Pietta!

[Mike in FL]

Anyone else discover this with their revolver? My best load for my Pietta1858 is 18 grns 3F under a .457 ball and a lubed felt wad on top, no filler. Quarter size groups from the bench at 21 yards. Just for grins today, I tried the same load but with the wad over the powder instead of over the ball. Lordy! The 6 shot groups went way high and right, too big to mess with measuring, probably 4 inches. To verify, i again loaded with the felt wad over the ball, and sure enough, groups went back to quarter size. Is that weird or what? I'm just wondering if anyone else have seen or heard if such a phonomonon, and why the position of the wad could make such a difference. Yes I know the puny load is all but useless, but my main use for the gun was to carry with my rifle for those times I might want to shoot a critter smaller than a deer. And range fun.

 

[No second place]

Interesting find. I never bothered with the felt lubed wads. Some seem to find them convenient or less messy than lube over a balls seated just under flush with the top of the chambers . Reason for my lack of testing on this comes from the number of match winners at the Nationals I have asked and observed about their loads. I know of none, but I'm not asking or watching any shooters under Master level. For Round ball accuracy the best system has been proven over and over. 15-20 grs of Goex or Shutzen , top off with corn meal filler .Seat ball just under flush top off with grease made from 1 part bee's wax, 2 parts Crisco above 65F 1 to 4 parts 65F - 50F. Over 85F 50/50 works well. My Match Remington is a custom Lewis .36 but I have tested this load type in .44s and .36 factory guns Colt, Remington and R & S. This load type has never failed to give me match winning accuracy in any of my revolvers...c

 

[Ed C.]

Anyone else discover this with their revolver? My best load for my Pietta1858 is 18 grns 3F under a .457 ball and a lubed felt wad on top, no filler. Quarter size groups from the bench at 21 yards. Just for grins today, I tried the same load but with the wad over the powder instead of over the ball. Lordy! The 6 shot groups went way high and right, too big to mess with measuring, probably 4 inches. To verify, i again loaded with the felt wad over the ball, and sure enough, groups went back to quarter size. Is that weird or what? I'm just wondering if anyone else have seen or heard if such a phonomonon, and why the position of the wad could make such a difference. Yes I know the puny load is all but useless, but my main use for the gun was to carry with my rifle for those times I might want to shoot a critter smaller than a deer. And range fun.

I never even thought of loading like that but on your say so I'll try it out. Just when I thought I was done experimenting.

 

[rusticbob]

I have tried putting the wad over the ball but noticed the gas pressure from the fired chamber disrupted the felt wad in neighboring cylinders. Of course I was using 25 to 30 grains of powder, maybe a lighter load might be different. I will give your suggestion a try, thanks for sharing. And happy Thanksgiving

 

[1stnamebassist]

A gentlemen on YouTube who goes by the name of Oldranger did an accuracy test between lubed wads and lube in front of the cylinder. He came up with the same conclusion of using lubed wads dramatically effected accuracy.

 

[Mike in FL]

15 grains is VERY accurate. With the over ball wad. But without a wad it's going to look like a long way to the top. Don't reckon that matters. That is a thing I have not tried. I most certainly will. I've found that a good system of testing is to load 3cylinders one way and the other 3 differently. You'd need a system to show which is which.

 

[azmntman]

Will give it a try. Some guns have real strange appetites

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I do powder, wad, RB. Putting the wad in front makes no sense.
Compressing the powder is key. The wad works well for that, even tho the ball indents the other side of it. Even the cap & ball I use the powder drop. Makes way tighter paper cartridges.
Ive only gone down to 20gr of 777. My standard load it 30gr.
My target is at 35 yards.

 

[wiscoaster]

Powder, ball, lube. No wad.