I recently read where a guy used 25 grains of 777, some filler, and a .454" round ball to get 3" groups at 25 yards with a Pietta '58 New Model Army. Not bad-- a little better than what I've gotten. I've also read that 777 gives very inconsistent velocity in a pistol with such light charges, though I've never tried it.
What's your best load for accuracy? Powder, wad or filler if used, projectile, over the ball grease if used.
I just picked up a pair of New Model Army's from Cabelas (on sale $179.99) and will be shooting them shortly. Seem pretty nicely made. Only a few burrs and sharp edges to address. I've got .454 and .451's to try. Will report back when I get to make smoke.
Uberti 1858 Remington, .44 caliber:
Goex FFFG – 26.4 grains from flask spout (average)
Lee 200 gr. conical, cast of soft lead
Lubricated with Gatofeo No. 1 lube
Remington No. 11 cap, pinched
No wad beneath bullet
20 yards from benchrest
Group – About 1X1 inch, some groups went 1.5 X 1.5 inch. I attribute this to my 56-year-old eyes getting weak.
All shots in black, about 1 inch to the right of point of aim
Most accurate conical bullet I've used, but .454 or .457 balls are easier to obtain and can be equally or more accurate.
"And therein did I see an ugly cat. Blue smoke. Brimstone. Holes in paper. And this ugly cat was much amused." --- the prophesies of Gatodamus (1503 - 1566).
Gato, that's much better than I'm getting at 25 yd with my Pietta and 29 gr FFF. I use the Lee 200 also, and round ball. Those are what, 5-shot groups?
35 gr of Pyrodex "P"
.457 round ball
Wonder Wad.
I'll shoot in the 10 ring off a bench all day at 25 yards.
AFS
AFS; is yours a Pietta, Uberti, or what?
Sorry , Pietta.
AFS
Sorry. Pietta.
OP asked for load not specfic weapon
AFS
The load I posted above is with six Lee conical bullets, not five. At the range, I always load six because I shoot right away.
If I were to carry it in a holster, I'd leave one chamber empty and put the hammer down on that.
I don't shoot at an organized range. I live in the remote Utah desert and just set up my table, pistol rest and boxful of accessories any safe place I choose. The distant mountains are my backstop.
Since shooting those groups at 20 yards, I've gone over to the standard 25 yards. At that distance, my Uberti-made 1858 will put six conicals into 1-1/2 to 2" groups -- that's bullet holes measured center to center.
My eyes ain't what they used to be ...
"And therein did I see an ugly cat. Blue smoke. Brimstone. Holes in paper. And this ugly cat was much amused." --- the prophesies of Gatodamus (1503 - 1566).
Gato; That is excellent! Is that a stock Uberti or have you done things to it?
It's stock. Never been touched by a gunsmith.
When I first got it, I smoothed the bore with tight patches containing Iosso Bore Cleaner.
I also took Swiss Needle Files to the inner frame and edges of moving parts to remove tiny burrs. However, I didn't touch any of the mating surfaces on the bolt, hand, trigger, hammer or cylinder ratchets. Those surfaces should only be touched by a gunsmith familiar with them.
All I did was remove tiny burrs from their edges, with a very light pass. This smoothed the action considerably.
That Uberti Remington .44 remains one of my most accurate handguns. I shoot it and my Kimber Custom Classic Target .45 ACP about equally. Both are probably capable of even greater accuracy, but my eyes are not.
"And therein did I see an ugly cat. Blue smoke. Brimstone. Holes in paper. And this ugly cat was much amused." --- the prophesies of Gatodamus (1503 - 1566).
I should add ... the Uberti-made cap and ball revolvers have deeper rifling than other makes. I suspect this shrugs off the accuracy-robbing effects of fouling much better, and the taller lands dig deeper into the projectile to spin it with greater stability.
I have an Uberti-made Remington .36 with modern, adjustable Patridge sights, made in 1973. Alas, this revolver has some of the shallowest rifling I've ever seen in a cap and ball revolver, and is disappointing at the range: 4 or 5-inch groups at 25 yards from a benchrest.
I've tried a variety of loads with .380 balls and the Lee conical bullet. The above is typical. A harder alloy might grab the rifling better and increase accuracy, though. I haven't tried this, and am reluctant to, because hard alloys when used with black powder (and its substitutes) usually create severe leading. It also strains the loading lever to press hard projectiles down into the chamber (I don't own a table-mounted rammer, but perhaps this is a good reason to purchase one).
The later gun writer Elmer Keith wrote that the Colt and Smith & Wesson Model 1917 revolvers, adopted by the military in World War I and chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge, were good, accurate guns with copper-jacketed G.I. ammo.
But when used with lead bullets, accuracy suffered unless you used a bullet around the hardness of Linotype, which is a very hard lead alloy (Brinnell Hardness Number of 22; pure lead has a hardness of BHN 4).
The softer lead bullets slipped in the shallow rifling and weren't getting a good spin by the rifling.
This is undoubtedly what's happening with my old Uberti. I'm uncertain when Uberti changed to deeper rifling, but it must have been long ago. All I've ever seen had good, deep lands.
"And therein did I see an ugly cat. Blue smoke. Brimstone. Holes in paper. And this ugly cat was much amused." --- the prophesies of Gatodamus (1503 - 1566).
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