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1860 Army Colt .44

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BenDMock

32 Cal.
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Dec 27, 2008
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Hey guys, I really want to shoot my new colt, but I am still gearing up for the sport. I got .445 balls, pyrodex RS, [ffg] (no real BP available here) and .018 patches, pre-lubed, and #11 caps, I have already 'dry' fired the cylanders with caps only. ( just like a little kids cap gun )
Here is the big questions:how much powder do I use, and how do I measure it?
 
You need to back off a bit and start over. Revolvers do not use patches. They use oversized balls that get swaged into the chamber by the rammer. A ball size around .451" should work. If you get a little ring of lead shaving off the ball when you load it, then its about right.

As for powder charge, 25gr would be a good starter load. If shooting pyrodex, make sure you get good compression on the load.
 
Well, I'm relatively new at this, but I thought that cap & ball revolvers use FFFg, not FFg. At least my ROA does. Is FFg useable in a cap & ball? Does it just not perform as well as FFFg?

Cage :hmm:
 
I got the FFG for my .58, I was hoping to use it in my pistol also. I dont have a powder measure, couldn't find one to buy here. I am going to go shopping at Sportsman's Warehouse this afternoon if the weather holds out.
A recommended shopping list from you-that-know would be extremely helpful.
 
FFg will work go bang just fine, but you'll lose some velocity over FFFg.
 
Stuff you MUST have:
Powder either real Black, APP, Pyrodex etc. (FFFg preferred, FFg will work, DO NOT use FFFFg)

Caps- Probably #11 is the best size to start with

Balls - .451 Round ball, not sure what make your revolver is but that should work. The .457 size is meant for the ruger old army and would be a really tight fit in the Italian guns.

Grease for the chambers and cylinder pin- Bore Butter if you want to buy it. Plain old Crisco will work fine until it gets too hot out. Some people like wonder wads under the ball, but they're pricey.

Powder measure - Can be as simple as an old cartridge case with a handle soldered on as a dipper that holds a known charge or you can buy a commercial one.

Oil - for protecting the gun after you clean it with soap and water.

Nipple wrench- you WILL need to pull those things out as they will have to be replaced as the flash hole burns out. Get 'em off now and put some anti seize on the threads. They will be a bear to get off if you wait.

Nice to have stuff:
Capper - personally prefer the straight line design.

Flask with measure

nipple pick - thin wire works fine, commercial ones available

Brass hammer for removing wedge or wedge puller.

brass brush for cleaning


I'm sure I've missed something, but somebody will chime in.
 
Awesome! I will print this and take it with me. Have to be tomorrow due to lousy weather.
 
You may want to have some .454 balls too. .451 balls are often too small and will walk forward under recoil. You want a nice, even ring of lead all around the ball when you seat it. If flash from the cylinder gap gets by a loose ball, you will experience a chainfire. You won't enjoy this at all. Be certain that the ball is a tight fit before you drop the hammer. The caps should be a tight fit too, and for the same reason.
 
One thing to try and find is an adjustable pistol powder measure. They are smaller than rifle measures and are graduated 1 grain at a time. The maximum load is rarely the most accurate, so being able to tinker with powder weight until you find the best accuracy is always good.

Since the most accurate load will be less than the maximum load, the ball will seat deeper in the chamber. This isn't good for accuracy so most of us use some form of filler to make the ball seat closer to the chamber mouth. This can be wads, or something as simple as corn meal, cream of wheat, or grits. Wads get expensive unless you make your own. I mostly just use corn meal, myself.

Let us know how you do, and most of all, have fun!
 
Plink said:
Since the most accurate load will be less than the maximum load, the ball will seat deeper in the chamber. This isn't good for accuracy so most of us use some form of filler to make the ball seat closer to the chamber mouth. This can be wads, or something as simple as corn meal, cream of wheat, or grits. Wads get expensive unless you make your own. I mostly just use corn meal, myself.
Is it dangerous to load less than max revolver loads without filler (like short starting a load in a rifle?) or just less accurate? I have plinked a few times with fillerless reduced loads in my 1860 and Dragoon without incident, but now I'm wondering now if I've just been lucky? :shocked2:
 
You're O.K. as long as the ball is seated down on the powder. You want to avoid detonation like the plague. The longer jump to the throat usually has a detrimental effect on accuracy though.
 
Musketeer Von Blunderbuss said:
Is it dangerous to load less than max revolver loads without filler (like short starting a load in a rifle?) or just less accurate? I have plinked a few times with fillerless reduced loads in my 1860 and Dragoon without incident, but now I'm wondering now if I've just been lucky? :shocked2:

Only if there ends up being an open area of air in the chamber. As long as you are able to seat the ball on the powder properly, there is no danger. Accuracy is what suffers.
 
Plink said:
One thing to try and find is an adjustable pistol powder measure. They are smaller than rifle measures and are graduated 1 grain at a time.
I'd like to get my hands on one of those measures. Can you provide a reference?
 
Thanks, gents. I measured the chambers of my 1860 and they come out to 1.25" depth. The rammer will go just a tiny bit shy of 3/8" into the chambers before it stops. Add a .45 ball and that only leaves roughly .44-.45" of chamber space left under a ball seated to max depth allowed by the rammer. Even a mere 15 gr. would be enough to fill that up. :thumbsup:
 
mykeal said:
Plink said:
One thing to try and find is an adjustable pistol powder measure. They are smaller than rifle measures and are graduated 1 grain at a time.
I'd like to get my hands on one of those measures. Can you provide a reference?
I have an adjustable brass measure that goes up to 30 grains that is marked in one grain increments (with every 5 grain increment being highlighted). I picked it up several years ago at a local shop out of a bin, so I don't know what brand or model it is. :(
 
[/quote] Is it dangerous to load less than max revolver loads without filler (like short starting a load in a rifle?) or just less accurate? I have plinked a few times with fillerless reduced loads in my 1860 and Dragoon without incident, but now I'm wondering now if I've just been lucky? :shocked2:
[/quote]


It is impossible to achieve a "ball not seated on the powder" problem with a percussion revolver.
The percussion Sharps has as much or more air space by design using a lot more powder and they do not have problems.
It generally takes at least 2-3" to cause a problem.
In my experience percussion revolvers shoot best with enough powder that slight compression is needed to get the ball flush with the cylinder mouth or slightly below. But your mileage may vary.

Dan
 
Thanks, Dan. That's the way it's looking to me too. I loaded ten grains into my 1860 last night after I took the measurments above, and it looks like even that small a load of powder would be touched by the ball if rammed fully home in the chamber. It looks like you'd have to get down to 5 grains or so to create any sort of gap, and the charge would be so mild and the gap so tiny that I can't see any trouble arising. Typically, I shoot 30 grains under each ball in the '60, which does compress firmly and leaves the balls just a smidge under the chamber mouths. :thumbsup:
 
Just as an aside, I like to shoot my C&B revolvers in the basement from time to time, using "wax" balls I cast, and 5 grains of 777.

I can get 10 shots before the smoke makes breathing difficult :grin:

But, at 10 steps, I can hit a soda can every shot! It's loud, smoky and a ton of fun.

Dan
 
Hey ,I got a 60 been shootin for years.its a great little shooter,I use 11 grains of fffg...11grains of cream of wheat...ball...MAKE SURE THE BALL IS SEATED BELOW THE THE CHAMBER...crisco on top.cap and fire,not much bang ,but thats my most accurate load...3-4 inches at 25 yard.Full load of 25 grains,lotsa bang ,accuracy not so much,still hit a 12 inch gong at 25,
Fergot,I use .457 balls,I know I tried theothers but they fell down the hole,.457 's work sweet
 
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