1858 Reminton Loading Lever Problem

[Dog Soldier]

I use the LEE Conical B/P .450 revolver mold.It throws 200 grs bullets with a BHN#5 alloy.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1198/1/LEE-90382

 

[BCRider]

If you're requiring that much pressure with .451 size balls it makes me wonder what the chambers measure out to be. And when they do seat if they shear off a really heavy ring. A heavy shear from an undersized chamber that perhaps managed to bypass the final reaming operation to proper size might just explain the source of your problem.

Not that I'm comparing but my Uberti Remingtons shear off a fairly heavy ring if I load .457 balls but if I cast up and load 454 balls they don't always shear off a consistent ring. On the other hand a .451 ball would simply drop into place. My other open top revolvers all take either a .454 or 457 as well and if I tried to use a .451 I'm pretty sure they would either drop in without any effort and roll out just as easily or they would at most require a light push of my finger to seat them.

Perhaps it is best to start with slugging the bore with a roughly .5 size ball to get a reading on the bore and groove diameter and then compare that with the chamber sizes. I suspect there's going to be a pretty big disparity noted what with the information here and the use of .451 size ball mold. Or was the ".451" a typo?

 

[Thompsongunner]

I feel ur pain! I melted up a bunch of stick on W.W. for my Remy and they were a pain to load. Had my local cowboy gunsmith chamfer the cylinders thinking that would solve my problem. Well he shot some soft lead balls with no problem but the stick on W.W. balls were still a pain to load. I melted up some soft lead balls and no more problem. I now use the stick on W.W. for rifle balls.

 

[BCRider]

This was posted by rodwha in another thread....

Pietta has grossly undersized chambers (mine were 0.446")......

If your gun shares this same fault then it might well explain why the screw is bending even with .451 round ball.

 

[loose noose]

I've always used pure lead in my casting of lead round balls, never had a problem with the loading lever on any of my black powder revolvers.

 

[Blackpowdershooter44]

Yeah, it's a .451 mold. I may have go to yet another source for my soft lead as this gun is fairly picky.

 

[damoc]

I use a lot of hard lead and a .454 ball never damaged the loading lever screw but i have sheared the loading lever pin about 4 times now
i just use a piece of coathanger and repin.
another reason why i want to try and build that ball press recently showcased here.