Blackpowder Pistols?

[Mr.Sandman]

So I am thinking about getting a blackpowder pistol. The ones I like so far are the Uberti 1858 New Army Stainless, or the Pieta New Army Stainless Buffalo. I like the look of the case hardened but I figure I should go for SS for ease of cleaning. I want something that can shoot out to 100 yards if I feel like it.

I most likely will also get a cylinder conversion for it sooner or later so I want something that will work well with .45LC cowboy loads with no worries. As far as this goes I am not really sure who makes the best cylinder conversions.

Anyone on here really into these things? Which is better Uberti or Pieta?

[Mr.Sandman]

Oh and I know I called them pistols, even though they are revolvers, just a bad habit

[IrishJoe3]

So I am thinking about getting a blackpowder pistol. The ones I like so far are the Uberti 1858 New Army Stainless, or the Pieta New Army Stainless Buffalo. I like the look of the case hardened but I figure I should go for SS for ease of cleaning. I want something that can shoot out to 100 yards if I feel like it.

Sorry, I did laugh. The good news is the ball at least will go 100 yards..... I think hitting anything that far is luck.

I have a Cabelas 1858 Remington, Uberti, I believe, (blued). Fun to shoot! Always the hit of the firing line. It'll get you dirty though, between the black powder and grease. Lotta fun though.

[Mr.Sandman]

Sorry, I did laugh. The good news is the ball at least will go 100 yards..... I think hitting anything that far is luck.

I have a Cabelas 1858 Remington, Uberti, I believe, (blued). Fun to shoot! Always the hit of the firing line. It'll get you dirty though, between the black powder and grease. Lotta fun though.

As long as the ball rolls past the 100 yard line I would be happy.

[IrishJoe3]

As long as the ball rolls past the 100 yard line I would be happy.

Oh that it will do!

[Eljay]

Uberti has a little better fit and finish but they'll both work just fine and they're a heck of a lot of fun.

[CSACANNONEER]

A couple weeks ago, I met another calgunner at Angeles. Since I had a bunch of heavy long guns with me, we stayed on the rifle side. Anyway, he brought his new .44 C&B revolver (revolvers ARE "pistols" by definition) to learn how to load and shoot it. Well, he didn't feel like getting a target frame so, he just shot at the 200 yard steel. He actually hit it at least once and every shot that I saw would have hit a human silloutte at 200 yards. I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of any one of those roundballs.

Personally, I have no use for the conversion kits. It takes me longer to reload 6 rounds of .45LC, remove the cylinder, take the conversion kit apart, load the rounds in it and reinstall the cylinder into the frame than it does to just dump powder into each cylinder, press a ball on top, lube and cap. Besides, you do know that these aftermarket conversion cylinders need to be timed to the exact gun they will be used in. For most people, this means taking it to a good gunsmith.

Now, if you want a better BP pistol for shooting 100 yards, there are some nice muzzleloading target pistols out there.

[Mr.Sandman]

Uberti has a little better fit and finish but they'll both work just fine and they're a heck of a lot of fun.

Thats what it seems like just after browsing the net a bit, I am surprised there isnt more of a following on calguns. I searched on here before posting and didnt really find much.

[Mr.Sandman]

A couple weeks ago, I met another calgunner at Angeles. Since I had a bunch of heavy long guns with me, we stayed on the rifle side. Anyway, he brought his new .44 C&B revolver (revolvers ARE "pistols" by definition) to learn how to load and shoot it. Well, he didn't feel like getting a target frame so, he just shot at the 200 yard steel. He actually hit it at least once and every shot that I saw would have hit a human silloutte at 200 yards. I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of any one of those roundballs.

Personally, I have no use for the conversion kits. It takes me longer to reload 6 rounds of .45LC, remove the cylinder, take the conversion kit apart, load the rounds in it and reinstall the cylinder into the frame than it does to just dump powder into each cylinder, press a ball on top, lube and cap. Besides, you do know that these aftermarket conversion cylinders need to be timed to the exact gun they will be used in. For most people, this means taking it to a good gunsmith.

Now, if you want a better BP pistol for shooting 100 yards, there are some nice muzzleloading target pistols out there.

Thank you for the good info. I wasnt going to buy a conversion kit right off the bat so this may stop me from buying one all together. I just figured I might get slightly better accuracy from .45lc

I also believe many of the conversion companies (howells at least) will allow you to mail the gun and cylinder in to be fitted/timed if there are any problems.

I will also look into the muzzleloading target pistols, never really considered them.

[plumbum]

Haven't tried the conversion cylinders, but I don't really see a need for them, personally (okay, maybe as a 'no-papers SHTF stash gun' kinda situation).

I have gone through a few Pietta revolvers (3 so far) and have not had an issue with them yet (but Uberti does have a good reputation for a better finish).

The Buffalo model with the 12" barrel is just plain F U N ! If you are looking for a range toy, this is it. My brother has one I have shot extensively, and a good friend was just introduced to blackpowder by his brother-in-law with a Buffalo - he is hooked!

There are multiple places online that go into detail of some people using them for hunting game and even how to prepare them for self defense use. If you want to get serious with hot loads, go for stainless; if you want to just kick around at the range, the brass version should give you plenty of trigger time.

Those little round balls do far more damage than most people know. On paper they seem to compare a .451/.454 ball to a .38 special load, but I swear they flatten out into nickels on targets. Can't forget to mention, nearly all cap-n-ball guns shoot high by design; my favorite Colt 1851 shot dead on at 40 yards and my 5 1/2" 1858 is good at 30 yards.

[wingnut948]

Check out the Pietta's at Cabelas. There are a few SS buffalo models on sale, and although I have heard the Uberti versions are better finish, I have been more than happy with my Pietta 1860 Colt and 1858 Remington. Cabelas seems to have the best prices, from what I've seen.

[Mr.Sandman]

Are the Piettas forged frames? I havent been able to find that out. I know the Uberti's are and it makes me feel a little better especially if I start shooting .45lc

The buffalo does look like a hoot though. I know my father would get a kick out of shooting it especially

[Eljay]

I agree about Cabelas - they often have some amazing sale prices on blackpowder, especially some of the more popular Piettas.

[GOEX FFF]

Also keep in mind that if you're going to use a cartridge cylinder, ALWAYS use a steel framed revolver. Brass is too soft. All of the conversion cylinder manufactures recommend it.

The newer Uberti Remingtons do have forged frames and Pietta uses an advanced form of casting called "investment casting" for their frames. It's just as strong as forged frame for a cartridge cylinder.

If this is your first Cap n' Ball, stick with shooting BP, not only to appreciate the history of the times, but shooting is fairly cheap. With 1lb of Goexfffg, or Pyrodex P, 100 balls and a tin of CCI caps, you can shoot all day long. Then if you get tired of the clean up, then consider a cartridge cylinder. But IMO, learn your revolver first and the art of BP. One other thing to note, Pietta's cylinder nipples seem to be common to fit N0.10 caps better than 11's.

If you're going with the 1858 Rem. There's no better place if you have questions than to check out - http://1858remington.com/discuss/

I've had both Uberti and Pietta. I sold my Uberti and kept the Piettas.
Pietta has been manufacturing BP arms for over 40 years and their reputation has remained.

[bruceflinch]

As long as the ball rolls past the 100 yard line I would be happy.

So cut the bullseye target in half & mount two halves side by side @ ground level!

A couple weeks ago, I met another calgunner at Angeles. Since I had a bunch of heavy long guns with me, we stayed on the rifle side. Anyway, he brought his new .44 C&B revolver (revolvers ARE "pistols" by definition) to learn how to load and shoot it. Well, he didn't feel like getting a target frame so, he just shot at the 200 yard steel. He actually hit it at least once and every shot that I saw would have hit a human silloutte at 200 yards. I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of any one of those roundballs.

Personally, I have no use for the conversion kits. It takes me longer to reload 6 rounds of .45LC, remove the cylinder, take the conversion kit apart, load the rounds in it and reinstall the cylinder into the frame than it does to just dump powder into each cylinder, press a ball on top, lube and cap. Besides, you do know that these aftermarket conversion cylinders need to be timed to the exact gun they will be used in. For most people, this means taking it to a good gunsmith.

Now, if you want a better BP pistol for shooting 100 yards, there are some nice muzzleloading target pistols out there.

As always, nice informative post CSA. I think shooting a BP gun might be fun for an afternoon & then I would be too lazy. I like the way they look & the history behind them, of course. This next Winter I think I will build one of the "kit" guns for fun.