Shooting Review – Pietta 1858 New Model Army, 8” Barrel

After being on backorder for about three weeks the long awaited package containing the Pietta replica of Remington’s 1858 New Model Army revolver finally arrived at my door. Unfortunately it required a signature and came at a bad time, but after figuring out how to make UPS better fit a realistic schedule I could finally see what I had ordered weeks before. I was interested in starting black powder shooting with a replica 1858. A combination of spare cap and ball cylinders being available from Pietta and a sale I could not resist at Cabela’s sealed the deal.

Remington poster, from National Firearms Museum

 When the revolver first arrived the bolt was stuck down for all hammer positions which allowed the cylinder to rotate in full cock and to rotate back to its original position as the hammer is lowered. While this would have made the gun inoperable, it was easily freed up with a plastic rod and a good amount of oil. There were a few times early on where it stuck and I had to work it loose again which made me think I might have had to send it back, but after working the action a few more times the bolt worked properly every time. With the exception of the inside of the brass trigger guard, which was not made totally smooth, and some minor machining marks on one side of the barrel the overall finish of the Pietta looks very good. The wood panels are shaped well and have a good color. The cylinder is easy to take out and put in once you get the hang of it.

At the range the Pietta 1858 seemed to do better with Remington #10 caps than #11, the latter fell off all nipples due to recoil from the first shot. Each shot I used 30 grains of Pyrodex P, .457 balls and Bore Butter over the ball. The closest thing to a misfire was a cap falling off the nipple partially and the hammer crushing its side rather than igniting the primer, but when the caps were popped properly the Pyrodex never failed to ignite. I used a Traditions cylinder loading stand to load the cylinders and the .457s were easy to press into position. Recoil was soft, the trigger pull was light and the sights are useable. Shooting from standing with one hand at 25 yards 19 of 25 shots were on paper, with three of the misses occurring in the first five shots when I had no real idea where it was hitting. The pistol got dirty fast, but aside from the cylinder pin becoming a bit harder to move due to fowling there was no change in function in the 25 shots at the range. For shooting in cold weather I would recommend using oiled wads instead of Bore Butter. The cold weather made getting the grease out of the tube the most laborious part of loading.

Target from 25 yards, standing using one hand.
Counting the hit on the edge and the multi shot holes, there are
up to 19 hits on paper. More than accurate enough to hit a man.

Cleaning was easy enough considering this was probably the dirtiest firearm I have ever had to clean. I used Ballistol to clean the bore and to soak the cylinder rather than the warm soapy water method because it is just closer to what I am used to from cleaning more modern guns. Patches came out black for the first few passes on the bore but it was not hard to get it spotless after a bit of time.

Aside from initial issues with the stuck bolt the Pietta 1858 has surpassed expectations. Most of the issues that you see on forums seem to be on pistols made a few years ago. I can’t wait to get one or two extra cylinders to make use of the advantages of an 1858 over the Colt style open frame. The 1858 is accurate once the proper point of aim is established. Timing from the factory is spot on and the action is relatively smooth. For some reason I found it easier to relax and be accurate with the 1858 at 25 yards than with most modern pistols I have shot at that range. It probably isn’t ready for competition out of the box, but it functions well and is fun to shoot.

-MES