1858 Remington 44 ?s

P

preboomer

New member
Just got one of these, first black powder firearm. From what I've read there's some different opinions on what to shoot in it. 30 grains of powder or pyrodex equivalent seems to be commonly accepted. However; some say .451 ball some say .454, some say size 10 percussion caps some say 11. Will they all work ok or is there enough difference to make a difference?
 
Who made it and how old is it?

A current production (last 10 or so years) Pietta shoots best with .454 round ball and Remington #10 Percussion caps.
 
It depends on the gun.

I find CCI #10s work well with both my Uberti and Pietta 1858s. Different manufacturers are different sizes even within the same # class. You'll have to try them to find out.

Generally they will like .454 balls. The way you tell is when you seat the ball in the chamber it must shave a small ring of lead around the entire perimeter of the ball. This is how you know you have a good tight fitting ball. Loose balls will result in chain fires where multiple chambers go off simultaneously.

30 grains is the max load. You will probably find maximum accuracy at around 18 grains 3F Goex with round ball.

Steve
 
1858 Remington 44s

Thanks for the info and load data. I should have said just ordered it. Cabela's for 249.95 with an extra Cylinder. It's supposed to be here next week. Are there any markings on them that would indicate a date of mfg. I'd think it was made in the last ten years unless they've been having trouble moving them.

I've got a lot to learn about this. I'd never shot a black powder revolver until a couple of days ago. Someone at the range had one of these 1858 Pieta 44 Remingtons. I shot it at 7 and 25 yards and it seemed as accurate as my cartridge handguns.
 
When you receive your new Remington, look for two letters inside of a box like "CN" on your frame or barrel. That is the date code. CN is 2015 for instance.

Then click on this link and scroll to the bottom of the page, it shows Italian date codes from 1940 through to the future to 2030.

http://shotguns.se/html/italy.html
 
I find that Remington and CCI #10 caps to work equally well but I prefer CCI. I get too many Remington caps that lose the priming compound. My normal charge is 30 grains but I have used 40 grains. By all means use .454 balls. .451's may shave a ring and still move under recoil.
 
I shot my Pietta 1858 today and had a great time. I used .454 diameter balls and 30 grains of Goex 3f. I look forward to tinkering with the load and maybe turkey hunting with it but it was hitting pretty darn good.
 
1858 Remington 44s

Is anyone using or tried Hodgdon Pyrodex 30 gr Pellets for 44 & 45 black powder revolvers? They're getting good reviews for being cleaner and safer than black powder as well as easier/faster to load. They look to be considerably more expensive than black powder or standard pyrodex and I don't recall seeing anything about their accuracy.
 
The pellets are really expensive, I've never used them. #10 caps and .454 balls is what you'll need. I use .451s for my 1858 remington because that's the mold I have for it. Go for the .454s. You can also pinch #11 caps to fit the nipples snug if thats all you can find. As for the load, the owners manual says 28 grains pyrodex p (FFFG) and 35 grains Goex FFFG powder as a max.
Have fun!
 
the owners manual says 28 grains pyrodex p (FFFG) and 35 grains Goex FFFG powder as a max.
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Every Pietta I've had has had the same manual. It says 12-15 grains of FFFG. There is no mention of Pyrodex or Goex. Pyrodex is a straight across volume to volume swap with real bp. The Uberti manual says 22-30 with a .454/.457 ball and 19-25 with a conical. Again no mention of Pyrodex or Goex.
 
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My Pietta manual gives a recommended load of 12-15 grains of FFFg and a max load of 35 grains of FFFG black powder and 28 grains of Pyrodex. I'm assuming that they are talking about weights of Pyrodex instead of volume.
 
That's weird. I just looked at three manuals and they all said 12-15. I guess it could be by weight but I don't know what the weight difference is.
 
I use .454 home cast roundball, Remington #10 caps (sportsmans warehouse keeps them in stock) and loose FFFG Real black powder. With a lubed felt wad between the powder amd ball. Look up dualist1954 on you tube. He does a great job explaining the loading sequence. As far as Pellets, save your money and buy a lb of loose FFFg amd a powder measure. I used the pellets when I first started, they work but are expensive and you wind up crushing them. Good luck. I will tell you when you first squeeze her off, the addiction begins lol.
 
I use 17gr by weight not volume. I'm using 3Fg Goex, corn meal as a filler and seating a .454 ball that I cast with a Lee mold, just below the surface of the cylinder. Shot a 99 on an international target at 25 yards with it.
 
FWIW many .44s are in a "sweet spot" at 27~30 Gr, but its not a max load.
Brass frames need lighter loads & I doubt the manuals are different so they just went with a safe overall load maybe?
 
That's weird. I just looked at three manuals and they all said 12-15. I guess it could be by weight but I don't know what the weight difference is.
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I took a look at my Lee powder dipper chart and it claims the 2.2cc dipper holds 35 grains of fffg and 27 grains of Pyrodex P.
 
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