Old Dragoon
Member
OMG! Now I have to tarnish up all those clean cases! NOT! Wonder if the old guys washed their brass or just reused therm until they cracked. I'd almost guess the latter.
1858 improperly loaded?
- Thread starter Blimp Captain
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In old days of mercury primers, deterioration was a serious consideration, the little damage by black powder on brass almost not enough to think about.
Consider old buffalo killers, they shot all day, loaded at night, and they did NOT take the time to wash&buff.
Each cartridge case was loaded what, 50-100 times?
As we do have the time&resources today, i would definately give em a wash and tumble, has a professional finished look as opposed to; Loaded by slopjockey/shadetree guy.
Consider old buffalo killers, they shot all day, loaded at night, and they did NOT take the time to wash&buff.
Each cartridge case was loaded what, 50-100 times?
As we do have the time&resources today, i would definately give em a wash and tumble, has a professional finished look as opposed to; Loaded by slopjockey/shadetree guy.
Father Knows Best
Member
Manyirons said:
I'm a cowboy action shooter. Tarnished brass has a much more authentic appearance, and works just fine.
Old Dragoon
Member
That's the reason I keep my cartridge loops full in my moneybelt, after a few weeks they look great!
THINK is was Ad Topperwin, pro shooter back in golden years of american gun companies, exibition shooters, if i'm right he was representing Winchester, would comment on Remington ammo, "Leave the green stuff in the sun until it ripens".
Verdigris reminded me of this. "I do not want green ammo in guns, sam i am!"
Verdigris reminded me of this. "I do not want green ammo in guns, sam i am!"
FNB, It ain't my idea. I don't shoot BP cartridge.
Told you what a kinda poll on a site that does do so does.
Here's the link: http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,7547.0.html
They might all be dumb, I don't know. You think it's not reasonable that the residues from BP can eat at the brass?
Hokay! As I said, I don't use it, wouldn't know.
I do know that the cases don't fit snug in the chambers, at least none of my modern cartridge guns do, .22 to .44Mag. Got wiggle room in them all. BP, I would assume, does too, and room for the gases to blow all over them. Clean or not, no skin off my nose.
Had a heck of a time finding that post. So dead on most of these boards, I had to go look for more. My bookmarking sucks.
Cheers,
George
Told you what a kinda poll on a site that does do so does.
Here's the link: http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,7547.0.html
They might all be dumb, I don't know. You think it's not reasonable that the residues from BP can eat at the brass?
Hokay! As I said, I don't use it, wouldn't know.
I do know that the cases don't fit snug in the chambers, at least none of my modern cartridge guns do, .22 to .44Mag. Got wiggle room in them all. BP, I would assume, does too, and room for the gases to blow all over them. Clean or not, no skin off my nose.
Had a heck of a time finding that post. So dead on most of these boards, I had to go look for more. My bookmarking sucks.
Cheers,
George
Father Knows Best
Member
gmatov said:
Black powder fouling is not, contrary to popular belief, corrosive. It can be if it gets damp, but it is also water soluble so it cleans up easily in water. Lots of guys do lots of things with the guns and ammo these days just because that's what someone told them to do, but it doesn't mean that it's necessary. A lot of it is just tradition based on old wives' tales.
As someone else pointed out above, brass cartridges were used with black powder regularly from the 1870s until smokeless completely took over in 1930s and 1940s. We know that users didn't go to great lengths to clean brass. Actually, a lot of firearms were themselves brass framed back then, such as the Henry and Yellowboy rifles. Do they think they were scrubbed, dried and oiled meticulously every time they were shot? I doubt it, yet they didn't suffer from any serious corrosion. In fact, most of them are in much better shape today than steel framed rifles, because they don't rust like steel.
The idea that black powder soot will destroy brass is a myth, plain and simple.
Brass is used for cartridge cases because it is soft and malleable. It is supposed to obturate (expand) and seal the chamber. With light loads and thick brass, that doesn't always work well. Well designed cartridges loaded to the original specs seal the chamber extremely well, however. I shoot a lot of 44-40, which is fairly thin. With a standard 200-205 grain bullet and a case full of black powder, I get absolutely no gases blowing back. The action stays clean and the cases come out with no signs of blowback. I see lots of guys who shoot light smokeless loads in things like .45 Colt (straight walled and thick brass) and get burn streaks down the outside of their brass. That is evidence of blowback.
FNB,
Ah, but a brass framed weapon, be it Yellowboy, or a CSA Colt copy, will only show some verdigris, not a continual buildup of rust. A steel framed weapon will continue to rust till it is a solid block of it. Copper bearing compounds will not build up as much, and the sulphates are soft enough that functioning will cut them. The iron or steel parts in them will continue building up, and make them non-functional.
I think, knowing the problems, they DID grease heck out of them, using whatever they had, and if it was grease from that evening's chili, it was better than nothing.
There ARE stories of the cowboys who kept a revolver in the holster for months or years, who, when they needed them, found they were a block of rust, totally non-functional.
I don't use BP brass, I don't know what harm there is to not treating it with a little respect.
Cheers,
George
Ah, but a brass framed weapon, be it Yellowboy, or a CSA Colt copy, will only show some verdigris, not a continual buildup of rust. A steel framed weapon will continue to rust till it is a solid block of it. Copper bearing compounds will not build up as much, and the sulphates are soft enough that functioning will cut them. The iron or steel parts in them will continue building up, and make them non-functional.
I think, knowing the problems, they DID grease heck out of them, using whatever they had, and if it was grease from that evening's chili, it was better than nothing.
There ARE stories of the cowboys who kept a revolver in the holster for months or years, who, when they needed them, found they were a block of rust, totally non-functional.
I don't use BP brass, I don't know what harm there is to not treating it with a little respect.
Cheers,
George
sundance44s
Member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2006
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yeaks modern powder in a remmie , i need to check my shooters bible , but i beleive its a sin ! 
modern powder is just a fad for the youngins it`ll pass ..:banghead:- Status
