Range Report on Pietta Colt 1860 steel frame from Cabelas

[wellfedirishman]

I recently picked up a Colt 1860 Army steel frame from Cabelas, made by Pietta. This is a new production revolver, and the quality is excellent. Timing and lockup are tight, and it disassembles and re-assembles very easily.

I had read that some of the older Piettas were a bit iffy in terms of production quality. Well I am quite impressed by the current models. The fit and finish is as good as a Uberti.

For folks who may be unfamiliar with cap and ball revolvers, here is how I loaded it:

Here is the revolver ready to load:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-1.jpg

Fill powder in each chamber (I used 30 grains of Goex FFFg):
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-2.jpg

Put a ball in the chamber ready to load:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-3.jpg

Press the ball into the chamber (you should see a ring of lead shaved if it is a good tight fit):
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-4.jpg

Spread lube over the cylinder face to keep sparks out and keep the fouling soft and easy to clean. In this pic I am usiing a Castor Oil based lube (actually a tub of hair product). It was pretty cold and my TC Bore Butter was too hard to squeeze out.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-5.jpg

Cap the nipples on the chambers. I am using CCI no 11 magnum caps, loaded from a capper. At this point the revolver is ready to fire, so treat it as a loaded.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-6.jpg

BOOM!
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-7.jpg

Here is the target at 15 yards. This revolver and load is shooting about 6-8 inches high at this distance, but grouping very well. If the height were corrected, almost all balls would be in the black circle.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-9.jpg

Disassembled:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Colt%201860%20BP/Colt1860BP-8.jpg

Overall, this revolver is easy to load and disassemble and clean. I wiped out the bore after shooting each cylinder and it came out shiny. I shot about 90 rounds, before running out of caps.

Things I noticed for improved reliablity include keeping the hammer face and the frame gap in the hammer clean of fouling. If crud builds up there it can slow the hammer strike resulting in inconsistent firing. If this is kept clean, it fires perfectly.

Cleaning
To clean it, I took it home and unscrewed the nipples and scrubbed out the cylinder and barrel with soapy water. I then poured boiling water through the cylinder and barrel, and when it dried oiled it up. Everything came out great.

These things are tons of fun, I should have got one years ago.

I purchased the lead round balls (size .454) from Springfield on this forum, they shot great and I would happily recommend his products.

[TNsailorman]

I had one of those about 15 years ago except in .44. Like a dang fool, I let it go for a little bit of nothing. Like yours, my .44 shot about 4" high and slightly to the left of center at 20 yards. One of those revolvers I should have kept. Thanks for the reminder of just how much fun these things are, I might have to try to trade for or buy another. James

[Tom-ADC]

Here's a nice accessory for the range...
BTW nice shooting.
P.S. I have the plans for this stand PM me with your email address & I'll forward a set to you.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL174/1021972/18168454/379694812.jpg

[Hellgate]

You can tale a jeweler's file or a Dremel cutting disc and deepen the rear notch and that will probably bring your POA to = POI. Most of my Colts have needed a little tweeking to get them to shoot POA.

[Taylor]

Any issues with the wedge pin,hard to remove?Need a hammer?

[wellfedirishman]

Any issues with the wedge pin,hard to remove?Need a hammer?

None at all. After a couple of taps with a plastic tip hammer it came loose, and now I can push it in and out with firm finger pressure. The barrel stays locked in tight when firing, and is easy to remove for cleaning.

[home in oz]

Very NICE series of photos!

[Hellgate]

I put anti-seize lube on the nipple threads and then leave them alone for a short eternity. Once all chambers fire reliably i don't mess with removing and cleaning nipples (I use nipple picks and dental brushes for between the teeth to clean the nipples) once the gun is dialed in. Too much work. congrats on getting a nice "keeper".