I'm also still an Uberti fan although you have to pay attention to what brand they are sold under and/or who's importing them as Uberti makes them to the importers specifications in terms of fit and finish.
I've had issues with the various Pietta cap and ball revolvers I've over the years - the worst being a an 1851 Navy with soft hammer, nipples, hand, etc. The second largest problem I had was with a 1847 Walker Colt copy with a brittle loading handle that snapped, and the most minor issue was a stainless 1858 Remington with a poorly soldered front sight that went AWOL.
My favorites are the Colt Signature series, although when you can find them they now sell for around $800 - about twice what they were 20 years ago.
They were marketed by Colt as an extension of Colt's old serial number ranges for the various models, but it's not widely known that they were made from Uberti parts that were assembled in the US for Colt by Iver Johnson to avoid any import marks. They are however exceptionally well made and well fitted.
The Ruger Old Army is also an exceptional cap and ball revolver, and they also command high prices.
The 1847 Walker Colt copies will hold up to 60- 65 grains of black powder, launching a 143 gr .457 ball at about 1250 fps. You can also use a 210-225 grain conical projectile with a maximum of around 55 grains of powder and a velocity of around 1000 fps.
While it's true the 1847 Walkers were reported to blow up now and then, metallurgy is a lot more consistent now than it was in 1847, and the Italian replicas are well proofed. I have not heard of one of them blowing up due to a full charge of suitable powder other than internet rumor. If you load it with FFFFg then you'll have a problem, but with FFFg you should bb fine, and if you are in doubt or nervous about it use FFg.
You do however want to avoid a reduced charge resulting in a loose charge in any BP firearm as that can cause damage and I suspect more cap and ball revolvers get broken via an under charge than via an overcharge. (More on this later.)
The first through third model Colt Dragoons are a Walker derivative with some detail improvements and a slightly shorter cylinder. They hold a bit less powder at 50 grains maximum due to the shorter cylinder, but the lever latch helps keep the lever from falling under recoil.
All of the Walker and Dragoon pistols are "horse pistols" designed to be carried in pairs in pommel holsters. You can find regular holsters for them, but they are a load to carry on a belt for a whole day, despite how Josey Wales carries them.
In general, the Walkers Dragoons and the Old Army all use a .457 diameter ball.
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The 1858 Remington, and 1860 Army clones normally use a .454 ball, but you may find some that prefer a .451 or .452 ball and some may need a .457 ball. The .45 caliber versions of the 1851 Navy are more likely to use a .451 or .452 ball.
You want a ball that is large enough to cut an even ring off the ball when you load it - that ensures a snug seal, which helps prevent chain firing of the adjacent cylinders (more on this later), and ensures a proper fit in the bore. On the other hand, you don't want to go overboard to the point it is hard to seat the ball.
Powder capacity for the 1858 clones ranges a bit from about 40 to 45 grains, and with a 143 gr .457 ball and 45 grains of FFFg black powder you can get around 1075 fps. With 40 grains you won't give up much as you'll still get velocities around 1050 fps. With a 215 gr conical projectile and 40 grains you'll get around 875 fps.
1851 and 1860 powder capacity ranges from about 35-40 grains, and given the lack of a top strap and the use of a wedge to retain the barrel, it's a good idea not to push it, and 30 grains of FFFg is generally accepted as a great load in them and will deliver velocities around 875-900 fps with a 138-143 grain ball.
The military load used a 216 gr conical projectile and 30 grains of FFFg, producing a velocity around 800 fps.
All of the above loads are generating performance at, above, or well above .38 Special performance, so they are nothing to sneeze at. In fact, the 1847 Walker Colt, was arguably still the most powerful handgun available until the .357 Magnum came along in 1935 or perhaps the 38/44 slightly before that.
Most of the 1860 replicas are "Type III" pistols with 4 screws and a recess in the grip frame for a shoulder stock. There are also "Type IV" replicas out there that have only 3 screws and no recess in the grip frame for the stock, but like the originals they retain the Type III's notch in the recoil shield originally used for the shoulder stock.
You'll find the 1860 Army revolvers shoot quite high at normal ranges of 10-25 yards as the sights were regulated for the normal napoleonic engagement ranges of 80-100 yards. In close quarter combat it was a moot issue as it was mostly point and shoot, and the 1860s point very well. They are also very well balanced and about 2 pounds lighter than the earlier Dragoon pistols, so they were regarded as something of a high water mark for military cap and ball revolvers.
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You can shoot reduced loads in cap and all revolvers, but you will be limited by the length of the ram on the loading lever and the need to slightly compress the powder charge for reliable and pressure spike free ignition. You can go with even lighter loads, but you'll have to use a filler like corn meal or cream of wheat on top of the powder charge to fill the cylinder and allow you to compress the powder charge.
With a reduced charge and a ball, I normally measure the powder charge, then use another powder flask to fill the cylinder to the top with corn meal, the seat the ball so it is flush or just below flush with the top of the cylinder, compressing the powder and filler the length of the ball.
Chain fires are usually a non event as the ball leaves the pistol without damaging it, but it is disconcerting. The worst case scenario would be a ball discharging below the ram - that would do some serious damage to the pistol and probably the shooter.
There is a school of thought out there that chain fires are caused by the flash from the cap or the gas coming back out through the nipple igniting a cap on an adjacent cylinder. Snug fitting caps (they come in number 10 and number 11 sizes) are important, but IMHO that's not a cause, or at last not a frequent cause of chain fires.
For that to happen the flash or gas escaping through the nipple has to press the cap back against the hammer pressure, make a 180 degree turn to run down between the cap and nipple then make another 180 degree turn to run back up out of the nipple recess, then turn 90 degrees to flow along the recoil shield, then turn 90 degrees back down the adjacent nipple recess, before doing another 180 degree turn into the space between nipple and cap, find it's way under the cap doing another 180 degree turn to enter the inside of the nipple and then have enough heat left to ignite the black powder.
That's just not likely to happen, especially with a a black powder substitute given their higher ignition temperatures.
Again IMHO, the most likely cause is flame coming through the cylinder gap flashing over the adjacent cylinders and getting between the cylinder and the projectile. That's also much more likely with a loose fitting ball, which is one of the primary reasons you want ball large enough to cut a thin ring all the way around the ball on loading.
In any event, you'll want to fully cover the space between the chamber and the ball with grease as a lubricant to help keep the fouling soft, but also to prevent a chain fire. Crisco or some other shortening works fine, but it will go rancid if left in your car, or if left in the pistol in a holster on a hot day. You can also use commercial lubes like Spit Ball - they cost more, but they won't go bad on you.
If you want to carry a cap and ball revolver loaded in a holster all day long and don't want the lube dripping out of the chambers, you can use a lubricated felt wad under the ball instead. This will both lubricate the bore and prevent a chain fire. "Wonder wads" are what I normally use and they work great.
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Black powder substitutes are easier to find, but you need to be aware that they develop a little more pressure than Black Powder. You can use either FFg or FFFg in the larger .45 cal pistols (or the BP substitute equivalents) but you'll want to stick with FFFg in the smaller calibers.
In my experience, BP substitutes also tend to be more corrosive. On a humid day you may find flash rust inside the chambers before you get home after a shooting session. Black Powder tends to be a little more forgiving and takes a little longer to start rusting the gun.
BP substitutes also seem to produce much harder fouling and Pyrodex in particular will stop a tightly fitted revolver in fairly short order. This is where the 1858 Remington and Old Army shine - you can quickly pull the cylinder pin, roll out the cylinder, brush off the face of the cylinder and the area around the forcing cone and be back in business in about a minute. The Colt designs with a barrel wedge take a little longer. On the other hand the more open design resists stoppage due to fouling a little better.
Either way, if the pistol starts to get hard to cock and the cylinder starts to hesitate to move, you'll want to do a quick field cleaning. While you've got it broken down it doesn't hurt to brush the fouling out of the bore either.
If you have a little water or a BP solvent and some patches, it doesn't take much longer to do a more thorough cleaning of the bore, the chambers and the forcing cone area.
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I clean my cap and ball pistols completely at home using tap water, as hot as it will go, to rinse the bore and the non-internal areas of the frame, along with a brush to help remove any fouling. I do take care not to get water inside the action of the pistol. I do make sure I run enough hot water over the firearm to heat it up to the same temp as the water. I then quickly dry it with a soft cotton cloth, and then let the latent heat in the metal finish the drying process. This will generally take care of a drop or two of water that may get inside.
Once the powder residue is removed, I clean the firearm normally with powder solvent, bronze brush, patches etc, like I would any smokeless firearm, and then ensure all the surfaces are lightly oiled. On a cap and ball revolver, I will put a few drops of a rust preventative oil in all the open recesses where some powder residue may be hiding.
Once a year, I'll also detail strip the revolver and throughly clean all the internal parts and surfaces. This approach seems to work as I've never encountered any rust inside the revolvers.
For my high dollar black powder cartridge rifles I'll forgo the water and use a black powder solvent to prevent water getting in contact with expensive wood and metal. As an aside, the BP solvent also works well to clean smokeless firearms using corrosive ammunition.
Revolver or rifle, I then follow up in a few days with oiled patches though the bore and chamber(s) to remove the potentially corrosive chemicals that leach out of the metal, check for any indictions of flash rust, and re-oil the surfaces to prevent rust.
In that regard, stainless steel cap and ball revolvers are nice as they are a little more rust resistant and more water tolerant, so you can worry a little less about your cleaning and re-oiling procedures - within limits.
I guess that is another possibility.
