New to BP revolvers

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bluffskier

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I just picked up a .44 cal stainless 1858 revolver from The Sports Mans Guide. Target sights and all. Sould be in by the end of the month. I have some questions though,

What would the most accurate size ball be? I was going to orders some but noticed that the Hornady balls come in various sizes.


Smoothing the boar. I'll have to look into this more as I have no clue. I have a ton of gun cleaning patches but need some 2nd grade guidance on this one.


What are the essentials for shooting. Can I just buy the kit? I have a feeling putting one together myself with some tips on what to buy would be better.


I was going to buy some patches, but still must raise my hand on this one. Are the pre-lubed cut patches my best option? What is the best bore lube to use?

I'm trying to get my stuff all ready now so I can go shoot the day the gun arrives.
I read the post by Gatofeo, and it was amazing nad it answered most of my questions. I just need some super basic guidance, (this is the barrel, lol, not that basic). I am reasonably experianced with firearms from military and personal use. I goto the range occasionaly but try to shoot at my friends bother's inlaws family's relative's coworkers ranch. Much cheaper that way. 10 bucks a gun or 15 bucks an hour at the range gets kinda high, and besides I dislike indoor ranges, it gets annoying when the guy next to you is shooting a 300 ultra mag and you have been drinking coffee all morning.

Anyway, thankyou for your time reading this and any guidance you may offer.
 
Use .454 round balls. Forget the patches except for cleaning. When you ram the ball in the cylinder it will cut off a ring of lead. Put some crisco or bees wax on the front of the cylinder to fill it up in front of the ball. Use maybe 25 grains of 3f black powder-Goex will do if you can get it. Get some hot caps, CCI or ask for the German ones. YOu will have to experiment to see what works best for you. Have lots of fun.
 
Smoothing the bore? Should not be necessary, but if it looks rough to you the first 50 rounds or so should take care of it.

Most accurate ball is something you will have to determine. Factory .44 cal round balls come in .451, .454 and .457 diameters. The most likely size for your gun will be, as Chawbaccer already mentioned, .454. It will be a press fit, in that some force will be required to push it into the cylinder and it will shave off a small ring of lead. This ring is important, so be sure it happens. It ensures the ball is swaged into the chamber and forms a gas seal.

Grease over the ball is optional; there is a raging debate about it's use. Some use lubed felt overpowder wads. Some use both. Some use neither.

You may wish to try the other size balls and various amounts of powder either side of Chawbaccer's 25 grains, along with grease, wads and both or neither to see what shoots best in your gun.
 
Hopefully you will look up at any items that you hear about but are not familiar with in the advanced search box that's accessed through the search icon on each page, and specify a black powder forum search for past threads to learn more about them.
An inexpensive or homemade loading stand is a helpful device to hold up the pistol while measuring out and dropping in the measured powder.
That's different than a table top loading device which assists in ramming the balls into the chambers while it's removed from the revolver.
Also, you'll need a volumetric powder measure. And if it has a little funnel attached to help direct the powder being dropped into each chamber that's helpful too.
Small vials, pill bottles or tubes can be used to hold pre-measured powder loads to save time doing that at the range.
A capper helps to dispense caps and to place them on the nipples, but not all of them will fit every style of revolver. There's straight line cappers and snail cappers and some work better than others.
Some folks use wool wads under the ball instead of putting Bore Butter, Wonder Lube or Crisco over the ball to prevent chain fires. The thick felt wool wad can be bought pre-lubed or dry, and they help to fill the chamber when shooting less than maximum loads of powder.
Other chamber filler materials are also used such as Cream of Wheat, corn meal, semolina or grits.
Others use wax lube pills under the ball for lubricating the barrel and to keep the powder fouling soft.
A pistol nipple wrench specifically designed to fit the Remington revolvers is necessary ro remove and clean the nipples.
A nipple pick is a thin wire used to poke obstructions or powder fouling out of the nipple hole so the caps will ignite the powder reliably.
A basic gunsmithing screw driver set is helpful to not booger up screws when it's necessary to remove them for cleaning or repairs.
Everyone has their preferred powder solvents for cleaning powder fouling and which often depend on the type of powder being used. Some folks use commercial and some use homemade mixtures as well as their favorite natural lubricants to keep the gun running while shooting, especially on the cylinder pin.
Then whatever other necessary cleaning supplies that are needed to clean the gun after every shooting session.
Over time you may want to buy a spare cylinder to be able to shoot more shots between loadings, a mold to cast your own ammo, construct paper cartridges etc...
Don't ever forget to keep your hands away from anywhere near the front of the loaded cylinder when ever it's loaded or being fired because chain fires do happen.
And don't forget to bring a along a big ol' smile once you start making lots of smoke with your new revolver! :D
 
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I'm brand new to this, too. Just fired my first black powder revolver today (1851 Confederate Navy .44 from Pietta). Yes, I've already read about why I should have gotten a steal frame model. Yes, I have already experienced the caps jamming the revolver and keeping the cylinder from turning -- and that was while I was following the recommendation to fire caps on all nipples before loading the first time to make sure the nipple holes are clear. Yes, I discovered that the Pietta folks really banged that wedge in tightly, and it was darn hard to get out. Nobody told me that screw needed to be loosened first, either, but figured that one out. And it sure took my very inexperienced hands a long time to load those first rounds. It got harder with fingers covered with bore butter. But it sure was fun, and I actually had a fairly good grouping at 25 yards the first time out. Guess I'll have to keep coming back! Oh, and what about those wads? Cabela's includes them in their starter kit, along with their grease which looks identical to Thompson's Bore Butter. Does using the wads affect the accuracy of the ball? Any ideas?
 
Does using the wads affect the accuracy of the ball?
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Lubed felt wads may have a minor influence on accuracy. They do help provide some integrity to the powder column and result in more consistent results from shot to shot. This is more evident in long guns than revolvers, although few people use overpowder wads in rifles yet. Their main advantage is the application of lubrication (which keeps the black powder combustion byproducts soft and minimizing the effects of fouling on the gun's action parts) in a less messy way than putting 'grease' over the ball in the chamber. They may also provide some insurance against chain fires by supporting a good gas seal around the ball.
 
First go here: www.dixiegunworks.com

Then order a copy of their print catalog. This more-or-less 700 pages book will cost you $5.00... :what:

It is filled with good information, and just about any accessory you can think of - and of course many you won't.

This will bring up even more questons, but not to worry - you know where to find answers don't you... :) ;)
 
I discovered that the Pietta folks really banged that wedge in tightly, and it was darn hard to get out. Nobody told me that screw needed to be loosened first, either, but figured that one out.
Click to expand...

You shouldn't need to touch the screw, it's there to keep the wedge from falling completely out.

What are the essentials for shooting. Can I just buy the kit? I have a feeling putting one together myself with some tips on what to buy would be better.
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You can spend as much as the cost of the revolver on possibles.
Nipple wrench. This one is about as heavy duty as I have used, the imports are junk, the ears twist off very easy.

Powder measure These are handy if you shoot more than one size load.

Powder flask. You can get different size spouts so you have assorted charge size, or use a measure.

Capper. choice is diverse.

Caps, balls, wads if you use them, bullet lube, possibles bag, powder horn. Loading stand is a nice thing to have, particularly if you want to load conicals or do some serious target work. Check out the 'triple P loader' in this forum.

+1 on getting a Dixie Gun Works catalog, they list most of the current replicas with specs and loading info. Tons of info and triva in the back pages, it's as thick as a phone book.
 
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The bare essentials:

1) powder/caps/balls/wads or lube if you want (recommended)
2) a powder measure
3) a powder flask (having a pound of powder open at the range is not a good idea)
4) a rag (for field stripping while shooting--Remmies tend to foul pretty quick)
5) natural lube (like veggie oil or bore butter)
6) a nipple wrench
7) a screw driver
8) cleaning rod/patches
9) old tooth brush
10) pipe cleaners or q-tips
11) a Black powder solvent (not strictly necessary but makes clean up a lot faster)

And that's it. If you want cappers and nipple picks and loading stands and such, well they all have a purpose, but you'll make smoke just fine without them.

--T
 
this is all good information but its already listed. Black powder main page. Black powder essentials. You can find all the info you need. From videos on cleaning and shooting to what kind of powder and supplies you will need.
 
Ok, Thankyou for your help. Arcticap, I didn't see the search button until I became a member, but now I found it I bet I have done around 100 searches it seems, it's my primary lurking tool. lol

From what I gathered I felt I needed an extra cylinder and a parts kit. I feel I did pretty good online at Cabela's. I got a box of .454 Hornady balls, 100 lubed patches (just to start out with and see what I like), the stainless cylinder and parts kit for $126 shipped. They have a $20 off coupon on orders over 100 bucks that expires on the 23rd and the parts kit was on sale. I think that's about it.

Now for the powder. I found some 30 gr. pellets made by Pyrodex, but think I'll stick to the loose for now. But are the pellets good? I know this might be a touchy subject, much like asking what grade oil to use in an old airhead. SE, SF, ect. ect. It can get pretty nasty quick depending on who's reding the post! Another thing, What powder to use... if I can't find black powder what would be some good choices? I was thinking Pyrodex P or triple 7, but don't want any sensitive powders being I'm on the coastal bend.
 
bluffskier , If the spare cylinder comes with 'the gun', then it is ok. if it is some addon you may find it isn't 'timed' to the gun, and a total waste of money. Timing is critical.

As far as other powders and pills I can't help you. I use the real thing, and nothing but the real thing..
 
I prefer real powder as well,but I can recommend Triple Seven.Clean up is the same as real powder,pull off the grips,drop the cylinder clean with plenty of HOT soapy water,rinse with clear hot water,dry, reinstall grips,lightly oil,check the gun in three days,oil again ,put away 'til next time.
 
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