Pietta 1851 Navy

[user 51067]

Much like shooting the steel "gongs," I suspect. Most of the energy is "absorbed" on impact and what is left of the soft projectile drops to the ground forthwith.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Hi folks,
My 1851, .36 caliber, Pietta, navy colt , will not penetrate a steel burning barrel at 15 feet !
She puts a serious dent in it , but will not penetrate even one side.
I am loading it with a .375 round ball , and using 20 grains of triple seven propellant.
I am using a wonder wad over the powder , and also lubricating over the ball itself.
So, if this is all she has , then it is not impressive.
I mean my .22 revolver will go through both sides at this range !
Disappointed to be sure on this historic piece.

A Volkswagen Beetle traveling at 50 miles per hour will likely not penetrate a steel barrel, but I'm not gonna stand in front of one on the highway. A 22 is smaller than 1/3 inch and is not pure lead. If you could go to a Civil War graveyard, and talk to some ghosts, you might get a different idea of what the pistol can do. It wasn't designed to kill a steel barrel.

 

[.36Rooster]

Shoot .380's cause .375 is for girls.

.....they both get shaved down to the same size when you ram them down the cylinder!

 

[Bergmann]

Hi folks,
My 1851, .36 caliber, Pietta, navy colt , will not penetrate a steel burning barrel at 15 feet !
She puts a serious dent in it , but will not penetrate even one side.
I am loading it with a .375 round ball , and using 20 grains of triple seven propellant.
I am using a wonder wad over the powder , and also lubricating over the ball itself.
So, if this is all she has , then it is not impressive.
I mean my .22 revolver will go through both sides at this range !
Disappointed to be sure on this historic piece.

Triple 7 is likely the problem! It seems to deteriorate with age and exposure to air! Try 20gr of Swiss FFFg But keep in mind: That .22 bullet is likely harder lead than your RB and traveling at a somewhat higher velocity - and that gun and its ammo weren't made with the idea of penetrating steel, just flesh.

 

[Bergmann]

The spent bullets fall down on the ground below the barrel.
Even so , next time I will shoot farther away using BP , 15 yards instead of 15 feet. I will also shoot a gallon water jug filled with water

Try those plastic water bottles you see everyone carrying around! They will test accuracy better and they explode better when hit!

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Hi folks,
My 1851, .36 caliber, Pietta, navy colt , will not penetrate a steel burning barrel at 15 feet !
She puts a serious dent in it , but will not penetrate even one side.
I am loading it with a .375 round ball , and using 20 grains of triple seven propellant.
I am using a wonder wad over the powder , and also lubricating over the ball itself.
So, if this is all she has , then it is not impressive.
I mean my .22 revolver will go through both sides at this range !
Disappointed to be sure on this historic piece.

The .36 was only intended to put holes in human bodies. Given the weight, sectional density and velocity it won't penetrate steel like that. Even the mighty Colt Walker would have trouble doing that. They simply were not developed for that sort of thing.

 

[tommygun]

Okay guys,
I did another experiment today with the Navy Colt.
20 grains Goex FFF at 15 yards. 3 shots , and they all penetrated the barrel. Take note ..... this is a new barrel.
Then I shot a 1 gallon jug full of water , and the bullet went through both sides cleanly and all the water came out as it fell to the ground
So, it is proven to me : , that the FFF black powder is more potent than the pyrodex. I will reserve the pyrodex for my signal cannons.
Thanks for all the input.
Tom

 

[tommygun]

Mine does,

View attachment 94432

Good shot !

 

[tommygun]

my pietta will go through a oil drum with 25 grains of real fff black powder. wouldn't want to get shot by it. no no

I am sure 25 grains would do the trick , but I want to keep it at 20 grains (recommended) for the .36

 

[Steve R.]

Hi folks,
My 1851, .36 caliber, Pietta, navy colt , will not penetrate a steel burning barrel at 15 feet !
She puts a serious dent in it , but will not penetrate even one side.
I am loading it with a .375 round ball , and using 20 grains of triple seven propellant.
I am using a wonder wad over the powder , and also lubricating over the ball itself.
So, if this is all she has , then it is not impressive.
I mean my .22 revolver will go through both sides at this range !
Disappointed to be sure on this historic piece.

I’m sorry to say this but get rid of the triple 7 and get some swiss black powder, my 1851 .44 cal has no problem going thru a 55 gal burn barrel at 40 yards. I use 30 grains per shot. Round balls and conical.

 

[springfield art]

Hi folks,
My 1851, .36 caliber, Pietta, navy colt , will not penetrate a steel burning barrel at 15 feet !
She puts a serious dent in it , but will not penetrate even one side.
I am loading it with a .375 round ball , and using 20 grains of triple seven propellant.
I am using a wonder wad over the powder , and also lubricating over the ball itself.
So, if this is all she has , then it is not impressive.
I mean my .22 revolver will go through both sides at this range !
Disappointed to be sure on this historic piece.

I'm no expert, but I'd try it with a full load of real black powder. Some of those modern steels can be really tough, so it'll be interesting to see other guys' comments. Good luck!

 

[springfield art]

I’m sorry to say this but get rid of the triple 7 and get some swiss black powder, my 1851 .44 cal has no problem going thru a 55 gal burn barrel at 40 yards. I use 30 grains per shot. Round balls and conical.

Ha! You just verified what I e-mailed to that fellow a moment ago. Real black powder, Swiss or not!

 

[Dobermans]

That is incorrect, sir.

If you are using the correct size ball there is no way to get a chain fire from the front unless you have seriously out of round chambers, send it back to the manufacturer if that is the case. 20+ years shooting various C&B revolvers with no chain fires to date and never smeared lube over a loaded chamber. I do recommend swapping out the cones for something better, that will also cut down the chance of chain fires since factory cones are manure. If you don't use lubed wads under the balls, then smear some grease over the chamber mouths to soften fouling, not to prevent chain fires.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

That is incorrect, sir.

What is incorrect?

 

[wb78963]

on those pesky trash barrels a .54 Sharps with a 450 grain bullet and a generous amount (60+ grains) of FFg powder will do the job.
Remember what Robert Ruark said "Use Enough Gun".
Obviously you were not.
Respectfully
Bunk

 

[leadhoarder]

Steel barrels are like deer. They have gotten tougher through the years.

 

[wb78963]

I've perforated my share of 55 gal. steel oils drums. Up the charge a little, use a harder ball than pure lead. Shoot .380's cause .375 is for girls. Aim at enter mass or lower and you'll hole that thing.

Dog, I rather resent that remark.
The difference in weight between the two balls is minuscule and using a "harder" ball is nonsense. I knocked every KD I shot at yesterday and this morning with my London model Navy 1861 using .375" balls and 20 grains FFFg.
Right now ,my Capt. Schaeffer 1851 Colt is loaded the same way and is capped and ready on the bench waiting for cooler weather in the morning.
For your information ,I have been shooting that load in 1851's including originals, since corrosive caps and Curtis and Harvey powder and it always worked. BUT I always shoot REAL Gunpowder like the Du Pont can says. In fact I still have some Du Pont and shoot it on occasion.
Do not question my manhood, Sir I would have ridden with Leander McNelly.
With irritation
Bunk

 

[mkpatrick]

Not trying to distract from the subject of the thread but.....
I have a Fillipietta Navy in .44. Its about 22 years old.
When a container got thrown away, that disposed of every nipple I had for it.

Can someone tell me which nipples I should buy for it from Track the Wolf or another source? I should probly buy two sets. I'd like to stay using #11 caps.
Thanks so much for any info,
M

 

[Grenadier1758]

I like the selection offered by Track of the Wolf. Second page.

Nipples - Track of the Wolf

You can see in the description that cone length by age and manufacturer varies some. The thread size will likely be 6-0.75mm. Most of Track's replacement revolver nipples will be for a #11 cap.

 

[mkpatrick]

Thanks so much!