Blackpowder pistol vs Crisco

[banek]

Hi to all.
I'm new to this forum thing and type really slow so if I screw up http://www.thehighroad.org/images/smilies/confused.gif.
I've been shooting muzzle loaders for awhile but just bought my first black powder revolver a Remington 44 Cal. 1858. I found a new love and have decked it out with a quick draw holster and a big belt buckle! The problem is you should seal the chambers with grease or Crisco to prevent a chainfire. See chainfire yay. I'm a machinist and resourceful so I made a mold to cast about 100 pellets at a time out of bee's wax. I have not tried them yet but would like to know if anyone else has tried this or do I need more lube for the bullet?
Thanks
Banek

 

[madcratebuilder]

Do a search for 'lube pills' or 'grease cookies'. A lot of us make these from beeswax, paraffin and different 'oils'. They are used between the powder and ball. Not near as messy as the grease over the ball, keeps the residue soft and helps prevent chain fires if you have poor fitting balls. I pour my mix out on a cookie sheet, then after it hardens I use a .45lc case to punch them out.

 

[Ginormous]

Hi Banek, welcome to THR Blackpowder Shooting forum!

I was the unfortunate soul who experienced the multiple discharge and burns in that thread.

I use lube pellets made as suggested by many of the long timers here: 50% Crisco and 50% beeswax between powder and ball. There are some variations on this mix, with some adding olive oil, others adding Bore Butter, and others using a lubed felt wad, either available commercially or home made. Although it may help against chainfires, I only count on it to keep the BP fouling soft in the pistol's works and barrel.

I think the two major factors you should be concerned with are a properly sized ball that seals the chamber, and well fitting percussion caps that fit tightly and stay on the nipples reliably.

Ball size can be determined quite easily, as a well sealing ball when seated will leave a small ring of lead on the chamber mouth. It should look like a relatively perfect circle when removed.

Proper percussion cap size may take some trial and error, but most likely a #10 or #11 cap from CCI, Remington, or RWS will fit the bill. Remember, you want the cap to fit tightly enough so it does not fall off when the gun is being fired, but not so tightly that the hammer is unable to detonate the cap against the nipple.

Also, you might consider wearing hand protection of some sort when firing your revolver, at least until you work out a reliable combination of cap size, and ball size.

 

[Pancho]

Welcome to The High Road. I think you will find that the formula for lube pills will vary with the ambient temperature that the shooter has to put up with. Using straight bees wax might work in the south in summer but it wouldn't work very well up north during hunting season. Adding tallow or crisco and paraffin to the mix allows you to vary the stiffness according to your needs

 

[ClemBert]

Only IF you select an undersized ball or your revolver is defective (chamber tolerances not machined properly, et al) do you need to consider lube over the ball as a chain fire preventative. You will not get a chain fire from the bore side of the chamber otherwise. More likely you'll get the chain fire from the percussion cap side from using the wrong sized cap. The previous poster (Ginormous) mentioned that he thinks his chain fire came from the percussion cap side because a cap fell off. BTW, consider using lubricated felt wads between the powder charge and the ball instead of lube over the ball.

 

[banek]

Thanks for all your quick inputs. Glad to see your hand is healing Ginormous.
I never thought about putting the wax pill between the powder & ball. I got my instructions from watching the Cabela's video.
With my patch & ball flintlocks there was never a worry but with a small charge as in a revolver wouldn't the powder absorb the oils over time?

 

[Smokin_Gun]

You'd only wanna shoot with the lube pills...not used for long term storage.
I just press a ball of proper fit onto the powder for long term storage.(with a .001" to .003" swedge ring when loaded)...then cap the cylinder with caps that won't fall off.

 

[Black Toe Knives]

I smear crisco over my bullets to help from chain fires. But mainly to help shoot more between cleaning on the range. I may get 12 nmore rounds between cleaning.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Welcome to the world of the '58's!!
Hey, most of the time I use Crisco. Sometimes I will use some 'over powder wads'. I don't make mine. Sometimes I want to but I have a sort of bad foot and I just don't ever get around to making them. You can buy some from Cabela's pretty cheap. I have used them several times and I haven't gotten blown up yet. I just use them as a change of pace and because I may decide I want to look at the end of the cylinder and see lead slugs instead of white grease. But the Crisco will work real good for you....

 

[Ginormous]

I'm not saying where I smear my Crisco. But Crisco's emollient properties are legendary!

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Hee hee hee!!

 

[banek]

GINORMOUS I'm not even going there but I did try your recipe of 50% Crisco & 50% bee's wax & it works great. I made a mold so I can cast 100 pellets at a time. No where near the mess & makes loading much faster. Thanks!
BANEK

 

[Ginormous]

Don't thank me Banek, thank the long time forum users (Smoking Gun, et al) here. They're the ones that taught me it works.

 

[BHP FAN]

I like the mold idea.I have tools I made using sharpened cartridge cases and a nail up through an enlarged primer hole as a plunger to make my grease cookies from about a 3/8'' thick cake of 75% bee's wax and 25% Crisco,with a smidge of Bore Butter added, just enough to keep things slick.If I plan on leaving the gun loaded for a while I have some .030 cork like fiber wads I seat over the powder.Then I can leave them loaded indefinitely .