1860 Range report

[Razor]

1860 Pietta 1860 range report

.44
.451 round ball 141.5gr
20gr Pyrodex P via flask spout
26.2 Pyrodex P (2.2cc dipper)
30.4gr Pyro P 2.5

25 ft range
Caps...Rem 10..Rem 11...CCI 11....RWS 11..Brand X

My previous session had been 20grs and CCI caps...and getting a click-boom thing..light recoil
First load this time was 2.2 dipper of P but decided to try some Rem 10 caps..
The 10's fit much better btw..
I wanted to check out the old wives rumor of caps making a difference.. I mean, caps are caps..right ..?
Fired the first rd..
Yumpin' yiminy dere Ole..Wha da hell was dat ??
Fired off the rest of the cylinder..same immediate BOOM.. no click/boom.. just a big boom.. right now !
WOW.. must be the increased powder charge..

2nd cylinder full..
went back to original load of 20 gr P and CCI caps..
Lite recoil and click/boom..
Hmmm

3rd
20gr P ...Rem 10 caps..
better/more recoil (more complete/efficient powder combustion ?)
NO click/boom.. immediate boom....AW-RIGHT !! (just might be sumthin to this 'cap' thing)

4th
26.2 gr P... Rem 10 again...
Whoa !!
This is cool !!
Mebbe them ole wives were right...caps DO make a difference..

Guess I'll keep the other brands of caps for emergency use..(too cheap to throw'em away)

I'm stickin' to REMINGTON 10's....

Didn't figger I needed to push the envelope with the 30gr load...
26.2gr nearly filled the cylinder anyway...
30grs mighta overfilled it..
Besides 26.2gr had a nice healthy bark to it...

Razor

[Kuato]

Hey Razor, I solved the hangfire problem by switching to straight black powder. Pyrodex has a much higher flashpoint than black does & i noticed that black shoots more consistently in my revolvers.

I have 2 1851 navy Colts, 2 1858 Remingtons & a 3rd model dragoon, all in 44. Also, I've found that my most accurate loads float around the 26 gr mark.

I'm glad to hear you had a good time shootin yer coal-burner. They can be really fun to plink with. Best thing is when you outshoot your friends with a cap-n-ball revolver & they're shooting Glocks! LOL


BTW. I always use #11 caps. No particular reason, just habit I guess.

[Razor]

Hey Kuato, thanks for the feedback..good info on the charge.
I don't have any 3f ...yet, that was gonna be part of my next purchase..
Rem 10 caps fit better on my 1860 nipples..11's were real loose.
DARN ! guess I'll have to do some more testing...

Razor

[Maven]

For what it's worth, I've never had a problem with Pyrodex P and #11 caps in either of my NM Armies (Euroarms I think & Ruger). However, sometimes a batch of Pyro. has too high a moisture content and you're likely to experience hangfires. I've also found ~29grs. in the Euro. and ~35grs. in the Ruger to be more accurate than lesser load" Both will shoot into 2" or less from a rest @ 25yds. (The Ruger will shoot into 1" regularly.)

[northmn]

I tried some 777 im my 1860 and found it to work, as did Pyrodex. The straight in ignition of a revolver is more reliable with substitutes than the traditional rifles systems. For those that like to shoot targets with a revolver, the old competition target shooters used to find their "accurate" cylinder and shoot them single shot. Ranges used to require revolvers be single loaded to avoid a chain fire occurance. Usually the loads were 20 -25 grains with COW filler to bring the ball up to the end of the cylinder to lesson the jump effects. These shooters could get some pretty amazing results playing with these loads. However, an equal shooter, shooting a well made patched ball singleshot had the advantages in pure paper punching as they had none of the revolvers shortcomings in matching cylinder to barrel and cylinder gap and so forth. They didn't need COW either. I think most of you that own them will also notice that they are about the most natural pointers made. I first shot a navy repo and found I could point and hit amazingly well just aiming down the barrel. There are few revolvers today that can match them for their balance and pointability.

Northmn