towboat_er
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- Jan 5, 2011
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1858 Remmy. Hard to go wrong with it. Get one, and let the fun begin!!!
Gun advice for a cap and ball revolver beginner?
- Thread starter Weedy
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robert garner
Member
It's easier to boil a Colt.
Any Cap and Ball revolver will safely handle all the powder it will hold under the ball, just leave enough space to take the ball, you can figure out YOUR accuracy load at your leisure. more Powder more smoke and boom= giggles.
Chain fires are repugnant unpredictable and disconcerting and easily sidestepped by;
1) Ensuring your PRB (lead round balls) are oversized to your chamber, when you seat your ball in the chamber you must see a complete ring of lead that has been shaved off in the process, this seals the chamber from the flash of its neighbor being fired,grease doesn't count here.
2)Caps must fit your nipples, if you find you need "pinch" caps to hold them in place, they don't fit and you are courting an unpleasureable surprise.
Get an adjustable powder measure 40 grns max for most pistols,Colt Dragoons 50grns, and THE Walker 60.
Grease, there are many on the market, or you can melt beeswax or paraffin and add some olive oil(cheap and good as any)
Have scads of fun.
When you get home remove the grips, break the revolver down, two pieces for the Remington, or three for the Colt. Use soap and water to clean,then place parts in pot on stove with boiling water, when removed from the water the heat sunk in the steel will dry the water, so no rust now or later, oil when you can handle.
When the wife complains of the smell, tell her something died under the stove and you've handled it, now your a hero instead of a cad.
Have fun and good luck
robert
Any Cap and Ball revolver will safely handle all the powder it will hold under the ball, just leave enough space to take the ball, you can figure out YOUR accuracy load at your leisure. more Powder more smoke and boom= giggles.
Chain fires are repugnant unpredictable and disconcerting and easily sidestepped by;
1) Ensuring your PRB (lead round balls) are oversized to your chamber, when you seat your ball in the chamber you must see a complete ring of lead that has been shaved off in the process, this seals the chamber from the flash of its neighbor being fired,grease doesn't count here.
2)Caps must fit your nipples, if you find you need "pinch" caps to hold them in place, they don't fit and you are courting an unpleasureable surprise.
Get an adjustable powder measure 40 grns max for most pistols,Colt Dragoons 50grns, and THE Walker 60.
Grease, there are many on the market, or you can melt beeswax or paraffin and add some olive oil(cheap and good as any)
Have scads of fun.
When you get home remove the grips, break the revolver down, two pieces for the Remington, or three for the Colt. Use soap and water to clean,then place parts in pot on stove with boiling water, when removed from the water the heat sunk in the steel will dry the water, so no rust now or later, oil when you can handle.
When the wife complains of the smell, tell her something died under the stove and you've handled it, now your a hero instead of a cad.
Have fun and good luck
robert
Several years ago I was in a local gun shop and the owner had left a pair of brass frame navy colts on the counter. I picked them up and they were so loose they rattled. I asked if they had been shot a lot. The owner said he had loaned them to a local theatrical company to use as stage props and had just got them back. They had never been fired.
This put me off brass frame revolvers for ever.
This put me off brass frame revolvers for ever.
FreddyKruger
Member
Another BP shooter at my club got a real cheap brass framed '58. nipples are stuffed, the brass had turned green, taller front sight and a rifle rear sight drill and tapped onto the back. not to mention the DIY job to get it to load with a capper... well he got onto it and returned it back to factory sights and gave it a good clean and gave it to me to have a few shots. i loved the way it clicks when you cock it, but then i managed to shoot 3 10s in a row haha
this is 25m, one handed, 30gr FFFg + filler with my Walker
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=153011&d=1321674275
i have to aim at about the "4" to get it in the black
this is 25m, one handed, 30gr FFFg + filler with my Walker
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=153011&d=1321674275
i have to aim at about the "4" to get it in the black
mustanger
Member
I prefer the looks and feel of the Colts. That said, the Remmys are a stronger design. I would say if you think you might shoot often ( you probably will once you start) go steel, and if brass go Remmy. IMHO if you go brass (it's good for a starter) then you'll be thinking to move up to steel if you shoot much. I just bought my first, and went steel. That way I don't have to change up. ( Oh, it was a '51 Navy, .36 cal.) Should last me forever. Now I am on my way to the links that were mentioned here earlier.
mustanger
Member
Brushhippie; I 've read that the south used brass near the end of the disagreement, because they were running low on funds. If true, wouldn't this make them period correct? ( I'm asking, not saying) ( I would like to know, so anybody, please correct me if I am wrong.)
mustanger said:
Yes & No
Yes the Confederate States did have some brass frame guns, but they weren't Colts. The second faux paus is that Colt Navy's were always 36 caliber, not 44. The 44's were Dragoons and Walkers until the 1860 Army came about.
Gatofeo
Member
ONE MAJOR ASPECT THAT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED:
Are you willing to clean your cap and ball revolver right after firing it?
If you live in an area with high humidity, this is a MUST.
Too many newcomers buy cap and ball revolvers, grin like drunken monkeys while handling and shooting it, and then balk at cleaning it when they discover it requires more than two or three passes with a patch, like a modern firearm.
Black powder, and its substitutes (Pyrodex, 777, etc.) are either corrosive or they attract moisture that cause rust.
So, cleaning it right away is paramount.
The gun shows and pawn shops are full of fired-but-not-cleaned cap and ball revolvers with rusted bores and chambers.
Before you buy a cap and ball revolver, ask if you can commit to cleaning it. It's not like a .22 rimfire that you can shoot, put in the closet, and forget about for months.
Shooting cap and ball revolvers also requires commitment to clean them after firing, often with soapy water. And then drying with patches and a short stint in the oven, followed by oiling. You can get by with cleaning the cylinder, nipples, bore and inner frame for a while, but eventually the interior will get overwhelmed with fouling and you'll have to disassemble it down to its last screw, and clean it meticulously.
Then dry it as above.
Then reoil it.
If this sounds like too much work, buy a single-action .22 revolver.
I'm not chastizing you or anyone else, I'm just pointing out an often-forgotten aspect of using these revolvers. Plus, I'm weary of seeing perfectly good guns reduced to junk by neglect or ignorance.
Are you willing to clean your cap and ball revolver right after firing it?
If you live in an area with high humidity, this is a MUST.
Too many newcomers buy cap and ball revolvers, grin like drunken monkeys while handling and shooting it, and then balk at cleaning it when they discover it requires more than two or three passes with a patch, like a modern firearm.
Black powder, and its substitutes (Pyrodex, 777, etc.) are either corrosive or they attract moisture that cause rust.
So, cleaning it right away is paramount.
The gun shows and pawn shops are full of fired-but-not-cleaned cap and ball revolvers with rusted bores and chambers.
Before you buy a cap and ball revolver, ask if you can commit to cleaning it. It's not like a .22 rimfire that you can shoot, put in the closet, and forget about for months.
Shooting cap and ball revolvers also requires commitment to clean them after firing, often with soapy water. And then drying with patches and a short stint in the oven, followed by oiling. You can get by with cleaning the cylinder, nipples, bore and inner frame for a while, but eventually the interior will get overwhelmed with fouling and you'll have to disassemble it down to its last screw, and clean it meticulously.
Then dry it as above.
Then reoil it.
If this sounds like too much work, buy a single-action .22 revolver.
I'm not chastizing you or anyone else, I'm just pointing out an often-forgotten aspect of using these revolvers. Plus, I'm weary of seeing perfectly good guns reduced to junk by neglect or ignorance.
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