Piette cap and ball

[Sonny]

Woohoo my Pietta .44 cap and ball arrived in the mail this morning.

They call this model a 1851 Army... Sure is pretty.

Now I just have to wait for my balls and wads to arrive.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Just a name the factory or the importer put on the packaging, sometimes they call it a "reb" revolver.

[Sonny]

I'm hooked on black powder guns....They are just like Lays potato chips..

No one can have just one..lol

[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h-w2aXN-Zc[/bbvideo]

[Junk Yard Dog]

Of course not, for starters you need a Remington 1858 right away, and you don't have a flinter, or 1860 Colt, and everyone needs a Walker.

[musketjon]

and everyone needs a Walker.

What everyone needs is a couple of originals. And yes, they get played with. Safe Queens be damned!!
Jon

[ffuries]

and everyone needs a Walker.

What everyone needs is a couple of originals. And yes, they get played with. Safe Queens be damned!!
Jon

Awesome looking pair, you need to do a post with detailed pictures if you haven't already.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The originals work just as well today as they did in 1860 so long as they weren't let rust and seriously deteriorate. They aren't that much older than some of the cartridge milsurps we shoot and operate at lower pressure levels thanks to the black powder.

[musketjon]

The '60 is just a standard, every day, martially marked, 3-screw frame '60 (you can see the remnants of the WAT stamp on the grip). Dad bought it shortly after the war just because he'd always wanted one.
The '49 has some history to it that, unfortunately, can't be proven. It, and the '51 navy that my brother has, are purportedly to have, at one time, belonged to William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. We got these from our father when he passed in '79. He gave me the provenances verbally, and I was smart enough to write it down, including names and addresses (at least the cities, any way). A few years ago I was going to try to get a letter from Colt about the '49 but it's records were involved in the 1862 factory fire when the Confederates tried to burn it down. I asked John Gangel (a well known Colt authority, and personal friend) if it would be possible to letter the gun but he told me "no". I have no reason to doubt my father--he wouldn't BS about something like this. So in my mind I know I have a real piece of Americana but can't substantiate it, much to my chagrin. My bro gave his info to the Cody museum when he visited there a few years back and he said they didn't seem the least bit interested.
Oh, well. There, you have it.
Jon

[Junk Yard Dog]

Buffalo Bill went through a lot of guns in his time, he used them in the field but especially on the stage. Likely hundreds of them over the years so it's entirely possible he owned them at some point. To bad you can't establish the paper trail, but still a very cool item to own.

[bunkysdad]

I feel the same way about my dad. He was a straight shooter and never BS'd me, but plenty of people BS'd him. [emoji14]

[Sonny]

Lovin' my Pietta.

[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8z_SUu6Cc[/bbvideo]

[Junk Yard Dog]

Good shooting, request from a friend of mine who rages on this subject every time he sees a thin video, turn the phone sideways. Not having such an infernal device I can only imagine this somehow makes the video widescreen? I hesitate to ask him as I might have to kill him to silence the extremely lengthy lecture that would follow about cell phone video sins. What load are you shooting?

[Longcolt44]

Gotta love that white smoke.

[Sonny]

Good shooting, request from a friend of mine who rages on this subject every time he sees a thin video, turn the phone sideways. Not having such an infernal device I can only imagine this somehow makes the video widescreen? I hesitate to ask him as I might have to kill him to silence the extremely lengthy lecture that would follow about cell phone video sins. What load are you shooting?

haha..yeah I should have taken the good camera instead of the iPhone.

I'm shooting 30 grains of fffg and I'm using .454 balls (on my third box).They cut a nice ring when loading so it gets a good seal but I'm using wonder wads also.

Cleaning up with hot water with an after bath wipe down with Hoppes#9..

[Junk Yard Dog]

Yea, the .454 is the better choice over .451's for Pietta despite what some instruction manuals call for. .454 is standard for the Uberti's, and so long as you are using soft lead they chamber just fine. Hard lead too for that matter, all you do is exert a slight bit more force on the lever. I have used wheelweight lead, 90-10 on occasion, hits harder. The only muzzleloader bullet were soft lead is a necessity would be for the miniballs so their cones flare open to grip the rifling. Patched roundball doesn't care if you use rock as only the patch material contacts the barrel steel. At the rate you are shooting them I think it's time for casting your own isn't it? The only time I ever buy commercial made roundball bullets is if I find them cheap at the flea market. Try dropping it back to 25 grains and see how it performs, brass frames can shoot loose with a steady diet of max loads, and 30 grains would be a max load for this, a bit more if it was a steel frame. You are giving it a real workout so care must be taken, or upgrade to the steel frame. Time for a nice dragoon model, fun and a good workout given they run 4 pounds empty, the Walker is 4.5 empty. Forget about a belt holster with these unless you like wearing your pants like a big city 'banger, half way down your ass.