As you may remember from part one I picked up a very nice 1858 Rem .44 made by Pietta (Italy). Brand new, $150 (retail $300). My first outing with it turned some good but not great groups, 1" at 10 yards and 2-3" at 25. I purchased all the goodies now and I'm ready for a re-match. I'll be heading out tomorrow AM for a little bench work using various loads, fiber wads, different ball sizes and three powders; Pyrodex in fffg andffG and Triple 7 in ffg.

I walked into a gun shop and saw a 45LC conversion for my gun...out the door for $200 (retail $270.00). I fitted it to the gun and it fits very nice and tight. It is made by: Kirst Cartridge Konverter. I don't have any 45 LC to test it but I have 200 rounds of brass.

Anyway, the real reason I'm going out is that the carp have moved into the shallows of my duck club lake! I'm very careful of my angles so I don't get stray bullet ricochets. If you have never shot carp it is a blast. I normally us a .22 pistol but tomorrow I'll be using the 1858 Rem! Our carp run into the 3-10 pound range. We have thousands so I'm hopping for a target rich environment.

More to follow...
Bill in OR

Wonder if we could add a carp to the IHMSA layout? I'll be moving back home to Texas next week and I hope I'll be able to go get some carp and gar with my bow. Good luck with the carp crusades and have a literal blast shooting your 58!!!

We went out to the duck club yesterday. Our water levels are dependent on the irrigators and runoff from the ranchers / farmers fields. It is a 30 acre lake and the water levels were quite high and have flooded new areas. There were carp all over but they were in murky water 12 - 18" deep. We targeted tailing fish and shot the ones with backs fins or tails exposed. They were really wary so quietness and slow movements were in order; they didn't like being in the shallows but that is were the new food was. It was great fun and the sneaks added to it!

I used my new Pietta .44 black powder (load data to follow) and my friend mike used his little Ruger 10-22. I hit 5 for six shots, Mike did about the same. The distances were not far, maybe 15 yards max because we were keeping the angles sharp to
avoid ricochets. WE could see the churning mud and bubbles as they fed and as soon as we had a target we let go... bang...splash, then all hell would break out as the fish realized it had been hi and the others in the area got outta Dodge! These were some big fish, 3-5 pounds and 20 - 24" average. Mike got the granddaddy, 30+" and 10+ pounds. After a while we realized that if we shot ahead of the feeding fish they got stunned and rolled over, then a finisher took care of business.

I also did some load development...data to follow.

Bill in OR

Oh, I did shoot a small Cottontail along with the Carp.

Back to the shooting / load development:

Used the Hornady .451 round balls in all loads. Some suggest using the .454 but was shaving lead with every loading so I thinks are fine.

All weights are by volume using a brass measuring device filled from a plastic clear flask.

I was trying to use up some ole Pyrodex fffg and that was used in all loads.

All shots @ 25 yards with pistol rest. I was limited in the amount of rounds I could fire because of fouling, and I'd already fired some while carp shooting.

#1: 35 grains powder (by volume), topped with a Wonder Wad = 2 1/2" - 3" at 25 yds

#2: 45 Grains topped by Wonder Wad = 2 1/2" @ 25 yds.

#3: 50 grains, no Wonder Wad (about max powder capacity), Pyrodex BP bullet lube applied over bullet = 1 3/4" - 2" @ 25 yds.

More to follow....

Bill in OR

Sounds like pretty good BP shootin' to me Bill; and wow what a blast shootin' carp!

Almost like shooting "fish in a barrel"

Sorry, I couldn’t hold it back any longer... ... ... ... ...

A buddy of mine uses his 54 T/C Scout pistol for a carp gun. Patch & round ball under 30 grains of Pyrodex P does the trick on carp and gar.

Bill where is the duck hunting area at your talking about? I wanted to bowfish when I was still over there but no one knew where any carp where. I have seen them in the upper reaches of the John Day system where the water warms up. By the way good shooting and sounds like a blast.

I'll be back out there Tuesday to shoot some of these monsters and take some pic's.

Hey, Wapitrod! My duck lake is in Powell Butte, just 10 miles E/O Redmond. Just let me know anytime your in the area and I'll give you the directions. It is Little Houston Lake (don't do to BIG Houston...they'll arrest ya! - new owners, damn)and you can go anytime.

I just left Tillamook, OR and left a very nice Pietta .44 Cal at the gun shop...Brass frame...but I still wanted it!

Bill in OR

Bill in OR

I was married in that old brick church in Powell Butte but I'm not familiar with the lake. I'll definitely get hold of you when I'm over. I normally make several trips to visit but with gas prices and the new business I've been staying close to home.

Went out this AM for carp. Only confirmed 4 KIA's, had 6 possibles...but no body recovery. One big guy needed 4 shots to put him down. I'm guessing he was 7-10 pounds. This .44 is growing on me! I forgot my camera but I'll be heading back there Tuesday. Pic's of attack carp to follow.

Wapitirod:Just let me know when you are headed this way and your in. The shooting should be good throughout the summer.

Bill in OR

sounds like a plan!

huntkng, I have the same gun. Curious what does the manual say for max powder charge? I have stuck with 30 grs. Any over charge signs? I may have to step up the loads!

Here is what I started with. I'm using one of those small brass measuring tubes that is adjustable and has lines and numbers on the rod; so I really don't know the exact weight. I have not tested these weights on my scale to confirm anything (guess I should at some point).

I used the Hornady .451 round balls in all loads. Some suggest using the .454, but was shaving lead with every loading using the .451 so I think these are fine.

All weights are by volume using a brass measuring device filled from a plastic clear flask.

I was trying to use up some ole Pyrodex fffg and that was used in all loads. The fffg is so fine that it spills through the release lever of my flask, I might move to ffg so that it meters better.

All shots @ 25 yards with pistol rest. I was limited in the amount of rounds I could fire because of fouling, and I'd already fired some while carp shooting.

#1: 35 grains powder (by volume), topped with a Wonder Wad = 2 1/2" - 3" at 25 yds

#2: 45 Grains topped by Wonder Wad = 2 1/2" @ 25 yds.

#3: 50 grains, no Wonder Wad (about max powder capacity), Pyrodex BP bullet lube applied over bullet = 1 3/4" - 2" @ 25 yds.

Bill in OR

Bill, something I found that made my life easier are the flasks with interchangeable spouts. I used to use the same measuring deal your talking about and always ended up with powder all over the place. With the flask you get the spout that has the capacity you want and put it on your flask, put your finger over the end of it and hit the lever with your thumb while turning it upside down. Then you just release the lever and turn it back up right and you have the measured charge. I can load in about a 1/3rd of the time I could with the measurer your talking about. Just an idea. I've also found the wonder wads while making loading easier they negatively affect accuracy and velocity. I did some testing with my two 1860's, one with wonder wads between the powder and ball and the other with crisco on top the ball and I was seeing differences in velocity averaging close to 100fps with the same charge and identical guns.

Hi Waipitrod,

I did notice that the groups tightened up when I didn't use the wad and I got about 5 more grains of powder in as well. The groups also got smaller as the charges went up. The down side was that it took more pressure to seat the bullet flush with the cylinder face.

I like the flask with a measure built in, that will save tons of time. Who makes yours?

More to follow....

Bill in OR

I think it's sold by pietta but they had them and the nozzles at big R and I think sportsmans. I used to get all that stuff from Mountain Man in sisters but it's something else now and Idon't know if they still carry the black powder and trapping stuff. I have three of them one is set up for the walker and the other two for the 1860 and 1858. I'll check and see what I have tomorrow and what they cost. If I have the right spouts still I'll send you a pm and I can sell you one of mine. The walker is already converted although I'll probably still use the bp cylinder but the other two guns can be fed off one flask and I figure when I get caught up I'll get the jig and parts to do a gated conversion on my 1860. I want to start offering that as another service and a 250gr slug going 800fps is plenty for deer at bow ranges. You know max load by the manufacturer on your gun is like 21gr don't you? If you don't have the load data manuals for it I have a couple different ones and I can scan them and email them to you if you want.

Trophy Carp Hunters see this!

http://imomags.com/gameandfish/2011/06/14/106-pound-big-head-carp-snagged-in-missouri/

After seeing that I'm going to have to raise my expectations some, and maybe start using the Encore!

Wapitirod: No I didn't know that the suggesting loads were that low. With only 21 gr's the ball would be wayyyy down in the cylinder and the freebore I'm guessing accuracy would be terrible. Mine gets more accurate with the heavier loads. Guess I'll stay with the 40 gr load, seems to work well w/ very little recoil and is pretty accurate (enough for carp and rabbits out to 30 yards or so.

Yes, I'd be interested in your flask (not the one you take drinks from)and I'm looking at one of the cylinder loaders / stands now, they are under $20 and would take the pressure off of the the loading rod.

Bill in OR

HK, I have been loading 30 gr's in my gun for some time now. It is the max load for my gun according to the manufacturer. I have about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch space left in the cylinder on my Pieta 1858 remington. It shoots 1 1/2 inch groups at 25 yards on the bench using crisco over a 451 hornady ball. Never have chronoed it.