Need load for pietta shooters model pistol

[Rlevin]

I have an Pietta 1858 Remington Shooters Model and need a load recommendation. The specs call for a 464 ball but the blogs say a 457 will work very well. My confusion is that the specs say 12-15 grains of 3F and that sounds awful light. If you have this model and can tell me the load you are using it would save this olde bald senior citizen a lot of time and Budweisers.:):):)

Russ Levin
Company C2

[Mike McDaniel]

Most International-level shooters are using 12-18 grains of 3Fg. It's a good load. I always thought Tom Ball liked a heavier load than can be accurately controlled...I start getting the gun slipping in my hand at the 20 grain point.

[Rlevin]

Thank you. Do you use a filler (cm or CW)? How far do you seat the ball? What lube? I appreciate your help.
Russ


Most International-level shooters are using 12-18 grains of 3Fg. It's a good load. I always thought Tom Ball liked a heavier load than can be accurately controlled...I start getting the gun slipping in my hand at the 20 grain point.

[Mike McDaniel]

I use cream of wheat filler. The ball should be seated as close to the mouth of the chamber as possible. Lube doesn't seem to make much difference, I've seen just about everything used effectively.

[Jim Wimbish, 10395]

I have a Pietta shooters model, It will shoot well with 20 grains of Goex, but I have gotten good results with 17 grains of 3f Goex and currently use that load. The .457 balls work just fine and I use cream of wheat filler and leave about 1/4 inch between the top of the ball and the end of chamber. I tried other loads between 15 and 16.5 grains of 3f Goex but got much better results with 17 grains.

[Gary Van Kauwenbergh, 101]

I’ve shot one of those for about 15 years with 24 grains of FFg GOEX and this bullet: http://leeprecision.com/mold-d-c-456-220-1r.html (http://leeprecision.com/mold-d-c-456-220-1r.html) I pre-lube them in a lubra-sizer, but also grease the top of the cylinder at the range. With the conical bullet and that much powder, you don’t need any filler at all.
That’s not a load I would have worked up for the revolver; I pretty much stumbled into it. I got the gun two days before a skirmish, and didn’t have any balls big enough, so I called a team mate who had a Ruger New Army to bring some. I had musket problems that day, and didn’t get to trying out the revolver. The first time I shot it was in team competition, and I just loaded it straight out a CVA flask that had FFg powder in it. With a team of four shooters and eight hanging tiles I hit six in a row, and when I ran out of ammo there was still one target remaining. My team mates heard plenty of trash talk for only hitting one target between the three of them.
If you want to shoot a squib load, the Big Lube Mav Dutchman bullet shoots just as well, but you will have to use filler. Round balls also shoot well out of it.

[pastore]

15 grains FFF with 457 ball.

[Rlevin]

Gary:
Do you use Ox-Yoke lubed wads over the powder with the conical bullets or just seat the bullet o the powder??

Thanks!

Russ:confused:





I’ve shot one of those for about 15 years with 24 grains of FFg GOEX and this bullet: http://leeprecision.com/mold-d-c-456-220-1r.html (http://leeprecision.com/mold-d-c-456-220-1r.html)I pre-lube them in a lubra-sizer, but also grease the top of the cylinder at the range. With the conical bullet and that much powder, you don’t need any filler at all.
That’s not a load I would have worked up for the revolver; I pretty much stumbled into it.I got the gun two days before a skirmish, and didn’t have any balls big enough, so I called a team mate who had a Ruger New Army to bring some.I had musket problems that day, and didn’t get to trying out the revolver.The first time I shot it was in team competition, and I just loaded it straight out a CVA flask that had FFg powder in it.With a team of four shooters and eight hanging tiles I hit six in a row, and when I ran out of ammo there was still one target remaining.My team mates heard plenty of trash talk for only hitting one target between the three of them.
If you want to shoot a squib load, the Big Lube Mav Dutchman bullet shoots just as well, but you will have to use filler. Round balls also shoot well out of it.

[Gary Van Kauwenbergh, 101]

No wads. Bullet is directly over the powder. I don't think there's enough space left for a wad.

[jonk]

I don't have a Pietta specifically but do have an 1858.

From a bench rest, 23 grains of 3f, .7cc of filler, and grease will shoot really really well for me.

Only problem with that is, the gun slips in my hand with that load and accuracy shooting it single handed- even with a glove- is pretty much luck.

I down loaded it to 10 gr of 3f and had my best shoot ever at spring nationals this year. Obviously use enough filler... The 10 gr load isn't QUITE as good off the bench as 23 gr, but having it controlled and shooting a nominal 3" group instead of a 2" group made a huge difference.

In point of fact I'm considering going down to 5 gr and seeing what's what. That DOES sound really low but it doesn't take much oomph to bust a bird. In an ideal world I don't want that gun to move an inch when I pull the trigger.

[Mike McDaniel]

5 grains is low, even for me - and I shot a 9 grain load for many years. Did have bullets bouncing off plastic bottles. I went to 12 grains mostly to get a sub-6 hold.

but your basic point is sound. There's a maximum accurate load, and the driver is having the gun knock loose in your hand. Once that starts, you're done.

[hp gregory]

as mike mentioned. you want to shoot a load you can control. it doesn't take much to punch holes in the ten ring and a bird dies pretty easy. most any properly tuned revolver will shoot decent between 15 and 20 grains of 3f or even 4f powder. a friend did a lot of research on roundball vs bullet. it depends on the gun but in most cases he found that a round ball at 25 was actualy better. one reason for this is most bullets are heavier and therefor cause more recoil. if you are trying to get the best out of any gun recoil is not your friend. good shots are all about being consistant. the same ignition, same hold, same sight picture and same amount of pistol movement each shot. since recoil is what controls that movement you want as little as poss. the lowest poss load that gives the best grouping is what you are looking for. as for the roundball. well its not round by the time you press it into a cylinder and fire it down the barrel. depending on the fit a roundball turns into a round nose round bottom wad cutter. when mike mentioned loading the ball out close the edge of the cylinder that's so the ball doesnt have to jump very far before hiting the rifling. by using the proper load and cream of wheat you can adjust the seating depth on the ball. another reason for filler is that a lot of shooters use a loading press to press the ball into the cylinder. it makes loading a lot quicker and trouble free. it also has a stop where each ball is loaded to the same depth. with the same load in each hole and seating the ball exactly the same each time you will have the same pressure each time. providing the nipples are the same. so what seems so easy and simple can realy take a lot of detail to get it just right for your new gun. but once you learn what it wants just stay with it and enjoy your new hobby. as I mentioned to you in our emails. the shooters model is an excellent revolver. they are a lot of revolver for the money.

hp gregory

[ChrisWBR]

I have an Pietta 1858 Remington Shooters Model and need a load recommendation. The specs call for a 464 ball but the blogs say a 457 will work very well. My confusion is that the specs say 12-15 grains of 3F and that sounds awful light. If you have this model and can tell me the load you are using it would save this olde bald senior citizen a lot of time and Budweisers.:):):)

Russ Levin
Company C2


I use 16gr of Goex 3F, works quite well for me at 25 yards, I use 22gr at 50, same sights. The projectile is a short Colt bullet sized to .457.