copyright William Marion 2008
Black Powder Revolver
The Online Magazine and Resource for Black Powder Revolvers
January 2006 Edition
Review
This month we review the Pietta 1858 Remington New Army. One of a number of reproduction manufacturers, Pietta makes a number of black powder revolver and rifles. Out of the box, the 1858 looked nice. The wood handles were nicely finished and the blueing smooth and uniform. The single action was smooth, but still tight. Some imports lack “tightness” but the Pietta felt smooth and well made.
I went to my favorite indoor range and loaded it up with Pyrodex pellets and .451 round balls. The only issue I had when loading is that as the ball was being seated, the cylinder rotated slightly and catching in the detent, moved the cylinder out of alignment enough that the plunger could not fully seat the ball. A slight modification to my loading technique and I was able to continue without incident.
Like any .44 caliber, this gun packs a wallop. Compared to my 1861 Navy, this thing has quite a kick. This may not be the best thing to start someone off with in black powder shooting. The small grip of these guns doesn’t give you a lot to hold on to. In spite of the formidable recoil, I was able to shoot a respectable 8” group at 30 ft. (Hey, that’s where the target was at !) Disassemble was a breeze and was much easier than with the 1861 Navy. Clean up was simple and after a quick application of oil, it looked like it was new out of the box.
Overall I was impressed with the Pietta. It looks good, shoots well and won’t break the bank. On my scale of 1 to 6 Cylinders, I’d give the Pietta a solid 5.
Retails online for $175-$200
I went to my favorite indoor range and loaded it up with Pyrodex pellets and .451 round balls. The only issue I had when loading is that as the ball was being seated, the cylinder rotated slightly and catching in the detent, moved the cylinder out of alignment enough that the plunger could not fully seat the ball. A slight modification to my loading technique and I was able to continue without incident.
Like any .44 caliber, this gun packs a wallop. Compared to my 1861 Navy, this thing has quite a kick. This may not be the best thing to start someone off with in black powder shooting. The small grip of these guns doesn’t give you a lot to hold on to. In spite of the formidable recoil, I was able to shoot a respectable 8” group at 30 ft. (Hey, that’s where the target was at !) Disassemble was a breeze and was much easier than with the 1861 Navy. Clean up was simple and after a quick application of oil, it looked like it was new out of the box.
Overall I was impressed with the Pietta. It looks good, shoots well and won’t break the bank. On my scale of 1 to 6 Cylinders, I’d give the Pietta a solid 5.
Retails online for $175-
Page 3
The Pietta 1858 Remington
Out of the box
Disassembled
Big Gun, Little Grip