what loads do you use in your 1851 36 and 44's?

[44 Dave]

If the arbor is the right length, bottoms out in the barrel, it will not take such a beating.

 

[mrdeltoid]

I recently got a Pietta 1851 Navy in .36. I've been using 10 grains FFF and there are absolutely no signs of wear on the wedge. The thing shoots great. The only modification I made was to polish both sides of the hammer, as it started to catch a little once it got really dirty.

 

[midland man]

I've never owned a 36 navy I been thinking about getting one when cabelas runs their late summer early fall sale!

 

[Erwan]

Yep, when I first got the Piettas I used 30-35 grains of FFFG. Gradually crushed two wedges. Just soft metal I guess. When you think about the forces involved it isn't surprising. The ball hits the breech, the barrel assembly tries to leave the gun, and the wedge gets compressed from both sides by the barrel assembly and the arbor.

Yep, may be is it right with a opened frame like a old Colt Pietta, 2.26g could be over the admissible mass of Black powder 3Fg. I think that can be a little bit too much for that kind of material whatever a friend of mine is using a old brass frame Pietta...

I have the habit to shoot with twoo Remington (New Army .44 and Belt .36) and the ROA, so I can't say anything really serious about a Colt: I had one .36 navy Uberti when I was about 15 years old and this was my only experience with a Colt open frame...

Anyway I think a new steel Pietta must resist like an Uberti and should support 30gr of 3Fg. Normally a Pietta is arbor bottomed contrary to most of the Uberti, Pietta is much better than before and the difference with Uberti seems more cosmetic than mecanic..