Well bigcountry, I hate to hear you didn't have much fun. Hopefully you're feeling better now and can give it a second whirl. I have an 1858 and love mine. I have only shot Pyrodex P out of it. I like the consistency of it, it's easy to find around here and very cheap. I load a wad over the powder but I do not use lube over the ball like a lot of people do. It's extra mess and I can't find an advantage to it.

I was surprised when I shot my first cylinder through it. I thought it would be just a dirty mess. It wasn't bad at all-but then again, I've always enjoyed cleaning my MLs so perhaps I'm bias.

Don't give up on it. Give it another try. I think my revolver might be the most enjoyable gun I own.