please click on the images of my holster to open them up to a 1650 pixel
larger size -
Revolvers Worth Consideration
It does not have a rifled barrel but the
Action Sports Games (ASG) Smith & Wesson Schofield Model 3 CO2 .177
Pellet Revolver is a beautiful gun with great loading and
firing action as well as being very accurate -
Ideal for a gambler sitting in a saloon with the Umarex Colt Single Action 5.5" Nickel Plated Peacemaker CO2 .177 Pellet Revolver fitted snugly in a richly engraved holster. Its neat 5.5" barrel ideal for the quick draw from the right hip or a right cross draw, like Doc Holiday from the left side of the waist. Now where are those 'Wild West' re-enactment shows?
The
Umarex Colt Single Action 5.5" Antique Finish
Peacemaker CO2 .177
Pellet Revolver
fitted snugly in a period
'aged leather' low slung holster is perfect for the gunslinger.
Its neat 5.5" barrel
is ideal
for the quick draw from the right hip.
The Pietta 1851 Navy Colt Percussion 'Blank Firing' Deluxe Brass Engraved Revolver is a perfect addition for any revolver collection. Its a beautiful gun and the engraving is awesome (more images on the link). It would look great on a wall and because its a blank firer - on the odd occasion, it could be taken down and fired -
UK Supplier link for the blank .380 9mm Blank Cartridges for the gun.