Anyone read the latest Backwoodsman?

[denster]

Latest issue of Backwoodsman has an article entitled Cap and Ball revolver ballistics. Interesting from the standpoint of what you might be able to get away with and not hurt yourself or destroy your gun.
A for instance the author reports nearly 1100fps in a Remington 1858 44 with a Lee 200gr conical glued to a pyrodex pellet the hole of which he stuffed with 777 as a booster charge.
I have a hard time understanding the mindset of those intent on magnumizing cap and ball revolvers.

 

[Nicodemus38]

actually that velocity is NOT that far off from what actually occurs, however he was using a clone of a rogers and spencers revolver.

however, the author came up with muzzle energy figures that were not sounding correct. for example he figured 200 grain .452 or .454 diamerter bullet at 1100 fps as having more muzzle energy then a 10mm auto does.

 

[Oyeboten]

Ahhh...then the 10mm Auto is more like "WALKER" territory...


Lol...

 

[denster]

I stand corrected it was a Rogers and Spencer clone not a 58.

 

[Oyeboten]

I doubt a Remington would be any slower...so, six-o'-one...as they say.

Anyway, that's pretty peppy..! Regardless...

 

[BHP FAN]

Plenty of folks on both side of the ''Late Unpleasantness'' could attest to the stopping power of a cap and ball revolver.

 

[Oyeboten]

...whatever side of the Revolver they were on...

 

[4v50 Gary]

Talk about faith in modern steel and metallurgy.

 

[Jaymo]

His 10mm energy figures were WAY off. .40 S&W is less powerful than a full power 10, and the same power as a mild 10. Full house 10 mm loads are a lot closer to .41 mag energy than they are to .40 S&W.
He's apparently never shot a 10mm. Full house 10 in a Glock, Smith, or Delta Elite isn't in the fun gun category. My .44 mag Taurus mod 44 and Ruger Redhawk .44 mags are a lot more pleasant to shoot.
Shooting a full house 10 in a block, I mean, Glock is as much fun as shooting a HOT .44 special from a Charter Bulldog with factory wood grips, if even that much fun.

He was using the 777 and ffffg in the back of the pellets to initiate quicker ignition. I'm not saying it's safe or smart. I'm not saying it isn't. Mainly because I don't know.
At least he wasn't loading it with 39 grains of Winchester Superlite.

Is it just me, or do his conicals look like they are from the Lee mold for the ROA?
They look like the ones I've cast.

I may have to try 30-35 grains of fffg with a 200 grain Lyman Devastator .45 HP. 800+fps with a pure lead HP would be a good defensive load.

I'd love to know what the actual chamber pressures are for a .44 cap and ball revolver. .44 special runs about 12,000 psi, unless it's Buffalo Bore or maybe Cor-Bon. I'm perfectly comfortable carrying a .44 special with 200 gr Gold Dots or 240 gr lead SWCHP as a defensive sidearm.


Out of curiosity, and to keep from hurting myself or my gun, what are the max powder charges for a Pietta '58 Rem New Army .44 and fffg, when using PRB and 200 grain conicals?
The Pietta will be my backup gun when hunting with my .50 frontstuffer, because in GA, I can't carry any cartridge handguns on me when hunting blackpowder. The Pietta Remington and Pedersoli Howdah Pistol are my only handgun options for blackpowder season.

I've thought about substituting about 5-10 grains of fffg for 5-10 grains of Pyrodex, as an initiating/priming charge, to ensure instant ignition. It would be part of the total powder charge, not an addition to it. I'd like to keep my eyes and digits right where they are.

 

[mykeal]

what are the max powder charges for a Pietta '58 Rem New Army .44 and fffg, when using PRB and 200 grain conicals?

Assuming you are using black powder or a black powder substitute and not a smokeless powder, there is no max powder charge for an 1858 Remington New Army. The cylinder can safely handle all the powder you can load. Accuracy will suffer greatly, however. A full chamber load is never the most accurate load in a percussion revolver; I'd recommend you use between 27 and 32 gr of fffg with a lubed felt wad with either projectile.

By the way, by the term PRB I assume you just mistyped and meant round ball and not patched round ball.

 

[Jaymo]

Yeah, I meant RB. I'm used to saying PRB, because that's what I shoot from my rifles and howdah pistol. Oops.