Pietta 1858 range report

[Fran49829]

I fired my pistol for the first time today and love it. I didn't have any wads or filler. I put crisco over the ball before firing. I tried 3 different kinds of caps and Remington #10 worked much better than the others, so I will stick with them. I used 23 grains of 777. Please don't try to convince me to use the real stuff because I won't.

My first group was 1.5" at 12 yards. My second group on paper at 25 yards was 3.5"(3 shots were within 1.5"), 2" low and 2" to the left. I then proceeded to hit a 6" swinging metal target 24 times in a row at 25 yards using Kentucky windage. Overall I was impressed.

Cleanup was very easy and enjoyable.

I did file off a few spots inside the gun which needed work (one was binding on the hand) and I did a little stoning of the trigger to remove the creep and change the angle of the trigger sear a touch as pulling the trigger was causing the hammer to cock a tiny bit.
There is no creep now the hammer doesn't move back at all. Very satisfied.

Fran

 

[Zonie]

If you were aiming dead on, consider yourself very lucky indeed.

Most percussion revolvers, both Colt and Remington shoot high.
How high?
About 6 to 8 inches at 25 yards.

Of the 17+ C&B revolvers I own only 3 of them shoot exactly to the point of aim at 25 yards.

 

[Fran49829]

Yes, I was aiming dead center at a 3" dot.

 

[DanChamberlain]

I know a couple of other Pietta 58s that shoot exceptionally close to point of aim.

I don't know of one, that doesn't shoot exceptionally well.

Dan

 

[mykeal]

I know a couple of other Pietta 58s that shoot exceptionally close to point of aim.

I don't know of one, that doesn't shoot exceptionally well.

Dan

Mine doesn't. But it keeps blaming me. As evidence it points out that my Colts shoot just as poorly

Stupid gun. What does it know? :rotf:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I have a Uberti Remington that blames me for all the misses. I wouldn't mind that so much, but it shoots its mouth off to everyone in earshot... :rotf:

 

[DanChamberlain]

Some years back, while doing an article for Handguns Magazine, I used my 58 Pietta, a .36 Navy Pietta, and ASM 1860 and an ASM .44 caliber Navy. All my shooting was at 25 yards. All was done with Goex FFFg. The largest group turned in by any of the revolvers was the ASM 1860 and came in at 4". Most averaged less than 3". These were "rested" groups and slow fire and yes, the Colt's fired pretty high. I had to use an aiming point nearly a foot lower than the actual target. I have since then, rectified that.

My Piettas turned in 2.5 inch groups consistently. The "Remington" copy was the target model and even with the rear sight at its lowest setting, it was still too high. I ended up taking the rear sight off completely and just using the groove milled in the top strap where the sight had been. Then it shot to point of aim and one group was right at 2".

Cap and ball revolvers shoot! It's funny, but as I increased the distances, the groups opened up much faster than mathematics would suggest. This gives me the impression that ball stability becomes pretty eratic once you get out past 30 yards with these guns. Whereas I can shoot pretty consistently at 5" at 50 yards with my centerfires, my cap and ball revolvers went all to heck at that distance. I'm thinking Hickock's 75 yard shot killing that "Dave" character was either grossly exaggerated, or luck.

Dan

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

One thing is certain: it doesn't take much of a cross wind to ruin accuracy beyond 50 yards. On a calm day, we've consistently hit old bowling pins at one hundred yards at a shooting range with Colt Walkers and Dragoons and even '60 Armies. Add a cross wind and those balls seem to get blown all over the place. You'd think that once you knew where the first ball hit, holding left or right to compensate for the wind would take care of the problem, but it rarely seems to work that way. It's as if the wind lofts the balls around like they were feathers.

We've tried duplicating the Hickok shot with little success. We used a 2nd Generation Colt Navy with a very slick action and great accuracy at 25 yards, and a couple of nicely tuned Uberti Navys that are very accurate. We had a target the size of a human heart painted on a life-size mannikin. At 25 yards we all put a cylinderful into the heart without difficulty. We had to Bondo the heart area and repaint the heart. At 50 yards we hit fairly well and might have survived a gunfight if the opponent was no luckier than we were. No need for Bondo or a repaint this time. At 75 yards, we did hit the mannikin, and he would have been limping, and procreation would have been iffy, but his heart remained unpunctured. All shots either were low or missed completely. We decided that Wild Bill had prudently armed himself with a Colt's Dragoon, or the range was a little shorter than stated. Not that any of us ever claimed to have his skill level with a Colt, of course. Dan

 

[Blizzard of '93]

good report and good shooting fran.
I've owned 4 Pietta '58's, on my 4th one now and accuracy didn't disappoint w/any of them all adj. sight models.

 

[single shot]

Well i bought a pietta 1858 awhile ago from somebody i work with. Im going to the range today with it and something else im messin around with. Its an older gun, but its never been shot. Ill let ya know how i made out...

 

[Fran49829]

I use 777 because I don't care for the sulfur smell and mess and because it burns so cleanly. I will not change to something else. I freely admit that I do not believe 777 to be the most accurate powder.

That said, in my experience every black powder firearm I own did shoot more accurately with Pyrodex (I have never tried Goex).

I think the extra "oomph" 777 has is not necessarily good and it appears as though 777 does not like to be compacted tightly as in a revolver.

I only shot one group at 25 yards, did not have wads or filler, and have not varied the powder charge to see what charge is most accurate. This revolver is much easier to shoot accurately than my 380 auto, 9mm auto, or 45 acp auto and is way more fun.

 

[Fran49829]

Here is a pic of my pride and joy Pietta 1858 case hardened frame.

 

[single shot]

just got back, gun did good, i did bad.

 

[Zonie]

single shot:
You'll get better after you shoot it some more.

Accurate pistol shooting is the most difficult of all the shooting sports.
Changing the pressure of your grip on the gun, not concentrating on the front sight, even the slightest twitch of a muscle in your arm or back can throw off a otherwise good shot.

I'm sure you will keep on trying. The blast and smoke makes it so much fun I don't see how you could not. :thumbsup:

 

[single shot]

thanks zonie, dont get me wrong i had lots of fun out there. im going back tomorrow to work out some things. respectfully bobby S.

 

[Leatherbark]

Fran although your Pietta 58 is strong compared to an open type colt replica. If you ever get a Colt type do NOT use 777 in it unless you really cut down on the powder charge. I was using 777 in a Pietta 51 Navy once and the charge of 23 grains was giving me 1100 feet per second velocity and I thought that was fantastic until I shot several cylinders full and broke down the gun for cleaning. The cylinder pin was wobbling in the frame. Must have been too much pressure for the open type of frame..........

I would be afraid of breathing 777 smoke if anything man made is in that stuff...............Bob

 

[Fran49829]

Thanks,

I was using 23 grains of 777. I have a chrono and someday I will check on the velocity. Recoil with 23 grains 777 is light.

I would like to figure out some way to not compress the 777 while still seating the balls to the same depth as I think this will greatly increase accuracy. It takes a fair amount of force to get the .454 balls into the cylinder. .451 balls seemed to have a very small spot which might leak gas.

Fran

 

[R.M.]

I have heard the "Do Not Compress" warning with 777, but have not noticed a problem, and I use it all the time in my ROA's. We use small charges with filler, so I wonder if that's why????

 

[Fran49829]

I have never noticed a problem when over compressing 777 except that accuracy seems to suffer somewhat. For me I always got better groups with Pyrodex. My round ball rifle would shoot 1.5" groups at 50 yards with Pyrodex and the best I can do with 777 is 2.0" to 2.5" groups (there is usually a flier which I think is caused by compressing the powder at different rates). My revolver shot 4 shots into 1.5" at 25 yards but one of the others went high and one low causing a 3.5"group. I'm not really complaining about 777, I am just trying to wring out the best accuracy I can while using it.

Fran

 

[rafterob]

I have the target model and it is dead on (off a rest) I'm all over the place off hand. Practice hasn't seemed to help any, but it is still fun to shoot!