New 1860 Army Sheriff by Pietta

[junkman_01]

I already had two full length 1860 Armies (ASM, DGG) but I picked up a Pietta Sheriff model anyway from Cabelas. I like the shorter barrel.
I am impressed with this revolver! The wedge fits as it should and is removable with finger pressure. Barrel to cylinder gap is .005". The arbor length is just right too. The timing is perfect and tight and the trigger pull is good. The only negative is the grip. It doesn't appear to be walnut, but some lighter wood stained dark. I need to go and shoot it this coming week.

 

[WALKERs210]

Boy that thing looks great, will have to check and see if I have room for one more.

 

[Hellgate]

You may want to make a "cheater" to give you more leverage on the rammer. I have a '51/44 U S Marshall with a 4" barrel and the palm of my hand got pretty sore pretty fast reefing on that short rammer. I just took a 1 or 1.25" diameter hardwood dowel (salvaged chair rung) and drilled a 3/8" hole into the end about 2 1/2" deep and beveled the outside edges on the drilled end and it gave me extra width and length. Just slip it over the end of the rammer and life is good. The cheater is about 4" long. I just throw it in my shooting box for the shorty gun.

 

[junkman_01]

Hellgate,
Thanks for your reply, but it is not a concern for me, as I always load off the gun using a cylinder loader. My ASM gun needed an arbor tightening recently after years of loading on the gun, so now I use the cylinder loader exclusively.

 

[Hellgate]

Thanks for the reply. I have never had an arbor go loose on me but I have so many revolvers that no single gun gets a huge workout. I do a lot of Cowboy Action Shooting so i load with the cylinder on the guns all the time. But if I had had any guns get loose arbors I might just get an off the gun press like you.

 

[Prairie Dawg]

I have lotsa cap guns too & shoot cowboy with most of them.
I load both on & off the gun.
I can pull apart my Colt repros, load on a Powder Inc cylinder loader and be ready to go while watching the unloading table for about 3 shooters.
I like wiping down the cylinder face & frame between stages.

But, I sometimes load the Colts on a pistol stand too.
I agree that a cheater is great for these 5.5" guns.
I use an old ML short starter.
Drilled a hole in the ball that the end of the loading lever goes in to.
Gives me a good grip with which to drive the ball home.
Wooden dowel end is used to seat my caps.

7.5s are no problem using the loading lever & a stand.
--Dawg