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

[midland man]

just wondering whats your favorite loads for your 1851 36's and 44's?? I use in my brass frame 44 20gr 3f bp with 30gr cornmeal for a filler plus my other 51' navy steel frame 44 I use 35gr max charge of 3f bp no filler and both of them shoot very nice groups!

 

[BullRunBear]

If you are happy with those loads, enjoy them. I happen to get more accuracy with 25 to 30 grains of 3F in the steel frame 44 Colts, but we all know different guns like different loads.

Jeff

 

[dickydalton]

just wondering whats your favorite loads for your 1851 36's and 44's?? I use in my brass frame 44 20gr 3f bp with 30gr cornmeal for a filler plus my other 51' navy steel frame 44 I use 35gr max charge of 3f bp no filler and both of them shoot very nice groups!

Now, I don't want to start any trouble but, you told me on another thread that your 20grains of 3F and 30 grains of cornmeal were measured charges. Being as I own a few Pietta 44s, some ROAs and a Whitneyville Dragoon and am pretty familiar with 50 grain loads by measure I just had to check it out. Remember now, powder in a measure is the same as cornmeal in a measure. I tried 3 different measures and cannot fit 50 grains of 3F in a Pietta 44 cal. cylinder chamber. It was mounded up and I still had powder in the measure. Are you compressing the powder first and then putting the cornmeal on top? If so, is the chamber level full and you are compressing it the full size of the ball?
Is your measure accurate?

 

[dagger dog]

I shoot 17 grs 3FFg Goex under an Oxyoke factory lubed felt wad, a 0.375" Lee rb and a concoction of Crisco, beeswax, and lanolin between the ball and wad very little recoil, is accurate and about as clean as you can shooting BP.

 

[midland man]

I don't know dickydalton lol I use a pistol measure that came with what I used to own a blister pack with 1858 Remington in 44c I still have the measure and it goes from 5grs to 50grs so it works good! I set it on 20grs for the powder and 30grs for cornmeal and the cornmeal slightly packed it a little below the cylinder mouth. the cornmeal will compress try that load I use in mine in yours dickydalton and see where that comes up use the same load I am using and let me know what you come up with? also I am not packing the cornmeal In the measure...

 

[dickydalton]

My Pietta 44s will not hold 50 grains by measure in the chambers on the cylinder. On my ROAs 50 grains is a full chamber that I cannot get a ball seated deep enough to clear the barrel. 50 grains and a thin wad under a round ball is a full load in my Dragoon. I don't know what to say.

 

[midland man]

but dickydalton have you tried what I am doing I use 20gr 3f powder and what I do on my cornmeal I set the same measure at 30grs then I push the open end of the measure thru the cornmeal only no packing with fingers just let it fill only thru the cornmeal in a horizontal or rather say flat the measure, into the pile of cornmeal then I load that into the cylinder on top of the powder and it with gently packing with the measure will be slightly below the cylinder then I load a ball on top and it comes out to where the ball is slightly below the cylinders! works for me and I use the little traditions pistol measure and I have no troubles at all! shoots great and it all fits! I wish you were not to far away I would meet and show you how I do it!

 

[44 Dave]

I have a small "pistol measure" at 25 gr it measures about 4gr short of what my accurate measure throws. But what matters is using the same volume consistently if your 50 grs. aren't my 50 grs. it only matters to you.

 

[PainlessWolf]

Good evening,
I use 26 grains of 3F Pyrodex under a wonderwad with a .451 lead ball in my orphan 1860 Army. It is a very accurate load in that revolver so I will try it in this new ( to me ) Pietta .44 Marshall.
regards!

 

[Panzerschwein]

I like about 14 grains in the .36s and about 24 in the .44s.

 

[midland man]

cooldill I didn't know you had revolvers I thought you only shot singleshot pistols?

 

[Suntiger]

17 grains in my .36

 

[Hellgate]

36 Navies: 20grs FFFg+wad+.380 ball +over ball grease or 15grs FFFg+LEE 130gr conical + overball grease (for Remington 36s add 3-5 grs powder to the above Colt loads)

44 "Navies"brass or steel framed, 1860 Army, J H Dance: Match load= 20grs FFFg+wad+.454 ball+overball grease
Same steel framed 44s "festive/fun" loads: 30grs FFFg+ wad+.454ball+overball grease
(same for Remingtons .454 ball or add the LEE 200gr Conical)

Everything uses the Remington #10 cap.

 

[midland man]

okay dickydalton I took 50gr of straight 3f powder to see if it would fill the cylinder full and it was almost to the top! so the only thing I can figure is when I push the measure thru the cornmeal its only packed by its own weight so if I was to pack it it would be less so I guess that's why it worked problay packed it would be around just guessing 15-20grs but I just let it fill itself when pushing the powder measure thru the cornmeal not packing it tightly it had to be less but like I said not sure just guessing but it works and puts the ball just barely below the forcing cone!

 

[LonesomePigeon]

I have one of those little powder measures too. Like 44dave said, they run a bit short.

 

[Panzerschwein]

cooldill I didn't know you had revolvers I thought you only shot singleshot pistols?

I love the single shots but do have some C&B revolvers.

Normally though, it's about 40 grains of 2FG powder behind a .530" ball for me!

 

[BCRider]

For my .44 steel frame guns I like 30 grains. It gives a nice positive but not harsh thump to the hand but is still less than the max charge so it's a little easier on the guns over the long term.

 

[ZVP]

UNader 20 great in brassers,35 in question Remote 44 and 22 great in my 36 Navys.
Never load a brassers heavy! It prevents frame stretching.

 

[mrdeltoid]

Anything more than 20 grains of FFFG results in peened wedges in my 1860 Armies and my 1851 Navy. All are 44 Piettas. I bought new wedges for all my guns a while back and have stuck with 20 grains maximum. No signs of damage so far.

 

[mr wack]

Anything more than 20 grains of FFFG results in peened wedges in my 1860 Armies and my 1851 Navy. All are 44 Piettas. I bought new wedges for all my guns a while back and have stuck with 20 grains maximum. No signs of damage so far

.

Hmmm!, Really ?.

 

[Hellgate]

The only time I got peened wedges was when I was shooting 50grs FFFg in my Walkers.

 

[Noz]

I at one time had 5 different black powder measurers. No two of them agreed.

 

[Erwan]

In a Remington 44 and for shooting only (25 meters) 18 grain of Swiss N°1 (4Fg), for metal silhouettes 50m a bit more than 30 grains (32gr exactly) of Swiss No. 2 (3Fg) ...

In a Remington 36 only for shooting (25 meters) 15 grains of Swiss N°1 (4Fg)...

 

[mrdeltoid]

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.

I could probably increase the powder charges a little without damage. But there's no reason to do that because they're just guns for fun at the range. They shoot straight and make the steel ring with only 20 grains.

 

[midland man]

that's good I feel that the 30-35grs would be better for hunting but for punching paper the 20grs is more than enough! I enjoy these pistols...