Spiggy, Welcome to the world of the old days of black smoke and the day's when they had wooden ships and Iron men
Make sure you clean that piece real well before firing it and really scrub the barrel and cylinder chambers then coat the inside of the chambers and the barrel with a patch full of bore butter. Scrub it until it gets warm and then run just one or two dry patchs down them to dry it out a little.When you fire your first few shots this will help cure the barrel and make leading a little less.
Make sure all the nipple holes are clean and dry, hold the cylinder up to the light and make sure all the holes are open before loading.
For your first few shots please do your gun and yourself a favor and get some .44-.45 wonder wads. Use 20g . of fffg for your first shots. Stand the cylinder up on your bench (chambers side up) and load one cylinder at a time and as you do place a wonder wad on top by sliding over the hole with your thumb and pressing down over the hole to help you seat the wad evenly. If it goes in the hole at an an angle just pull it out with your nipple pick and re-do it. Then take a 3/8" doll rod about 6" long and shove the wad on down on the powder firmly but not real hard, then go on to the next chamber and do the same until all six are loaded and the wonder wad's seated.
Now place a little grease on your cylinder pin and place the gun on half cock and place the cylinder in your gun and slide the cylinder pin in to hold it. Stand the revolver up while holding it with your left hand so that you can place a .451 or .454 ball on the mouth of one chamber. Rotate the chamber untel the ball is sitting right in line with the loading ram. Run the ram down on the ball and shove it down untel the ball sits snuggly on top of the wonder wad. Make sure it's all the way down on the wad. Now rotate the cylinder again and load the next one.Then lock your loading ram out of the way. When all six are loaded place a little grease over each ball , I like to fill the chamber even with the end.
Now the cylinder should spin nicely with a little clicking sound in the back ground. Reminds you of the old coyboy movies, ;0)
Now rotate the cylinder as you are looking at it from the back and untel you can see each nipple clearly on the the right side of the gun frame. Place a nipple on the cylinder and make sure the cap is seated all the way down on the nipple. I like to use a 3/8" x 6" long doll rod with a piece of leather glued on the end and trimed round like the rod. You can gently shove the nipple home with it but don't over do it.
After each nipple is done point the gun in a safe direction and pull the hammer back and while holding it turn the cylinder untel you can safely let the hammer down on one of the open notches and not on any of the nipples.
If you have never handle a revolver it would be a good idea to try that a few times before you load it.
Now your ready to go out side and try it out... Set up a target no more that 5 yards away. You just want to make sure that all is well with the gun so there is no need to be shooting 50 yards and not knowing if you can hit anything yet
. Pull the hammer all the way back and keep your finger off the trigger untel your ready to fire. Then just squeez the trigger... If you did everyting right it shoul;d go BANG!!!and as you cock the pistiol for the next round the cap should fall off. You may feel ittle sparks hitiing your face and this is normal with these guns.
You can learn all about the tunning and lots of other things from sites like this and a it's really a good idea to get good books on the subject. Most of the 1858 Remintons need some home gun smithing to make them run smooth
and it's a good idea to get to know the gun first . Have fun and be safe.
The Bear are waiting on me
. Mike
Mike
