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Fun with .44 Brasser

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I wanted to use up some of this bottle of Pyrodex P I opened in probably 2008, so I figured I'd pop off my first rounds through the .44 Pietta Brass Navy I recently vinegar bathed to remove the blue. I just think the brassers look good in the white. I had to do some looking to find one with a plain cylinder.


60 rounds, no cleaning, wiping or anything. The hammer started getting gummy and caps started to need a 2nd hit, so I packed up and left. It was dark out anyway.

The T/C U-View flask holds enough in the spout to fill half the chamber. Probably about 25gr. volume. It's a handy little flask, it's nice being able to see how much powder is left.

CCI #11 caps worked fine. I was hitting about a foot high at 20ish yards but we all know that's normal. No misfires, the last cylinder had a couple "popBang" mini split second hang fires but after 50+ rounds I'm sure the flash channels were getting gummy.

The Pyrodex does leave a thicker, more acrid cloud than the Holy Black. A guy and his wife walked over to see what I was doing , there was no wind and there was a Pyrodex fog hanging over half the range. I guess people aren't used to that.

Pietta has stepped their game up with their recent guns. Fit and finish is nice, and this being my 5th new Pietta that I currently own out of probably 20+ I've bought, sold and traded over the years . All 5 of my Pietta brassers are reliable and accurate.
 

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Very handsome piece. I like the weathered look. Vinegar removes the bluing...? I had no idea. Learn something new all the time on this site.
Thank You :)

It's easy but also hard to do right, I always kinda mess it up

I just go to the Dollar store, get a pack of foil baking pans that will fit the parts, and a gallon of vinegar. Take the gun down to every part. Put all the parts that need debluing into the vinegar bath and let them sit for a day.

Take them out when all the blue is off and hit them with Action Blaster. Everything will immediately rust but it just wipes off.

Thoroughly and carefully wipe everything with Eezox or any other non petroleum oil and reassemble.

After the brass frame gets that nice deep tarnish from shooting and handling , the guns look great with the gunmetal finish , to me anyway.

I'm kind of probably needlessly snobbish but I won't use BP subs in guns like my Colt 2nd gens or Uberti Dragoons , no real reason I guess.

But I can go to Dunham's or my local gun shops and pick up a pound of Pyrodex P and a couple tins of CCI #11's ......and order .454 or .375 balls virtually anywhere or find them at my local dusty old mom and pop shop sometimes and I can pop rounds off without dipping into my stash of Holy Black.
 
I think this may be the 4th or 5th brass framed .44 Navy I've owned, I even had an early Uberti one about 10 years ago

These are still available for $250, between Uberti, ASM and Pietta there's probably a million of these floating around.

Whenever I see a list of "Top 10 All-American guns" and it's stuff like Ruger 10/22's, etc I always feel the "Brass Frame .44 Navy" should be in there, since, for the past 60+ years every person that is even casually interested in guns has owned one, owns one or knows someone that did . I remember these being 99 bucks in the Redi-Pack hanging on the peg boards at Gander Mt and Cabelas and people just bought em just to pop tin cans at the hunting camp.

I had one in college in 2001 as a home defense gun and woods plinker, I bought it at a Dicks or some such . I did some stuff with that gun that I'd probably get locked up for now
 
I wanted to use up some of this bottle of Pyrodex P I opened in probably 2008, so I figured I'd pop off my first rounds through the .44 Pietta Brass Navy I recently vinegar bathed to remove the blue. I just think the brassers look good in the white. I had to do some looking to find one with a plain cylinder.


60 rounds, no cleaning, wiping or anything. The hammer started getting gummy and caps started to need a 2nd hit, so I packed up and left. It was dark out anyway.

The T/C U-View flask holds enough in the spout to fill half the chamber. Probably about 25gr. volume. It's a handy little flask, it's nice being able to see how much powder is left.

CCI #11 caps worked fine. I was hitting about a foot high at 20ish yards but we all know that's normal. No misfires, the last cylinder had a couple "popBang" mini split second hang fires but after 50+ rounds I'm sure the flash channels were getting gummy.

The Pyrodex does leave a thicker, more acrid cloud than the Holy Black. A guy and his wife walked over to see what I was doing , there was no wind and there was a Pyrodex fog hanging over half the range. I guess people aren't used to that.

Pietta has stepped their game up with their recent guns. Fit and finish is nice, and this being my 5th new Pietta that I currently own out of probably 20+ I've bought, sold and traded over the years . All 5 of my Pietta brassers are reliable and accurate.
This is good info! The guns look nice, and your comments about quality are appreciated. I wouldn't mind getting one of these!
 
They're on sale for $230 on MidWay right now again

The days of the old brassers with frames like peanut butter , and pinned on arbors that people shot out in one day are over, Pietta uses a much better brass now

I don't have 1000s of rounds through them or anything but I've fired over 100 in a day with 30gr charges and there's no peening or stretching like people had with the old brassers after as few as a couple 100 full charges. Pietta realized people buy these to live fire not shoot blanks at reenactments anymore
 
They're on sale for $230 on MidWay right now again

The days of the old brassers with frames like peanut butter , and pinned on arbors that people shot out in one day are over, Pietta uses a much better brass now

I don't have 1000s of rounds through them or anything but I've fired over 100 in a day with 30gr charges and there's no peening or stretching like people had with the old brassers after as few as a couple 100 full charges. Pietta realized people buy these to live fire not shoot blanks at reenactments anymore
 
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