Uberti 1858 chrono results.

[farmer7]

I decided to chronograph some loads the other day just for my own information.

All I have currently is Pyrodex P so I set my measure for 17grains loaded 5 chambers with it and a .454 ball some cous-cous for filler (can't get cream of wheat over here!) and a wonderwad lit by a Rem No.10 cap. The average speed for that load was 596 fps for a slightly measly 110 foot lbs energy . The difference between fastest and slowest was only 24 fps which I thought was amazingly consistent!

The next load was double that i.e. 34 grains didn't use filler as wasn't needed now. The average for that load was 945fps for 278 foot lbs energy. ES was also low at about 35 fps.

The last load was triple that i.e. 51 grains minus the wad but a little grease instead. The average for that load was 1171fps for 426 foot lbs energy. Felt like a proper load with nice resounding BOOM!

Anyway just thought I'd stick it up here for information purposes.

Always heard that you can fill the cylinder to the top on these with BP or Pyrodex and be safe but is it skating on the edge or absolutely safe,????

P.S. The first two loads are always very accurate putting 5 into less than a couple of inches of a rest at 25 yards. Generally I just stick with the 34grain load. I haven't got round to benching the 51 grain load but offhand it seems ok but certainly not nearly as tight as the others.

The 1858 is a Uberti Stainless Target model with 8" barrel.

 

[72coupe]

If you can't get Cream of Wheat you can use grits.

 

[snakeman]

or malto meal

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I don't think they have grits in Scotland do they?

 

[faustopph]

WOW 51 grs.

Did you have to stand on the loading lever to get that much powder in there ?

I bet the bang was a good one

 

[72coupe]

351 Wrote "I don't think they have grits in Scotland do they?"

Do they have sarcasm there?

 

[mitchz]

Farmer7 did you notice that you increased your powder load by 17 gn. each time and that you gianed 349 fps the first and only 226 the second. I've also chronographed allot of different black powder revolvers and rifles. And what I've found is that if you increase the load by a couple grians at a time your fps will increase steadilly to a piont then it will stop and all the extra powder is just wasted. And all of my weapons are more accurate just below that point. And please keep experimenting with it and let us know what you find.

 

[FreddyKruger]

Polenta (corn meal) or semolina (cream of wheat).

You can put as much bp in there as long as you can seat the ball.

 

[Foto Joe]

The steady rate at which Black Powder burns means that you don't wind up with a pressure spike like you would with smokeless powder. There could be a point down the road where enough powder could cause a problem but because of the short barrel there is a considerable amount of powder that doesn't actually ignite until "after" the ball reaches the end of the barrel. Suffice it to say that with pistols you would have a really hard time over-doing the charge but as stated by mitchz you will likely see dimishing returns regarding accuracy.

I use a 16gr 3f Goex load as a standard in a brass 44 Fake Navy that yields outstanding accuracy, enough so that those that shoot plastic guns loaded with smokeless sometimes think that I'm a good shot.

 

[Hellgate]

I have found that Pyrodex-P is very compressible. Farmer 7, did you end up filling the chambers to the top and then ramming the ball down or did you compress the powder with the rammer, add more, then seat the ball (to get a 51gr charge)? Also, are your measurements by volume or weight? I'm assuming by volume.

 

[Skinny 1950]

Did you notice a crack on top of the boom..at 1171 FPS it is supersonic.
I just recently got a chrony and did similar tests..more stuff to lug up to the range but it is all great fun.

 

[kBob]

Foto Joe,

Do you use a filler with that 16 gr. FFFg load? If so how much by volume and what?

Inquiring minds want to know.

=kBob

 

[Foto Joe]

Do you use a filler with that 16 gr. FFFg load? If so how much by volume and what?

Yup, I load with a 16gr spout on a flask then I have an adjustable measure that I set to 25gr and a little squirt bottle like a travel bottle for shampoo that holds cornmeal. So the filler is approximately 25gr cornmeal by volume but I don't think the exact amount of filler is that critical. I've done some un-scientific experiments with varying amounts of filler to try and see if the amount has any appreciable effect and the results have been pretty inconclusive.

According to my records I've never chronographed this load but in reality I think I just didn't record the results. If I recal the few shots I took with it were in the 600-700fps range. I'm less concerned about muzzle velocity with this gun than I am accuracy. This particular gun is my "experiemental" gun and it's been tweeked enough that it's a tack driver most of the time. Anytime somebody gives me a hard time about how accurate these old patterns were I just hang a couple of golf balls from the target stand and while they're reloading another magazine after trying to hit one at 15 yards I drive it over the horizon with my "old" gun. My wife says I can be a sarcastic mean old fart sometimes.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Love it when the guys with old tech show up the guys with their latest expensive semi auto zippity guns.

I wish somebody would make a remington style top strap C&B with a walker capacity cylinder intended for white tail hunting. If I could get 60 grains into a chamber .......

 

[faustopph]

Zimmerstutzen, What you need is the fifty caliber ROA from Clements Custom Guns.