Powder Charge

[jboyer]

I purchased a 1860 Colt Army 44 cal revolver a couple of years ago from Traditions. It is made by Pietta in Italy. I have shot it with 15 grains FFF BP most of the time but haven't shot it alot. I noticed in looking through the pamphlets that came with it that the Pietta brochure says to use 12-15 grains. The brochure from Traditions that came with it says a 44 Cal BP revolver can use between 22 and 30 grains of FFF BP. What am I missing here??? Thats a big difference in powder charges and could be dangerous.

Thanks
Jeff

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The 12 to 15 grain load is very light. The heavier load is a normal load. It would be next to impossible to harm an iron frame gun with full loads of blackpowder. A gap between powder and ball using the light loads could do some damage.

 

[Rebel]

You can not overload a black powder revolver with black powder. The chambers will only hold so much. NEVER use smokeless, that could be hazardous. As long as you have room in the chamber to get the ball in it will fire and is safe with Black Powder.

 

[Robert an saa fan]

Agree with other posters thus far. IF your gun has the brass frame it will shoot loose over time with full loads. Your most accurate load will generally be a light to medium load.

As already stated you can not dangerously overload as long as you use the correct powder.

Experiment with various black powder loads or the various b.p. substitutes and have fun.

 

[J.S. Colt]

Shooting that hogleg with only 15 grains and no filler is actually more dangerous than shooting a full load (30 grains) due to the potential airgap between powder and ball. The recommendation in the Pietta manual comes under the heading of "Saving One's A**". Use 15 grains powder and 15 grains Cream of Wheat, or just go for the full 30 grains.

 

[Wes/Tex]

The above posts are correct. You can't overload a percussion revolver using FFg or FFFg powder. A brass framed gun will stretch and get out of time with repeated use of heavier charges but it's not dangerous to the shooter uless the gun is seriously out of time at which time it'll shave lead from the ball and you will feel it if any part of your person is even with the barrel gap. The makers are just doing the Litigation Two-Step is this sue everybody society.

 

[jboyer]

Thanks for the replies. I feel alot better knowing that using 30 grains isn't going to be dangerous with 3F BP. I will work on some loads with filler as well as I've seen other posts on this forum that indicate accuracy will improve with fillers if the ball is seated close to the end of the cylinder.

Another question I have is how you keep the action clean when shooting so it doesn't get so much fouling in it that it won't rotate? I've shot muzzleloaders for years and swab between shots and can shoot all day without any probelms. With my BP revolver, I have trouble after I've load the cylinder and shot 2 or 3 times. The gun becomes so dirty that I have to take it apart and clean it. I welcome your thoughts. The information on this forum is great.

Jeff

 

[J.S. Colt]

Sounds more like a Remmie than a Colt... Pull the cylinder and make sure there's plenty of grease on the cylinder pin, then, when you put it back together, make sure you're not inserting the wedge too far. There should be a hairline gap between the cylinder face and forcing cone; if the wedge is too far in, it will cause the pistol to bind. Never had the problem with a Colt before...

 

Three cylenders before lockup is the norm. Just pull the cylender off and wipe off the pin and cylender face, squirt on fresh oil and keep shooting. Also time to knock out any cap residue from the breechface.

The gap between the barrel and cylender should be around .006" (thickness of three sheets of notebook paper).

 

[Blizzard of '93]

A .38 special case is around 24 grs., a 7.62X39 case is around 33 grs. This is 3f. Practice with the light load and hunt varmints with the heavy load if you wish. The light load is plenty for small game.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Forgot to say that the 7.62X39 case is from the AK - SKS round. I use empty cases as powder measures.

 

[jboyer]

I finally had a chance to try out my 1860 Colt Army revolver this evening. I ended up loading 25 gr of 3F BP, 20 gr cornmeal, a prelubed wad and .451 roundball. At 25 yards I was able to do much better than in the past. The weather was horrible with about a 25 mph wind and cold temps but I was still able to keep the groups in about a 9 inch circle. Not real good but at least it's an improvement. The cornmeal also seemed to keep the gun much cleaner and I was able to shoot 4 cylinders before it got dark and I didn't have any major fouling problems. Does the cornmeal help keep the gun clean or does the gun stay cleaner when it is cold? Would cornmeal also help in my muzzleloading rifle on top of the BP? I'm also still having trouble with the No 11 caps. The first time the hammer drops on them, they don't go off. The seoncd time they go off without hesitation. I may try filing down the nipples some and see if that doesn't help.

Jeff

 

[rebel727]

.454 or .457 balls might do better.

 

[gbubbasmith]

Does anyone here have a Uberti Walker Colt?

If so, what size caps do you use, what granulation of powder and what charge.

Oh, and what size ball.

I just bought the display model at our local Sportsman's Warehouse and it came with no owner's manual. This is being rectified but inquiring minds want to know - now!

Thanks!

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I use a .454 ball over 55 grains (volume) of fffg GOEX. The caps are number 11 Remington. I cover the balls with a tallow and beeswax lube. This is a good and accurate load and, due to the weight of the revolver, recoil is not noticeable. Hope this is of help to you. Incidentally, this is a fine load for slaying gallon milk jugs at one hundred yards.

 

[gbubbasmith]

Thanks Russ T Frizzen,

I'm good on the .454 balls, but they sold me #10 caps. Will these work with my Walker Colt?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

You can try them, but I don't think they'll fit.
Ill fitting caps are the most common cause for chain fires so I'd load only one chamber and try them. Given the low cost of caps and the high cost of surgery I think I'd just buy some #11 caps. All of my Walkers use #11s and in fact all of my Colts do.

 

[mukluk]

I have a Uberti Walker, just had it out at the range today in fact. My best results are with 50gr Goex FFFG, .454 balls, CCI #11 magnum caps and crisco over the balls.

 

[gbubbasmith]

Thanks Mukluk, RussTFrizzen,

Now, can somebody tell me where I might find real Black Powder. I have a supply of FFG (I think) that I bought near Little Rock, AR, but I'm in Columbia, SC and don't know any source local. Walmart and Sportsmans Warehouse carry Pyrodex, but no Black Powder. Even Cabelas doesn't have it (online). How do you guys get it?

 

[mukluk]

Nobody within 100 miles of me carries real black, just the substitutes (for big $$$$$). So, I mail order :grin:

For ease of ordering and quick shipping I use Graf&Sons, but I've heard good feedback on places like Upper Missouri Trading Company and Deer Creek Products.