1860 Colt Army by Pietta...

[Missourian]

Went to Cabelas in Kearney, Nebraska today, and they had the most beautiful replica 1860 Colt Army for $165 out the door...it had to come home with me.

And it did...

Black powder is a new arena for me, so I'll be doing some homework before taking her out to shoot.

 

[pismoe]

nice !!

 

[g5000]

Very nice.

 

[jesusheknowsme]

That's a beauty.

 

[Ringel05]

Went to Cabelas in Kearney, Nebraska today, and they had the most beautiful replica 1860 Colt Army for $165 out the door...it had to come home with me.

And it did...

Black powder is a new arena for me, so I'll be doing some homework before taking her out to shoot.

Most likely you will get one that has no problems so this is to help with some standard how-to as well as what to look for if you reproduction experiences firing issues.

Do not overload the chambers, use the correct size caps and check your nipples, make sure they're the correct size.

Replacing with Tresco nipples is a good idea.
You might have to experiment with cap size/manufactures. If you have a problem with CCS percussion caps then move up to Remingtons. You'll probably have to play with size #10 and #11 (from both manufacturers) to see which works best for you, the caps must fit tightly on the nipples.

Generally, the commercially made round balls in ".44 caliber" come in either in .451 or .457 diameter. So, if you own a .44, then you must use the correct size ".44 caliber" ball. When the ball is seated in the chamber, a THIN RING OF LEAD should be sheared off each ball when it is seated. This lets you know that each ball is "tight" enough in the chamber to assure that no flames from the firing of the gun can make it into that chamber and cause a "chain-fire."

Felt wads seated behind the ball (on top of the powder) are also a good idea. Some shooters, after the chambers of the cylinder are loaded use a heavy water pump grease, smeared on the mouths of the chambers to not only provide "lube" for the ball when it is fired, but this also guards against the possibility of a chain-fire.

 

[pismoe]

There are books written by ELMER KEITH where he talks about the old gun fighters , hunters , farmers and the old black powder arms like these 1860 Colts that they used . Elmer was growing up as these old gun users were elderly and dying off and learned a lot about the guns and cowboy times from the people that lived in those cowboy times . I've only read one of his books but have read many articles written by him and he was a cool guy . Think he died in the late 70s and one of his books full of pictures of old guns and tales of the times that he lived through is - Hell , I Was There - !! There are other books that he wrote that are more technical but the book I mention is easy reading and is interesting .

 

[pismoe]

[CABELAS] --- in the CABELAS in the BOISE area there is an exhibit with a robot of Elmer Keith talking about the times that I mention in my last post . --- "Hell, I was there!" by Elmer Keith ? Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists ---

 

[Missourian]

Went to Cabelas in Kearney, Nebraska today, and they had the most beautiful replica 1860 Colt Army for $165 out the door...it had to come home with me.

And it did...

Black powder is a new arena for me, so I'll be doing some homework before taking her out to shoot.

Most likely you will get one that has no problems so this is to help with some standard how-to as well as what to look for if you reproduction experiences firing issues.

Do not overload the chambers, use the correct size caps and check your nipples, make sure they're the correct size.

Replacing with Tresco nipples is a good idea.
You might have to experiment with cap size/manufactures. If you have a problem with CCS percussion caps then move up to Remingtons. You'll probably have to play with size #10 and #11 (from both manufacturers) to see which works best for you, the caps must fit tightly on the nipples.

Generally, the commercially made round balls in ".44 caliber" come in either in .451 or .457 diameter. So, if you own a .44, then you must use the correct size ".44 caliber" ball. When the ball is seated in the chamber, a THIN RING OF LEAD should be sheared off each ball when it is seated. This lets you know that each ball is "tight" enough in the chamber to assure that no flames from the firing of the gun can make it into that chamber and cause a "chain-fire."

Felt wads seated behind the ball (on top of the powder) are also a good idea. Some shooters, after the chambers of the cylinder are loaded use a heavy water pump grease, smeared on the mouths of the chambers to not only provide "lube" for the ball when it is fired, but this also guards against the possibility of a chain-fire.

Thanks Ringel!

I read this the other night and didn't understand half of it.

It really helped me focus in on the important things I didn't know that I didn't know.

I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

Going to slip by midway tomorrow and get felt wads, .451 & .454 ball, brass measurer, pyrodex can spout, but no pyrodex P or caps...out of stock/no order, so that will have to wait until my next trip to cabelas.

Anything I'm missing?

[MENTION=20342]Ringel05[/MENTION]

 

[rockledr]

I always miss the good deals. Pietta has really stepped up their quality. I have a few of these types of revolvers and they are a blast and very addicting. I use real black powder in mine. The smoke and smell of it is part of the excitement. It also cleans up easy with hot soapy water. when you shoot it don't be surprised if it shoots about 7 inches high at 25 yds. Colt was optimistic about their range and made the sights for 75 yds. There is a lot to do to tune one if you would like the information I can give you a link.

Enjoy the new gun!!

PS since you are in MO you can order black powder from a place in NW AR it is much cheaper than most local gunshops.

 

[Ringel05]

Went to Cabelas in Kearney, Nebraska today, and they had the most beautiful replica 1860 Colt Army for $165 out the door...it had to come home with me.

And it did...

Black powder is a new arena for me, so I'll be doing some homework before taking her out to shoot.

Most likely you will get one that has no problems so this is to help with some standard how-to as well as what to look for if you reproduction experiences firing issues.

Do not overload the chambers, use the correct size caps and check your nipples, make sure they're the correct size.

Replacing with Tresco nipples is a good idea.
You might have to experiment with cap size/manufactures. If you have a problem with CCS percussion caps then move up to Remingtons. You'll probably have to play with size #10 and #11 (from both manufacturers) to see which works best for you, the caps must fit tightly on the nipples.

Generally, the commercially made round balls in ".44 caliber" come in either in .451 or .457 diameter. So, if you own a .44, then you must use the correct size ".44 caliber" ball. When the ball is seated in the chamber, a THIN RING OF LEAD should be sheared off each ball when it is seated. This lets you know that each ball is "tight" enough in the chamber to assure that no flames from the firing of the gun can make it into that chamber and cause a "chain-fire."

Felt wads seated behind the ball (on top of the powder) are also a good idea. Some shooters, after the chambers of the cylinder are loaded use a heavy water pump grease, smeared on the mouths of the chambers to not only provide "lube" for the ball when it is fired, but this also guards against the possibility of a chain-fire.

Thanks Ringel!

I read this the other night and didn't understand half of it.

It really helped me focus in on the important things I didn't know that I didn't know.

I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

Going to slip by midway tomorrow and get felt wads, .451 & .454 ball, brass measurer, pyrodex can spout, but no pyrodex P or caps...out of stock/no order, so that will have to wait until my next trip to cabelas.

Anything I'm missing?

[MENTION=20342]Ringel05[/MENTION]

Yeah, make sure you CAN fire Pyrodex out of your revolver as Pyrodex fires hotter than black powder, some reproduction revolvers specifically state "black powder only". It's probably a simple load reduction that will give you the same ballistics black powder does.

Here's a video. All of these revolvers load the same.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l4alj6RRkM"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l4alj6RRkM[/ame]

 

[Missourian]

Most likely you will get one that has no problems so this is to help with some standard how-to as well as what to look for if you reproduction experiences firing issues.

Do not overload the chambers, use the correct size caps and check your nipples, make sure they're the correct size.

Replacing with Tresco nipples is a good idea.
You might have to experiment with cap size/manufactures. If you have a problem with CCS percussion caps then move up to Remingtons. You'll probably have to play with size #10 and #11 (from both manufacturers) to see which works best for you, the caps must fit tightly on the nipples.

Generally, the commercially made round balls in ".44 caliber" come in either in .451 or .457 diameter. So, if you own a .44, then you must use the correct size ".44 caliber" ball. When the ball is seated in the chamber, a THIN RING OF LEAD should be sheared off each ball when it is seated. This lets you know that each ball is "tight" enough in the chamber to assure that no flames from the firing of the gun can make it into that chamber and cause a "chain-fire."

Felt wads seated behind the ball (on top of the powder) are also a good idea. Some shooters, after the chambers of the cylinder are loaded use a heavy water pump grease, smeared on the mouths of the chambers to not only provide "lube" for the ball when it is fired, but this also guards against the possibility of a chain-fire.

Thanks Ringel!

I read this the other night and didn't understand half of it.

It really helped me focus in on the important things I didn't know that I didn't know.

I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

Going to slip by midway tomorrow and get felt wads, .451 & .454 ball, brass measurer, pyrodex can spout, but no pyrodex P or caps...out of stock/no order, so that will have to wait until my next trip to cabelas.

Anything I'm missing?

@Ringel05

Yeah, make sure you CAN fire Pyrodex out of your revolver as Pyrodex fires hotter than black powder, some reproduction revolvers specifically state "black powder only". It's probably a simple load reduction that will give you the same ballistics black powder does.

Here's a video. All of these revolvers load the same.

According to the manual, BP is a 35 grain load and Pyrodex P is the only manufacturer recommended substitute at 28 grains.

I got some 30 grain pellets of Pyrodex when I failed to find any loose available at three different stores. After searching some online forums, this load is acceptable for the Pietta 1860...but, I did find some loose Pyrodex P at the Cabelas in Sidney, NE...so I am going to start with that, 25 grain loads.

Thanks for the video...I'm going to try to take it out for the first time tomorrow.

 

[Ringel05]

Enjoy!

BTW here's one of mine:

1858 Remington Buffalo Revolver (wasn't actually produced until the mid/late 1860s with the 12" barrel). I'd like to find the detachable shoulder stock that is made for it but they don't manufacture those any longer.

I also have a 1858 Remington standard and an 1851 Colt Sheriff's model.

 

[whitehall]

That's a pretty good buy. Cabellas is a top notch outdoor store and Pietta makes quality black powder stuff. I prefer the solid frame "Remington" type of cap/ball because it's easier to carry extra cylinders. You can get so-called pyrodex pellets instead of loose powder and it seems easier to load while less authentic.

 

[Ringel05]

That's a pretty good buy. Cabellas is a top notch outdoor store and Pietta makes quality black powder stuff. I prefer the solid frame "Remington" type of cap/ball because it's easier to carry extra cylinders. You can get so-called pyrodex pellets instead of loose powder and it seems easier to load while less authentic.

Pietta (what Cabelas sells) is good and getting better but if you want top quality go with Uberti, you'll pay more but it's worth it.

 

[Missourian]

What do you guys think of this little doodad?

Howell Old West Conversions Conversion Cylinder 44 Cal Pietta 1860

 

[Ringel05]

What do you guys think of this little doodad?

Howell Old West Conversions Conversion Cylinder 44 Cal Pietta 1860

First I've seen of it. Here's more:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axwZhrsxazQ]Remington Cartridge Conversion Systems.mov - YouTube[/ame]