What supplies will I need to shoot?

[Jakemedic]

Good Day!
I am thinking of purchasing a Pietta 1860 Army Black Powder Revolver 44 Caliber 8" Barrel Case Hardened Steel Frame Blue from our friends at Midway. My only experience with black powder is my Thompson Omega that I use for deer hunting. Would someone be so kind to help build a reasonable shopping list so I can make this girl go bang? Thanks in advance, I appreciate the help!

 

[Rustmangler]

Caps balls and powder

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

What Rustmangler said plus a capper, wads ... optional.., lube for sealing the chamber mouths after loading. Make sure you get the right size caps for the nipples on your revolver. Some type of powder measure will also help. Consistency is the key to good accuracy on shooting these pistols. Bring lots of patience, this ain't like shooting a spray and pray semi auto. Take your time, slow down and above all have fun.

 

[Jakemedic]

Thanks gentlemen! I learned patience and shot placement from my Omega. Have killed a lot of deer with it. Patience, trigger discipline, and obtaining the correct sight picture (much like a standard firearm) is very important. What is funny is with the same order, I’m ordering night sights for my Glock 27 and a new front sight for my “pocket cannon” smith 340pd .357 magnum. If you’re gonna have Christmas in May, you might just as well go for it right?

 

[J-Bar]

2F or 3F real blackpowder works best (4F for flintlock flashpans, 1F for cannons and fireworks, although you will hear some folks use those also). Substitutes like Pyrodex and 777 will also work but have a higher ignition point than real blackpowder so you may get a "pop-bang"delay occasionally. Probably 0.454 pure lead balls, #10 or #11 caps (regular or magnum, whichever you can find). I prefer charging the chambers with a calibrated spout (20-25 grains is a medium charge) directly from a brass flask. Some will say it's dangerous but no problems in 20+ years of competition. Soapy hot water for cleaning. Ballistol and/or Mobil 1 red grease for lubing the gun parts. Some use a lubed felt "cookie" between ball and powder. I preferred a smear of lube over the ball after charging the chambers. It's a Ginger/Mary Ann or Ford/Chevy argument. Lube formulas pinned in the Blackpowder Forum.

Links to a couple of videos:

 

[45 Dragoon]

Nice videos J-Bar !!!!

Mike

 

[Navy Six 2]

You will eventually need(real soon) a nipple wrench. The Ted Cash ratcheting one is very good and check out The Possible Shop for other good ones.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

You will eventually need(real soon) a nipple wrench. The Ted Cash ratcheting one is very good and check out The Possible Shop for other good ones.

Or make your own that fits your gun perfectly.
Many folks consider that the best route. Myself included.
One option is to start with a 1/4 in drive deep socket and cut it to be a wrench.
Most commercially available nipple wrenches are just crap.
Not knocking on the ted cash one, I don't have one but it seems like it could be decent.

 

[Jakemedic]

Thanks Gentlemen! I appreciate the time and efforts of your responses. I guess I forgot to ask, is the pistol I’m considering decent?

 

[hawg]

Yes it's decent. It should work right out of the box. If it doesn't take it back. It could use some work to make it better but Uberti is the same way.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Yes it's decent. It should work right out of the box. If it doesn't take it back. It could use some work to make it better but Uberti is the same way.

Well kinda, Uberti needs the arbor fixed. For the most part the Uberti's have nicer internals. They start to tune their pistols and then stop. Pietta parts are bit more clunky and in need of refinement. They don't usually have a short arbor but can occasionally go a tad too long. I have also seen a couple of them with the wedge slot too narrow. Once you get hands on your new pistol go out shoot it, fondle it, play with it, then send off to get it tuned. You will be impressed with difference plus once it's done the pistol will last a lifetime.

 

[hawg]

Not knocking what Jackrabbit said. However, other than fixing the short arbor issue on Uberti's all I do to mine is sometimes a little smoothing of the internals and correcting late timing if it needs it . I have guns I haven't done anything to and they work fine. They will work right out of the box. So yeah I say they're decent.

 

[Navy Six 2]

Or make your own that fits your gun perfectly.
Many folks consider that the best route. Myself included.
One option is to start with a 1/4 in drive deep socket and cut it to be a wrench.
Most commercially available nipple wrenches are just crap.
Not knocking on the ted cash one, I don't have one but it seems like it could be decent.

I made two nipple wrenches from Sears(Craftsman) 1/4" deep well sockets a few years ago. I obtained a percussion pistol that the nipples were badly frozen in place. I got all but two out and tried using a breaker bar and actually bent the mouth of the socket. Can't blame the Craftsman socket as they were pretty hard. For normal use the deep well works pretty good. I finally got the last two nipples out using an impact driver.

 

[Pete453]

I had one, yep, good gun. It shot dang good with a .454 ball, a lubed felt wad, and 30grs of Goex 3f.
Jackrabbit gave you xlent advice. They work out of the box, but they benefit from some TLC in the long run. Both brands, each has its quirks, but nothing that can't be easily dealt with.
Enjoy your new gun, they're addicting! Be sure to share pics, of this one and the next!

 

[kell]

Good Day!
I am thinking of purchasing a Pietta 1860 Army Black Powder Revolver 44 Caliber 8" Barrel Case Hardened Steel Frame Blue from our friends at Midway. My only experience with black powder is my Thompson Omega that I use for deer hunting. Would someone be so kind to help build a reasonable shopping list so I can make this girl go bang? Thanks in advance, I appreciate the help!

I have 2 Remingtons and the 1860 Colt model you're looking at. All 3 are Piettas. In my opinion, the Remingtons are better. You can load a spare cylinder then swap cylinders as fast as most people can load a swing-out cylinder. The Colt feels better (just a little) but the difference is small. My Rem Sheriff's Model feels nice.
There's a web site Geojohn.org that is the most informative BP web site I"ve found. It's well laid out, easy to navigate, and if you read the whole BP section It"ll take about an hour. The guy really knows his stuff.

 

[kell]

I have 2 Remingtons and the 1860 Colt model you're looking at. All 3 are Piettas. In my opinion, the Remingtons are better. You can load a spare cylinder then swap cylinders as fast as most people can load a swing-out cylinder. The Colt feels better (just a little) but the difference is small. My Rem Sheriff's Model feels nice.
There's a web site Geojohn.org that is the most informative BP web site I"ve found. It's well laid out, easy to navigate, and if you read the whole BP section It"ll take about an hour. The guy really knows his stuff.

Also a 223 or 222 case makes an excellent measure.

 

[Mike OTDP]

You will also need a pistol-length cleaning rod with appropriate jag.

 

[Gator Weiss]

Get good brass pistol-powder measure. Some are musket, some are pistol. FFFg is pistol powder for most applications. Dont use a weight scale for black powder substitutes! Use the measure. Substitutes work using bulk measure, not weight measure. 30 grains setting on your powder measure for both Black Powder or Substitute is OK. On a weight scale, it is NOT OK. Use soft lead balls in your revolver. Its not like a muzzle load with a patch. Read read and read to pick up the tips, tricks, and histories of the revolvers. Your selection is a pretty solid gun, bit it does need some care and knowledge to maintain it. The gun will destroy itself quickly if it is neglected or abused.

 

[Gator Weiss]

To make a nipple wrench, get a 1/4" drive, deep well 1/4" or 5/16" as may be needed. First step, run a sharp file across the mouth to flatten off the roll in the edges. Then run the side of a small file across the mouth to cut a slot in the correct position. Slot needs to be very square, shallow, for stregth. Some sockets have to be ground around the outside to reduce, and some dont. I use pawn shop sockets, buy a few. Excellent nipple wrenches. I use a touch of anti seize compound. I dont often remove them. Never dry fire, they will last. Stainless nipples are good to know about, but all work well.