Cap n Ball no Lube at all
- Thread starter walterelm
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DocRock
member
Lube serves two purposes: it softens fouling to ensure the action doesn’t bind up and the pistol remains accurate; it inhibits chain fire.
You can run without any lube, provided you wipe out the barrel and clean the arbor each cylinder. No lube just makes cleaning fouling harder. Proper attention to loading, keeping loose powder off the cylinder, and tight fit projectiles should inhibit chain fire.
So, running without lube is possible. But why?
You can run without any lube, provided you wipe out the barrel and clean the arbor each cylinder. No lube just makes cleaning fouling harder. Proper attention to loading, keeping loose powder off the cylinder, and tight fit projectiles should inhibit chain fire.
So, running without lube is possible. But why?
troy fairweather
Member
Lube is your friend,
BullRunBear
Member
You might get a cylinder, maybe two, before fouling binds things up. And clean up will be harder. Why skip the lube? I start with a well greased (white lithium grease) arbor and use lubed felt wads (homemade, Gatp Feo formula) under each round ball. That process keeps me shooting for quite a while without binding.
Jeff
Jeff
entropy
Member
Reminds me of this ad......
arcticap
Member
Loading 30 grains of American Pioneer Powder 3F, I only lube the cylinder pin after every 3 or 4 cylinders.
Patocazador
Member
"Cant be shot without lube" should be changed to "Shouldn't be shot without lube."
Steel Hayes
Member
arcticap
Member
No, it's a black powder substitute that's not too much different than 777.
I believe it's an ascorbic acid based powder that's derived from the sugar of fruit or fruit juice.
It's other ingredients are in this MSDS section 3 : --->>> https://www.brownells.com/userdocs/MSDS/749-014-780_AMERICAN PIONEER JIM SHOCKEYS FFFG GOLD POWDER 1LB - A46_default.pdf
You may be thinking of Blackhorn 209 which is a smokeless substitute powder.
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@BullRunBear
You are greasing the arbor .. that means you are talking about a colt ? On my Walker greasing the arbor did help a great lot
But on a remington??
You are greasing the arbor .. that means you are talking about a colt ? On my Walker greasing the arbor did help a great lot
But on a remington??
Russell13
Member
I use a wad and some lube on the front of the cylinder. I’ve tried with only the wad and no lube. It seems to get fouled up quicker if I do t put the lube on the front.
I quit using lubed wads when shooting a ball at some point. My NMA would bind up on the third cylinder. But Ballistol on the cylinder pin keeps it running.
As a side note I grabbed some bullets to run to the range with the neighbor and grabbed some unlubed ones that I made really short at 0.400” long and 170 grns. They were all over the place from shot one. Lubed and they do just as well as anything I’ve tried.
As a side note I grabbed some bullets to run to the range with the neighbor and grabbed some unlubed ones that I made really short at 0.400” long and 170 grns. They were all over the place from shot one. Lubed and they do just as well as anything I’ve tried.
Russell13
Member
I got some stuff called black-solve from Dixie gun works to put on the cylinder pin. It does a good job but I’m sure ballistol works just as well. I haven’t tried putting lube on the balls yet. I have some bore butter maybe I will try it and see how it does
When I shoot with just balls and powder I pre-lube the barrel with wonder lube. anymore I tumble lube my lead with Lee Alox Lube. I also put a few small beeswax pellets on top of my powder charge. If fouling starts to build-up I use a blowtube to soften the fouling. You can shoot with no lube but after shooting a few cylinders fouling is going to start building up and accuracy will suffer and at some point, they will bind up. Controlling black powder fouling makes shooting these guns more enjoyable for me to shoot. When I target shoot I use wads or grease cookies. When I wearing a holster I don't.
Mike
Mike
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45 Dragoon
Member
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- May 18, 2013
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- 2,759
Hmmm, I've never shot a Remington or Colt pattern cap gun without greasing the basepin or the arbor! The more the better!! That would be like installing a wheel bearing without packing it with grease.
As far as the caps, you shouldn't have to remove the cylinder to remove the caps (assuming they are spent caps. Maybe your mainspring is a little heavy. Lightening it may allow them to "self loosen". Of course you don't want to go too light and cause ignition problems.
Mike
I can easily pull my base pin forward leaving the cylinder in place.
I would begin with oil on the pin, and I generally reapplied a little more periodically, not because it was beginning to drag or bind, but just because I figured it a good idea. Not sure how long it would hold up with one application.
I use Olde Eynsford powder which seems to produce less fouling than most brands of black powder. I also use T7, but then it doesn’t foul anything like BP so I’ve not really touched on it.
OrangePwrx9
Member
I run with no lube except for some oil on the pin. Usually there's a cornmeal filler under the ball and the caps always fit tight. This seems to eliminate the chain fires. However, my cylinder reloading is done off-frame in a press, so I may be clearing fouling every time I pull the cylinder pin.
skeeterfogger
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- Jan 5, 2019
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I've started using Permatex AL antieize on internals and pin. It has good cohesive quality plus the 1600^ temp rating allows it to hold up well to hot gases and is smooth as silk.
2:1 veggie oil to wax boiled together for over ball and patches. I find the advantage being it's cheap to make and when exposed to heat it leaves a soft somewhat oily soot that is very easy to clean and greatly reduces hard fouling. Also a good general lube when you don't have your preffered on hand and can use to spiff up leather.
2:1 veggie oil to wax boiled together for over ball and patches. I find the advantage being it's cheap to make and when exposed to heat it leaves a soft somewhat oily soot that is very easy to clean and greatly reduces hard fouling. Also a good general lube when you don't have your preffered on hand and can use to spiff up leather.
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