Navy Arms founder's model Schofield - Out Of The Box

Guns Magazine, March, 2004 by Dave Douglas

You probably already know that Val Forgett Jr. was known as the father of the modern replica era. He almost single-handedly brought that segment of the business to the American firearms market. The word "almost" is used because he partnered with another icon of the firearms industry, Aldo Uberti of Italy. Together their efforts and foresight brought magnificently crafted, high fidelity replicas to the general gun buyers in the United States.

General as in "us folks," who could never afford to shell out the mega-bucks a pristine-condition original would cost, let alone enjoy shooting one. Unfortunately, both Val and Aldo have left the range. Hopefully, their legacy will live on for many, many years.

Val Forgett III has taken over Navy Arms, the company his dad started, and with the same enthusiasm he continues to provide us with a good product for a fair price. You can't ask for better than that.

This year, to commemorate the historic working relationship between Val Forgett Jr. and Aldo Uberti, Navy Arms has introduced its Founder's Model of the 1875 Schofield.

This break top revolver is named for Major George W. Schofield of the 10th Cavalry, who wrote to Smith & Wesson in 1870 and requested one of their brand spanking new "Model No. 3" revolvers hoping it would prove a useful combat arm. He made some modifications to the gun to meet Cavalry needs.

In 1875 S&W embraced the changes as their own and re-named the gun after the major. The Founder's Model is outwardly an accurate depiction of that gun. Some modifications have been made to enhance safety and to ensure compliance with current import regulations. But unless you have an original sitting side by side with the Navy Arms version, you won't notice the beefed up barrel and top strap. You certainly won't see the improved internal lock works either but its there.

To set it apart from the other Navy Arms" Schofields, this gun is offered with spectacular color-casehardened receiver, backstrap and trigger guard. The coloring is authentic to its period in the United States. While the European case hardening had hints of red, orange and blues, the American colors of the time were more sedate with light and dark grays, subdued blues and specs of brown.

The barrel and cylinder are charcoal blued so deeply you might think you could almost fall into them. The combination, set off with the standard-issue ivory polymer grips, is a visual presentation to behold. In keeping with the Cavalry heritage, the gun sports a 7-inch barrel. It is available only in .45 Colt or 45 Long Colt as it's sometimes referred to.

The quality of the gun is outstanding. Sam Fadala, Phil Spangenberger, Andy Fink, Dennis Adler, Dick Williams and I had the opportunity to shoot the Founder's Model at a recent Navy Arms Writer's Summit in West Virginia. We all found it to be very accurate and substantial. Over 1,000 rounds were fired with no problems at all. It just kept on shooting and still does. The very same gun was subsequently shipped to me for evaluation. Another 500 rounds have been fired without missing a beat.

The gun's inherent accuracy is better that the shooter. A steel silhouette target was placed on the far side of a West Virginia pond, some 196 yards away. The group was able to make it ring all day long. Sub two-inch groups at 25 yards were standard during my range tests.

The first words out of any friend's mouth when shown the gun is, "Wow." The wow factor invariably increases when you tell them that the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody, Frank and Jesse James, Cole and Jim Younger, Charlie Pitts, John Wesley Hardin. Bob Ford, Texas Jack Omohundro, Pat Garret, Virgil Earp. Bill Tilghman and Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire, among many others all shot its early ancestor. They'll all want to shoot it, so bring plenty of ammo.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

     Caliber:   .45 Colt

    Capacity:   6 rounds

      Barrel:   7 inches

      Sights:   Front Blade,
                'V' Notch Rear

Sight Radius:   8.25 inches

      Weight:   18 ounces

      Length:   12.5 inches

Trigger Pull:   5.5 to 6 pounds

        MSRP:   $779