Pietta 1858 Review

[hylander]

This is my new unfired Pietta 1858 in .44 made in 2011, originally sold by Cabelas.
I purchased it new/unfired from MikeyPoo a couple weeks ago
Well it was new/unfired
Bluing is very nice, I would say not as nice as most Uberti's but close.
Metal fit and finish is great, the brass to steel fit is near perfect with no sharp edges.
Wood fit is pretty good but could be a bit better, wood is a little proud.
Trigger pull is heavy, maybe #4+ with much creep, actually has a little bit of creep then stops and then creeps until it breaks. For caps, Remington #10 fit perfect, CCI #10 are to tight and do not seat all the way down,
CCI #11 fall right off. Initially the revolver shot 4" low @ 25yds, a bit of filing on the front sight and elevation is dead on, however it shoots 3.5" left. I will have to have the barrel indexed proper or have the barrel cut
for a dovetail front sight. Cylinder locks up frog butt tight and timing is pretty darn good but not perfect.
Grooves Slug .451
Chambers Mic .446 for all 6

This Bad Boy can shoot
At the range other shooters where just amazed that a BP revolver could shoot such good groups, this thing makes me look good.
Overall I am one Happy Camper

Load:
.454 RB, home cast from a LEE mold.
30gr. 777 FFF
Wonder Wad under ball



This is the very first group fired at 25yds.
This was 6 rounds @ 1.45"



This is the last group fired at 25yds.
This was 8 rounds @ 1.27"

[Rainier]

Thanks for the review - Beautiful gun and NICE shooting! I can't see well enough to shoot groups that nice even if the gun could do it! Congrats on a great gun and some excellent shooting!

[Rio Grande]

Great shooting. How much more 'perfect' do you want the timing to be?
The proof is in the shooting.
I had the 5 1/2 inch Pietta version which I prefer, it shot great also, with round ball, to point of aim.
These are seriously efficient and powerful revolvers. They can be kept loaded for a long time and still shoot well also. Buy the good fitting caps. "Pinching" should not be necessary.
These Piettas are real sleepers, quality, powerful and accurate for about $220 New.

[Good Cheer]

Nice shooting!

Love the 1858 .36 and the .44. Wish Remington had experimented with .40 like Colt did. Maybe .40 1858 would have been the cats meow!

[Fly]

Yep, mine is a great shooter also.My son in law is a OKC policeman.We shoot together
every time he comes to our house at the lake.It out shoots his glock.

Fly

[Jon]

I have one as well, and love it. It's very accurate. I use 25gr of FFF, but it'll handle 30 just fine.

The triggers could be cleaned up a bit on these, as there are usually some burrs on the parts.

Don't forget to clean it.

[GunSlingerNM]

Nice, I am sure you are gonna get lots of use out of it. I just bought a new one also and am awaiting the arrival in the mail. Why I decided I needed another I just don't know. Addictive.

[Jon]

Don't feel too bad. I want another one so that I have a pair.

[slim1836]

I got mine in stainless, easier cleanup IMO.

Slim

[Dframe]

I have one with the 6 1/2 inch barrel. Lately I've been shooting it with a Krist conversion cylinder. Shoots Great!!

[Sergeant Earthworm]

This past spring I did a comparison between Goex fffg and American Pioneer. I had never tried American Pioneer before and wanted some empirical evidence to prove which one is better. The results seem pretty clear.

Group size was virtually identical.

[hylander]

This past spring I did a comparison between Goex fffg and American Pioneer. I had never tried American Pioneer before and wanted some empirical evidence to prove which one is better. The results seem pretty clear.

Group size was virtually identical.

That AP seems to be pretty Anemic in comparison

[concho]

I have purchased 2 LBS American pioneer because Shockley on his TV show said he could shoot 1,000 times without cleaning , he forgot to tell people that he was using .440 RB in a .50 rifle ! That statement is what I assume he did because using a .490 RB will only shoot 3 times at max in my Thompson Center without cleaning it using their patches . I will never but American Pioneer again !

[Lever-man]

I have one of these in the 5 1/2 inch model I bought at Cabelas in 2009 on sale for $130. Great shooting BP revolver. I shoot the 454 RB and a lead conical cast from Lee's D C 450-200-1r mold. Shoots great with either load.

[Naphtali]

FYI:

At least until the turn of the millenium, Pietta manufactured two completely different versions of their 1858 Remington - the one generally available at price competitive with other "generic" 1858s in carbon and/or stainless with or without adjustable sights, and a competition version with fixed sights only and available in carbon and/or stainless steel.

The competition version had completely different lock work, .456-inch chambers, progressive rifling, and a fit and finish that compares favorably with my Freedom Arms and Colt Python revolvers - that is, incredibly good. I bought three stainless steel versions directly from Pietta-Italy (competition version in stainless was not available in this country at the time) with three extra cylinders per revolver. Two revolvers remain in storage/back-up, for I was uncertain whether parts and/or repair service would be available when needed. While I am now confident of service being available, of course service has not been needed. Extremely well fitted mechanisms do not easily shoot loose.

The only downside to these wonderful revolvers is that their initial cost was about three times what the generic version cost in the same steel variation.

Just some thoughts.

[Doc1]

I have two Piettas, a blued version and a stainless. Both are great shooting revolvers, very accurate and I have no complaints about fit or finish. Better buy 'em now while the gettin' is good. If the US Dollar continues its descent, all imports will be much more expensive going forward.

Best regards
Doc

[bpratl]

I just picked up a Uberti 1858 Remington in .44 and have not yet shot it. I think it is a great gun but are there any modifications that would make the cylinder swap better? Removal is smooth but reinstalling the cylinder seems to be a battle.
I also have a Pietà 1851 in .36 and a Uberti 1860 in .44 which are also great fun and accurate shooters.

Bob Pratl

[Omnivore]

Removal is smooth but reinstalling the cylinder seems to be a battle.

Everyone goes through this. The first time I tried it, it seemed near impossible to get the cylinder back in. Install the cylinder from the right side while rotating it in its usual direction (clockwise as seen from the back end) at the same time. That will cause the nipple cut-outs to catch and push the hand (cylinder pawl) back into the frame and out of the way. It's the rotation that does it.

I suppose there may be something else going on-- The sharp edges and burrs left over from manufacturing (some of these guns will cut you if you're not careful) may be snagging a bit on a new gun, but as you run it in with use they may get burnished down and bit, making things easier.

Practice it a few times and it becomes very quick and easy.

[bpratl]

Everyone goes through this. The first time I tried it, it seemed near impossible to get the cylinder back in.
Practice it a few times and it becomes very quick and easy.

You are correct. After seeing a YouTube video where the cylinder could be swapped in seconds, I was getting frustrated because it was taking me 3 minutes to reinstall the cylinder. After a lot of tries it is much faster as it seems to be a matter of feel with a slight twist. At least I know that it is me and not the gun. Thanks.
Bob Pratl