Have a few ?s about powder charges.

[.22 mag.]

Hello everyone,

I haven't shot cap and ball revolvers in a long time. I have a steel frame 58 remingon .44 , a brass frame 58 rem. .44 , and a brass frame rem .31 pocket revolver.

What would be the correct powder charges for each ?

Does anyone shoot the .31 Rem.? What kind of groups are you getting and what kind of power does this pistol have. I would like to use this for a trap line/ short range small game gun if I can get it to shoot well enough to hit with and has enough powder.

Thank you for your time.

 

[renovato]

My steel frame Uberti 1858 shoots best with a 25 grain load of FFFG Goex. As it gets close to 30 grains, the groups start opening up. I'd suggest starting at about 20 grains and working your way up 1 grain at a time to see where your best accuracy is. Generally, you run out of room in the chamber for powder long before you get into dangerous pressures with a revolver, so you can work your loads up to as much powder as will fit. As for power, not much. Mild .38 special range maybe. A bit more if you use conicals.

As for the brass framed gun, you might want to keep loads light. Brass frames can't take a steady diet of hot load without damage. I've heard some folks say that heavy loads haven't damaged theirs, but we have posts here from people who's brass framed guns were ruined by a diet of them. I'd err on the side of caution on that one.

Can't help on the .31 revolver. I have one, but I've never fired it.

 

[Homesteader]

I've got the .31 Remington, and believe it'd be a good little piece for running your traps. You are talking about the finishing shot, right? It would do the job if it's close and well placed.

That's the revolver I used to teach my younger nephews to shoot pistols. They loved it, and got to where they could hit a soup can at 25 feet or so. On a good day, so can I. :grin:

Like all of 'em, the secret is practice.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I've got a .31 Remington pocket revolver. I use 10 grains of GOEX FFFg and a .320 ball. It's pretty much useless beyond card table range, though.

 

[.22 mag.]

Thank you both for the info.

Homesteader, yes I was talking about the finishing shot on the trapline. I was also hoping to be able to take rabbits or squirrels and such at close range. What powder charge were you shooting in yours?

Thank you.

 

[Homesteader]

I've got a little pocket flask with an attached spout measure. (I know, I know...) If I remember correctly it's 12 grains, maybe a little over. A "hot" load is 15.

It'd make a good trapline pistol, I think, but I personally wouldn't try to hunt anything with it. Except maybe that card cheat on the other end of the poker table. :haha:

 

[.22 mag.]

Thank you Russ T for te info. I going to try it out and see what it will do.

 

[.22 mag.]

Well I'll probaly have to get a larger .36 revolver for small game them . Here in PA we have to use .40 or smaller for small game so I can't use the .44s legally.

Thank you all again, I will let youall know how they shoot.

 

[Dphar]

Hello everyone,

I haven't shot cap and ball revolvers in a long time. I have a steel frame 58 remingon .44 , a brass frame 58 rem. .44 , and a brass frame rem .31 pocket revolver.

What would be the correct powder charges for each ?

Does anyone shoot the .31 Rem.? What kind of groups are you getting and what kind of power does this pistol have. I would like to use this for a trap line/ short range small game gun if I can get it to shoot well enough to hit with and has enough powder.

Thank you for your time.

Worry about specific charge weights is a modern (smokeless) thing.
Use enough powder to to allow about 1/16" or a little less compression on the powder.

Dan

 

[Poor Private]

My son has a brass one we put 15 grains in and shot at a coffee can. It went in one side and went zing zing zing around and around the inside we laffed our butts off. Fired it off only about 15 foot away. My son don't like it though he says it puts the fire/explosion to close to his hand he looked to see if it was burnt. I like it for reenacting civil war- use it for a hideout gun.

 

[William O.]

My 58's shot very well with a 22 grain load.

 

[Leatherbark]

My 49 Uberti with 15 grains of 3f Swiss and a .320 ball will perforate both sides of a coffee can at 20 yards, but that Swiss if a hot powder. Trapline pistol OK. I'd feel confident on a rabbit out to maybe 20 yards..............Bob

 

[torn moc]

I have in my notes that 18 grains in a .32 rifle will produce 1,500 feet per second and 249 foot pound of energy....You wont get that in a pistol...but 15 grains is still a hot load for a .31
I am sure it should penetrate very well.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I doubt that I could hit a coffee can at 20 yards with my little Remington. The combination of the short barrel and poor sights rule it out. I have a pocket Colt around here somewhere that would do it though. Whole different proposition--longer barrel, more powder and it has sights that can be seen.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

for your brass frame .44 Rem a .38spcl caseful of 3F should be considered the 'target load' and a .357 Mag caseful a 'hot or hunting load'. thye won't take any hotter shot regular from them.
steel frame of course will handle anything you can stuff in the chambers. I use a 7.62X39 caseful of 3F in my Pietta to hunt with. does good with felts over powder then a Lee mold conical slug. lots of 'whack'.

 

[Leatherbark]

I shot the same load into a GunParts Corp catalog (Dry) at just a few feet and it went about 3/4ths of the way through. Little .320 ball had the rifling perfectly engraved and the ball was only distorted by the trip down the barrel. Looked like no expansion at all.............Bob

 

[torn moc]

was the ball a swaged Hornady?, wheel weight lead or pure lead?

 

[Powerkicker]

I've shot hornady round ball ahead of 30 grain of FFF in my 1858 Pietta repro. Works great.

 

[Leatherbark]

A Hornady buckshot Single 0........That can of Swiss 3 f was very hot. 80gr of it under a .490 ball would do over 1900 fps out of a Blue Ridge (39 inch barrel). Goex would only do slightly over 1700. Now Grafs and Goex in the little 31 is a different story than the Swiss. The Swiss load of 15gr of 3f and the .320 ball did around 750fps IIRC. Goex and Graf did way under 700 fps. I've got another GPC catalog........I'll have test again and take pictures........Although my partner shot my Chronograph a few weeks back.............Bob

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I really enjoy checking out these pistol threads.
my favorite BP shooting.
lots of good info here to be found.