FPE most powerfull Bullet/Ball?

Z

ZVP

New member
I tried to search this but couldn't find anything so here goes...
Has anyone chronied the difference and FPE for Ball vs Conical loads in the '58?
I am guessing that the Conical (with the same powder charge) would give the higher muzle energy? Bigger bullet... Since getting into BP revolvers i have read about 50/50 on the accuracy of a Conical vs a Ball. Accuracy in a gunfight is necessary but shooting center mass a small difference actually won't matter.
So what would it be, a h/v Ball or a heavy but slower, Conical?
I shoot balls exclusivelly so far but really want to give Conicals a try! Mayve Bufflo Bullets because they look shorter and easier to chamber?
Thanks,
ZVP
 
i have been dying to find out. i don't have a chronograph, but I'll be getting my 58 Remmy on Tuesday! i cast both balls and conicals so i will certainly test the damage i can get with them and judge it from there.
 
I will go on record as saying the round ball will do more damage. That's my
story and I'm sticking to it!
 
I believe the round ball would be more accurate, but we all know a round ball well placed is much better than a conical that misses the target. I've never really tried conicals and that's mainly because round balls never let me down:cool:
 
Interesting I have shot RB & conicals out of my guns and found little difference in accuracy at 25 yards. However I did find that the heaver conical bullets shot low and had more knock down power. I have been shooting steel targets and RB just splatters and rocks the target the conical hits the target and knocks it down some times. I also tried using conicals in my Replica Colt Walker, some how with 50 grains of 3 F it did not mater one bit. I use a 147 grain RB then a 205 gr cast FP. Still shoots high and both knock down the steel targets.

Mace
 
I think Mike Cumpston's a member here, and he's published a great deal of such chrono data in his two percussion books (available from Amazon, and great reads). I'll lift some data out of his chapter on the 1858s (he's got a whole page of chrono data on various loadings from the .44 '58) for you:

.454 ball
28 gr. Pyrodex P 966 fps
28 gr. Goex 3F 795 fps
28 gr. Swiss 3F 959 fps
35 gr. Swiss 3F 1089 fps
40 gr. Swiss 3F 1104 fps
40 gr. Pyrodex P 1125 fps
35 gr. 777 3F 101

180-gr. Traditional bullet
28 gr. Swiss 3F 962

190-gr. Buffalo Bullet
21 gr. Pyrodex P 767

Ramlok 194-gr bullet
35 gr. 777 3F 1106

200-gr. Lee Bullet
22 gr. Swiss 3F 785


(For what it's worth, 35 gr. 777 3F throws a 190-gr Buffalo Bullet at over 1100 fps - with big deviations - from my ROA; the same charge with a .457" ball does a little faster. The balls are slightly more accurate from my ROA, but - man, that's a great gun with the Buffalo Bullets as well.)
 
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