Found a Pietta Pepperbox

[ThaDoubleJ]

I was watching John Wick last night, got bored, found a Pietta Pepperbox for sale and bought it.

Spent today watching some videos and reading some threads, not much info out there.

Sounds like 20 grains of FFF is the charge, but...

Patched .350 round ball?
Wad under a .360 round ball?
2 x round balls?
.358 cast boolit, maybe that soup can looking Lee one @ 148gr?
Other?

What do you all think? I understand it's a ten foot gun, that's fine, not expecting much other than smoke and fire, but I still want a boolit to hit in the general vicinity of where I send it with some sauce behind it.

[Winger Ed.]

Do a search for 'loading Pietta pepperbox'.

There's a fair amount of info out there, and some youtube guys loading and firing them.

[arcticap]

Hovey Smith loaded chambers with 3 patched .350 balls.

[smithnframe]

If it's 36 caliber try .375 round balls!

[Battis]

I think it was Mark Twain who said, "When a pepperbox goes off, the only safe place to be is behind it."

[10-x]

LOL, IIRC Twain mentioned a pepperbox,” Aimed at far stump, fetched a nigh mule in the rear” or something similar. Have an original my Dad had. Need to get trigger guard rebuilt.

[waksupi]

I think 20 gr. may be a bit heavy to start with.

[ThaDoubleJ]

I looked at the .375 balls, but I'd need some sort of loading rig for those, and that seems like a lot of work for something that might miss the berm entirely. Hoping I can do this with my starter for my rifle (have to measure it and see if it'll even fit). I watched Hovey's video on the eww-tube, pretty funny, but he didn't give much info on what he was stuffing in those chambers.

More questions after I slept on it:

If I pick up a .358 mold, I can also use that in my TRR8, but will it make round holes or rectangle shaped holes? Easy to load at .002 less than the "bore". Might obturate?
360 RB, easy to load, but leading/blowby/poor velocity? Round hole for sure! Do they obturate with no flat base? Can't use this mold for anything else.
Patched 350 RB, a little tougher to load, but I can probably pull it off. Round hole. No bloyby, no leading. Can you even lead a smooth "bore"? Can't use this mold for anything else.
Stacked RBs of either flavor: This is my smokeless brain thinking. Short "barrel", heavier load allows more complete powder burn, more energy over-all with less powder burning in the atmosphere. Or does that not apply to BP since it burns so fast?

Thanks for the replies everyone

[Conditor22]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbXVk2ehK24&ab_channel=HoveySmith

[rodwha]

You could also try shot. Or is it rifled?

[arcticap]

Some customer reviews on Cabela's describe their loads. --->>> https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/pietta-model-1851-navy-yank-pepperbox-36-cal-black-powder-revolver

[ThaDoubleJ]

You could also try shot. Or is it rifled?

Pretty sure it's a smoothbore.

[ThaDoubleJ]

Some customer reviews on Cabela's describe their loads. --->>> https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/pietta-model-1851-navy-yank-pepperbox-36-cal-black-powder-revolver

Good idea, I'll check that out

[samari46]

Buddy bought a pepperbox kit years back. Polished all the metal and he had it blued. Warned him about chain firing which is when all loaded barrels go off at once. Tight patches and wonder wads. Told him make sure the caps on the nipples are on square and tight. First time he shot it and you guessed it, all the loaded chambers went off. Cleaned it and it now sits in a shadow box on the wall. Frank

[toot]

I didn' t know that PIETTA made a reproduction PEPPER BOX?

[toot]

check out THE CAP & BALL SITE. HE SHOOTS AN ORIGIONAL PEPPER BOX.

[ThaDoubleJ]

Toot, from what I've read, it's not even a reproduction, it's just a 51 with no barrel or loading rod and an elongated cylinder.

[Good Cheer]

Just a passing thought, Pietta typically makes their .36 caliber chambers just under .37" diameter, so .350" diameter buckshot with a thin patch might work out?

[ThaDoubleJ]

So I'd be better off measuring the chambers before ordering the mold just in case they're large. Thanks Cheer

[toot]

ThaDouble, thanks for the reply, I thought that something wasn't right? well then it Shure isn't even a PEPPERBOX!!

[toot]

what holds the cylinder in place? any photos'?

[rodwha]

what holds the cylinder in place? any photos'?

I believe there is some sort of screw that secures into the front of the arbor.

[Geezer in NH]

It is not a pepper box, it is a fantasy revolver with no barrel just a long cylinder held on by a bolt.

[ThaDoubleJ]

Chambers measure 367 x 5 and one at 368. That pretty much means a patched .360 ball or two only, yes...which is 000 buck?

How about some homebrew rifling, is that possible?

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1lORltZzjnp5bM1Fgop5sZ2frZsldKxcS

[Winger Ed.]

How about some homebrew rifling, is that possible?


Should be do-able.

I've got a Bond O/U derringer in .410/.45 Colt with rifling in the last 1/2" or so of the barrels.
I don't know how much it helps, but it doesn't seem to hurt either.

[ThaDoubleJ]

With a .360 ball and a .005 patch, will I be able to cram them in the cylinders with just a starter? I would assume so, since I can start a .490 ball with a .005 patch by hand, but I'm .003 smaller and no grooves and lands, so.... are there .004 or .003 patches?

Wait....what if I patched a .358 projo for a centerfire gun? That'd bring me to about bore size, .367. Still wonder if I'd get a round hole or rectangle hole. 360 RB weighs 72ish grains, so two would weigh the same as a 140gr SWC from a 38 special.

[Woodnbow]

Maybe a .375 round ball, started with a small mallet and run home with a short starter...