'58 Remington loads

[Moose]

What is a good load for a '58 Remington with Pyrodex ?  Also, can anyone recommend a good place to get Goex or Swiss powder) at a good price ?

[Silver Creek Slim]

I use a flask with a 30 gr spout. I have bought Goex BP from Powder Inc. in AR and Deer Creek Products in IN. Deer Creek Products does not have a website. Their phone # is 765-525-6181.

Slim

[Ransom Gaer]

Like Silver Creek Silim I have a flask with a 30 grain spout.  That's what I used for my Remingtons when they were percussion revolvers.  They have since had the R&D conversion cylinders installed.  I also use that charge for my 1860 Armies.  Works great for both.  I use Goex Cowboy that I buy locally.  I have heard good things about Powder Inc including you don't have to buy 25 lbs at a time.

The Lyman blackpowder manual will give you load data for Pyrodex.  I used Pyrodex once upon a time.  But I won't give load data because it has been so long and I don' want to give you bad information.

Ransom Gaer

[SFT]

I found that 22 grains of pyrodex was a very good load when shooting a CAS match with my Remmies.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

As you can see, opinions differ, according to the needs/wants of each shooter.

Many have found that the lighter loads are good an' accurate, but many of us have found that the heavier loads are plenty accurate - and more fun! 

I'm another that uses mostly a 30 gr spout, (for my 44 cal) 'tho I do use a 25 gr spout some, too.  My 30 gr spout actually throws from 25-27 gr if weighed.  The spout is roughly calibrated by volume, not weight.  Also, if you simply put your finger over the end of the spout and shake down the powder (which is how it is DESIGNED to be used, but by newer safety hints you should NEVER pour powder directly from a flask into the chamber) your finger will form a concave surface on the powder while sealing the spout and it won't fill the spout totally - by a grain or 2 of weight - depending how 'beefy' the ball of yer finger is! 

[Ransom Gaer]

Steel Horse Bailey,

What you say about the spout is true.  When I use my finger I get the same kind of concave result.  Under those conditions I am dropping about 27 to 28 grains into the chamber instead of 30.  But it doesn't really matter.  The revolvers go BOOM in a big way and lots of noise and smoke and flame.  What's not to like?

Ransom Gaer

[Steel Horse Bailey]

RG

Yer SO right!

A Big BOOM and a cloud of smoke.  Don't get much better'n that!  'Course, that claaannng that closely follows the BOOM sounds good, too!

[Ransom Gaer]

Steel Horse Bailey,

Part of my comment on the BOOM and smoke and flame was a reference to my shooting practice last Sunday.  I was shooting at paper and as you may have noticed, paper don't clang.  If the weather ever improves around here I might actually go to a match and make the steel go clang.   There was suposed to be a match today up in Cheyenne.  It got cancelled due to the weather.  That is the fourth straight match.

Love those big loads.  The only thing better than a 30 grain load in a '58 Remington or 1860 Army is 40 grains in my 3rd Model Dragoon.  HEE HEE!!!!

Ransom Gaer

[SFT]

I found that 22 grains of pyrodex was a very good load when shooting a CAS match with my Remmies.

22 grains was the most accurate and wouldn't blow the caps to jam up the cylinder, but that's when I didn't know anything about Treso nipples, opening the capping notch wider for my fat thumbs or polishing the action myself.  I just haven't used pyrodex in quite a while, except for the 30 grain pistol pellets, which make the 58 feel like a .44 mag!

Right now I'm using an R&D conversion cylinder with AJ's .45 special case and 13.2 grains of Triple 7 for scaring my pards at the first stage. 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy again!

SFT is sure right about the Pyrodex pellets.  While I hesitate to compare them to 44 mag loads (  ) they certainly are firm.  I'd not feel a bit under-gunned to use the pellets for any hunting that would be done with a load like that.  Ballistically, I'd wager that while NOT the best load, a 30 gr pellet with a conical bullet would probably drop a deer, depending on shot placement and true hunting/stalking skill of the hunter.  Yep, I'd bet.  I'm NOT a hunter and certainly wouldn't recommend it to any but the most experienced, but as an observer, I'd give it an opinionated "go." 

[Silver Creek Slim]

Now, I'm gonna have ta take my '58 hunting next season. 

Slim

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Now, I'm gonna have ta take my '58 hunting next season. 

Slim

And I'll bet that YOU would get one! 

[Dick Dastardly]

My Sidekick, Silas McFee, won one of these fine Remington 58 replicas this last weekend.  It came with an extra cylinder made and fitted by none other than ol Walt Kirst himself.  That gun is SMOOOTH.  The finish is clean and very deep blue.

Here's the kicker tho.  The chambers mike at .448 inside and the barrel is .454.  That's too far for a bullet to "bump up".  So, Walt is goin' to ream the chamber to .454.  The way the gun was issued, there is no way it could have been accurate.

The Kirst Konverter cylinder is for 45 Colt.  Fit and finish are fantastic.  My Cowboy 45 Special loads with EPP-UG bullets just drop in perfect.  Silas 'n me will be shootn' Frontier Cartridge and Frontiersman this season.  This gun will be matched up with Silas' other C&B pistol, a ROA with original and Kirst Konverter cylinders.

I like the way the 58 Remington feels in my hands, but my ROAs point more to my instinctive POA.  For some reason the 58 comes up with the front sight to the right of the target.  That would take some gettin' used to for an ol Gunfighter like myself.

Great gun.

DD-DLoS

[Silver Creek Slim]

DD, tell Silas congrats fer me. I have five Remington '58's. Two have R&D cylinders.

Slim

[Dick Dastardly]

Thanks Slim,

I'll express your good wishes.

If you've slugged the barrels and miked the chambers of yer 58s, I'd like to know what you found.  The gun Silas won was way too tight in the chambers.

Thanks,

DD-DLoS

[Silver Creek Slim]

DD,
I haven't slugged or miked. They are more accurate than I am. I like Piettas better than Ubertis with conversion cylinders. With the Ubertis, my middle finger bangs into the trigger guard when I fire it. That doesn't happen with the Piettas because there is more space between the trigger guard and the grip.

Slim

[Dakota Widowmaker]

My Pietta 58's are pretty darn accurate... I am really impressed by how well they shoot.

I find a .454" ball or a Lee conical lubed works quite well. The Lee conicals are actually pretty accurte, but, shoot a tad low.

.454" balls are most accurate with 30gr of FFFg Pyrodex, but, I have since switched completely over to GOEX FFFg for cap-n-ball pistols.

I am using up the remaining Pyrodex I have for 44-40 and 45lc loads.

[buck]

     When I first purchased my 58 remmies the salesman talked me into trying the 30 gr. pyrodex pellets and .451 balls.  So of course I stocked up while there.  When I seat the ball I get a nice lil ring of lead and they shoot very accurate.  But I am having problems with the caps jamming the cylinder sometimes.  I also had some GOEX ffg BP, so I tried that.  I think the remmies like loose black powder better than the pellets...they just sound better...more smoke and flame...and still very accurate.  I can also drop my load down a little with loose powder...save wear and tear on the guns and my caps dont seem to blow off as much.
   So now I just have 200 pellets to blow off...life is rough... 

[Dick Dastardly]

The gun Silas won is a new Pietta.  Many pards now say that Pietta has taken the high ground from Uberti.  I won't offer an opinion, however I can say that the new Silas' new 58 is one very pretty gun.  It's more delicate than a ROA, but what isn't?

We'll be testing it alongside my ROAs and for a comparison we'll be using our RVs which have a great proven track record over several seasons.

It'll be a fun experiment.

DD-DLoS

[Cuts Crooked]

All I want to know is will the new boolit werk in the Remmies? If so I will be ordering a mold!

BTW, I have taken a deer with a C&B pistola in cap gun configuration. Won't do it again, not enuff umph there! I have also taken a couple with the Kirst cylinder in my Remmie. That's a whole different story!