1858 Uberti in Stainless received as a gift, tips on care?

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So I received a great suprise early bday gift from my dad who lives out of state since he knows I'm into Civil War memorabilia, etc. I now have a Uberti 1858 44 caliber in Stainless (8"bbl) I've had experience with lots of cartridge guns and shotguns but this is a different beast.

In my cart:
.454 balls
Ballistol
Empty Spray Bottles to make "moose milk"
Hoppe's
Bore butter
Measuring horn (with 30grn nozzle)
And some #10 Remington Caps
Some Pyrodex P (not sure if that's the one I should go with though)

I'm not trying to annoy seasoned black powder shooters out there...but just wanted some advice on anyhting else you think I might need.

Particaulary what should I use to remove the oil the pistol came covered in. I am used to cleaning normal cartridge guns (My method is simply Hoope's #9 and Hoppe's Oil or Breakfree CLP/Oil)

I realize BP is a whole different animal but I want to get started on the right foot. I've got this big honkin revolver (which I really love) and have watched a ton of videos about loading, etc. But many are conflicting. (27-30grn Pyrodex P with a .454 ball rammed down to shave a nice ring and then a generous application of bore butter over each chamber. Then I read to use lubricated wads...I'm not sure whether to lube the ball either. To put it simply I'm lost, but a good learner.

I know this is a lot. But any info is good info and I do want to do things right. I'm hoping the stainless will be a bit more forgiving when it comes to proper cleaning. I do plan to clean it properly if I knew what exactly to do. I do live in Florida and I really worry about rust/corrosion/pitting especially when stored so hopefully the Stainless will be a bit better on that front. Can I use Eezox or CLP like I used on all my cartridge guns or should I stick to Black powder only stuff?

What do you recommend from the point of opening the box from a fully oiled (and I mean oiled!) new revolver to getting it ready to shoot and properly cleaned, at range once over then proper cleaning at home and I would like to know how to keep her preserved between range visits/ when stored?

Thanks ahead of time, I do appreciate you all
 
Well yep, you want to clean off the oil they try to pickle her in.
Just about any kind of degreaser will work in my opinion.

I'm not a fan of Pyrodex or any of the wannabe black powder fakers.
There are plenty of folks that are though and Pyrodex will work if you care for it properly.
.....BUT, I think you should at least try REAL Black Powder at least once, if not first, before you write it off, since that's what these C&B revolvers were designed to use, and what was used back in the day.
Real Black Powder has a shelf life of next to forever.
Some folks like to use lubed wads to help keep fouling down. Brand name = Wonder Wads, but you can also make your own.

There will be plenty of opinions, and most of them at least will not be wrong even though they're different.
 
Tear it completely down and clean the packing oil out of it just like you would a smokeless gun that shipped from overseas. Bore Butter slathered on top of the balls is going to make a greasy mess. All you need is a little dab around the edges of the balls. Something stiffer would be better or just use lubed wads under the balls and forget about it. I use 30 grains of P or RS, it won't make enough difference to tell. Use real black if you can get it. Cleanup is best done with hot soapy water. Cleaners designed for smokeless won't remove bp fouling. No petroleum based lube in the bore or chambers unless you want to clean it back out before you load it. Petroleum based lube is ok for the insides. Use whatever oil you want as an external wipe down.
 
Howdy

Here is what I do with any revolver that I intend to shoot exclusively with Black Powder.

1. Tear it down completely

2. Remove ALL of the oil and grease inside the revolver and on all the parts. I used to use lacquer thinner for this, because it is a very powerful solvent, but lacquer thinner is pretty nasty stuff. Absolutely do not use lacquer thinner indoors with out really good ventilation. Besides the fumes being toxic, they are heavier than air, and if the fumes come in contact with a source of ignition, such as the pilot light in a hot water heater, and explosion can result. These days instead of lacquer thinner I use alcohol. Isopropyl rubbing alcohol or whatever you find on the shelves of the local drugstore. While not as powerful a solvent as lacquer thinner, alcohol will work fine. Do wear gloves and do keep the fumes away from the pilot light of the water heater.

3. I follow up by slathering Ballistol on everything. All the surfaces of all the parts, and on all the surfaces inside the frame. (Yes, some object to the odor of Ballistol, it is very pungent and makes me sneeze, but its benefits far outweight a little bit of sneezing.) Here is the thing: As we all know, Black Powder fouling is hygroscopic, meaning it will suck water vapor out of the atmosphere and hold the water against the metal. Contrary to popular belief, it is the moisture in the fouling that causes metals to corrode. But, and here is the secret, if fouling is soaked in oil, any oil, it loses its ability to suck moisture out of the air. Think of it as a sponge that is already saturated with water. The sponge cannot absorb any more water. Similarly, Black Powder fouling that is soaked with oil cannot absorb any moisture out of the air, and this will prevent any corrosion.

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4. Reassemble everything and shoot the revolver with Black Powder.

5. Contrary to popular belief, after shooting a firearm with Black Powder it IS NOT necessary to completely disassemble it to clean it. Just clean the chambers and the bore, and every easily accessible surface. Just leave what ever BP fouling that has worked its way down into the guts of the revolver there. It is not necessary to totally clean all the fouling out, and completely disassembling the revolver every time you shoot it increases the possibility of losing screws and cross threading tapped holes. Be sure to squirt some more Ballistol down into the guts through the slot where the hand pokes through the frame, and the opening where the hammer rests in the frame.

I will generally completely disassemble a revolver that has been fired with Black Powder maybe once a year to get all the black, oily gunk out and relube with fresh Ballistol. I took this photo of a SAA that I took apart after several years of shooting Black Powder cartridges in it. Yes, there is plenty of black, oily gunk inside, but absolutely no rust. I cleaned it up, relubed with Ballistol and started shooting my Black Powder cartridges again.

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Ballistol, some old rags and a big box of q-tips! Flood everything with moose milk and start wiping off the fouling. Use the Q-tips to get into every nook and cranny.
For a much cleaner/faster loading experience look into making your own paper cartridges. I find it adds to the hobby and helps keep the knowledge alive.
 
I agree with DJ on 1 through 4. The cleaning process is different than modern guns. I strip down my pistol, go outside to the water hose and flush it with water. I then spray moose milk on everything, then clean with moose milk. After cleaning everything is coated in Ballistol except the cylinder pin. I use synthetic grease on the pin. Everyone has an opinion on the best way to lube the ball, they all work. Some are neat and some are messy. It also depends on the temperature of your location. In hot locations lube on top of the ball will make a mess. It was 106 today. My system is as follows, 25g of Pyrodex P, a wad made from a cereal box just slightly larger than chamber size, after the wad is seated on the powder I add a few pieces of soy wax granules, then seat the ball. This way I have a good lube to keep the fouling under control and no lube mess and the wad keeps the lube out of the powder. My ‘58 is a Navy in 36 caliber.
 
All the above is good stuff. I got into the habit of packing the innards with hi temperature wheel bearing grease. It keeps a lot of the fouling out and really helps clean up. You don't have to completely strip the pistol down after your shooting session, clean the barrel and cylinder, wipe down the frame, done deal. You can detail strip it once a year, clean out the grease, repack it go another year. Be sure to use a hi temp grease such as Mobil one.
 
Before I began using Mobil 1 in the action I would run them wet with CLP or later, Eezox. After every shooting session I would clean the cylinder and bore, wipe everything down, dry the cylinder and reload it and lastly, squirt a bit of CLP or Eezox into the bolt, hammer and hand openings in the frame. Once a year or so disassemble down to the frame, clean everything and reassemble. Easy and effective.
 
clean all the shipping oil off.

start by detail strpping it, it's a simple gun, and not difficult. you need a quality hollow ground screwdriver bit set.

Hot water and Dawn dishwashing detergent works well. Follow up with BALLISTOL to prevent rust.

avoid all petroleum based oils, use Ballistol for oil and "moose milk" ( ballistol/water ) for cleaning.

save the Hoppes#9 for modern smokeless guns.

I prefer GOEX black powder, but as I am starting to run short, I've been trying PYRODEX, it's decent, but not as authentic.

they are fun, and addictive

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With regard to loading, it's actually kind of hard to do it wrong. Use enough powder that it is slightly compressed under the ball - the jury is out on whether it's actually dangerous to leave an air gap, but there's really no need to find out for yourself.

The ball should be big enough to completely seal the chamber. Some guns will shave a ring of lead and some won't. It's another thing we love to argue about, but it's not truly important.

Some people use wads and others prefer lube over the ball. The latter groups sometimes say that is for safety - to prevents sparks from entering other chambers and setting them off - but I have my doubts. The ball should seal the chamber perfectly and prevent such issues. The lube really is there to keep fouling soft, which it does very well. It also gets everywhere and makes a real mess. And if carried in a holster on a Florida afternoon, in will drip out all over everything. I personally prefer lubed wads to avoid the mess. The pre-made "Wonder Wads" work fine if you don't mind paying for them. Otherwise you can buy a wad punch and some felt and make your own.

Short version: dump about 30 grains of powder into the chamber. Place a wad on top, unless your are going to put grease on the ball. Then place a .454 ball on top and firmly ram it home. Repeat with the other chambers. Grease if you're going to. Then put the gun on half cock, cap each nipple and push each cap down firmly (with your thumb if you're brave, or with whatever little stick you have handy) and then shoot. It really is just that simple.
 
Excellent info guys truly appreciated. Should I get the aerosol or the liquid ballistol?

It is of course cheaper to buy it in the large bottle.

In addition to the large bottle I pictured earlier, I keep a small bottle as well as the spray handy.

The small bottle (4.1 ounces) has a swivel nozzle at the top. You pry it up to pour the liquid out, you rotate it down to seal it. Personally, I find I use the aerosol the least. Some guys will tell you they spray some Ballistol down the bore before leaving the range, to soften up the fouling. I have never bothered with that, I wait until I get home to do all the cleaning.

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I keep these small jars in my gun cart when I go to a CAS match.The one on the left has Ballistol in it, the one on the right has nasty Hoppes #9. I only use the Hoppes when cleaning up after Smokeless. Anyway, I bought a couple of the large bottles a few years ago, and I still have not opened the second one. It is easy to refill these little jars from the big bottle of Ballistol.

pnlWpJiYj.jpg
 
Somebody asked for photos earlier.

Here is a bonus.

The blued Rimnington is my old EuroArms Remmie that I bought brand spanky new in 1975. It was actually made my Armi San Paolo, EuroArms was a distributor. I bought the Stainless Uberti one used a number of years ago. I just looked up the date code and it looks like it was made in 2003, so somebody must have sold it shortly after they bought it.

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This photo shows them with the 45 Colt cartridge conversion cylinders they usually wear. Yes, the Stainless one came with a blued cartridge conversion cylinder along with its original Stainless Cap & Ball cylinder. I got it for a very good price back then, so I never minded the "two tone" appearance.

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It may or may not be obvious from these photos, but the Uberti revolver is slightly larger than the EuroArms one. The Uberti weighs 2 pounds 14 Ounces, the EuroArms one weighs 2 pounds 9 ounces. I have been told the EuroArms Remmie is closer in size to the originals.
 
One big issue though. Percussion caps. Do the CCI #10's confirm fit the Uberti 1858 Remington? I can't find those or the remington ones anywhere. Besides a couple confirmed scam sites.
 
It is of course cheaper to buy it in the large bottle.

In addition to the large bottle I pictured earlier, I keep a small bottle as well as the spray handy.

The small bottle (4.1 ounces) has a swivel nozzle at the top. You pry it up to pour the liquid out, you rotate it down to seal it. Personally, I find I use the aerosol the least. Some guys will tell you they spray some Ballistol down the bore before leaving the range, to soften up the fouling. I have never bothered with that, I wait until I get home to do all the cleaning.

View attachment 1099194




I keep these small jars in my gun cart when I go to a CAS match.The one on the left has Ballistol in it, the one on the right has nasty Hoppes #9. I only use the Hoppes when cleaning up after Smokeless. Anyway, I bought a couple of the large bottles a few years ago, and I still have not opened the second one. It is easy to refill these little jars from the big bottle of Ballistol.

View attachment 1099195
Great stuff! Thanks a ton!!
 
It would be nice if that were the case, but it can and does happen. (Honestly, I suspect it's pretty rare and often use a thumb myself.)

https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=1620.0


I said it when I was a member of SASS and was posting on the SASS Wire and I'm not afraid of saying it now. He's a liar and the truth ain't in him. He would have to have been holding the gun in an awkward position to have blown off that side of his thumb. Nah uh, didn't happen.
 
Sorry to hit you guys with so many questions but once I remove the factory oil with rubbing alcohol then do the ballistol routine...what would you recommend for oil on the gun or is the ballistol all i need even if I store it away for a good while until I find #10 caps? Would something like Eezox (where I usually apply and let sit for hours according to instructions) be wise if I end up having to store it away for bit....I plan on moving to Alaska soon from this humid Florida condo. :-/

I guess I'm asking for long term storage should I oil the gun beyond ballistol and remove or antiseize the nipples?
 
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