Brass framed .44 Pietta

[jeager106]

I got my new brass framed Pietta, ain't a copy of any thing original, .44 Colt style today with the all brass frame.
Anyone know how these hold up and under what loads?
I shoot 30 grains black 3fg out of my steel framed revolvers but this is my 1st all brass framed job.
Thoughts?

[unspellable]

The word on the street is stick to lite loads or they will eventually go loose.

[ribbonstone]

Would proably go for a light load.  Not real found of fillers, but you could work out just how far that rammer enters the chamber, add in the diameter of the ball, and get a good diea what the minimum powder charge would be that would offer some copression when that ball is seated to the limit of the fammer.  PROBABLY about 22gr.

Colts are all hung together on that cylinder pin...cylinder and barrel ride on it, held on byt the wedge.  Everything depends on that pin staying tight to the frame (it's threaded into the frame and usually pinned or swaged in place (or both).

Steel-in-steel threads are stronger than steel-in-brass but some of the stretching can be traced to pwople who drive the eidge in like they are hammering tend pegs, but most of it is from the force of the ball meeting rifling.  Load lighter and don't pound on the wedge and it will last a very long time.

[unspellable]

I am not so adverse to fillers myself.

I don't know about the revolver above (I have one, but haven't gotten around to firing it.) but my Rogers & Spencer replica is unhappy with anything less than 20 grains and gets erratic.  Nudge it over 20 grains and it's happy.

[Bigdog57]

Been using 27 grains in my 1851 Navy and 1860 Army brass-framed Piettas for over 20 years - nice moderate loads.  I need new nipples after all these years, but the frames have held up well.
I'm babying my newest 1851 Navy, bought last year.  It should last forever.
The older guns went thru Heck, and still shoot well.

[jeager106]

Bigdog57
Can't be all that much difference bewteen 27 and 30 grains of black 3fg.
T-7 is 'nuther story though. 30 grains of that is strong medicine.

[jeager106]

I fired up the Pietta .44 wiht 20 grains of Schuetzen 3fg and the p.o.i. was lower but still about 4" hi at 25 yards.
Accuracy with the crude sights was about 4" at that distance, good 'nuff for what it was inteded for.
One wonders how to get the p.o.i. closer to p.o.a.?
Install higher front?
How?
Deepen hammer notch?

[Flint]

A higher front sight.  To deepen the hammer notch, although it would give a better sight picture, would not do it, you would also have to shorten the hammer's shroud which would let out too much cap debris up and or into your face.    I found an 1860 Army front sight needs to be about 1/4 inch tall.

[jeager106]

I made a steel front sight post about 1/4" tall.
It shoots dead bull at 25 yards with a 6 o'clock hold.
Though the sights are still crude and always will be I can get 3" benched groups if I hold careful.
I learned that a 38 spl. case holds 24 grains of Scheutzen 3fg.
I fill 6 cases, dump into 6 chambers, top wtih two circle fly .45 wads to fill the air space, load six .454 balls, top with a dab of Crisco then cap.
Seems to work good 'nuff for me.
It's no target gun for sure, but a fun plinker.

[Mason Stillwell]

I have one very old and fired a lot and 2 newer brass frame Colts.

I have been shooting 20 gr of 2F for some years now in the one and for the past few months in about 3 Matches per month with no problems.

Keep the load down and the lube up and you should have a happy gun!

Mason Stillwell

[wile326]

I have a brass frame Pietta, I bought it over 20 years ago from dixie gun works. I have shot this pistol a lot over the years, replaced the nipples atleast twice and all the springs and a hand at least once.I shoot, 25 grains and it has held up real well. Very happy with it.