Tother thing to remember. 16 or 17 Bucks was a LOT of 1874 money. Not many working folks could afford the cost of a "New" Colt. Or a new S&W #3. Conversions were the name of the game. Converted 1851s and 1860s were the vast majority of side arms and there were bunches of folks who prefered and carried guns with "loose" ammunition right up to the turn of the century. Choices abound. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Oh, and the Least common cartridges were 44-40 and 45 Colt.
If one really wants conversions that are very close to correct size and in appearance, conversions can be built for around 1500 to 2 Grand. A little less picky and Uberti "ready mades" are far far cheaper. Unfortunately, the Uberti "ready mades" require some serious TLC to be CAS ready. For a Duffer, probably fine right out of the box. Oh, and shorter barreled conversions are a modern iteration. Factory converts were 7 1/2 or 8 inch barrels.