Pietta .36 1858

[nkbj]

Just picked up a used Pietta .36 Remington.
Are there any conical molds for the .36 Remington sold these days besides the one from Lee?
The chambers are 0.366".
Reckon I'll try it out with round ball right off. But it might need a heavier mass to get the bullet to fill out the rifling.
The Navy Arms 1861 I picked up in '76 shoots way much better with conicals than round ball. Once made a mold for it from a Lee 9mm round nose with a 3/8" drill bit. But that 1861 revolver has .375" chambers same as the barrel groove diameter. This Remington may be a bit less forgiving in what it likes.

 

[bubba15301]

i would try a roundball just to see how it shoots

 

[Don]

Buffalo bullets used to make conicals for revolvers in .36 and .44 they looked like ball-ets. I tried them but I didn't like them because the wouldn't load strait. I have had good luck with the Lee conicals in fact, I just cast a few yesturday. I don't know of anyone else making molds for cap and ball revolvers.

Don

 

[aeatwood]

My Pietta '61 Navy likes .380" balls, my Uberti '61's like .375", and my older Pietta .36 Remmy's shoot pretty well with either one.

I have the Lee conical mould, but have never even used it. Only one range around here is outdoors, and the indoor ranges don't allow BP. And over the last 2 months, they've had a bunch of court injunctions against them, and are very shaky on day to day operations. Haven't had a chance to go shooting in a while.

 

[Don]

Sounds like you need to make friends with a local land owner or farmer that has a lot of acreage so you can go shooting. Around here there are sand pits that people can use with the owners permission. My club may disappear in a few years due to lease issues. I hope not cause its only 5 minutes from my house. The next nearest club is 45 minutes away. Good luck.

Don

 

My experience has been similar though not identical to AlanA's.

My three .36's are all Pietta.

The '51 does real well with .375

The '61 absolutely requires .380, .375 are too loose and the first couple of shots jar them forward in the chambers which can be dangerous since empty space can be big trouble.

The Remington will shoot either nicely but .380 produces slightly tighter groups.

At the 'percussion pistol forum' a member is selling conical .36 from a lee mold for a pretty good price.

Best wishes to all an good shooting to ya'

 

[nkbj]

Anyone ever try a .375 or .380 round ball mold with an adjustable length tail added to it? The plug could be flat base or hollow base. Might be fun to try something like this but it would be just for Pietta's. Would be too small for the Navy Arms 1861.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

there have been so many designs of pistol bullets over the years, that there probably was an Ideal mould a bit similar to your design.

I picked up a 190 grain 456 wad cutter pistol bullet mould many years ago It actually works great in the ruger OA

The shape of my wad cutter was actually designed for a smaller caliber bullet, If I recall correctly, for a 38 cal.

 

[nkbj]

The old Lyman bevel base SWC 452066 works great in many .44's. Can't imagine why they ever put such a long taper on the backside of a .45 bullet but they did and their mistake was a boon to percussion revolver shooters.

 

[aeatwood]

I would at least try the Lee if you want a conical. they are cheap enough. My Pietta Remmy's shoot pretty well with about 25gr of Goex 2F, and a lubed felt wad under the ball. This is about the same load that shoots well in my '61s. The difference is that it is a full charge in the 61's, where the Remmy will hold another 5 gr.

 

[nkbj]

I would at least try the Lee if you want a conical. they are cheap enough. My Pietta Remmy's shoot pretty well with about 25gr of Goex 2F, and a lubed felt wad under the ball. This is about the same load that shoots well in my '61s. The difference is that it is a full charge in the 61's, where the Remmy will hold another 5 gr.

Could you tell what the diameter is on the base of the Lee?

 

[hawkeye2]

.375 Diameter 130 Grain 1 Ogive Radius. That probably doesn't help at all but they go up to .375 in 3 steps. E-mail Lee's customer Service online at their website. I have found them to be very helpful.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

If you are serious about shooting conical ball in your revolver this is the only bullet to shoot. I don’t mean the best of the rest, I mean the only bullet to shoot.
Big Lube Bullet

 

[CaptainKirk]

So, what's wrong with the Lee conical?

 

[nkbj]

Ought to work if it is dimensionally correct for the chamber diameter. The chambers are .366". So a base of .364" or .365" would probably work.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Nothing wrong with the Lee conical, but the Big Lube bullet carries more lube, it is easier to load straight, and I have no trouble loading it with the cylinder in the frame. Whereas I have had to either maneuver the Lee bullet to get it to seat, when loading with the cylinder in the frame, or had to take the cylinder off the pistol to load. So far as accuracy I can't complain about the Lee. The Big Lube bullet is just faster, easier to load, and keeps shooting longer, quicker to clean the pistol afterward.