Knuckle buster

[Flintlock Whiskey]

The exception in handguns was the Colt 1860 Army which was made for cavalry.

Was that due to the gloves cavalry men wore?

 

[Kno-ie]

JamesA.

Those of us that have large hands are going to get our knuckles rapped by the trigger guard on the 1858 Remington. I've not found one that has not thumped my second finger knuckle in 50 years. Be it original or repo.

Dualist 1954 has a video on how he opened that area up when he built his cut down '58. Good luck.

Kno-ie

 

[Bad Karma]

I have seen some CNB revolvers with material from the rear of the TG removed. Some barely noticable, some very evident.
Think Dragoon trigger guard...

Just thinking out loud... maybe trimming down the wooden stock would help

I have a few Tyler T-grips laying around here but none fit the Remington. It would be the ideal solution IMO.

Or, there’s this…

 

[Bad Karma]

JamesA.

Those of us that have large hands are going to get our knuckles rapped by the trigger guard on the 1858 Remington. I've not found one that has not thumped my second finger knuckle in 50 years. Be it original or repo.

Dualist 1954 has a video on how he opened that area up when he built his cut down '58. Good luck.

Kno-ie

Times 2… they all do it no matter how I hold them. Unless I shoot mouse-fart loads.

 

[ord sgt]

Ord -- If I used only 15 grains of powder in a .44 I'd have to check for squibs after every shot.

Have you tried it? Yes, I do use 15 grains FFFg, a felt wad and a .451 roundball plus a standard CCI #11 percussion cap. Never had a squib load with my Pietta 1851 .44 calibre Colt revolver. I pour the powder from a flask into a measure for each chamber of the cylinder.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Have you tried it? Yes, I do use 15 grains FFFg, a felt wad and a .451 roundball plus a standard CCI #11 percussion cap. Never had a squib load with my Pietta 1851 .44 calibre Colt revolver. I pour the powder from a flask into a measure for each chamber of the cylinder.

Same thing except it is 20 gr. Never a FTF.

 

[Bob Troxell]

A belt sander would be perfect for removing material from the front strap and grips and that could be polished out easily. All the straps I've ever seen were thick enough so that you could remove a significant amount there. In the case of the N-SSA it might make the revolver illegal for competition though.

I was going to suggest this same thing.
A noted writer, speaker. YouTube creator and all around knowledgeable man; Mike Belivieu (not sure of the spelling) has thinned down the front grip frame strap, reworked the grips and perhaps messaged the back side of the trigger guard of some of his Remington replicas solely to lessen collisions with his fingers.

 

[Des52]

Guys don't dangle that little finger, curl it under the grip. That will give you more control with recoil. It's a old revolver shooting trick.

 

[Bad Karma]

I have long noticed that there are quite a few Remington revolvers in really good condition dating back to the cap and ball era. I wonder if shooters back then capped off a few loads, thought to themselves, “this bites!” cleaned and put the old gun away…

 

[Tanglefoot]

To Flintlock Whiskey: Good question. That would be my guess, but I'm not quite old enough to remember why it was and I've never seen anything from "the experts" that talks to that.

 

[TrapperDude]

Guys don't dangle that little finger, curl it under the grip. That will give you more control with recoil. It's a old revolver shooting trick.

That's what I do. I started doing that when I began training with my pocket micro pistol. The same practice got applied to my 1858. Still seems funny, though, to be holding a full-size revolver the same way I hold a pocket pistol

It's fine, though. I guess modern hands are bigger than what grew on the ends of people's arms back when these revolvers were state of the art.

It certainly doesn't hurt accuracy. You can see the 10" plate at 25yds getting slammed on the left side here.

 

[JamesA]

It sounds like your hands are like mine. I felt silly holding with my pinky dangling for several cylinders as I experimented with grip angles--it's a full-size revolver, after all. I shoot a pocket gun a lot, which doesn't allow me to get a pinky on there, so I'm pretty used to shooting that way.

It's just the best way for me to get the best accuracy with the 1858, too. If I hold too high, I end up pulling the trigger from above it. Getting lower on the grip allows me to draw the trigger straighter to the rear. I recommend getting used to that lower grip. It will seem awkward, but you will get used to it, and you will end up getting better accuracy.

I think you're right. I purchased a set of leather gloves, cut the trigger finger off so I can actually get it through the trigger guard and onto the trigger. It works best if I grip lower and the pinky finger just waves in the breeze. You are 100% correct, too high a hold and the trigger finger feels awkward coming in from above and not straight forward. Thanks for the info. Now I just need to get back to the range and try it out.

 

[TrapperDude]

I think you're right. I purchased a set of leather gloves, cut the trigger finger off so I can actually get it through the trigger guard and onto the trigger. It works best if I grip lower and the pinky finger just waves in the breeze. You are 100% correct, too high a hold and the trigger finger feels awkward coming in from above and not straight forward. Thanks for the info. Now I just need to get back to the range and try it out.

Just take a look at the gif I posted above. You can see the accuracy at 25 yards using the grip with the pinky below the grip. I did that with 30gr of Pyrodex P, with no knuckle pain, either.

It's not the big plate on the left edge. It's the smaller one to the right of it, on the other side of the barrels.

 

[JamesA]

Just take a look at the gif I posted above. You can see the accuracy at 25 yards using the grip with the pinky below the grip. I did that with 30gr of Pyrodex P, with no knuckle pain, either.

It's not the big plate on the left edge. It's the smaller one to the right of it, on the other side of the barrels.

It sounds like you are using the same load I use and it looks like you are using a two hand hold. I am looking forward to hitting the range about the middle of this up coming week. I've got percussion nipples for #11's coming, wads and seals, and trying to get a loading stand for black powder revolvers. Thanks again for the info. BTW, good shooting.

 

[TrapperDude]

It sounds like you are using the same load I use and it looks like you are using a two hand hold. I am looking forward to hitting the range about the middle of this up coming week. I've got percussion nipples for #11's coming, wads and seals, and trying to get a loading stand for black powder revolvers. Thanks again for the info. BTW, good shooting.

I bought everything I could when I first got my revolver in 2019, but I only bought a single tin of caps because I wasn't sure what size to use. The Bass Pro guy said to use the CCI #10 caps, but I'd also read that #11 caps were the appropriate choice. I was glad I only bought a single tin of the #10 caps because they barely fit. I was having to do two strikes on each--one to seat them and the other to detonate them.

I ultimately bought a case of ten tins of #11 caps before the crisis happened. Those had to be crimped a little to stay seated, but the installation of Slixsprings nipples took care of that problem, too.

Something I read on the geojohn blog I linked in another post recommended putting some lube around the chamber mouths before seating bullets, using a cork wad to keep the lube away from the powder. The lube behind the bullet keeps the fouling soft. It works, too, because I can go through eight cylinders without punching the bore, all with minimal loss of accuracy, based on 25yd plate hits.

I use the two-handed grip for two reasons: 1) I can use the support hand thumb to quickly **** the revolver after each shot; and 2) I get better accuracy. I shoot one-handed only for the purpose of training to deal with an injury to one hand/arm. While it may have been the preferred method for men shooting from horseback, I don't shoot from a horse, so I train as I would use the weapon if I had to in a real fight. The two-handed grip is how I would fight with the revolver. In the full video from which I made that GIF, it took about two seconds to **** the hammer and hit the target. If I'd done that one-handed, it would have taken longer, and that extra time could mean the bad guy(s) is/are shooting me, first.

Altogether, it's been fun cultivating this new skill. I appreciate the complement, by the way.

 

[JamesA]

I bought everything I could when I first got my revolver in 2019, but I only bought a single tin of caps because I wasn't sure what size to use. The Bass Pro guy said to use the CCI #10 caps, but I'd also read that #11 caps were the appropriate choice. I was glad I only bought a single tin of the #10 caps because they barely fit. I was having to do two strikes on each--one to seat them and the other to detonate them.

I ultimately bought a case of ten tins of #11 caps before the crisis happened. Those had to be crimped a little to stay seated, but the installation of Slixsprings nipples took care of that problem, too.

Something I read on the geojohn blog I linked in another post recommended putting some lube around the chamber mouths before seating bullets, using a cork wad to keep the lube away from the powder. The lube behind the bullet keeps the fouling soft. It works, too, because I can go through eight cylinders without punching the bore, all with minimal loss of accuracy, based on 25yd plate hits.

I use the two-handed grip for two reasons: 1) I can use the support hand thumb to quickly **** the revolver after each shot; and 2) I get better accuracy. I shoot one-handed only for the purpose of training to deal with an injury to one hand/arm. While it may have been the preferred method for men shooting from horseback, I don't shoot from a horse, so I train as I would use the weapon if I had to in a real fight. The two-handed grip is how I would fight with the revolver. In the full video from which I made that GIF, it took about two seconds to **** the hammer and hit the target. If I'd done that one-handed, it would have taken longer, and that extra time could mean the bad guy(s) is/are shooting me, first.

Altogether, it's been fun cultivating this new skill. I appreciate the complement, by the way.

Now that I have learned the proper grip/hold on the "Preacher" (That's what Cimarron calls this model) and I use a leather glove (modified), I am having much more success. No more "busted knuckles". Having said that, I purchased (6) #11 percussion cap nipples and put them on the cylinder. No problem with the thread size, it fit perfectly. Unfortunately, now I have to double strike virtually every chamber. I looked at the caps, #11's, the first strike mushrooms them. The second strike will generally fire the chamber. At this point, I am ready to go back to the #10 nipples and just gently squeeze the #11 caps to make them stay on. That never resulted in having to do a double strike before. If it isn't one thing it's another. I guess that's the appeal, black powder requires much more than a glass bedded action, a 1 1/8 inch stainless steel barrel, a trick trigger, and a scope. (I had one....really cool but it got BORING) With black powder there is always something to tinker with and I enjoy the challenge.

 

[TrapperDude]

Now that I have learned the proper grip/hold on the "Preacher" (That's what Cimarron calls this model) and I use a leather glove (modified), I am having much more success. No more "busted knuckles". Having said that, I purchased (6) #11 percussion cap nipples and put them on the cylinder. No problem with the thread size, it fit perfectly. Unfortunately, now I have to double strike virtually every chamber. I looked at the caps, #11's, the first strike mushrooms them. The second strike will generally fire the chamber. At this point, I am ready to go back to the #10 nipples and just gently squeeze the #11 caps to make them stay on. That never resulted in having to do a double strike before. If it isn't one thing it's another. I guess that's the appeal, black powder requires much more than a glass bedded action, a 1 1/8 inch stainless steel barrel, a trick trigger, and a scope. (I had one....really cool but it got BORING) With black powder there is always something to tinker with and I enjoy the challenge.

Where did you get the nipples? I got the ones from Slixsprings, and they have done a great job with the CCI #11 caps. What brand are your caps? From what I understand, the #10 and #11 sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Your new nipples might actually be for a different brand's #11 size.

How much do you have your mainspring tensioned? When I got my revolver, it took hardly any force to draw back the hammer, and it wasn't until later conversation with other folks that I learned tightening it down well makes for more reliable ignition. Try that out, too.

 

[JamesA]

Where did you get the nipples? I got the ones from Slixsprings, and they have done a great job with the CCI #11 caps. What brand are your caps? From what I understand, the #10 and #11 sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Your new nipples might actually be for a different brand's #11 size.

How much do you have your mainspring tensioned? When I got my revolver, it took hardly any force to draw back the hammer, and it wasn't until later conversation with other folks that I learned tightening it down well makes for more reliable ignition. Try that out, too.

I got the nipples from The Track of the Wolf. They are supposed to be for CCI #11. I tried both CCI magnums and Winchester magnums, both #11 caps. I was cleaning the revolver last night and I took the grips off and was looking at the main spring and the thought occurred to me that maybe it was weak. How do you add more tension? Is it the small screw in the front grip frame? The head of the screw seems to be flush with the frame already. I've heard it said, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Just crank that screw in a turn or so? Thanks in advance. I've never had to adjust the mainspring on any revolver before. Years ago I had a Colt 1860 and a Remington Brass frame but they always fired first time. I guess this old dog just learned something new.

Jim

 

[JamesA]

How hot are you loading it? Might want to tune your charge down. I typically shoot 20 to 25 gr in mine at the range and cram 35 in it when out exploring the desert in the sxs.

I was loading it with 30gr. FFFG (Hodgdon P - I can't get any real black powder). I've backed it down to 25 gr., it works MUCH better. My knuckle is much happier plus I am learning how to grip it correctly.

 

[laufer]

You are probably holding it too high, if your pinky finger is on the grip. try sliding your hold back, it should work. Remington is different than the Colt on the grip, not friendly if you do not hold it correctly.