Hallo!
I have a new and unused one still in factory oil I am selling and can likely save you some Yankee Greenbacks.
But to answer your question, while they vary a bit due to Italian QC issues in terms of the individual cylinder chambers, force cone, and barrel... Uberti Remington M1863 New Model Army's
(incorrect Hobbyism "M1858") tend to run .450 chambers (some may vary a wee tad up or down.. ) and a .451 or .452 barrel.
Civil War Period cartridges varied a bit by arsenal, factory, contractor, and the size and weight of the "heeled' type conical bullet.
Oh say... 199, 204, 220, 236, 238, or 257 grain in .446, .455, .458, or .460 in diameter.
And it gets complicated as the Government sometimes supplied arsenal-made bullets to make into cartridges.
Ideally, the "theory" was that the "standard" was .44 and up to a point any .44 could conceivable use whatever .44 cartridge the Ordnance folks issued. However, obvious some .44 revolvers although ".44's were slightly larger or smaller than other makers. The US and its CS clone Ordnance Manual called for a 30 grain charge, 216 grain bullet of 0.46.
Perhaps oddly, Remington did not make their own ammunition, but largely relied on Johnston & Dow.
Finding a true .44 conical heeled bullet these daze is hard.
For many years I struggled with Rapine making order calls they did not answer their phone for, or never returned multiple messages. Nor did they fill orders done by mail. Anyways, Rapine offered, used to offer a ".44 Colt Conversion' bullet in .451 210 grain that was okay. Albeit a tad smallish it was a conical and it was heeled. Metallic conversions of CW C & B revolvers simply had their bullets getting a copper cartridge built around them.
Rapine also had a conical ".45 Auto" in .452 215 grain.
Rapine aside, the best and easiest .44 conical heeled bullet is the old Dixie "hair straighter" crude 'pliers' type mold they call a .454 Remington.
I just picked up one of the Pedersoli Colt presentation or caser type molds in .44 that throws a .44 conical and .44 ball. It is more for decoration, and now new pricey, but it will do mildly okay as a mold for a rare bullet. I have not cast any yet to measure, but I am assuming it is sized for the modern Italian .44 sizes and not the CW original size bullet.
And last...
Fudging a bit on Period Correctness....
There are two modern versions, a compromise. And that is Lee's double cavity .450 200 grain bullet. There are two versions, a more blunt round ose, and a slightly more pointed round nose conical.
I have not tried them yet, and will not be getting to a range until next week some time. I am a bit suspicious on accuracy though- their being .450's in a .450 chamber with a .452 bore.
I am curious as to whether a 30 grain charge on a pure lead bullet will obdurate it enough to shoot well.
I would have to some research as it has been years since I read about it, but before the Italians came out with Metallic Conversion versions of the CW C & B revolvers, some lads were shooting originals and had gone to hollow based conicals using the Minie or Pritchett concept to deal with the larger original bore sizes and the lack of Period sized molds.
Curt
Curt Schmidt
Formerly 17 years a Sherman's Bodyguard
Married to a descendant of Senator John Sherman's wife
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