powder and load recommendations?

[rossim92]

my son mainspring broke on his pietta 1858 new army .36 cal cap and ball revolver. the good members here recommended the site for part replacement. Thanks for the info. Now, he has been researching what to use for the charge. He has told me he was on planning to use triple f powder at 22 grains and seal the charge with crisco. He hasn't shot the gun yet and just a job. Has to wait a bit before being able to buy the supplies for it. Any good/bad advice to this?

[Chuck 100 yd]

Due to minor differences in guns, depending on who the maker is, the proper load for C&B pistols would be just enough powder to allow for a small amount of compression of the powder as the ball is rammed home .
Once you figure out the amount of powder you can modify a .38 /.357 case to use as a measure or buy a flask and trim the spout to give the amount you want.
The ball must be seated slightly below the face of the cylinder or the cylinder cant turn.
The ball should be large enough that a small ring of lead is sheared off as it is seated.
Crisco over the ball is a must IMHO unless a greased wad is used under the ball/bullet.
3F is commonly used in all pistols and rifles of .45 caliber and smaller.
Have fun!

[Griff]

For a .36 Cal C&B anywhere between 15 & 21 grains of 3F would be a good load. I prefer to use lubed fiber wads between powder and ball in mine. I feel it gives a more consistent loading compression; and, FAR less mess. As Chuck suggested, a flask with pre-mreasured spout is a boon to reloading, (unless you master the art of making paper cartridges). I haven't; but haven't tried much either. I have two flasks, one with a 17 grain spout and one with a 21. There's a significant difference in recoil, but at 25 yards, not much in the way of POI, (the 21 grain load is a tad lower than the 17, but not so much that it'd matter if one were the objecte de target).

[rossim92]

thanks i will pass this on to him

[wolfdog]

+1 on the wad over powder, much less mess than Crisco.