Load for 58 Rem .44 Pietta?

[dh9]

Hi guys,

I just got a 1858 Rem .44 steel sheriff 5.5 from Cabelas. The Pietta manual load chart shows 12 to 15 gr FFF. The cabelas manual says 35gr FFF. What loads would you recommend? I have .454 hornady balls and wonder wads, and Goex FFF. This is my first BP pistol. Thanks for the help.

 

[ian45662]

Mine likes 21 grains and cream of wheat for a filler but you will have to play with different loads. I wouldnt go over 30 grains but thats just me.

 

[fredrader]

I use 20g Goex FFFG,Wonder Wad and .454 Round Ball. .451 ball will work also.

 

[token tory]

I have the full length 7 1/2 barrel so this may not apply directly.
I use a .357 Mag brass case full with a wad & .454 ball for excellent accuracy.That load comes out to about 27 Gr by volume & has a really soft recoil with a satisfactory BOOM & thick fog!:haha: I've had all 6 holes touching at 15 yds, but again with a full 7 1/2" barrel.

One or two things I've discovered since recently getting involved in BP shooting.

Grain weights are nowhere as close as with smokeless, if you have any experience reloading modern ammunition. With that propellant you're looking at 1/10 Gr, with BP that ramps up to grains (if not more)before there is a noticeable change.

Secondly I've found that it is an advantage to use a load that does not need fillers, but allows the ball/wad/charge to be seated fully by the built in lever without additional fillers.

Thirdly I've found why so many sources suggest a good pair of leather gloves. It has nothing to do with powder burns (my original assumption) but it does stop the palm of the hand you use to ram the ball from bleeding from scrapes & bruises. :bow:

 

[bkovire]

what I've learned is the pitta is the minimum bp charge. The cabelas is the maximum, however, I recommend from personal experience, start with 15 and no more than 30. I have found that mine ( a 7 1/2") likes 30 grain pellets/pre lube felt wad/454 rb.

Be safe, have fun

 

[R.M.]

I'm almost afraid to give my thoughts, but here goes anyway.
In a steel framed revolver, you can load it up as Cabelas list. Should you want a lighter load, yes you can go down to the lower charges with filler added. Filler can be Cream of Wheat, grits, corn meal etc. The reason for the filler is to take up the extra room left over. Supposedly, it will give better accuracy with the ball closer to the mouth of the cylinder. Also, as has been mentioned, you need to be sure the ball has absolutely no air gap under it, it must be down on the charge, and with small charges, the loading lever can't get it down that far.
Personally, I like using fillers. I find, as it doesn't burn, it kind of scrubs the bore a bit when shot. Some guys like it, some hate it, some can't be bothered. It's something you'll have to decide for yourself.
Most of all, have fun.

 

[mykeal]

Well said.

 

[dh9]

Thanks for all the replies. I am still not quite clear on the use of fillers. Is this done by total volume? 25 g of powder + 10 g of filler =35g so there is no air space between the charge and the ball? Do I need to measure my cylinder volume?

 

[fredrader]

I don't use fillers when I load but from what I heard here you can just load your powder then just fill the cylinder up close to the top with the filler then place your ball on top and ram it down compacting the filler and leaving the ball just below the top of the cylinder.... :idunno:

 

[redwing]

I agree. Leave the breakfast food in the kitchen. These guns were not set up to fire grits. Try about 26 or 28/3f. You can use an OP wad or not, it will really make little difference. :hmm:

 

[redwing]

This old 58 Rem. Navy Arms 1962. The old 58 has had 1,000s of rounds shot thru it. Most of the rounds have been 28/3F. It is still sound and shoots good. :wink:

 

[bkovire]

no, the volume is the amount of powder you put in first, the filler is, not by weight, nor by volume, but buy distance from powder to ball. lest say i am going to put 25g 1/8" 451rb in, this brakes down to 25 grams by volume powder, 1/8" thick filler ie. felt wade, corn meal,ect, that is in inches, .451 diameter also in inches, that is the size of the round ball. now once this is all said and done,put some bore butter or if space per mitts, other wade on top of the ball, so the chamber is now, filled with, powder filler, and ball'n b, (as i call it, because i use butter, known as bore butter, this prevents chain fire, see search on forum, now your ready to put cap on, and fire. use of ear plugs and shooting glasses are wise things to use. safety first! make smoke, have fun, and be safe :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[R.M.]

If you decide to use filler, you can find a measure of some sort that will give you the amount to bring the ball within a fraction of an inch from the top. You could use say a .38 special case for a measure if that works out for you.
Yes, you should some sort of lube, whether it be a lubed wad under the ball, or lube/grease over the ball. This lube will help prevent chainfires (though they say most chainfires occur from the nipple area), plus keep your fouling soft.

 

[bkovire]

i all ways use a filler, and i use pellets, till they are gone then i will try 2f in 15g up to 25g 3f 20g to 30g, did it once. cant remember post, spent half day messing, and trying out dif load combos, mine likes pellets wads .454 rb, next will be the cons, don't know what type or size or weight to get, any thoughts. i know the hand book says this and that, i just do not go past max, had a few modern guns go BOOM, did not get hurt, knew what i was doing, one of them just in case, (if you know what i mean), moments.

 

[dh9]

Alright, I think I've got it . Thanks everyone, will post range report soon.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I'm almost afraid to give my thoughts, but here goes anyway.
In a steel framed revolver, you can load it up as Cabelas list. Should you want a lighter load, yes you can go down to the lower charges with filler added. Filler can be Cream of Wheat, grits, corn meal etc. The reason for the filler is to take up the extra room left over. Supposedly, it will give better accuracy with the ball closer to the mouth of the cylinder. Also, as has been mentioned, you need to be sure the ball has absolutely no air gap under it, it must be down on the charge, and with small charges, the loading lever can't get it down that far.
Personally, I like using fillers. I find, as it doesn't burn, it kind of scrubs the bore a bit when shot. Some guys like it, some hate it, some can't be bothered. It's something you'll have to decide for yourself.
Most of all, have fun.

Great post!

Well done, Sir!

Dave

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I have the full length 7 1/2 barrel so this may not apply directly.
I use a .357 Mag brass case full with a wad & .454 ball for excellent accuracy.That load comes out to about 27 Gr by volume & has a really soft recoil with a satisfactory BOOM & thick fog!:haha: I've had all 6 holes touching at 15 yds, but again with a full 7 1/2" barrel.

One or two things I've discovered since recently getting involved in BP shooting.

Grain weights are nowhere as close as with smokeless, if you have any experience reloading modern ammunition. With that propellant you're looking at 1/10 Gr, with BP that ramps up to grains (if not more)before there is a noticeable change.

Secondly I've found that it is an advantage to use a load that does not need fillers, but allows the ball/wad/charge to be seated fully by the built in lever without additional fillers.

Thirdly I've found why so many sources suggest a good pair of leather gloves. It has nothing to do with powder burns (my original assumption) but it does stop the palm of the hand you use to ram the ball from bleeding from scrapes & bruises. :bow:

I'm with you! :thumbsup: Not having to deal with windy/cold range conditions with bare ungloved fingers is a primary reason that I like just using powder, and I can reload quicker not having to pour fillers. The gloves also come in handy with the shaper-edged loading lever ends. The big, dull loading lever on my Walker doesn't hurt my hand as I ram 52 grains of powder along with the wad & ball in the custom-built loading stand

That 27 grain charge seems to work for a few folks, doesn't it? :haha:

Dave

 

[Blizzard of '93]

yes a .357 case is a good 'stout target' load of 3F, a .38 spcl case is around 22 grs. a X39 caseful is a good 'hot load' around 33 grs.

 

[dh9]

Went to the range today and had a lot of fun. I used a 38spl case which appeared to measure about 25gr FFFg + wonder wad and .454 ball. This seated well below the cylinder rim. My groups were alittle large, 2 in at 5 yds. So maybe I should try a larger powder charge and or some filler and see if the accuracy improves. Still had alot of fun. I had some caps come off during shooting, a couple of the nipples seem small. I am using the RWS 1075's, smallest caps I have. May need to upgrade the nipples? What do you think?

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Blizz,

You ought to put this in the Charts & Graphs section if they let you, along with all of the other cases that you use.

It's nice to be as traditional as possible. Safety is primary, so having a marked set of these known standard units of measure, say in the glove box or trunk of the car, would be great if you've forgot your regular measure in your possibles bag. :thumbsup:

Dave