Uberti 1858

[George]

I have a Uberti 1858 in .36 caliber, imported by Lyman, which I bought in the early 1970s. Does anyone shoot gun like this? I know Uberti is still selling a gun like this, but I'm looking for someone who shoots one of the old ones.

I have an issue with ball size. Lyman recommended .375' balls, but I find those too small, they slide into the chamber without cutting lead. I'd like to hear from anyone who has addressed this problem as to how they solved it.

Spence

 

[Cowboy2]

.375s are too small for my new production Uberti. DGW sells .380s that fit just fine.

 

[George]

Thanks. I haven't been able to find any info about ball size for the Uberti Remington 1858, but a reviewer did discuss it on the DGW site concerning a Uberti 1851 Colt. He found .375 to be too small, tried .380 and still didn't think they were right, wound up using .395 balls and was happy with them. That was for a new production gun, don't know if a .36 by Uberti made in 1970 is likely to have the same bore as one made today.

Is .380 as large as you tried"

Spence

 

[Cowboy2]

Its the biggest I tried. It shaves off a good ring of lead (whereas the .375s shaved almost nothing), so there wasn't any need to go bigger. If they don't do it for your gun, you could try the .390s these guys sell, or start casting your own.
But I'd try the .380s first. They can get too big in a hurry, and it makes loading difficult, if not impossible. Plus, it starts adding a ton of stress to the loading lever.

 

[George]

Thanks, I appreciate the info.

Spence

 

[wulf]

I shoot 380 in all my "36's"...the only caution is
if that 380 is too tight the back presure may
cause the hammer to simi-cock...Even if you want
to try a larger ball you can always size it to
any thing you want it to be...I don't like the
shaving of a ring so all my chambers are beveled
slightly. Also I press a ball through the barrel
and see how it fits in the chamber...should be
snug...Take the nipple out first but i know you
would think of that...

 

[arcticap]

Track of the Wolf sells .380, .389 and .395 round balls.

 

[moose30273]

For what it's worth. I have one of the old Lyman 58 Remingtons in .36 cal. Mine shoots .375 balls without a problem. Shaves lead and makes a good tight fit.

 

[George]

For what it's worth. I have one of the old Lyman 58 Remingtons in .36 cal. Mine shoots .375 balls without a problem. Shaves lead and makes a good tight fit.

Thanks. The dimensions on mine are a bit different, apparently. I had a shooting session this afternoon using .375" balls and fired 24 shots without a problem and with very good accuracy. Then I loaded it up again and stuck it into my belt, went fishing for 45 minutes. When I fired that last 6 I had 2 of them move forward and block cylinder rotation. I reseated them, but one of the 2 moved forward again from firing another chamber. None of the balls shaved lead. I'm going to have to round up some .380" balls, it seems.

Spence

 

[aeatwood]

Lee makes a .380" mould, and it is very easy to cast your own. I have a Pietta that likes .380", but my 2 Uberti's like .375". Go figure.

As far as I can tell, the powder charges were all over the place in CW cartridges for these guns. It seems the CW vets that Elmer Keith hung around with liked to load ahead of a battle w/ loose ball and powder, but used cartridges if they had to reload on the battlefield. The cartridges, depending on manufacturer, could vary from 15-17 gr with a .44 conical, to the more or less full charge of 25 gr. with the same bullet. .36's probably showed as much variation.

 

[George]

I'd like to thank all who offered advice about the balls for my Remington 1858. After considering all the options, factoring in cost of balls, cost of shipping and the price of gas, these days, I opted for a .380 Lee mold. It arrived today and I cast up 250 balls. Like all the Lee molds I've ever used, they mic exactly as advertised, .380". They also average 81.9 grains, calculated weight for a perfect ball that size is 82 gr. And, no sprue, what's not to like?I will have to wait until I get to a shooting session to make certain, but just pressing a ball over a chamber mouth hard enough to leave a mark shows that they will cut a thin ring. Looking forward to shooting the pistol some more.

BTW, if the thief who stole my Ruger Old Army is listening, it's time for the annual curse on you and yours to the fifth generation. I know, it has been 20 years, but I haven't forgotten you. :haha:

Spence