I ask because ive asked myself this question.
I nearly bought a Uberti S&W model 3 (i think) in .44 Russian the other day.
But the hammer spur was a little far away and the barrel too long. 6.5 inches i think.
Id probably carry two due to the slow reloads. And if i was carrying two revolvers one or both would need to be light.
Cap & ball? I think id have wanted those new self-contained metallic cartridges.
Preferably in a break-top.
Yeah, I know. But I would look cool 
.
That’s half the battle!
I like the way the ‘73 says C-O-L-T as you cock it.
Yesterday I shot a pair of Blackhawks and a .45 Colt derringer, so kind of relevant. Ish. The derringer was painfully slow to reload.
I find the standard single action annoyingly slow to reload.
The hammer spurs are often way too high, except on a “Bisley”.
The frames also seem unnecessarily tall so they very top-heavy.
If originally intended for slow black powder the barrels are too long making them front heavy and slower to draw & handle.
Quality & durability wasn’t very high back then but weight was. Whether i worked on a range or in a town i could see myself carrying two smaller guns with lighter ammo rather thsn something like a Peacemaker or S&W breaktop.
What those gun are i really don’t know because they don’t get much press / screen time.
In 1875 I guess it would be a Colt 1973. There is a reason (unknown to me) that the 1873 was favored and had the longest run of any of the US made large revolvers of the day. Going on the assumption that people back then weren’t stupid I will defer to their opinion.
Once 1880 rolls around, and assuming I can find one, .455 Webley MK1 all day every day, nothing even comes close until the S&W hand ejectors and Colt New Service DA’s appear in the 1900’s.
What revolver would you carry in 1875?
As a Tennessean in 1875 I suppose I would carry a Colt single action Army. Only Army or Navy pistols were allowed by law to be open carried without obtaining special deputy status or getting a police commission of some kind. And it would need to be carried openly in hand. No holstered carry of any kind of handgun absent the aforementioned special status. Laws designed to be selectively enforced to keep the black man down but that’s a subject for a different thread.
I found this great article regarding this subject.
Side discussion:
Why are single-action revolvers always so front heavy?
Often front heavy with a long barrel AND a short, small, nearly smooth handle.
How the heck is one able to shoot that well?
