Blackpowder and all the fixin's

[Beartracker]

Duncan, Never found a capper that I liked even with the one's I altered so I started doing it this way.Start cap on with your index finger and thumb then shove it all the way on with a piece of wood doll rod 6" long by 3/8" around and a piece of leather glued on the end.(I like to glue one on both ends.)
If you can picture a wad the same size as the doll rod and glued on the end you will see what I'm talking about.
This leather serves two purposes, one it helps keep the doll rod from slipping off the cap and two it acts as a cushion for the cap.You can shove the cap on real snug this way and not hurt the cap or your finger. Never had a cap go off doing it this way and I have used this method for years.
Hope this helps, Mike

 

[Manyirons]

Mike!

If i may interject, think it is "DOWEL" Rod, Duncan might wonder what "Doll" is.

 

[Beartracker]

Manyirons, What do you want from guy who graduated from Copley high school 5 miles west of Akron, Ohio? Everyone knows about people who lived in Ohio. Thanks for the correction Mike

 

[Manyirons]

Manyirons, What do you want from guy who graduated from Copley high school 5 miles west of Akron, Ohio? Everyone knows about people who lived in Ohio. Thanks for the correction Mike

Mike! It's o.k! Ah, wait a minute, I'm from OHIO! Oh HELL! Better get some "Duck" tape and get to work!

 

[Manyirons]

Duncan!

It'll be cold here yet this weekend, too cold to shoot! Maybe i'll pick up some dowel and make a few and post one over to you!

 

[Old Dragoon]

Manyirons,
Ain't it kinda hard to catch the ducks and tape them up. or do you just string the tape around the pond and catch them in mid takeoff or landing?? LOL

Had a 3/4 acre pond at my home in Michigan, woke up one spring morning and couldn't see my pond for the Canadian Geese they were everywhere, even on my neighbors pond. They stayed the day and left the next morning took me a week to clean the area without stepping in sumptin. Sure was cool to see them that close up. No I didn't "havest" any

 

[Duncaninfrance]

Mike!

If i may interject, think it is "DOWEL" Rod, Duncan might wonder what "Doll" is.

Hi guys. I worked out what a doll was.

( dowel
n noun a headless peg used for holding together components.
n verb (dowels, dowelling, dowelled; United States dowels, doweling, doweled) fasten with a dowel.

ORIGIN
Middle English: perhaps from Middle Low German dovel.)


You got to remember that we are two Nations separated by a single language! I have more problems though, I have to contend with French as well!! I just admit to speaking 2 languages fluently - English & Rubbish

Anyway, I can see the system in my mind, one end like a Pool Cue and the other like a starter? My main problem is the size of my fingers/thumbs. (They called me spade hands at school!) I find it very difficult to pick up and position a cap on the nipple.
I have the makings so I will give it a try though.
Duncan

 

[Duncaninfrance]

Hello again everyone, I received my books a few days ago and wow...they are full of info. Thank you for telling me about them. I'm out today to target practice. I think I'll stay around 25 yds and switch up some loads. Also, using the dowel rod W/ leather on end is much easier to apply my caps on my 58. the #10's work great. Teresa

Hi Tess, Most remiss of me not to applaud you enjoyment of this pleasant hobby of ours. Dear lady, do continue to exploit your happiness

Wonder if anyone in OHIO understands that

Duncan

 

[Manyirons]

Hi Tess, Most remiss of me not to applaud you enjoyment of this pleasant hobby of ours. Dear lady, do continue to exploit your happiness

Wonder if anyone in OHIO understands that

Duncan

Yep! only 90% as dim as i seem!

 

[BP Tess]

Oh the dowel thing works perfectly for me. I tried one of those in-line cappers and I can't seat them on properly. I also use the dowel to seat the lubed wad over powder. I can get equil pressure when I press the ball into place. It assures me there's no space in there. It's cold here now, so I don't know if I'll have to change this when warm weather sets in. Will it contaminate the powder? BTW, I get plenty of smoke. I had alittle bit of trouble with some of my caps misfiring...I said heck with this and opened a new can...soooooo far it helped. Maybe I wasn't gettin' them seated down good but I seemed to have better luck after that. It's a little scary when that happens. Do you think lubed wad should be changed in hot weather? Thanks guys for all the info...Teresa

 

[Low Key]

You might like this, I use a dry vegetable fiber wad (bought from cabelas) over the powder and a "lube pill" over the wad and then seat the ball on top of that and it works very well for me. The lube pill is bore butter and beeswax (or lard, olive oil, and beeswax) melted together in a pan and allowed to set up and then cut into 45 caliber "pills". Powder contamination hasn't been a problem for me at all with this setup.
I just started using this combo right before the weather got cooler in the fall, so this summer I'll try a bit more beeswax in the mix if I have problems with the mixture getting too soft.

 

[Manyirons]

You might like this, I use a dry vegetable fiber wad (bought from cabelas) over the powder and a "lube pill" over the wad and then seat the ball on top of that and it works very well for me. The lube pill is bore butter and beeswax (or lard, olive oil, and beeswax) melted together in a pan and allowed to set up and then cut into 45 caliber "pills". Powder contamination hasn't been a problem for me at all with this setup.
I just started using this combo right before the weather got cooler in the fall, so this summer I'll try a bit more beeswax in the mix if I have problems with the mixture getting too soft.

Exactly same system i use, only home cut wads and Gatofeo #1 lube. Second option is two THIN wads, one lubricated one not, the not is the over powder wad.

 

[Duncaninfrance]

You might like this, I use a dry vegetable fiber wad (bought from cabelas) over the powder and a "lube pill" over the wad and then seat the ball on top of that and it works very well for me. The lube pill is bore butter and beeswax (or lard, olive oil, and beeswax) melted together in a pan and allowed to set up and then cut into 45 caliber "pills". Powder contamination hasn't been a problem for me at all with this setup.
I just started using this combo right before the weather got cooler in the fall, so this summer I'll try a bit more beeswax in the mix if I have problems with the mixture getting too soft.

How thick do make them LK and where do you let it set before you punch out the pills?

Still can't get any mutton tallow so might use your recipe. If I use paper cartridges as I thought with only powder/pollent/dry wad I can then drop in a lube pill and ball and Robert is your fathers brother?.
Duncan

 

[Low Key]

How thick do make them LK and where do you let it set before you punch out the pills?

I make them about 1/8 inch thick on average, I think thats around 3-4mm? I have a 45 auto casing that I cut the head off of it and use that as a punch, works really well. I use a small cast iron skillet to cook them up in and after everything is mixed, I let it cool for about 40 minutes and then punch them out right in the pan. I re-use my left overs the next time I cook up a batch.
The skillet I use has a dedicated purpose, so my wife doesnt have to kill me for messing up her good cookware.

 

[Beartracker]

Teresa, If your using wonder wads you don't have to worry about contamination in the summer. As for the caps you really have to make sure they are seated all the way down on the nipple.Don't be afraid to push fairly hard to seat them with your dowel rod.If you watch as your pushing them on you will see them stop when completely seated.
As for the caps not going off you may have other problems and that could be the nipples are not clean enough or dry.Make sure you use pipe cleaners to clean and dry them out. Also make sure the cylinder chambers are dry all the way to the bottom. I use a patch and a small paint brush handle to clean and dry them. Just place a dry patch over the chamber and then shove it to the bottom with the handle and twist the handle and patch a few times. Then I use a Qtip to finish drying. Now use your nipple pick to make sure the holes are open and clean. Hold the cylinder up to the light so you can look through the cylinder and out the nipple holes and see day light and how clean they are. This sounds like it takes a while but I can do it in less than 5 minutes. It's a whole lot cheaper than setting off 6 caps to dry the nipples.

 

[finlander]

You don't say how much powder your using

I was using 24grs measured by volume, but it was a little windy so maybe the smoke flew away.

BTW, has anyone had any accuracy problems with 1970-1980 made Uberti Remington 1858? Can't get better groups than one feet from 15 metres. I ain't good shooter yet but I ain't that bad! Load was still 24grs of Swiss 3fg and .454 ball.

 

[Manyirons]

I was using 24grs measured by volume, but it was a little windy so maybe the smoke flew away.

BTW, has anyone had any accuracy problems with 1970-1980 made Uberti Remington 1858? Can't get better groups than one feet from 15 metres. I ain't good shooter yet but I ain't that bad! Load was still 24grs of Swiss 3fg and .454 ball.

Yep. I KNOW your powders a bit high, but adjust your load! Try two grams with lube/wad and from the bench please to test, fouling may also be contributing (You wrote you use no lube) to the general lack in accuracy. work up to 2.5grams.

 

[finlander]

Yep. I KNOW your powders a bit high, but adjust your load!

Oh, so it's high. Though that was pretty normal load. Well, I guess I have to get a powder scale (I don't reload, at least yet) if I want accurate loads. All I have just now is 24gr spout for powder flask.

 

[Manyirons]

Oh, so it's high. Though that was pretty normal load. Well, I guess I have to get a powder scale (I don't reload, at least yet) if I want accurate loads. All I have just now is 24gr spout for powder flask.

NO!!!!!!

I meant PRICEY! As in "Costs a lot" , your powder charge is LOW, up it some to 2.0+ grams. (Or thirty plus grains)

 

[mec]

the accuracy could be a lot of things. I had one from that era that was plenty accurate but tended to shed parts due to poor metalurgy

 

[Manyirons]

the accuracy could be a lot of things. I had one from that era that was plenty accurate but tended to shed parts due to poor metalurgy

A gun with leprosy?

 

[mec]

not a bad analogy

 

[Manyirons]

I think of it wearing duct tape bandages and calling out; UNCLEAN! Leper! Outcast!

Eyetie metal STILL aint that hot!

 

[finlander]

NO!!!!!!

I meant PRICEY! As in "Costs a lot" , your powder charge is LOW, up it some to 2.0+ grams. (Or thirty plus grains)

Ah, misunderstandment happens. Actually most accurate (or least inaccurate) load I tried was .357Mag case full of powder, 24grs filled a .38spc case, so .357 case may be somewhere around 30grs.

People here have been telling me not to use loads above 30grs, is there any possible danger using, say, 30-40grs loads?

 

[Low Key]

If the 58 revolver you're using is a steel framed version, then you are in no danger at all using up to 40gr loads of BP or Pyrodex P. If you happen to be using H777 then don't load above 30gr, the 777 is more energetic than pyrodex p and you want to err on the side of safety.