Loading the 1858 Remington

[calaverasslim]

I have a 1858 Rem. I suspect by Pietta. 44 cal. I was thinking of using some of the pellets rather than loose powder. I'm confused about the grain equivalent pellets to use.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[ldlfh7]

I believe they come in 30gr pellets. That is a decent load for the 1858.

 

[RandyRay41]

Yep the pistol pellets come in 30 gr.

 

[MCgunner]

What's the advantage to loose other than convenience? Seems like pellets cost quite a bit more.

I shoot 30 grains pyrodex and top it with cornmeal for filler. I probably should try 'em, maybe would shoot conicals a bit better. I doubt it, though.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I wonder what would be a good load with 777 3f? Would 35 grains with a rb be punishing the gun?

 

[Ifishsum]

35gr 777 would be a pretty stout load. I bet 20-25gr would be more accurate though, I haven't used 777 3f in mine but 28-30 gr Goex FFFg or Pyrodex P both give best accuracy by far - and 777 is about 15% more energetic (by volume) than both of those. So 35gr of that would be more like 40gr of BP or other subs.

 

[calaverasslim]

I am thinking about pulling this out the safe and burning some powder. Got tons of loose powder but I would like to try the pellets.

I wonder how them conicals would work on gators in the land between Sodom and Gomorrah

 

[Hellgate]

Some of the pellets have real BP imbedded in one end to give more reliable ignition so note if there are two different appearing ends of the pyro pellet. IIRC I had some delayed ignition with 30gr pyro pellets. The load was pretty stout. I don't think you would want a 35gr/vol load of 777. I do think it would be punishing to the gun and the shooter. However it would be quite a bit more punishing to a gator.

 

[algaeguy]

I have the same set up with the Pietta, and 35 grains of loose 777 (with a lubed felt wad) packs a big punch. 30 gr was MUCH more accurate ( with two wads) at 50yrds and 28gr was even better. Using remington caps, I have never had any ignition problems and clean up is a breeze. I keep my Tresco nipples cleaned and i suspect that is the cause of many issues with some shooters.

 

[BowerR64]

I use all 3 and i like all 3, at first i wasnt happy with the pellets but then i figured out my problem now i like them alot better.

The tripple 7 pop feels alot like a cartridge pop maybe 357 mag type pop. Nothing like a 44 mag though.

The pellets really speed up load time but you dont get to shoot near as much as you can with the same price pound of powder.

 

[EljaySL]

I shoot mine with 25gr 777 3F which is the most accurate for mine, but 30gr is only slightly less accurate. (loose, haven't tried pellets)

 

[BullSlinger]

Pellets vs Powder

Pellets cost about $18 for 100, Powder sub is about the same price and one pound gets 300 plus shots depending on the load. Guess that makes pellets about three times more expensive.
I use both but pellets when I don't have a lot of time to spend on the range or out in the brush. Both work great for me.

 

[BowerR64]

Truth about pellets

I dont know if these are old or new or what but ive found is with mine these appear to be all ONE type of powder.

Ive read people say that you cant put them in backwards or something to that but if you look at mine, mine appear to be uniform threw the whole pellet. I dont see a "black powder" charge at the end or a dark area on one end.

I just drop them in, add a wad then pack in a ball.

What ive found though after shooting about 85 of them is that they fit best in the remingtons. I have a hard time loading them into the colts, ive broke a few in half trying to stuff them into a colt. The colts are just to fat around the cylinder or something. Even under the ram i had a hard time stuffing them in.

Another thing is these chip, the edges of the pellets will chip and this will throw the charge off slightly pellet to pellet. One of them could be perfect and one could be off a few grains throwing your accuracy all out. It might not be enough to really make a difference but i wanted to point that out.

One more thing is they crush. Some will pack fine, some will crush and when they crush the ball drops down slightly lower then one in another chamber. Again i think this can affect accuracy.

They are fun though, they still smoke nice they help keep your gear to a minimum and a 30 grain load is a nice all around load.

I think everyone should try a can of these and see what they think.



If these were made using tripple 7 i think ide enjoy them alot more. I like tripple 7 alot better they pyrodex.

 

[BowerR64]

I am thinking about pulling this out the safe and burning some powder. Got tons of loose powder but I would like to try the pellets.

I wonder how them conicals would work on gators in the land between Sodom and Gomorrah

Ive only seen 1 type of "pistol" pellet but ive seen several 50/50 and 50/30 pellets for muzzle loaders. I dont think these will work in a pistol. I think 50 grains may be to much and i dont think they will fit in a 45 cal pistol. The "pistol" pellets i have are a snug fit so i think they are 44 cal in size. The muzzle loader pellets (like found at walmart) i think are for 50 cal and would be a bit to big.

I think the numbers 50/50 mean 50 cal size/50 grains. The 50/30 means 50 cal/30 grains? just guessing though.

 

[greyhaven]

Why not black powder? Why not a round ball? 22g of 3f under a wad and a .454 ball gives me 2" groups at 25 yards in my Uberti "Remington. I have found the round ball to be more accurate than a conical.

 

[BullSlinger]

Darker Shades

Pistol pellets are uniform In color. There is no loading upside down.
Rifle pellets are darker on one end. They can be loaded upside down.
To the best of my knowledge the pistol pellets only come in 44/45 cal.

 

[RandyRay41]

I use T7 50/50 pellets in my CVA Accura V2, 150 grs. I have never seen a difference in the pellet color nor had any trouble lighting it off with a 209 primer. I have not purchased any this year and unless they changed this year it makes no difference how they are inserted down the barrel.

 

[MCgunner]

Why not black powder? Why not a round ball? 22g of 3f under a wad and a .454 ball gives me 2" groups at 25 yards in my Uberti "Remington. I have found the round ball to be more accurate than a conical.

Oh, paleeeeeaz let's not start THAT one again. Everyone knows you can't find BP in many parts of the country. I've heard of one store in Austin that sells it in Texas. That's a long drive and too much traffic.

I can see where the pellets would be easier, more convenient to carry, but I don't carry much afield with cap and ball. I may try some, anyway, but I don't have anything against loose powder.

Yeah, I've loaded 777 in several charge weights testing my '58, but 30 grains of Pyrodex P, corn meal filler, and a RB give me best results. Groups double with 777. It shoots about 2.5" with my 30 grain Pyrodex load, quite satisfying.

 

[Pulp]

I tried the Pyrodex .45/30 pellets years ago. I always had a noticeable lag time 'twixt cap pop and gun BOOM. On the other hand, they worked great in .44-40 cartridges. 100fps gain in speed over 30 grains of loose Goex in both rifle and pistol.

 

[BowerR64]

OH ok then thats what ive read about the 2 different colors. Maybe i was reading about rifle loads and just figured they were talking about pistol loads.

I swear i looked at them in different light and even with a magnify glass but i just couldnt see any difference so i figured i got something different.