Bp Pistol Help ?

[copdills]

I was given as a gift a 1858 BP pistol the person that gave it to me has no knowledge od black powder weapons nor do I My question is when I but a mold for this, it is a 44 cal do the round ball molds size a few thousands larger like most regular molds , I have seen 450 to 454 for this gun and 456 for the ruger and what powder do most of you use in this pistol and what caps , sorry for all the question but I am lost with this pistol and need to do alot of reading , all your input is needed and Thank you for all your help

copdills

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Thses replicas are FUN... and deadly still today.
The best is to measure your cylinders. My replica Colt and Rogers & Spencer take .451. I can load .452 but it puts extra strain and the loading arm to smush the ball into the cylinder. The .450 is just a bit small... So measure all the cylinders and get a mold .001 over the largest bore. My other revolvers need other things.
Caps... Again you will have to measure.. But if you have some # 11 caps and they are just a bit loose you can pinch the opening together some and they will grip. I have #10 and #11 as all nippiles are not the same.
Powder... get some 3F black powder and your shooting will be simple. I would start with 25 grains and plop a ball on top. If you want more thump try 30-35... Give each loaded cylinder a coating of Crisco on top of the ball for lube. Always cap last. Some fellers use wads over the powder. I do sometimes.. but generally no.
You are gonna ENJOY these revolvers ! Imagine.. Bill Hickok (and many others) carried a similar weapon long after cartridge revolvers were available.
Mike God Bless you.

[Maven]

copdills, This is a replica of the Remington New Model Army? If so, different manufacturers/importers specified different RB diameters, typically either .451" or .454". As Missionary suggests, measure all 6 cylinders and slug the bore as well. I'm guessing you'll need one of the two diameters I mentioned. However, just to be certain, why not get a box of .451" and .454" RB's and seat them in an empty cylinder? (Don't worry, by removing the nipples, you can use a rod to drive them back out.) If the ball is the right diameter, it will shave a ring of lead as you seat it. It also shouldn't require inordinate pressure on the loading lever to seat either. I.e., if you get a ring of lead, but need to use all your strength to seat a .454" ball, it's too big. Purchase a mold only after you've determined the size ball you'll need. You'll also need a capper (easier and safer than using your fingers!) and either a powder flask, Lee dipper, adjustable BP measure or a cut down .44Spl. - .357mag. case to measure your powder as well. You'll also need some kind of grease, e.g., Crisco, to smear over the loaded chambers to prevent chain firing (more than 1 chamber fires simultaneously, which can be dangerous, if not unnerving). The alternative is to purchase .45cal. grease-impregnated felt wads and seat them atop the powder charge. (I like these a great deal: Very effective and not messy like Crisco or other grease.)

Powder: I used to use Pyrodex P since BP was hard to get where I live. The former doesn't foul the bore as quickly as BP (FFFg in the revolver). If you use BP, you'll probably need to swab the bbl. after 6 shots and clean and relube the cylinder pin every so often or the cylinder will bind.

How much powder? If you have a brass framed revolver, not much more than 18grs. BY VOLUME, as it will shoot loose and go out of time because of heavy loads. If it's steel framed, you can use ~29grs., or rather enough to allow you to seat a wad and ball and still allow the cylinder to rotate. Once you establish a load, you can cut off a cartridge to use as a measure, use a Lee dipper, etc.

Before you load the gun, cap and fire all 6 chambers to make sure they're free of oil, dirt, etc.
Loading sequence, starting with an empty, uncapped gun held vertically:

1) With gun on half cock, manually rotate & charge each chamber.

2) Place a felt wad over each chamber mouth and seat it with the loading lever. Place a roundball atop the cylinder mouth, rotate it until it is centered under the loading lever, and slowly press it home. Do this for the other 5 chambers.

3) When all 6 chambers are charged & loaded, smear Crisco or your favorite BP lubricant over the chamber mouths. If you used the felt wads, omit this step.

4) With the gun still on half cock, cap each nipple.

5) Carefully lower the hammer into the safety notch between nipples until ready to fire.

6) Aim and fire as you would a centerfire pistol, but don't be surprised if it shoots 6" - 12" high @ 25 yds. Use less powder to control elevation.

Dixie, Track of the Wolf, et al can supply all of these things, but I'd look elsewhere for a mold.

Hope this helps!


P.S. I have a steel framed New Model Army (.451" RB) that is impressively accurate and fun to shoot. PM me if you need tips on cleaning your revolver.

[northmn]

Do not be surprised if the revolver shoots high. They were military weapons and were designed to be aimed at the midsection and still hit. The 1858 Remington replica (I am assuming that is what you have as it is the only 1858) is a very accurate pistol and a lot of fun. After shooting, loading as Missionary suggested, you will need to take it apart and clean with hot water, or some other BP concoction. Water is cheap and works about as well as any. Oil against rust. Also before shooting you should swab the cylinders thoroughly to remove any oil. some even shoot off a cap per cylinder. Good shooting, have fun.

Nortnmn

[Hang Fire]

This is my Pietta 58 Remington, takes #10 Remington caps, .454 round ball and .452 200 grain conical.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/TANSTAAFL-2/Group.jpg

It is very accurate, seven shot group at 25 yards from rest. Load was 17 grains 3f black powder with lubed fiber wad under ball.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/TANSTAAFL-2/Target.jpg

[Topper]

Nice grouping Hang Fire.

[northmn]

Very nice group. If I remembe correctly, which is geeting more challenging with grey hair (should try Grecian Formula to see if that helps) The Remingtons used 451 and the Colts were supposed to use 454. I state this as a general rule of thumb and a place to start. The Remington has the advantage of a much stronger frame which helps to prevent some of the problems listed in the chainfire thread as to hurting the frame seating ball. They used to claim that if you get a small lead ring when loading it was tight enough. They make some light 45 bullets now that look lioke they would work in Revolvers. Some about 170 grains.

Northmn

[copdills]

Thanks for all the information , you guys are great:castmine:

[gon2shoot]

Mine uses .451 balls, that I shoot over 18-24 gr. of powder.
You're going to enjoy it.

[Bull Schmitt]

If you are interested in shooting the replica "58" Remingtons check out this site:

http://www.scorrs.org