I received one of these more than 10 years ago and just now wanting to get around to shooting it, always been a varmint rifle guy. Anyway, the book that came with it says loads should be between 22-30gr of fffg blackpowder or Pyrodex P. What loads have proven most effective for you guys? I'm planning on using Hornady .454 round balls. Thanks for any help!

I would not go over 25 grains , and you must seat bullet tight against powder , then use 1000 wonder lube over bullets , the bullets should be the closest to pure lead you can get , NO WHEEL Weights ! They will cause battering of wedge and cause your barrel to become loose at frame .

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Originally posted by .22 HORNET:
I received one of these more than 10 years ago and just now wanting to get around to shooting it, always been a varmint rifle guy. Anyway, the book that came with it says loads should be between 22-30gr of fffg blackpowder or Pyrodex P. What loads have proven most effective for you guys? I'm planning on using Hornady .454 round balls. Thanks for any help!

Basically, the ball has to be enough bigger in diameter than the mouth of the chambers that a little sliver of lead is shaved off the balls as you ram them. Instead of grease, I use a .44 cal. Wonder Wad on top of the POWDER before ramming the ball. This also seals the chamber to prevent chain fireing and also provides adequate lubrication. Just a little less messy than filling the chamber mouths with grease.

I believe a 25-grain load is plenty for target shooting, either real FFFg black powder or Pyrodex P. If you decide to hunt with it, perhaps 28 to 30 grains of powder will get your velocity up a little. However, don't use so much that you can't get the ball seated flush with the chamber mouths with a Wonder Wad under the ball. Otherwise the cylinder won't rotate.

Just for comparison's sake, the .45 Colt factory load used 40 grains of black powder in baloon-head cases. The Army, after the adoption of the S&W Schoefield revolver, started using the shorter cased ".45 S&W" cartridge in both the Schoefield and the Colt SA Army, as the .45 Colt round was too long for the S&W revolver's cylinder. The ".45 S&W" cartridge was loaded with a 230-grain lead bullet and 28 grains of black powder, and was considered powerful enough for combat!

I had an Italian-made, 1851 Navy in the unauthentic .44 caliber back in the early 1970s. It was brass-framed and okay as a shooter but the quality was lacking.
As I recall, the most I could get into it was 30 grains of FFFG under a .451 inch ball.
Today, I still use FFFG black powder, as I've found nothing that is as consistently accurate as black powder.
I use balls of .454 or .457 inch, as either cast by myself of pure lead or purchased from Speer. I don't like Hornady balls, as I always seem to find a few culls in each box.
I use a hard felt wad, 1/8 inch thick, between the ball and powder. I obtain the felt from DuroFelt of Little Rock, Arkansas. It's good stuff.
The wad is liberally soaked in Gatofeo No. 1 lubricant, a lubricant I've found without equal. You can mix it yourself or purchase it from http://www.bigironbarrels.com/
I've spent years posting the recipe and information on its use over the internet. I believe you'll also find it listed in my earlier post, "So you want a cap and ball revolver" on this message board.
But yeah, owing to the smaller cylinder of the 1851 Navy, the .44 caliber version won't hold more than about 30 grains.
That's a maximum load, by the way. I'd suggest you stick to 20 or 25 grains of FFFG or equivalent.
With a full 30 grains, you may not be able to get a greased felt wad between the ball and powder. That much powder may not leave enough room for wad and ball.
Disregard the loadinb books that tell you to use a .451 inch ball. Use the .454 or .457 inch ball. The larger ball, when swaged into the chamber, creates a wider bearing band for the rifling to engage. It also holds more tenaciously in the chambers, discouraging the ball from moving forward from the recoil of adjacent chambers firing.
NOTE: Do NOT use Hodgdon 777 on an equal volume with black powder. Hodgdon recommends a 15 percent reduction when you substitute for black powder.
Also, as I recall, Hodgdon does not recommand its 777 for use in brass-framed revolvers. If you can't get black powder in your area, use Pyrodex. But bear in mind that Pyrodex appears to be slightly more corrosive than black powder, so clean that revolver immediately after use.
Frankly, I would avoid any and all brass-framed cap and ball revolvers, unless you want to own an authentic-looking reproduction of a Confederate gun.
Steel framed revolvers are generally much better made than their brass counterparts. They certainly are stronger and will last longer, by virtue of being able to handle higher pressures.
But enjoy that revolver. You'll likely find that it shoots 10 to 12 inches high at 25 yards. All the old Colts and most reproductions do.
Not much you can do about it. Just live with it, as the old timers did. You can widen and deepen the notch in the hammer a bit, to bring the group down a little, but you'll soon reach a point where the view of the top of the barrel will interfere with the view of the front sight.
Anyway, enjoy!