Cap and Ball Lubrication Question

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Blobfisherman

Blobfisherman

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Hey y'all. I'm pretty new to cap and ball revolvers, just getting started in them this month. I know that a lot of paper cartridges are/were lubricated before being loaded into a weapon, and when not using paper cartridges, folks encourage either using a lubricated wad between the powder and ball or adding lube over the ball in a loaded chamber.

Would it be possible to lubricate a ball only prior to loading? I.e., dip a round ball into melted lubricant, allow it dry and solidify, then load and fire it at a later date to avoid some of the mess with lube while on the firing line? I can see some potential issues with melting lube if it's stored in a hot climate, but in my inexperienced mind it seems like it could slightly expedite the loading process. This could be the dumbest question asked here today, but I'm curious.

Thanks for the input and any other advice!
 
A couple of thoughts; I dip lube my paper cartridges then scrape the top of the bullets because the ram makes a mess with the lube it squashes all over. A lubed bullet if left in direct contact with the powder, after a while will degrade the powder.
The only reason to use lube is to keep the powder fouling soft and allow more shots and clean up a lot easier. For the one that I keep loaded, just powder and ball, I may add a little over bullet lube before I shoot it if I don't plan to follow up with lubed shots.
 
If using BP, grab a stick of 50-50 ALOX lube:
Cut a 1/4" (or less) slice off the end;
Cut that slice into quarters; and
Press a piece down over the ball in the loaded cylinder...

As desired, leave it loaded w/o being capped.
Walk away.... ;)
 
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I enjoyed shooting percussion revolvers in cowboy action competition for 22 years. Shoulder arthritis prevents continuing.

I used 1851s, 1860s, and Ruger Old Armies. I never competed with paper cartridges or lubricated wads. They both took time to make. The little lubed wads would blow off the table while I was loading, just an extra step that I could do without.

Charge the chamber with powder, then the ball. Then wipe a smear of beeswax/Crisco on the face of the cylinder. No need to completely cover the ball, unnecessary and wasteful. You just want to keep the barrel/cylinder gap a little juicy so the fouling doesn’t build up. The barrel takes care of itself. Wipe your fingertip on your jeans.

Now, if you are trying to use a percussion revolver as a bench rest gun, trying to shoot small groups at ranges over 50 yards, a lubed wad between powder and ball might help. Might. I don’t know and won’t say for sure because I never tried that kind of shooting. I can simply verify that you can shoot at least 40 or 50 rounds out of a percussion revolver without fouling problems when smearing a dab of lube on the cylinder face.

I never tried Alox on percussion balls. I did load some black powder cartridges with Alox lubed bullets. Accuracy suffered and the guns were a b…h to clean. So I went back to beeswax/Crisco lubed bullets for my cowboy action rifle and lived happily ever after.

My experience; your mileage may vary.
 
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Controversially, I consider lube to be semi-optional, since I’ve forgotten to lube the ball tops several times and never had a chainfire from it. However, it will start to make the cylinder drag after only a few shots. Lubricant generally makes the gun function smoother with less friction and wear. Simple Crisco does the job fine and cheaply. Felt wads make minimal difference ballistically or accuracy wise (out to 20 yards at least), but they make a big difference in swabbing out the bore. I notice a big reduction in lead deposits in the bore during cleaning after shooting wads, so they function like the cleaner loads that used to be manufactured for shotguns. Without wads, I end up removing a mass of lead from the bore when running a jag through. With lubed wads, that doesn’t happen. However, the wads do NOT keep the gun functioning smoothly. My preferred method is simply loading the ball over powder for carry, and lubricate over projectile and around the arbor at the range just to keep the gun running smoothly. For the last cylinder, I sometimes load wads to make clean up a little easier, but I sometimes forget too with no ill effect either way.
 
J-Bar said:
I never tried Alox on percussion balls
Click to expand...
Remember the "ALOX" (the hollow stick lube) is actually 1/2 beeswax.
It's the beeswax that softens up fouling when apply over the ball.
(though 2-1 Crisco/beeswax is best combo for least messy/best softening on balance)
 
gtrgy888 said:
I wrote lead deposit because I can swab lead strips out of the bore, especially after shooting conicals. I can verify shooting with insufficient bullet lube will lead the bore.
Click to expand...
One of my Old Army revolvers is terrible at this. Unless Iube with SPG/Stihl HP mix. Then no leading whatsoever.
 
Excessive lube on the projectile will ruin your accuracy. Been there, done that. I make my own "wonder wads" with wool wads and bore butter nuked in a microwave and then cooled which is about as good as one can get between the powder and ball. Then of course it is still necessary to seal the chamber with some more.
 
J-Bar said:
I enjoyed shooting percussion revolvers in cowboy action competition for 22 years. Shoulder arthritis prevents continuing.

I used 1851s, 1860s, and Ruger Old Armies. I never competed with paper cartridges or lubricated wads. They both took time to make. The little lubed wads would blow off the table while I was loading, just an extra step that I could do without.

Charge the chamber with powder, then the ball. Then wipe a smear of beeswax/Crisco on the face of the cylinder. No need to completely cover the ball, unnecessary and wasteful. You just want to keep the barrel/cylinder gap a little juicy so the fouling doesn’t build up. The barrel takes care of itself. Wipe your fingertip on your jeans.

Now, if you are trying to use a percussion revolver as a bench rest gun, trying to shoot small groups at ranges over 50 yards, a lubed wad between powder and ball might help. Might. I don’t know and won’t say for sure because I never tried that kind of shooting. I can simply verify that you can shoot at least 40 or 50 rounds out of a percussion revolver without fouling problems when smearing a dab of lube on the cylinder face.

I never tried Alox on percussion balls. I did load some black powder cartridges with Alox lubed bullets. Accuracy suffered and the guns were a b…h to clean. So I went back to beeswax/Crisco lubed bullets for my cowboy action rifle and lived happily ever after.

My experience; your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...

Cowboy action is a completely different discipline to target shooting.

A properly made lubricated wad is a fine aid to accuracy but is really only useful if trying to wring the best groups out of the piece. If shooting at a large target a few yards away. I agree it’s not going to be helpful.
 
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