5" barrel 1858 thoughts

The Fathers Day sale at Cabelas knocks 50 dollars off all their Pietta C&B revolvers. That got me looking at the shorter barrel, steel frame Remington 1858. All my C&Bs are the usual 8 inchers so I've never handled the short model.


How is the balance compared to the longer barrel versions?


Are they harder to reload with the shorter ramrod?


Are they more comfortable (lighter) for smaller folks? (I seem to attract kids and women who want to try BP guns, especially when they see me shooting at the range. Always fun and I really enjoy teaching them. Any chance to introduce newbies to muzzleloading is nice.)


Any other thoughts about this model would be appreciated. Thanks.

Jeff

I have handled one once. I liked it. Wasn't able to shoot it but I would happily own one.

After decades of shooting the eight-inch I finally got the Pietta Remington 5.5” in 2011 [CH] and it’s a great gun. It’s obviously a bit lighter than the 8”, balances great and is not hard to load. Those are a worthy addition to any collection. Mine is a fine shooter and looks pretty cool, too. Easy to carry strong side. A compact and handy little piece of accurate whoop-ass. Enthusiastically recommended. Get one.

You will LIKE IT. Kind of like a 4 5/8 SAA, my Favorite

I'm with Gee Dad. If your hand agrees with the grip of the 1858, it's a wonderfully compact and powerful cap and ball revolver.

BullRunBear said:

The Fathers Day sale at Cabelas knocks 50 dollars off all their Pietta C&B revolvers.

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Aw Geez, you didn't have to mention that,,

This happens a couple times a year. Cabela specials on pistols are killin’ me - gotta love em though.
:thumbsup:

First the barrel is 5 1/2" and not 5". If you aren't concerned with historical accuracy or intend to shoot in "as issued" matches I think you should buy one. Heck with them $50 off buy two and then you will have saved $100. I like The feel and balance but I also understand that it is no match for a Colt in that area. If you haven't shot a Remington you should know that it is difficult to cock one one handed without a major shift of your hand because of their geometry and it will slow you down considerably, again the Colt is the winner here. If you can overlook the aforementioned the Remington has a lot to offer over the Colts. I can't address the loading as I converted mine and haven't gotten around to firing it as a cap & ball but I don't think it would be much of an issue and you could always carry a short section of pipe if it was a problem. The Pietta was ready to go right out of the box and the conversion dropped right in and may even work better than the original cylinder. Current Pietta production guns are far superior to the two I bought in the early 90's which required a lot of work to make them even usable.

I wonder how much if any, velocity is lost in the shorter barrel. Never have chrongraphed a short barrel percussion revolver.

Mike Beliveau tested a short and standard length ROA with both 3F Goex and Triple 7 using a ball, a Lee conical, and Kaido’s 255 grn modified Lee bullet.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tAt92F6gHa8

The difference ranged from as little as 8 fps to as much as 87 fps. Excluding the 8 fps result the average was 61 fps.

Thanks to everyone for the comments (and humor). We just got back from Cabelas. We were going to get a dehydrator on sale anyway. The Pietta 1858 with 5.5" barrel, steel frame, felt good in my hand, the action was smooth and the finish was excellent. No problems so I said I would take it.


Before leaving the firearms area my wife mentioned didn't I want to look at the 44 caliber Pietta Colt 1851, brass frame, with 4.78" barrel. She knew I had checked it out online. Like the Remington, it looked and felt good. She asked if it was on sale also (it was) and suggested we go home with 2 new guns. So we did. (Yes, my wife is a treasure. I married way above my pay grade.) :thumbsup:


The new toys get cleaned and lubed this weekend. I should get to the range next week when we get a break from thunder storms and 200 percent humidity. To say I'm eager is an understatement. I'll post a range report after that.


Thanks again for the help.


Jeff

The new toys get cleaned and lubed this weekend. I should get to the range next week when we get a break from thunder storms and 200 percent humidity. To say I'm eager is an understatement. I'll post a range report after that.


Thanks again for the help.


Jeff
[/quote]

:bow: its under 10 here now. I truly don't think i could survive the midwest. you guys r tuff :surrender:

Congratulations BullRunBear - You did good.

M.D. -- That’s a good question. I don’t have a crono so have to rely on other people’s data. Below link shows some comparative results between the Pietta 8” and the 5.5” Remington. The info there may be statistically questionable and it is a little difficult to decipher, but there it is.
http://poconoshooting.com/blackpowderballistics.html

azmntman said:

:bow: its under 10 here now. I truly don't think i could survive the midwest. you guys r tuff :surrender:

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That be why I swear Ill never leave AZ.. I HATE humidity! I can deal with cold I suppose, though it tends to be painful. But humidity kills me

:metoo: :shake: :surrender: :td:

I’m with you fellas but live in humid Texas. Looked at moving but am a bit hesitant. Much more tolerable for sure!

Love northern Arizona!

we be spoiled....at 70 we got AC in the winder :shocked2: :haha:

In the late 60's Dad brought home a Replica Arms (Uberti) model 1861. I always thought that I wanted a .44, but 'settled' on the .36, which was boringly accurate. I have it today & it still shoots like new. Still wanted a .44 & several years ago & Cabelas had a Father's Day or 4th of July sale, so I ordered the 1858 with 5.5" barrel. By the time they got around to mine, they were backordered. They shipped me the .36 model in error & I pitched a fit, so they sent me the .44 when they came in, and I kept the .36 cal.

The .44 5.5" is amazingly accurate and fun to shoot, but I find myself more often lately reaching for the .36 cal. & accuracy for it is every bit as good as the Colt.

I keep a Spiller & Burr and Colt Pocket Police for the folks with smaller hands.

The Pietta NMA is the same size frame regardless or barrel length or caliber. Fine for familiarity and parts. The .36 with the 6-1/2" barrel is probably my favorite to shoot followed by the 8" .44. But that may be because the 5-1/2" .44 is loaded with 240 grain Kaido Conicals and 35 grains of gunpowder, it packs a wallop when you shoot it.

I keep a 2017 Griswold & Gunnison [CS] in .36 loaded with 15-17 grains with felt wad and filler for young new shooters and folks with smaller hands.

Over the past few years I have mostly shot the 8” and the 5.5” Pietta Remingtons (when not using Colts) but lately have been shooting the 6.5 incher more frequently and find it to be a truly a remarkable gun. I acquired it from Cabelas in 2011 [CH] and love the thing. Mine has its own unique sound on detonation ... a deeper more prolonged boom and it is extremely accurate with .380 round ball.