Remington 1858 new army 44

Does anyone hunt with this black powder revolver and if so what do you hunt? Just wondering thinking it would be different and more challeging than a modern day revolver.

I have carried mine as a backup deer hunting for a couple of years before I got my 460 XVR. I have never fired it at a deer. Lots of practise at tree stumps has lead me to believe it is best as short range gun. At long range I've had the round ball not penetrate. I will not use it past 40 yards on deer.

At closer ranges they will indeed kill deer very well. I have taken many with my Ruger Old Army and my friend has with his Remington. Using Swiss FFFG we are getting 1100 fps with a ball.
Watch a boolit in the Remington. The chambers are so close together, blast from the gap will ruin the next boolit nose. Boolits can't be made fast either, balls are better.

Be sure to check your regulations. Here in MN you can use a muzzle loading handgun, but not a black powder revolver, for big game.

Would love to in NC, however Black powder pistols are on the prohibited list for hunting, makes no sense to me but I'm just a tax paying/license holding peon
Pete

In many states it depends on the season. Can't use more then a single shot in muzzle loader season but we can use a BP revolver in rifle season.

Illegal here in Virginia. But I own one and love shooting mine:

Virginians can hunt small game with muzzleloader pistols.

OK let me clarify that statement. No Big game hunting!!!

I thought that was what everyone was talking about.

Raf, That is a beautiful revolver! What kind of load do you shoot?

Pat

I am shooting 25 grs. of 3f Goex. That is very accurate and comfortable.

Most states will allow the gun during regular gun season but not in muzzle loader season where it is just one shot.

Greetings A few years ago I started to Hunt with Black Powder Pistols. Researching this field I have come to see that many others before me have sucessfully hunted and killed big game animals time and again with percussion revolvers ESP the 1858 Remington designs. Part of the knowledge I learned from other sucessfull hunters who used the Remington and others, is that the round lead ball is good for close up (Generaly to 40 Yards) After that it is sugjested to use a Conical Bullet. Pure lead ball/Conical Bullet is good for Deer, for thicker game hardening the ball/bullet will work with an alloy to various hardness. Many consider 11 BHN hardness the over all best. The Famous Hand Gun Hunter, Al Georg, was said to have killed several Black Bear with a 1858 Remington style percussion Revolver, he was said to have mounted a scope on the Remington! In the pre Civil War times, the United States Ordance Dept tested 44/45 caliber revolvers. the requirements were that they had to achive a minimum of 5 inches of penetration of pine boards which was considered to be the power to kill a horse. Generaly "40" Grains of Powder seems to be the "Power Load" A very knowedgeble friend of mine has done extensive testing on power and penatration of percussion revolvers made the following Comments; "Loading conicals over max powder charges moves the C&B revolver into an entirely different class approaching modern 44 Magnum and 45 Colt +P+ loads. I have observed my Ruger Old Army, using 38 grains of Swiss FFFg, repeatedly push a 220 grain Lee 456-220-1R through 8 inches of pine, exiting with considerable power remaining. The conical was cast slightly hard, near Lyman #2 alloy hardness. The Forged Frame Uberti Remington is capable of that performance too, as max loads pretty well match the Ruger".
There are many accounts of people using replica or original percussion Revolvers to harvest/kill animals. There is a lot of misinformation out there sugjesting that percussion Revolvers are not capable of humanly and safely stopping/killing of game animals, the truth is documentation states otherwise.

Welcome Aboard VKV!

I have actually done a lot of work with a Rem 1858 as well. The only difference is that I was using Geox FF and a 45 cal round ball in the 44. (I don’t know what the charge was. I just filled the cylinder all the way to the top and then crunched the bullet down on top.) After I had full penetration at 25 yards on a 100 +/- hog, I never doubted its capabilities again. LOL

I actually had better groups with the 45 round balls than I did on the 44 round balls.

The only thing you have to watch is how the law is written. Some states have “muzzleloader” and some just have “blackpowder.” FWIW...

Duane