Finally shot my Pietta 1860... what a hoot!

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1KPerDay

1KPerDay

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I've had a few .44 Piettas for a couple of years but you can't shoot anywhere around here anymore... I bit the bullet and tried an 1860 indoors. LOL it was awesome.

The BOOOOOOM! was much more satisfying than modern pistols, and the fire and smoke was epic, of course. The recoil from 30 grain Pyrodex pellets was just about perfect. I was able to print a nice center-mass group on a 2/3rds sized IDPA torso steel plate from 15 yards, by aiming at the bottom of the plate. :D

I used Remington #10 caps, which seemed to fit well. I didn't have any cap jams (3 cylinders full), but I was turning it sideways for most cockings.

Question:
After one cylinder full (30 grain Pyrodex pellets, Hornady .457" balls, and CVA blackpowder grease over the top), the pistol was basically bound up. The hammer didn't want to move, or even lower fully once cocked. I would have had to rotate the cylinder manually while cocking. I knocked out the wedge, removed the barrel and cylinder, and re-greased the arbor with CVA blackpowder lube (the old stuff in the brown toothpaste-type tube). Lacking any ballistol or any other "blackpowder compatible" oil, I hosed the hammer/frame junction with Rem-Oil and worked it round a bit. Put it back together and got through another 2 cylinders full before I feared I'd die from asphyxiation in the range. :D The gun was pretty much locked up at that point anyway.

So... TONS OF FUN. But I need to figure out what I can do to reduce the binding and extend shooting.
 
I always bring a small package of "Wet Wipes" with me in my range bag. They're great for cleaning the face of the cylinder and the arbor. Then relube with bore butter or whatever lube you prefer and you're back on the line. Avoid petroleum based lubes if you can. I usually use a little less powder, 25 grains of Black, with a dab of bore butter over the ball. The smoke and sound are exactly as you say, "EPIC"!!!!!
 
Wow, I keep hearing folks talk about lock up problems, something I have never had. I used Blue and Gray brand "Pistol Patch" for decades until I ran out and could not locate a resupply. Now I use the bulk white automotive grease that I buy in one pound tubs at the auto parts store. It is much thinner than the typical brown greases and doesn't melt at normal operating temps.

I use the stiff brown grease on the arbors in all my guns. It doesn't permit gases and fouling to enter the arbor hole.
 
Ballistol was formulated back when black powder was still common. It's an overstatement that you can't use ANY petroleum based products but the vast majority of them are bad news and so it gets simplified that way. Basically unless you KNOW it's OK you should assume the worst.

The only other exception I can think of offhand is that some lube recipes call for paraffin wax.
 
Yeah, a lot of them do.

Apparently it's something to do with temperature, or how refined the petroleum is, or whatever. I'm too dumb to understand it.

But I need something that will get me through more than a couple of cylinders before the action locks up with crud. :)

Maybe it'll wear in a bit with more use.
 
After cleaning off the present accumulation of crud, generously slather Bore Butter on the inside of the frame and arbor. Make sure some gets on the ratchet and hand, but keep it off the nipples. I have no experience with CVA black powder grease, but a mix of Crisco/Beeswax (or just plain Crisco if the weather is not too hot) applied over the ball helps also.

Spritzing aerosol Ballistol down into the lockwork (between the hammer and frame while the hammer is at full cock) every 50 shots or so helps keep them going until you get home for a disassembly and cleaning.
 
Speaking of which, I put a lot of bore butter on the arbor, and that usually keeps the Colts running well enough. The Remingtons (or other similar guns where it's easy to pull the cylinder) I pull the cylinder every three times and give the cylinder pin a quick wipe and relube with bore butter. For long term storage use a 50/50 beeswax/olive oil or beeswax/mutton fat mixture for the bore and wipe everything else down with bore butter. (Despite the name it's a handy general purpose lube).
 
I've seen a couple of guns that were greased up with bore butter or something similar and I found that they were still stiff to rotate the cylinder.

I oil the guns, arbors included, with Ballistol after cleaning for storage. Then before I load I put a couple of drops of Canola cooking oil on the arbor and give the cylinder a spin to draw in the Canola oil.

By doing this before each loading operation the cylinder stays free turning all day long. And for me that's typically 30 to 35 shots or 6 to 7 reloads per gun for cowboy action shooting.

The Canola oil will actually cut through and free up a bound up cylinder as well. It cuts through BP fouling like a solvent while still being an oil.
 
Sounds like you have a fairly large barrel/cyl. gap. If stuff cant get out, it cant foul.
45 Dragoon
 
1KPerDay said:
Question: I keep hearing "no petroleum based oils/lubes" for blackpowder. Yet Ballistol is highly regarded.

:confused:
Click to expand...
Ballistol is mineral oil based, also containing oleic acid and certain alcohols for viscosity.
It is gooood stuff. I use it with excellent results. The only place in Utah that I've found it is at Gallenson's.
 
45 Dragoon said:
Sounds like you have a fairly large barrel/cyl. gap. If stuff cant get out, it cant foul.
45 Dragoon
Click to expand...
Huh... I guess that makes sense. I kinda figured that a tighter gap would be worse for binding up because fouling would build up on the front of the cylinder regardless. But my brain sometimes doesn't work the right way. :D
 
BCRider said:
I've seen a couple of guns that were greased up with bore butter or something similar and I found that they were still stiff to rotate the cylinder.

I oil the guns, arbors included, with Ballistol after cleaning for storage. Then before I load I put a couple of drops of Canola cooking oil on the arbor and give the cylinder a spin to draw in the Canola oil.

By doing this before each loading operation the cylinder stays free turning all day long. And for me that's typically 30 to 35 shots or 6 to 7 reloads per gun for cowboy action shooting.

The Canola oil will actually cut through and free up a bound up cylinder as well. It cuts through BP fouling like a solvent while still being an oil.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I remember reading your posts on the subject before. I assume just Canola oil out of a dropper? Or do you use Pam or the like?
 
Binding is from stuff between the cyl and the arbor , not the face of a cyl and the back of the barrel. The bigger the gap, the faster the lockup!
45 Drgoon
 
The only time I experienced that hard a lock-up in my revolver was when I was shooting some type of powder other than 3Fg GOEX. I was shooting my 51' Navy with its conversion cylinder and 38 Long Colt rounds loaded with a harsh burning powder, don't know what powder it was in those cowboy action load, but that powder locked the revolver up pretty tight.
But I also realize that getting GOEX in other parts of the country may be a problem. I agree with the above recommendations, keep her lubed up and have fun.

Good luck!!! :)
 
I tried out my Pietta Remington New Model Army yesterday... I made sure to grease the cylinder pin well and the back of the cylinder also, and some town the hammer joint. Got through 4 cylinders full with no problems and still running strong when I ran out of caps.

SO MUCH FUN.

I shot 2 cylinders full of 30 grain Pyrodex pellets, and 2 1/2 cylinders of 30 grains of 777 (I realize it's a stout load), Hornady .454 balls, and CVA lube over the balls.

One handed I was shooting left, but using a modern two-handed hold I printed a nice fist-sized group about an inch below POA at 15 yards. The front sight is shiny and difficult to center in the notch. If I really concentrate on it it helps.

Took me 3 hours to clean the pistols and get them back together, but it was worth it. :D


The satisfaction per shot of black powder is much higher than conventional firearms, IMO.

Next time I'll try some real black and see if the Colt likes it better. I took a look at the barrel/cyl gap and it looks to be symmetrical top to bottom on the colt, and about the same as the Remmie, so that's good. I prefer the feel and handling of the Colt, but that Remington sure runs great. :cool:
 
Too tight of a cylinder gap will bind up the gun pretty quick from fouling on the cylinder face. A .007" gap has served me well. Dittos on automotive grease working well on the arbor. Also I carry around a small plastic squeeze bottle of oil (olive, Ballistol, and now maybe canola) to put one drop after each charging of the chambers right on the cylinder pin below the gap and free up the cylinder. I do this on my Remingtons all the time and it is only occasionally needed on the Colts unless the cylinder gap is too tight. I also put a lube wad under the ball and any grease (automotive, crisco, bore butter, margarine, etc.) over the ball. The lube wad probably keeps the bore clean and the over ball grease du jour keeps the fouling soft on the arbor. But I recommend the squeeze bottle of oil be handy just incase there is binding.
 
Well, maybe im just lucky. Non of my regular shooters have a gap bigger than .002 . Brushhippies '51 has a gap of .003 and after 18 shots (the last 6 being fanned !) there's no hint of any binding..
 
I printed a nice fist-sized group about an inch below POA at 15 yards
Click to expand...

That tight of group from that stout of load, you've got yourself a good shootin Remington in my opinion, but I would experiment a little more with her.
 
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