Uberti 1858 NMA

Some folks add paraffin wax (like used for canning) to their lube recipe.
That would stiffen it up, and should be easy enough to find just about anywhere.

SlowFuse

Overall lots of fun.

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Welcome to the BP Club! Congrats on the fine looking Uberti Remington NMA! Glad to hear you're having fun too!

I've tried the CCI #11 caps and have had to pinch them into a slightly oval shape to ensure that they don't fall off when firing, so that might be a consideration if want to go with that cap.

Looking forward to seeing more since it's getting too cold for me to keep experimenting!

Oh man where to begin! Well first off....stick with remington #10 and #11...remington is better than CCI in my opinion (an opinion shared by many). They tend to open up into a flower...some say it "petals"...but they stay whole where as CCI tend to explode into fragments. Also remington caps tend to fit most stock and almost all aftermarket nipples. Not to mention that they dont lose their priming powder as easily or as often as CCI brand caps do. CCI #10s are way smaller than the #11s, and the 11s seem to always need to be pinched in order for them to fit most nipples...where as Remingtons are about the same size only difference is the length, so #10s will fit just about any nipple since the longer skirt will fit tightly against the gradual flare of the nipple. Now when it comes to lube its a matter of preference, some work the same and others work better or worse and some excell or fail depending on temperature etc. Personally i use a very stiff lube wax mix but i use such a thin disk that it easily disintegrates and lubes the barrel. Although if i use the same lube as a thick disc then it wont melt much and wont lube the barrel etc. It would just be a waste. For starters i would recommend Gato Feo lube #1, and only if the recipe is followed. The ingredients are easy to come by. Also if i were you id use 454 or 457 balls with uberti, and maybe later when you get comfortable with customizing etc you can chamfer the cylinfer chambers that way you dont shave any lead and you swage fit ur bullets into the cylinder. I feel it makes for a better seal and also you waste no lead and can help with gas cutting and accuracy. Invest in some cheap punches to make your own lube discs and over powder cards. I got a cheap set at harbor freight and make all my cookies using the 3/8ths punch for my .36 navy guns. There is so much to discuss and go over but researching is part of the fun in our hobby. Atleast i feel that way. And stay away from pyrodex powder...atleast thats my opinion. Stuff is just gross and not worth the hassle. Get you some real black powder or triple 7 if substitutes is all you can get, maybe Black MZ if you can find it locally especially if you have a sportsmans warehouse near by.

With my Remington 1858 I use .454 ball. I don't put any grease over the ball and haven't for many years but I do use homemade felt wads lubed with the Gatofeo #1 formula mentioned above. (I use those same lubed wads when loading 45 caliber black powder cartridges.) I get the best percussion cap fit with Remington #10s on the Uberti but don't recall if they are the original nipples. With this set up I've never had a chain fire.

It is only proper to warn you that these C&B revolvers will procreate when you aren't looking. The holiday sales of Uberti and Pietta revolvers seems to encourage such wanton behavior.

Jeff

There are several ways to safely load your '58. Everyone has their own recipe. If you continue to enjoy and shoot your '58, you will find your favorite.
I shoot both for fun and competition.
Here's mine:
Remington #10 caps
Cast .454 ball
7cc cream of wheat over 29gr by volume 3f Goex black powder
A dab of lube over the ball (which will sit up close to the chamber mouth).

Well triple 7 can be compressed just not a whole lot. U wont have an issue with ur gun, tons of people use triple 7 with their remingtons and colts. Just dont really put all your might into seating the ball. A nice tight seating is all you need. Oh and triple 7 and pyrodex do expire...depends on how ita stored. Both are sensative to heat, himidity and oxygen. So keep ur powders tightly sealed and in a cool dark dry place if possible

Slowfuse,
MidwayUSA is having a sale on their Pietta (usually lower priced) and Uberti C&B revolvers right now. Cabelas usually has sales on them before Christmas. The Pietta guns typically cost between 2 and 3 hundred. The lowest prices will be for the brass frame versions. If kept to light powder charges, the brass frame guns will last for decades.

By the way, Pietta revolvers had/have a lesser reputation than Uberti. I have both and the last ten years or more the Pietta have been at least as good as Uberti in fit, finish, and accuracy and I have found them to be fine shooters. There will be plenty of threads on the topic. Just FYI.

Jeff

CaptnRussia said:

I've tried the CCI #11 caps and have had to pinch them into a slightly oval shape to ensure that they don't fall off when firing, so that might be a consideration if want to go with that cap.

Looking forward to seeing more since it's getting too cold for me to keep experimenting!

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That's exactly what I do. After a while it becomes second nature when loading and I never have ignition problems as a result of a smaller cap not being seated or in some cases flying off the cone of an adjoining chamber during recoil.

Took my recently acquired NMA to the range, this is the first time I gave it a good work out, the other times were just a few test rounds.It is an Ami San Paolo from1988. At 15 yards was shooting clover leaves at point of aim until the center of the target was gone Put 48 rounds of paper cartridges (25 gr.FFF and .454 round ball) through it, and it never gave a problem.
Sorry no pictures, looks like my Uberti except the front sight is a little different and dove tailed in.

44 Dave said:

Took my recently acquired NMA to the range, this is the first time I gave it a good work out, the other times were just a few test rounds.It is an Ami San Paolo from1988. At 15 yards was shooting clover leaves at point of aim until the center of the target was gone Put 48 rounds of paper cartridges (25 gr.FFF and .454 round ball) through it, and it never gave a problem.
Sorry no pictures, looks like my Uberti except the front sight is a little different and dove tailed in.

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The Armi San Paolo (Euroarms) is indeed well made. Compared to the Uberti, it's a little lighter built. (This is most evident in comparing the top straps, if the the guns are placed side by side.) Conversion cylinders made for the Uberti will also fit the ASP.

The ASP, from the factory, had a very stiff hammer spring. It's a good idea to replace this with one for an Uberti (if this hasn't been done already). You might have to narrow the sides of the spring down just a tad, so it will fit in the grip frame.

Both the Uberti and the ASP have dovetailed front sights. I believe the Pietta is the one with the front sight pressed in from above.

I have used grease over the chambers, grease keeps the fouling soft, and totally coats the pistol and me in grease. It is messy as heck. I purchased Ox-Yoke wads and was amazed to see just how well they kept the bore clean. These wads are placed between the ball and the powder and are a good solution if you want to carry a loaded BP pistol. They should also reduce the chance of chamber ignition from the front. The wads are slightly greasy, not a problem or messy in operation.

Welcome to the addiction.

In my experience, .454s are best in most of the Italian .44 caliber replicas. You can shoot .457 balls but they will be noticeably harder to load, place more stress on the rammer, and probably won't shoot any better. The .457s are meant for the Ruger Old Army.

I used to put grease over the balls but as has already been mentioned, it's very messy. I switched to home made wads punched from 1/8" thick hard wool felt from Durofelt.com. (I learned about this felt from Gatofeo on this board.) When I first started making my own wads I used Gatofeo's recipe, but then simplified it to about 50/50 beeswax/mutton tallow. If you don't have a local source for beeswax you can order it online from Amazon or eBay. I got the mutton tallow from Dixie Gunworks.

However, earlier this year I made up a batch of felt wads and lubricated them with Fiebing's 100% pure neatsfoot oil (not neatsfoot oil compound). They worked very well and are simpler to make. Neatsfoot oil also makes a fine patch lubricant in muzzleloading rifles.

I was once an avid user of felt wads. But now ive switched to hard lube discs which i still separate from the powder with a wax paper disc. They are stiff enough not to melt in very hot days or when your cylinder gets warm from shooting off a couple rounds. Ive noticed that you lose almost a grain or more from the powder touching the lube no matter how stiff it is. I experimented by loading a chamber and emptying the contents and checking what burns....and all the powder burns but the powder touching the wad soaked up some of the lube (even harder lubes like gatofeo #1) would burn slow...and you never notice this because you shoot it out the barrel. To some a grain or two of powder doesnt mean much but to me thats 5-10% of my usual load and i dont like losing or wasting powder and power/speed in. Also most of the felt wad lube is wasted and shot out the barrel....and it takes up precious space in my small .36 cal chambers. So ive switched to thin stiff lube discs and never looked back. I shoot mainly straight walled paper cartidges so it goes powder, wax paper disc, thin lube disc, wax paper disc, cardboard card disc, then ball/bullet of choice. Here are my thin lube discs...made from 1:5 or 1:6 mutton tallow to beeswax. Their thinness assures they completely melt and coat/lube the barrel.
These are my cartridges..i did a write up recently if you look at the recent posting about labels for boxes and tins. If you look closely you can see the layer of lube disc in my paper cartridge

Just my thoughts do not use Crisco for lube even in a mix.I don't know about Ubertie but my 58 Pietta likes .454 ball size.Here is a vid I did on how I reliably shoot my Pietta.

TheOutlawKid said:

Well triple 7 can be compressed just not a whole lot. U wont have an issue with ur gun, tons of people use triple 7 with their remingtons and colts. Just dont really put all your might into seating the ball. A nice tight seating is all you need. Oh and triple 7 and pyrodex do expire...depends on how ita stored. Both are sensative to heat, himidity and oxygen. So keep ur powders tightly sealed and in a cool dark dry place if possible

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If I was going to use substitute in stead of the real thing it would be for sure 777 not Pyrodex Pyrodex has exhibited poor storage characteristics.

Cant stand pyrodex...stuff is horrible in my opinion. Its fouling is sticky and it causes rust easily.

SlowFuse said:

Man I'm believing all the negative remarks now with the pyrodex.

The first time I fired this I just wiped it down with bore butter. Rust the day after. My fault.

So with that in mind, this last time I removed the grips, dunked it in a bucket of hot water with Dawn and scrubbed it and the cylinder with a toothbrush. Dried it in an old toaster oven on about 175 or so. Cleaned with a blackpowder solvent (muzzle loader originals) and then coated it inside and out with RIG grease since I figured it might be a minute before I shoot again. This was Saturday. Checked it today. Rust down the bore, around the barrel threading, on the recoil shield and in and around the nipples. This is sitting in a safe with a goldenrod. I thought it was a good thorough cleaning but I guess not.

I know theres a thread somewhat recent on blackpowder cleaning. Might go through it again to get ideas.

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I'm thinking instead of using grease, make sure your parts are absolutely dry then coat them with a good quality gun oil such as CLP Breakfree. I've done this for decades and have never had rust of any sort on any black powder gun. The only time I use a grease is if I plan to put a gun away in long term storage for a very long time, and prepping for that type of storage is another process in and of itself.

SlowFuse said:

Man I'm believing all the negative remarks now with the pyrodex.

The first time I fired this I just wiped it down with bore butter. Rust the day after. My fault.

So with that in mind, this last time I removed the grips, dunked it in a bucket of hot water with Dawn and scrubbed it and the cylinder with a toothbrush. Dried it in an old toaster oven on about 175 or so. Cleaned with a blackpowder solvent (muzzle loader originals) and then coated it inside and out with RIG grease since I figured it might be a minute before I shoot again. This was Saturday. Checked it today. Rust down the bore, around the barrel threading, on the recoil shield and in and around the nipples. This is sitting in a safe with a goldenrod. I thought it was a good thorough cleaning but I guess not.

I know theres a thread somewhat recent on blackpowder cleaning. Might go through it again to get ideas.

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Mr. Slowfuse, my experience is that if you use pyrodex you can not simply rinse with soap and water till it "looks" clean. Ive done this and still got rust. You need to scrub with a wire brush in the bore, a nylon brush did not help, the fouling is sticky and gets deep into the pores of the metal. Every part that saw rust you will need to scrub very very well. Use COLD or room temp water and soap. And since you used bore butter (another product i despise) you will need to use a very good grease and wax remover to get it out of the metals pores cuz it has trapped and sealed in moisture and rust particles that will grow. You can scrub with water and dawn but then i recommend you scrub again with LA Awesome from dollar store or lighter fluid that is used for zippo lighters...it will remove the wax and mineral oil used in bore butter. Then afterwards dry really well (no oven necessary) and then use WD40 and wipe it all off (its only used this one time to get rid of any moisture, but do not leave it on your gun as it can gum up). After you have done this you can use a rust preventer of your choice. Mine is Birchwood caseys Barricade. I had to do all the steps above to clean a gun that showed rust that kept returning after using Pyrodex. Pyrodex and bore butter together in my experience is a horrible combination because pyrodex fouling is sticky and is difficult to get rid off entirely , it mixes with the bullet lube and gets even stickier and gets deep into the pores of the steel...and when you add bore butter which has waxes and mineral oil...you are just putting a protective layer over the metals microscopic pores that are filled witj sticky corrosive pyrodex fouling that has already attracted moisture. So scrub good..its a must. And use a gentle on bluing wax and oil remover. Follow the directions ive given and im sure you will get rid of the pyrodex curse.

You need to water down the La Awesome. 50/50 cleaner to distilled water. You dont really have too ..but its how i use it. Barricade used to be called Sheath... I get it for less than 7 bucks but it is very worth it. Lasts a very long time.. I order from the possibles shop, very fast shipping and excellent customer service. I once placed an order and paid for shipping using one of their options...a couple days later i saw a credit to my debit card from them and i thought it was due to an item i ordered being out of stock...so i called them and they said "oh its a partial credit for shipping...it didnt cost as much as the website stated". Any and every company out there would have kept the difference being that id never find out what the cost of shipping really cost the company...but that showed me how honest The Possibles Shop is. I have the utmost respect for their business and will give them my money before i buy elsewhere. Heres a link to where i got it...its at the bottom..
https://possibleshop.com/g-c-gun-oil.html