I also have bought 3 black powder revolvers from them and although the revolvers were fine the factory boxes were destroyed because of the horrible packaging . They just put them in a big box with bullets, dies, and whatever else I ordered. There might have been one or two air pillows in with the mess that got popped in shipping. None of the revolvers had any noticeable damage but that was more by luck than anything. If they would have been damaged I now know how poorly midway would have handled it if they would have.

Dave has always been top notch, I have a few custom diameter size and lube dies from him.

Dave Beeman

I think one issue with any of these is that y have been given names by users and collectors over the past 150 years that don’t match up tot eh original Colt model designations and then you have those somehow being translated to the Italian makers who will sometimes combine various features of different revolvers and then make up names of their own!

The Wells Fargo guns don't have a loading ram and have a rounded trigger guard.

That's what was niggling at the back of what passes for my memory... Midway's got a pic of a Wells Fargo posted as a "Baby Dragoon" - which probably should have a loading ram on it.

I was thinking of your accounts of using that old Remington when reading your ideas for the Wells Fargo pistol. Someday I'd like to pick up one of the pocket pistols to play with. But there's a LOT I'd like to play with and not much time to play when we travel north. SO, it's fun to read of others doing so.

I have messed with the idea of an oversize ball and shrinking it to make the small short barrel guns shoot harder. And it works. I have a home-made single shot that I screw the barrel out, drop in a .375" ball, fill up the rest of the chamber with powder and screw it back into the frame. Put a cap on it and BANG. Shrinks the ball to about .360" and shoots pretty hard. I have 3 different smooth bore barrels for it .. 2" 3" and 4".

My old .44 Remington 1858 copy had a .445" barrel and I reamed the throat and the chambers and used .456"/.457" round ball. Shrinking the ball that much really increased the velocity. Accuracy was excellent.

I am thinking of buying a Wells Fargo .31 .. Midway has some on sale .. and reboring the chambers to take a .33 or .34 ball ... opening up the barrel throat and then let them squeeze down to .31 in the bore. It would make a hard shooting little popper.

I always figure if a got a good deal on one I can slick it up, no harm, no foul.

"Due to safety considerations and legal/regulatory reasons Black Powder Firearms may not be returned."

This wouldn't be a problem if Midway would open all of them up and check them out and filter out the duds.

I bought my last 1851 and Uberti from Dixie last spring. Perfect right out of the box. Sights dead on...............Bob

They have plenty in the classified