Colt SAA by Pietta / Uberti which is the better choice?

[GeeRam]

you'll be lucky.
someone like a and a gunsmiths who are essentially reselling guns supplied by kranks, is more likely to do that

Are Krank not very helpful then?

That's like asking if the Pope's a catholic....

[Dark Skies]

On another matter ...

Assuming I go with the Uberti over a Pietta:

What size balls does it favour?
What are the best cap size?

I currently have a lot of .454 balls in stock. I also have a lot of CCI 11 caps (so I'm betting it'd want the sizes I don't have).

[bradaz11]

I prefer to use 457 in mine as I get a full ring shaved off.

Mine are nitro or nitro converted, so no caps

[Sim G]

On another matter ...

Assuming I go with the Uberti over a Pietta:

What size balls does it favour?
What are the best cap size?

I currently have a lot of .454 balls in stock. I also have a lot of CCI 11 caps (so I'm betting it'd want the sizes I don't have).

.454” and CCI #11 caps are exactly what I used. It’s probably the industry standard. However, I did only use proper BP in it, 35gns by volume. No wads, grease or other cr@p to clog it up. And the balls were Allox lubed.

The loaded press offered for this revolver is utterly pants though! I bought an eBay version years ago that was so much sturdier.

[Dark Skies]

.454” and CCI #11 caps are exactly what I used. It’s probably the industry standard. However, I did only use proper BP in it, 35gns by volume. No wads, grease or other cr@p to clog it up. And the balls were Allox lubed.

The loaded press offered for this revolver is utterly pants though! I bought an eBay version years ago that was so much sturdier.

Well, that's good to know. I wasn't looking forward to melting them down to turn into .457 !

Was the flimsy press this one?
With a resin type material base?

[Sim G]

Yep, that was exactly the first press. The base was aluminium though. Couple or three cylinder loads on it and the “arm” bent right where the brass ramrod is for seating the ball.

Speaking of which, I did try conicals as well. That was a waste of 50 rounds worth of lead! (Melting them after alloxing is not an event I wish to relive!)

[Dark Skies]

Yep, that was exactly the first press. The base was aluminium though. Couple or three cylinder loads on it and the “arm” bent right where the brass ramrod is for seating the ball.

Speaking of which, I did try conicals as well. That was a waste of 50 rounds worth of lead! (Melting them after alloxing is not an event I wish to relive!)

I've tried conicals - they were pants. That said I used the above press (but with the fibre / resin base) the face of the brass arbor was designed for balls so it was a pain to get bullets to centre in the cylinder properly. Fortunately I'd only made up a batch of twelve.

As for the press - it broke at the base. I think I can repurpose the brass arbor and make a steel pivot arm with a steel bolt cut about for the upright.

[dromia]

I use the conicals from Kaido Ojamaa's custom Lee moulds.

They work very well at the longer distances. Up to 50 yards or so they don't give much better shooting than hard driven round balls but once you are getting out to 80 yards plus then they come into their own, heavier and a better ballistic co-efficient than round balls.

They make matching Hicock's Tutt shot repeatable.

[Dark Skies]

I use the conicals from Kaido Ojamaa's custom Lee moulds.

They work very well at the longer distances. Up to 50 yards or so they don't give much better shooting than hard driven round balls but once you are getting out to 80 yards plus then they come into their own, heavier and a better ballistic co-efficient than round balls.

They make matching Hicock's Tutt shot repeatable.

I don't have anywhere close where I could shoot that far, so I guess I'll be sticking with balls.
That said, I'm doing all right with my Pietta Colt Navy at 25 yards. Look, it has a lickle face. :)

[Dark Skies]

Does Firing Solutions have an actual shop?
They have a few revolvers I'm interested in listed on guntrader - which I emailed them on that platform several days ago. I got no reply.
So then I went to their actual website where they state they prefer emails over phone calls and tried again. Still no reply.
I wondered if they had an actual brick and mortar shop?