My old man bought himself a Pietta Pepperbox. No instructions so he has no idea how to properly operate it. The big question is how the heck are you supposed to load it? Is there a special press loader or it or will a normal 36 cal press loader work? Hammer and a piece of rod? Patch and ball with one of those short rods with a bullet starter? Anyone know?
Pietta Pepperbox. How do you load it?
- Thread starter DeoreDX
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expat_alaska
Member
Well, that was certainly different and interesting.
I did not see any safety disclaimers in the video. I hope no one tries to load a Walker with two balls in one chamber with a rifled barrel. Smoothbores are a bit different story.
I would not be the one firing that Walker.
Jim
Malachi Leviticus Blue
Member
how the heck are you supposed to load it?
My recommendation would be to load the cylinder with a press.
Could be a specialized loading press, or arbor press. Some folks eve use a drill press to load their revolver cylinders.
My recommendation would be to load the cylinder with a press.
Could be a specialized loading press, or arbor press. Some folks eve use a drill press to load their revolver cylinders.
Ephraim Kibbey
Member
I was expecting to see the end of the arbor used to ram the ball home as per the small caliber Colts without loading levers like the Wells Fargo but with that screw holding the works together, it would not be long until the screw hole was filled with lead. I think that using patched round balls and a short starter it would be simple enough to reload with the cylinder on the gun at the range but definitely not conicals.
noelf2
Member
I have one. There are several ways to load it. The easy way is to NOT use the .375 balls that are oversized and shave a lead ring. Use .350 lead balls. They plop right in there. I use 20 gr 3F black powder or Pyrodex, followed by a wad of rolled up paper, plop in a .350 lead round ball, and then another paper wad over the ball. Mash it all down with hardwood dowel rod.
That was a question of mine previously.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-question-multiple-balls-in-a-chamber.820053/
Remington used to sell a double ball 38spl & 357mag round. My thought is - if it can be done in a cartridge revolver (except using smokeless powder) it can be done in a muzzle loading revolver. Balls need to be touching though.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/ammo/129793-any-one-remember-stuff.html
Some additional reading on double ball loads used in muzzle loading rifles:
http://www.namlhunt.com/ml-doubleball.html
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/double-prb-load.791064/
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whughett
Member
Recently I double loaded my 1860 Army with two balls in one chamber. (The reloading process was interrupted by a cold line call). Rather than trying to unload that chamber I just aimed at one of the clean targets on the frame and fired. Both balls hit higher than normal but only inches apart. Now there is simple no reason for me to do this routinely but in this case other than two holes in the target there was no notable difference between the shots.
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