Correct Ammo for a .44 Colt Army

[CharlesZ]

I just finished a box of .457 Hornady roundballs for my 1860 Colt Army. Now I'm seeing that a .44 should be shooting .454 or .451. The gun shot nice groups, a nice shaved ring of lead when I rammed each ball home but I have to say, it did seem like alot of effort. Should I stick with what works or should I be loading a smaller ball?
Thanks to all.

 

[R.M.]

I'd try some .454" balls. It'll be easier on the loading lever screw. Just make sure you're getting the cut ring.

 

[poordevil]

The .454 is good advice. I had an Uberti 1860 .44 and 451 balls were too small. They stayed in the cylinder and shot ok, but a tighter ball would have been better

P

 

[Zonie]

.451 may be a bit small depending on what your chamber diameters actually are.

If the .457 balls are shooting good but you can't find any then the .454's might work alright.

The larger the ball, the more lead will be sheared off of them when they enter the chambers.

This is hard on the loading lever but on the other hand, it provides a longer area on the sides of the ball to engage the rifling.
That can lessen the chances of the ball stripping or jumping the barrel grooves although this usually is not a problem with the light powder loads the fixed chamber size limits the guns to.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I use .457's and .454's in my ubertis, both work fine. The larger ball is a little tough to load, but not so bad I'm damaging the lever.

 

[Damsha Bua]

.454 balls fit just right in my Uberti 1860 Army.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Needed ball size varies with manufacturer. For the 1860 Colt, 2nd and 3rd gens need a .457, Pietta may need a .451. The best thing to do is mic your chambers and load accordingly.