Newbie with Remington

[dkr02]

A couple of questions for you guys. I have a new Remington 1858 Pietta with 2 spare cylinders. I got a loading stand, balls and pre lubed wads from Dixie. I plan to cast my own as soon as I use up these, making sure the balls work OK. Any recommendations for loads, with BP as well as Pyrodex? Also, with the use of the pre lubed wads, do I still need to put grease over the bullet? Thanks for the help.

Rick

 

[rafterob]

If using wads there is no need to top off with grease. I would suggest 18 grains of FFFg black powder or pyrodex P to start with. Powder,wad,ball.That will get you started. You can safely fill the chamber with powder (about 35 grains) and still compress the wad and ball on top. Makes BIG Boom! Not recommended on a regular basis if you have the brass frame model.You want to clean the chambers, barrel and nipples of any grease or oils applied for shipping prior to shooting for the first time. You should grease the cylinder pin prior to shooting. That helps to keep fouling from building up between it and the cylinder, which can impede rotation of the cylinder.

 

[F.G. Ford]

I am not a fan of Pyodex powders.
But in my Colt & Remington the only powder to use is Pyrodex P powder.
With regular black powder the revolvers freeze up in barely two cylinders use.No matter how much grease I use.
Now Pyrodex P you can shoot all day without a problem.
You still have to clean your shooter up at the end of your shooting session.
With ordinary black powder, I am afraid of breaking inner parts of the revolver, because cylinder rotation becomes so hard.
Best regards
Old Ford

 

[arcticap]

I load off the frame and swap cylinders in and out for reloading too. I recently tried over lubing the cylinder pin and other friction points with mineral oil during each cylinder swap. It did make it a lot easier to pull the cylinder pin and to keep everything running smoothly compared to other range sessions when I waited 12 - 18 shots before relubing.
The more lube on the cylinder pin the better, even if it gets a little messy and runs. The mineral oil worked well enough to not dissipate after 6 shots and then need a mallet to hammer out the pin.
I intend to keep trying different lubes until I find something better. I was loading 30+ grains of APP fffg with an over powder card and using heavy compression. IMO the pure mineral oil worked better than liberally applying Bore Butter to the same locations but I applied a lot of it each reload using over-saturated cotton swabs.
However if I waited more than 6 shots between re-lubing then I'm sure that the pin would have become very sticky and difficult to pull out by hand.

 

[dkr02]

Using the wads, how long can the cylinder stay loaded without the grease in the wad fouling the powder, or is this just a non-issue? Thought I'd maybe load a cylinder after sighting it in, and carry it with me on walks.

Rick

 

[arcticap]

One never knows if the loads will keep for weeks, months or years. It depends on how well the caps, OP cards or unlubricated wads seal the powder charge. But they can probably last for several months. Not too much different than leaving a hunting rifle loaded but in most cases the nipple isn't left capped especially during transport in an auto.
Storing the cylinder in a plastic bag after an outing would probably be helpful, especially if the caps were removed during or after the return home with it loaded.
Even if the loads did last for 1 year, what's the point? One would think that the loads would normally be fired off well within a year's time anyway.
Powder charges won't normally go bad within a short period of hours.

 

[dkr02]

True, true. Can't wait for this weather to break so I can get it out on the range!

Rick