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.452 RNL bullet in 1858 Remington?

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Stephen_D

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Has anyone tried loading a 200 gr round nose lead bullet (meant for a 45 ACP) in a replica 1858 Remington revolver?
 
I've tried using the Lee Precision version of that design in my '58 Remington after sizing them to .452". They were difficult to start straight into the chamber mouths and were all over my target @ 25 yd. I then got the bright idea of loading them backwards (easier to start that way) and got some improvement in accuracy, but it wasn't as accurate or as easy to load as a .451" RB.
 
I shoot 250gr. in mine all the time.

Lol!! ( I cheat though . . . !!!)

Mike


Without a conversion cylinder?

Several of the firing pins in my conversion cylinder are totally stuck in the 'fired' position. I can remove the pin assemblies, but two firing pins will not come out of their rings.

And, is there a special screwdriver that can be ordered for the pin assemblies?

Can the pin assemblies be ordered?
 
Without a conversion cylinder?

Several of the firing pins in my conversion cylinder are totally stuck . . .
No no, all my revolvers are converted . . . just funning.

You may need new pins from Howell or whoever. When you get them, get a torch and harden them.

Mike
 
Has anyone tried loading a 200 gr round nose lead bullet (meant for a 45 ACP) in a replica 1858 Remington revolver?
You’re going to find many have tried, most unsuccessfully. I shoot mostly bullets but they’re cast from molds designed for cap guns or historical designs.
The Kerr revolver bullet for instance, excellent civil war era bullet, it’s only flaw is the pointed profile, but if you profile the ram (a small bit of epoxy in the cavity of your ram will mash the point flat when loading) it’s very good and available from the Jefferson Arsenal dot com or a vendor on Gunbroker often sells them. Molds are available from Eras Gone.
 
I've used .45 LC bullets that I sized down the bottom ring on to make them cap and baller friendly.

There was a good, trustworthy guy who sold on GunBroker who sold .36 and .45 bullets for percussion revolvers, and his prices were great. I haven't seen him list anything in a couple years. I got a huge Ziploc freezer bag full of .375 bullets from him.

I also got a bunch of Johnston & Dow bullets, very accurate out of a Dragoon but unless I sized them to .450 they were ridiculously hard to load.

After I ordered a big batch of Dragoon bullets from that rcbloom guy on GunBroker and they were stolen by a USPS employee, I gave up buying bullets from individuals plus the guy totally didn't give a S-t when I got ripped off for $200 worth of bullets. His "oh well" attitude after I showed him a pic of the box with the hole punched in it and the receipt showing it arrived at 0.2 pounds (empty) left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe a "ok I'll knock 25% off the order if we try it again" but no, he's like "you got burned sorry" . I won't order from him again.

I bought a Pickett bullet mold I have yet to use, for my Walkers.

So, for now, I just use .375 and .454 round balls I can buy from a store or order from any number of various sources and it's just easier and more convenient for now.

If I do give GunBroker sellers another shot, the guy selling .36 and .44 Kaido bullets for $35 per 100 would probably be it.
 
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After I ordered a big batch of Dragoon bullets from that rcbloom guy on GunBroker and they were stolen by a USPS employee, I gave up buying bullets from individuals plus the guy totally didn't give a S-t when I got ripped off for $200 worth of bullets. His "oh well" attitude after I showed him a pic of the box with the hole punched in it and the receipt showing it arrived at 0.2 pounds (empty) left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe a "ok I'll knock 25% off the order if we try it again" but no, he's like "you got burned sorry" . I won't order from him again
Sorry, I don’t see where the vendor is responsible for the actions of another that was paid to be entrusted with the care & transport of a package to you. Was the package insured?
 
Sorry, I don’t see where the vendor is responsible for the actions of another that was paid to be entrusted with the care & transport of a package to you. Was the package insured?
It was insured but the Post Office doesn't pay until they investigate , apparently

I didn't so much as expect him to be "responsible " but maybe to just not be an aloof a-hole about a customer getting screwed out of 200 bucks . Because I would have ordered more bullets if I had liked them. Even a "I'll recast them and charge you lead cost " , or something, besides basically dude telling me I'm beat, have a nice day
 
Sorry, I don’t see where the vendor is responsible for the actions of another that was paid to be entrusted with the care & transport of a package to you. Was the package insured?
Usually the shipper is the one who has to claim any insurance on a package.... so in this case, vendor should've refunded or re-shipped and gotten back from UPS (or however it was shipped) insurance.
 
The best way I've found is to choose the bullet mold you want to use, cast them with very soft metal and figure out how to size them such that their rear ends slip in and the fronts shear on the chamber mouths. That close up view of the bullet at lower left shows one slipped into the chamber and ready to be seated onto the powder charge using the loading lever.

w and conicals.jpg


Not easy to do with many .44 caliber revolvers, especially those built on a 1851 type frame.
Not easy to make accurate if the chambers are too much undersized for the barrel. But hey, it's not much different from loading ammo for a revolver that uses brass cartridges and subject to all the same rules.
 
Usually the shipper is the one who has to claim any insurance on a package.... so in this case, vendor should've refunded or re-shipped and gotten back from UPS (or however it was shipped) insurance.
This guy didn't sound too motivated or with it to want to follow up with anything or he just pocketed the $$, I'll never know.

The USPS employees apparently steal lead and cast bullets hoping its gold or silver, because they feel a small , dense box. After they discover the lead they just likely throw it away

This rcbloom character at least offered that as advice and that my bullets were probably in a dumpster by now. Thanks for the insight buddy, that actually discouraged me even more from buying lots of lead bullets in one shot
 
The best way I've found is to choose the bullet mold you want to use, cast them with very soft metal and figure out how to size them such that their rear ends slip in and the fronts shear on the chamber mouths. That close up view of the bullet at lower left shows one slipped into the chamber and ready to be seated onto the powder charge using the loading lever.

View attachment 164038

Not easy to do with many .44 caliber revolvers, especially those built on a 1851 type frame.
Not easy to make accurate if the chambers are too much undersized for the barrel. But hey, it's not much different from loading ammo for a revolver that uses brass cartridges and subject to all the same rules.
Or, just buy a mold from Accurate Molds. He has a variety specifically designed for c&b revolvers.
This guy didn't sound too motivated or with it to want to follow up with anything or he just pocketed the $$, I'll never know.

The USPS employees apparently steal lead and cast bullets hoping its gold or silver, because they feel a small , dense box. After they discover the lead they just likely throw it away

This rcbloom character at least offered that as advice and that my bullets were probably in a dumpster by now. Thanks for the insight buddy, that actually discouraged me even more from buying lots of lead bullets in one shot
Yeah, I doubt that’s what happened. Most likely mishandled in transit. Chucked into a bin from thirty yards away… missed and hit the wall.
 
Or, just buy a mold from Accurate Molds. He has a variety specifically designed for c&b revolvers.

Yeah, I doubt that’s what happened. Most likely mishandled in transit. Chucked into a bin from thirty yards away… missed and hit the wall.
I do still have the empty box with the hand-sized hole punched in it, so the empty box continued on it's way about 20 lb lighter until I had to sign for it.....I'll never forget the post lady handing me a completely empty box with a huge hole in the side like it was nothing out of the ordinary
 
No no, all my revolvers are converted . . . just funning.

Mikee
There are actually folks here that are just beginners. They have come in good faith to learn something,, hopefully(?)
Sure it's fun,, but sometimes the OP has a serious question.
With your knowledge and experience,, you could help a lot, 👍
You coulda just told him why they don't work well in an original configuration and not have even mentioned conversions,,
 
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Or, just buy a mold from Accurate Molds. He has a variety specifically designed for c&b revolvers.

Yeah, I doubt that’s what happened. Most likely mishandled in transit. Chucked into a bin from thirty yards away… missed and hit the wall.
There's certainly nothing wrong with the molds from Accurate.
Tom is all about excellent quality and service for his customers.
 
There are actually folks here that are just beginners. They have come in good faith to learn something,, hopefully(?)
Sure it's fun,, but sometimes the OP has a serious question.
With your knowledge and experience,, you could help a lot, 👍
You coulda just told him why they don't work well in an original configuration and not have even mentioned conversions,,
Hey buddy, I see what you're saying . . . but, you gotta look at the big picture!!
1. The op now knows its possible. . . .
2. He knows why (I cheat) was included . .
3. It led to a follow-up question about conversion cylinders and most importantly he knows to harden the firing pins if he gets that type!
Now, just to show the kinda guy I am, I'm gonna throw in another little nugget-
The rifling twist in the Walker/Dragoon is conducive to excellent accuracy with the conicals. You can get enough powder behind them to achieve excellent results! The '60 Army's ( Uberti's I know and I think newer Piettas ) have fast twist rifling as well but lack the fuel capacity for heavy conicals . . . UNLESS , you get a conversion cylinder!!! The Uberti's (all my open-tops are Uberti's) (all their 44 models have the fast twist) can be tack drivers !!!
So, have fun experimenting !!
There ya go !!!

Actually, I thought this was a thread about shipping bullets in the mail !!!! Go figure!!!

Mike
 
This reminds me of my attempt to use pure lead .380 diameter bullets in my 51 Navy, they were for a 38-40 or something I'm not sure. They were a PITA to load and offered nothing notable vs a .375 round ball

The more I've played with bullets in my hog legs, the more I realize I need to cast my own....because 30-50 cents per pop starts to add up , once you factor in your powder and cap you're approaching a buck a pop to use someone else's cast bullets in something like a Walker. I'd rather spend that on Arby's and a can of dip.

Then I realize I need to source lead, and then find time to fire up the Do It pot and cast bullets, then size them . Time is hard to come by.

Ebay sellers have .454 "airgun pellets" cast from pure lead that look promising if you're looking for a round nose bullet.

So I usually just end up stocking up on the wonderful, all purpose, historically correct Round Ball that has yet to fail me
 
I just ordered 100 of these .452 bullets off Ebay , lead Airgun pellets . They look nearly identical to Johnston & Dow bullets. Hopefully they're 100% lead and not an alloy, and those bands are .452 and the base will function as a heel.

If not, I'll pop the bases into my .450 sizer , I've done this before

For 28 bucks shipped per 100, I hope they work . With the price of lead this is probably the best price for cast bullets I've found. Even if I have to use my cylinder loader to test them in the Walkers and Dragoons, with the tight loading cutout making it difficult to load some bullets , it's a starting point at least.
 

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I just ordered 100 of these .452 bullets off Ebay , lead Airgun pellets . They look nearly identical to Johnston & Dow bullets. Hopefully they're 100% lead and not an alloy, and those bands are .452 and the base will function as a heel.

If not, I'll pop the bases into my .450 sizer , I've done this before

For 28 bucks shipped per 100, I hope they work . With the price of lead this is probably the best price for cast bullets I've found. Even if I have to use my cylinder loader to test them in the Walkers and Dragoons, with the tight loading cutout making it difficult to load some bullets , it's a starting point at least.
Check my thread on airgun pellets - the ones I found the manufacturer claims a BH of 7-9 IIRC
 
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