My very own Pietta Target Model (and first appearances)

[Rookie21]

I now have my own Pietta built Remington New Model Army Target .44 cal percussion revolver. I must have gotten lucky or maybe they are all built this nice. The fit and finish for a $325 gun (brand spanking new mind you) is out standing. Lock up is tighter than some of my prized Smith and Wesson revolvers! Thorough inspection showed that each and every chamber lined up perfectly with the bore. During full disassembly I found that there were no burrs from the factory on any parts except the sear notch and sear. The trigger was a stiff and snappy 6 pounds but I've got it down to three now and would like to lighten it up a little more. I used a little electrical tape and a pencil eraser to make a trigger stop as well. I degreased the gun and oiled it properly. The oil from the factory is heavy and gritty feeling. The timing is perfect. The cylinder stop doesnt come back into contact with the cylinder until it touches the edge of the upcoming cylinder stop notch and clicks right into place. Overall for $325 I am thoroughly impressed. However - Pietta could stand to have a better rear sight design. To move elevation a set screw needs to be removed first. The adjustments have no indicators or reference marks. No "clicks" either. You just turn a screw until it's where you want it. You have no wY to judge any amount of change. That and the trigger are my only two complaints. I will update shoot results and tests to this thread.

[kwhi43]

Looking good. I do this for my trigger stop. Just a Allen set screw.

[Rookie21]

That's the kind of system I want or would have preferred but for now just to get it shooting the tape and eraser works well enough as a trigger stop. I just don't have the tools needed to cut threads into something. I wish.

[maillemaker]

What is the advantage of a trigger stop?

Steve

[Rookie21]

When you bring the trigger straight back, and it breaks, (sear comes out of engagement with the notch in the hammer) then there's no more resistance or forward pressure on the trigger as your finger applies back pressure. The trigger now drops rapidly all the way back due to your finger applying pressure. All the unnecessary and rapid travel can cause you to pull the gun off target. That's why lighter triggers, triggers with small amounts of travel, and trigger stops to control the amount of travel, are used primarily with target shooters. This allows you to follow through with your shot and stay on target. And hopefully stick that sucker in the X ring!

[kwhi43]

I ought to sell you my Parchmeyer grips so you would have something decent
to hold onto.

[Rookie21]

Wow! I didn't think there were any after market grips for the remys! I'd love something like that!

[kwhi43]

Well you know me, if you want them you got them. I took them off the gun
and sold the gun. I will see if I can find them in the garage.. Be in touch.

PS: I will wait until the wife gets back and let her find them. Give me about
2 hours from now. It's about 10:30 am here now. Should have them in hand by
noon. Kansas City time.

[Rookie21]

Thanks so much! Are you gonna be at the Nationals in September? Our friend is gonna ride up with me I believe.

[kwhi43]

No, I wont't be going. You can thank the wife for finding the grips. I have them
in hand. I will send you a E-mail. This is indeed your lucky day.

[Rookie21]

Sorry you can't make it. It's gonna be a good one!

[kwhi43]

My money is on you. With decent grips on the Pietta you will take it.

[Rookie21]

So a friend of mine bought one of these same as mine. He's already shot his and I have not. He tried .457, and .451 ball. He claims both are too tight and shave too big of a ring off the ball. The chambers mic out to be in the .445-.450 ish range. Pietta and Dixie Gun Works says to use a .454...? What do you all use in yours???

Also- his rear sight is bottomed out and the gun still is almost 12 inches too high! I'm curious to see how bad off my sights may be....

[Rookie21]

So I test fired my revolver yesterday for the first time. Windage was dead on with no need to adjust. But it shot a good foot or foot and a half high! With some snips and a scrape piece of metal off and old discarded stripper clip a friend of mine using electrical tape gave me enough of an extension on the front sight to get it zeroed for a 25 yard standard pistol target. So I have a reference now of how high the new front sight will need to be. The adjustments for elevation on the rear sight are screwy though and not easy to change sight settings from 25 yards to 50 yards of even to the international target we shoot at the nationals. I'm gonna remove the rear sight and replace it with something else. Maybe an old micro? But at 50 yards the gun will hold 9 and 10 ring easy. Will I hold that good is the more important question come match day. All in all I'm quite pleased with revolver but it needs a new sight system.

[foolzrushn]

How much did you need to extend the front sight? I thought the sights on the 'target', were the thing that made it better. It sounds like Pietta didn't get it right for 25 yards anyway. Even though to me the front sight on the 'target' looks really tall.

Another question, do they have targets with the competition size rings at Cabela's? What is the right size for the ten ring on 25 and 50 yard targets?

[Rookie21]

Foolzrushn - the 25 yard and 50 yard targets are the same size with the only difference being that at 25 yards the X, 10, and 9 rings are black where as the 50 yard target the 8 ring is also black. X ring is roughly 1 5/8", 10 ring roughly 3 5/16", 9 ring about 5 1/2", and 8 ring is 7 15/16". I don't know if cabela's sells these targets or not.

I'll have to measure the front sight and guide we made but it's not much taller. Somewhere between 1/8" to 3/16" is my guess with out looking at it right now.

The sights simply make it usable for target being that they are target type sights that are adjustable. But they are of poor design and obviously not regulated to the sight radius that they are set up for. The front sight is not as tall as it seems stock but it will be when I'm through. Of course I'll have control over adjustment too though. And I may take the rear sight off a Blackhawk and fit it to the gun instead of what's on it now. Pics will be provided of any surgeries.

[Ricklin]

I bought the target model Pietta in Stainless (Oh the humanity) several years ago, I was very disappointed.
I believe that one had 6 different bore sizes for the 6 cylinder bores. With the recommended .454 balls one cylinder would shave a ring. One was so loose I dared not fire it for fear of the charge "loosening"

Mine was branded Traditions. I contacted them and had to send it back on my nickel. Not acceptable for a brand new revolver.

To Traditions credit they replaced the revolver with a new one. No issues and I have had it for years now. Perhaps the cylinder was bored during the Christmas party on the first one.....it was really bad.

The fit and finish on the replacement was excellent in every way. The first one...was poor in every way, the variable cylinder bores being the glaring issue.

[Rookie21]

I forgot to mentioned that at 25 yards the gun is capable of ten ring accuracy easily and although I wasn't zeroed well for 50 yards I feel it'll shoot well enough to win matches out there too.

[kwhi43]

Keep your eye on Peter, he shot this in June with his old beat up Hedge Remington.

[Rookie21]

One target doesn't worry me. To win the nationals you need to be consistent over TEN targets spread over three guns. One target no matter how excellent it may be doesn't prove anything at the nationals. Besides - I don't need to be worrying about anyone else's game but my own if I'm to do my best. There's nothing I can do about someone else's game.

That is however a darn good target.

[ZVP]

I own 2, a 8" stocker and a 5' factory "Chopped" revolver. Really love the chopped bbl, as it handles qiuck and dose't suffer at all in the energy or accuracy dept!
Power gets awsome with 35 gr and up loads!
Both exhibit fine workmanship and smoothness.
BPDave.

[Rookie21]

Gonna be getting my revolver back from the machinist Tuesday! I had a Ruger Blackhawk rear sight dropped in and a new fix for the incorrect height of the front sight. A trigger stop screw was being added instead of my cheap but effective pencil eraser and electrical tape, and a grip button/extension was added to the grip frame. Pictures soon to come.

[Rookie21]

This afternoon I got the gun back from the machinist. I had a button added for grip, a better trigger stop added instead of the tape and eraser I had, a Ruger Blackhawk rear sight, and a little material added to the top of the front sight. I haven't shot it yet. I will shoot it tomorrow. Shoot results will be posted.

[Rookie21]

This picture is of the gun, and two targets I shot for practice or pretend record. The left target is a 25 yard slow fire (10 shots in 30 minutes) and the right target is a 25 yard limited time fire (from the report of your first shot, of ten shots to be fired, time starts leaving you ten minutes to fire 9 more shots. You start with a loaded five shot cylinder and obviously need to reload during the 10 minutes.) these two targets were fired one handed, standing at 25 yards, and one target right after the next.

I tested a .445, .451, and .454 size ball and the .454 shaved the most lead (and quite a bit more than I'd prefer) but it shot the most accurate at 25 yards than the others. I used 17 grains (by weight not volume) of FFFg Goex, corn meal, .454 ball seated just below the surface or face of the cylinder and white lythium grease as a lube.

EDIT: I also want to add that NOT ALL Pietta 1858 New Model Army Target Revolvers are going to be this accurate. This gun was one of seven that were examined and this one was found to be the best. We were looking for chambers lining up with the bore, timing, and lock up. This gun just happened to be the lucky lotto number that came out of the factory "correctly". Amazing quality for the price. A near stock $350 gun turned out match accurate. Who would've thought....

[4V50 Gary]

Whoever did the milling did a nice job.