Pietta 1858 With Target Sights

Went to a swap meet yesterday. Parker County Sportsmans Club has one once a quarter. (Weatherford, TX) Range is actually located near Poolville. There were some guys there with items from an estate. The brother of the man who died brought all kinds of gun stuff to sell on behalf of his sister in law. Amongst it was a cardboard box full of cap and ball revolvers. Around 10 if I remember correctly. One was an 1860 Army and there was one 1858 Sheriffs model new in the box. I managed to snag a 1858 target model with a spare cylinder and an unmentionable cylinder as well. Also a black flapped holster. Unmarked, no US on it and the flap closes with a brass stud. The date code on the revolver was 2007

Slugged the bore yesterday. Grooves and lands .440/.445
Cylinder chambers all measured from.445/.446
.451 ball will be good. Hope it shoots as good as the measurements tell me it should.

Nice. That would be a 1858 New Model Army Remington Replica though it has the Target sights on it (one of mine does as well).

Let us know how it shoots. I have two NMA, one a 76 and one a 2023 and have not had all that good results.

I had one of those for a number of years. I found the .454 balls to be a better fit. The .451 would not shave a consistent ring of lead when loading. My target load was 15 grains 3f, but you can load 35 grains in there if you want a big boom!

rafterob said:

I had one of those for a number of years. I found the .454 balls to be a better fit. The .451 would not shave a consistent ring of lead when loading. My target load was 15 grains 3f, but you can load 35 grains in there if you want a big boom!

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I have for years used .454 in most of mine. Based on the measurements I got using old fashioned dial calipers a .006 or .005 ring shaved from a .451 ball should be good. As it is I modified one of my .451 round ball moulds to throw a heeled round ball. Weighs 160 grains. The heel measures .433 and drops right into the cylinder chamber mouth. I hope it also lends itself to ease of manufacture and loading with combustible cartridge's

I own a Pietta that was made in 1986. Someone let it rust a bit, some in the bore and a few of the chambers. Some idiot used what I suspect to be a hammer to try to drive the cylinder pin out and battered the frame up something fierce. The gun looks like hell to be frank about it. My uncle got it in a trade along with other items. He cleaned and oiled it, put it in a drawer and forgot about it for nearly 20 years. I was helping my Aunt to liquidate his collection when I found it. Same condition as when I saw it decades ago. She gave it to me because she knew that it wasn't worth anything. I gave it some TLC and found that it is the most accurate CP pistol I have ever shot in spite of the abuse it endured. It isn't going anywhere.

I have one and it shoots high. Can't adjust it to shoot lower. Probably needs a taller front sight.

barnettshale said:

Went to a swap meet yesterday. Parker County Sportsmans Club has one once a quarter. (Weatherford, TX) Range is actually located near Poolville. There were some guys there with items from an estate. The brother of the man who died brought all kinds of gun stuff to sell on behalf of his sister in law. Amongst it was a cardboard box full of cap and ball revolvers. Around 10 if I remember correctly. One was an 1860 Army and there was one 1858 Sheriffs model new in the box. I managed to snag a 1858 target model with a spare cylinder and an unmentionable cylinder as well. Also a black flapped holster. Unmarked, no US on it and the flap closes with a brass stud. The date code on the revolver was 2007View attachment 302714

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I have the same gun that has been tuned up a bit and barrel lapped and is my go to target gun. It out shoots my ROA and is my most accurate percussion revolver.

barnettshale said:

I have for years used .454 in most of mine. Based on the measurements I got using old fashioned dial calipers a .006 or .005 ring shaved from a .451 ball should be good. As it is I modified one of my .451 round ball moulds to throw a heeled round ball. Weighs 160 grains. The heel measures .433 and drops right into the cylinder chamber mouth. I hope it also lends itself to ease of manufacture and loading with combustible cartridge's
View attachment 303553

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I like it and a good idea for paper cartridge construction.

Mine is 2023 production and shoots better than I can offhand and very tight off a rest.
My favorite pistol to shoot but not one I carry.