Field cleaning a cap and ball revolver

[Pancho]

We've talked a lot about cleaning a CB revolver after you shoot it but not much about what to do while shooting it to keep it shooting.
I'd also like to hear from our civil war historians about how the soldiers would field maintain their revolvers to keep them shooting during a conflict.

 

[Roswell 1847]

If you use crisco as a lube just wipe off and regrease the cylinder pin every couple of cylinders full, and definetly before leaving for the day, otherwise the residue will harden.

I found some forceps at an auto zone. These can be used to run a patch all the way down into the cylinder pin hole and chambers. I use swatches of the Dacron Hairpad used in making seat cushions.
While shooting I just dry wipe with the hairpad, no oil or water at that point.

Invest in a touch hole pick, uncle Mike sell one that looks like a tiny drill bit, only its soft metal.
A wire from a wire brush is the right size for most touch holes.
I've used the inner wire from a guitar string as well.
Toothpicks just snap and get stuck in the hole.


I've read that soldiers sometime lay their musket in a running stream then wiped them down with a paste made of ashes from the campfire, then wiped everything dry.

Troopers using the Spencer and other repeaters would pour water into the chamber and action then work the lever a few strokes to scrape away hard fouling between reloads, if time permitted.

 

[dwave]

I use the lube pills. It took over an hour to get off 100 shots and that was plenty of shooting for me! When I wasn't using them, I wiped off my pin and swabbed the barrel every 3 cylinders. I use crisco on the pin too.

 

[Norseman_01]

Its my understanding that officers who were brave enough to be on the field of battle and use their sidearms were required to clean their firearms.

During battle, they only cleared the front of their cylinders and wiped the forcing cone and used a nipple prick to keep the cap area clear.

Broken caps and stuff in the action today were just as common back then.

NOBODY carried extra nipples like we do today... All folks had was (at most) a nipple prick and bore brush (if they were lucky).

 

[Roswell 1847]

NOBODY carried extra nipples like we do today... All folks had was (at most) a nipple prick and bore brush (if they were lucky).

While extra nipples and other parts were unlikely to be carried into battle cased sets containing extra parts, most especially springs, and combination tools with screwdriver acting as handle for nipple wrench an vice versa were not common items in the officers kit bag.
Many handguns were privately purchased items, and officers took pride in taking care of their sidearms.
The BP revolver more than any other gun of the day required careful maintenance if you were going to trust your life to it.

 

[Pulp]

I just use borebutter over the bullet. I've never had a problem at a Cowboy Action Match. Clean with Ballistol/water mix, then straight Ballistol. Course I only fire around 30 rounds/day/revolver. Not the 100/day like above.
The cylinder on my '51 will spin as good as the smokeless powder shooters revolvers at the end of a match.

 

[sundance44s]

It can be as easy as a splash of water at the right place on a cap and ball revolver to keep them running smooth . On a 1858 Remmie , a little spit on the cylinder pin ..Shoot these guns enough and you`ll learn just how dependable they really were ...when its all you have ..you figure it out .

 

[mgregg85]

I know many soldiers used to urinate down the barrel to clean a gun quickly in the field if they had to. Beyond that, hot water was king.

 

[Tommygunn]

I know many soldiers used to urinate down the barrel to clean a gun quickly in the field if they had to.

Somehow I don't think that would go over too well at the range today ....

 

[mykeal]

If you are supposed to keep your face and hands away from the muzzle at all times...

This brings up a whole new area of accuracy issues.

We need a new smiley to cover this.