Remington 1875 and Black Powder

[Wagon Box Willy]

Howdy Pards,

Having virtually no experience in BP I was very skeptical of how a Uberti 1875 would shoot BP based on my experience with my R&D converted 1858.

Today I fired off about 60 rounds, though pretty light at 24gr plus filler, without any issues.  I'm totally happy with that performance.  I didn't wipe once and the gun wasn't all that bad.

Over the past few days I fired a variety of loads including 10 full loads which did result in noticeable drag but the gun was pretty dirty when I loaded them so another experiment with a clean gun might be in order.

In any event I'm pretty happy with the gun.

This pic is a screen capture of a video I shot while shooting the full cartridge load. 

[Cuts Crooked]

I shoot 75s with full loads of BP. So I'm curious what boolits you were pushing through that thing?

[Wagon Box Willy]

I shoot 75s with full loads of BP. So I'm curious what boolits you were pushing through that thing?

Springfield Slim's JP200's

My full load experience wasn't conclusive, I need to load up some more and try again. I had an experience today with a couple of high primers causing the gun to bind up a bit.  I need to be more careful about that as it was never an issue with the R&D cylinder on the 1858 as that has way more tolerance for it....it was a good learning experience.  I'm now wondering if in retrospect it may have been a similar issue.

[Wagon Box Willy]

btw, the power was GOEX ffg.

[WV Scrounger]

Willy...how about posting a photo of the '75 !!!

[Wagon Box Willy]

Willy...how about posting a photo of the '75 !!!

I did post it on the "Guns of the Darksiders" thread, but I'm happy to post the pics again

[Grapeshot]

I used to own a pair of .44 Remington 1875's.  I had a second cylinder made for them chambered for .44 Special so I could shoot .44 Colt in them as well.  I found that I had to give them a squirt of Ballistol & water after each stage to keep them running.  YMMV.

[Jubal Starbuck]

    I have a pair of 1875 Remingtons in .44-40 and I have had good results with a caseful of 3fg black powder on top of a Federal Magnum primer and topped off with a Mav-D Big Lube bullet cast soft and lubed with SPG.  I took my cylinder pins out and polished them so there were no noticeable tool marks, reblued, and replaced them.  Any good black powder compatible grease on the cylinder pins
helps keep 'em turning free also.  A little squirt of Ballistol and water on the front of the cylinder at the pin hole will free 'em up if they start to drag after a few stages.

Regards,

Jubal Starbuck

[Wagon Box Willy]

    I have a pair of 1875 Remingtons in .44-40 and I have had good results with a caseful of 3fg black powder on top of a Federal Magnum primer and topped off with a Mav-D Big Lube bullet cast soft and lubed with SPG.  I took my cylinder pins out and polished them so there were no noticeable tool marks, reblued, and replaced them.  Any good black powder compatible grease on the cylinder pins
helps keep 'em turning free also.  A little squirt of Ballistol and water on the front of the cylinder at the pin hole will free 'em up if they start to drag after a few stages.

Regards,

Jubal Starbuck

I understand the concept of polishing the pins and I've thought about it but I have reservations.  Did you see a noticeable improvement after polishing the pins?

I ask because in my thought process, I see some tool marks providing places for the lube to collect and adhere.  I've started using Mobile One synthetic lube on the pin (recommended on this forum) and wonder how it or any lube could work for more than a short time on a polished surface without some place to contain it???

[Wagon Box Willy]

By the way, I'm quite happy with how the gun shoots, trigger pull and hammer pull (after I adjusted the screw) but cosmetically the case hardening isn't anywhere near as perty as in the pictures and the bluing is almost dull and not at all as polished and attractive as the Pietta bluing on my 1858 Remmy.

I'm actually not sure I like the hammer safety either, that may come out soon.

[Jubal Starbuck]

   Willy:  I did notice an improvement after polishing the cylinder pins in my guns.  I shot them longer without binding than before.

[Harley Starr]

I did post it on the "Guns of the Darksiders" thread, but I'm happy to post the pics again

She's a beauty!
Let us know if you remove the hammerblock safety. I'd like to see what the hammer looks like without that contraption.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

A pard of mine has an 1875 that I have been trying to buy from him for years. He won't part with it. I did borrow it for a match one day and it performed fine with my 45 Colt loads stuffed full of BP and 250 grain PRS Big Lube bullets.

The difference in performance between the 1858 Remmie and the 1875 is the 1875 has a bushing on the front of the cylinder, the 1858 does not. I own two 1858s, an Uberti and an old EuroArms that I bought back around 1975. I shoot them both with R&D cylinders and my 45 Colt loads. Owing to a lack of a bushing on the 1858 cylinders, I have to wipe off the faces of the cylinders everytime I reload them or they will bind up, even with Big Lube bullets. The bushing on the front of the 1875 cylinder deflects fouling blasted out of the barrel/cylinder gap away from the cylinder base pin. Without a bushing the fouling gets blasted directly onto the pin, which causes the cylinders of the 1858s to bind.

[Wagon Box Willy]

Howdy

A pard of mine has an 1875 that I have been trying to buy from him for years. He won't part with it. I did borrow it for a match one day and it performed fine with my 45 Colt loads stuffed full of BP and 250 grain PRS Big Lube bullets.

The difference in performance between the 1858 Remmie and the 1875 is the 1875 has a bushing on the front of the cylinder, the 1858 does not. I own two 1858s, an Uberti and an old EuroArms that I bought back around 1975. I shoot them both with R&D cylinders and my 45 Colt loads. Owing to a lack of a bushing on the 1858 cylinders, I have to wipe off the faces of the cylinders everytime I reload them or they will bind up, even with Big Lube bullets. The bushing on the front of the 1875 cylinder deflects fouling blasted out of the barrel/cylinder gap away from the cylinder base pin. Without a bushing the fouling gets blasted directly onto the pin, which causes the cylinders of the 1858s to bind.

DJ, you and I went through this discussion a year ago but not being experienced and seeing varied reports on the net I was always worried about how will it would shoot.  I'm quite thrilled that it shoots as well as it does.

Thanks,
  -Willy

[Wagon Box Willy]

Well, I like this gun enough that I'm going to order the left hand one next week 

Then I'll need to give Springfield Slim a call for some leather.