What do I need to know about a 1858 Remington

[Mike Keel]

I just bought one

 

[Ed C.]

Is this your first black powder revolver? Or do you want to know things specific to this model?

 

[Mark E. Prickett]

If it's a Pietta it's junk.

 

[RB POWELL]

If it's a Pietta it's junk.

Maybe, maybe not. Way too broad a brush.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Better sights than a Colt but a heavier action. Grip suits some but most folks like the Colt. Both are important parts of history. An enjoyable pistol to shoot.

 

[mushka]

Load it and shoot it and make up y0ur own mind. They are generally good fun revolvers.

 

[64Springer]

Powder before ball.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

So you bought a revolver and didn't research it prior??!!
That's like buying tires for your pickup and telling the tire Guy to put anything on that fits.

 

[Trot]

I've got both Remington and Colt replicas, Pietta and Uberti, they're all good but different in some ways. One thing to watch for is on Remington replicas you have to keep the cylinder pin well greased. Even with that, the cylinder will get sticky after firing a couple of cylinders. Not that big of a deal, you just have to pull the pin, wipe it off and re-grease. My Remington replica shoots the tightest group of all my revolvers, that may be just coincidence though.

 

[Sir Boniface Harrison]

If it's a Pietta it's junk.

Absolutely not. Maybe the pre - 2000's ones were. Their quality control has reached the same degree as Uberti and many people here use them and are quite satisfied.

 

[Grenadier1758]

What do you, @Mike Keel, need to know about an 1858 Remington revolver replica made by Pietta?

Most of the following will apply to any replica revolver, new out of the box or used.

First, the revolver should be cleaned of all grease and oils from the factory. You will need properly fitting screwdrivers to remove the screws on disassembly. Get a well-illustrated parts breakdown to know where the parts came from and where they need to be returned. You will need a properly sized cleaning jag and rod to clean the barrel and chambers after shooting.

Do you have all the necessary accessories? such as a properly fitting nipple wrench? All the nipples should be removed. Almost all of the replica revolvers seem to specify over torquing the nipples on assembly. They do need to have lubricant (grease or never seizing grease) on the threads and tightened to snug. While we are looking at the nipples, measure the cone to determine the size of the caps. If the tip of the cone is 0.155", you need #10 caps. If the tip of the cone is 0.165", you need #11 caps. Often, the factory caps will best be relaced by an quality aftermarket nipple. Slixshot or the #11 revolver caps from a good muzzle loading supplier will hold the caps better than the factory caps, especially if the factory cones are sized for #10 caps. Percussion caps are hard to find and often when they are found, the size is #11.

While the revolver is apart, measure all the chamber mouths. You want pure lead balls that are at least 0.005" larger than the chamber mouth. On loading, you want to see a ring of lead shaved off the ball to indicate a good seal at the mouth of the chamber.

Powder can be a bit of an issue too. Real black powder in 3Fg granulation is best for a revolver, but due to federal regulations, real black powder is not readily available in most local gun stores. You will have to rely on substitute powders such as Triple7 3F or Pyrodex PS. They function sort of okay but are harder to ignite than real black powder.

You will need a measure to transfer powder from the container to the chamber. I like the adjustable pistol sized measures that measure from about 10 grains to 30 grains. Often these will be available from the same suppliers that you will be buying the aftermarket nipples from.

When loading you may want to have a lubricated wad over the powder and under the ball. This helps with control of the fouling as you shoot the revolver.

You need to prepare your revolver for the first firing session to have percussion caps that properly fit on the nipples, powder to propel the fitted ball. Safety glasses and hearing protection are recommended.

 

[Jappo]

Might say I’m a Remington guy. I have five of them. All Pietta. I have the Army and the Navy. One with adjustable sights. A 38 special and 45 colt. I like the looks of the Remington, the ease of cylinder removal and disassembly. They don’t shoot as high as the Colt. And you don’t have to worry about cylinder to barrel gap due to improper wedge placement.
Just my 2 cents

 

[Ed C.]

I've got both Remington and Colt replicas, Pietta and Uberti, they're all good but different in some ways. One thing to watch for is on Remington replicas you have to keep the cylinder pin well greased. Even with that, the cylinder will get sticky after firing a couple of cylinders. Not that big of a deal, you just have to pull the pin, wipe it off and re-grease. My Remington replica shoots the tightest group of all my revolvers, that may be just coincidence though.

On my Remington cylinder pin I put 3 VERY shallow groves on the pin to carry some lube to the top of the pin. Also use beeswax/olive oil felt wads. I usually only shoot about 3-4 cylinders but I've never had the cylinder jam up. It also seems to handle spent caps very well. Yes, very accurate once you adjust to it shooting high at the closer ranges.

 

[Packrat]

Grenadier gives good advice

 

[Ed C.]

What do you, @Mike Keel, need to know about an 1858 Remington revolver replica made by Pietta?

Most of the following will apply to any replica revolver, new out of the box or used.

First, the revolver should be cleaned of all grease and oils from the factory. You will need properly fitting screwdrivers to remove the screws on disassembly. Get a well-illustrated parts breakdown to know where the parts came from and where they need to be returned. You will need a properly sized cleaning jag and rod to clean the barrel and chambers after shooting.

Do you have all the necessary accessories? such as a properly fitting nipple wrench? All the nipples should be removed. Almost all of the replica revolvers seem to specify over torquing the nipples on assembly. They do need to have lubricant (grease or never seizing grease) on the threads and tightened to snug. While we are looking at the nipples, measure the cone to determine the size of the caps. If the tip of the cone is 0.155", you need #10 caps. If the tip of the cone is 0.165", you need #11 caps. Often, the factory caps will best be relaced by an quality aftermarket nipple. Slixshot or the #11 revolver caps from a good muzzle loading supplier will hold the caps better than the factory caps, especially if the factory cones are sized for #10 caps. Percussion caps are hard to find and often when they are found, the size is #11.

While the revolver is apart, measure all the chamber mouths. You want pure lead balls that are at least 0.005" larger than the chamber mouth. On loading, you want to see a ring of lead shaved off the ball to indicate a good seal at the mouth of the chamber.

Powder can be a bit of an issue too. Real black powder in 3Fg granulation is best for a revolver, but due to federal regulations, real black powder is not readily available in most local gun stores. You will have to rely on substitute powders such as Triple7 3F or Pyrodex PS. They function sort of okay but are harder to ignite than real black powder.

You will need a measure to transfer powder from the container to the chamber. I like the adjustable pistol sized measures that measure from about 10 grains to 30 grains. Often these will be available from the same suppliers that you will be buying the aftermarket nipples from.

When loading you may want to have a lubricated wad over the powder and under the ball. This helps with control of the fouling as you shoot the revolver.

You need to prepare your revolver for the first firing session to have percussion caps that properly fit on the nipples, powder to propel the fitted ball.

 

[Ed C.]

Very good basic advice.

 

[springfield art]

If it's a Pietta it's junk.

Come on; just because maybe you had one at one specific time that you didn't like doesn't mean anything.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Should have mentioned that after the first cleaning, the revolver should be lightly oiled. The parts that slide over one another should have a light coating of grease. the threads of the screws should have a light coating of grease. The arbor pin needs to be greased. There's lots of fine threads on the forum for maintaining and shooting your revolver, it's getting the search engine to find the ones you really need that is the challenge.

Mike Belliveau of Shooter's Den has some excellent videos on shooting revolvers and the Remington 1858.

@Mike Keel, you didn't say if this is a new Pietta revolver. The new ones have much improved quality control and after the initial preparations should be ready to shoot.

 

[Edm]

They are very nice quality guns. I enjoy mine. Not quite as strong as a colt though…

 

[Mike Keel]

Should have mentioned that after the first cleaning, the revolver should be lightly oiled. The parts that slide over one another should have a light coating of grease. the threads of the screws should have a light coating of grease. The arbor pin needs to be greased. There's lots of fine threads on the forum for maintaining and shooting your revolver, it's getting the search engine to find the ones you really need that is the challenge.

Mike Belliveau of Shooter's Den has some excellent videos on shooting revolvers and the Remington 1858.

@Mike Keel, you didn't say if this is a new Pietta revolver. The new ones have much improved quality control and after the initial preparations should be ready to shoot.

new