Results: Storing a loaded revolver.

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Pyro

Pyro

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Thanks for the tips from everyone in in this past thread.
I loaded my cylinders as such: [16g Pyrodex--10g farina--ball--wonderlube] with caps on the nipples.
Stored in my wooden desk drawer for around a month and had the chance to shoot it last night, everything went off with a bang...and quiet the fireworks show since it was dusk. Only one of the caps failed to ignite but did so on the second strike.
I am trying a new combination right now: [20g Pyrodex--ball--Crisco] with caps on the nipples.
Once I find a hammer punch or some dry wads I will attempt to load a lubed wad over a dry wad under the ball. Something tells me that the lube could bleed through the dry wad and get to the powder. Heck if I stick with it long enough I will test out if farina over the powder and under a lubed wad will protect the powder.
Happy shooting!
-Pyro
 
Crisco tends to get rather viscous at room temps and I believe it could very well contaminate your Pyrodex. Not to mention, it may run all over the gun, make a general mess of things and possibly cause a chainfire by it's no longer being where it's supposed to be. I would try Wonder Wads or equivalent for longer term storage.
 
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The Crisco has not melted or ran one bit.
I would try Wonder Wads or equivalent for longer term storage.
Click to expand...
I am experimenting with different loading techniques for storage, so far these Wonder Wads are the worst way to store them. Compressing the load into the cylinders squeezes the wad and forces nice juicy lube out (try it with your fingers) and all over the powder. I get hangfires everytime I store with those.
 
A few people in the thread you referenced in your OP mentioned wax. Wax should suffice for a chamber sealant for long term storage. I suppose you could get your chambers loaded and then dip the front of the cylinder in a very thin layer of warm, liquid paraffin or beeswax. The key would forming making an airtight and waterproof seal. A solid layer of wax should be a very effective moisture barrier.

I wouldn't personally store the nipples capped for anything other than the experiment. I'd rather use some other kind of sealant for those. If wax would suffice, you could remove the nipples and repeat the sealing process for the small end of those. A nipple pick should be enough to clear out the channel later.

That said, I've had candles sitting in the sun in my apartment melt on days in the summer when I've got a long shift and I've left my air conditioner off. The minimal research I did on waxes shows they have a melting point from 117F all the way up to 180F, depending on the type of wax. Shortening (i.e. Crisco) has a lower melting point (98F-117F), and lard is even lower (~85F).

I have been curious about this subject for awhile but for slightly different reasons. While hunting in the rain, I'd like to prevent my muzzleloader barrel from becoming a cistern, and I don't want to bother with some kind of covering over the muzzle end.

wax references
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art55910.asp
http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics1457.htm
http://www.candlecauldron.com/waxandwicks.html
http://www.industrial-chemical-manufacturer.com/paraffin-wax.htm

shortening/lard references
http://www.ochef.com/1157.htm
http://www.baking911.com/pantry/fats.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortening
 
I've made a posting here a while ago regarding keeping a C&B REvolver loaded for extended perioeds of time & from my experience, this has been the most reliable method.

Here is the original posting.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=401991&highlight=C%26amp%3BB+revolver

IMHO the only reason to keep any of these weapons loaded is to possibly use them as back up or rather alternative defence weapons or if the person like I would keep one loaded for the possibility of taking that weapon out scouting ot checking traps instead of taking a modern weapon, in that case it is better to keep the loaded chambers capped & then sealed to reduce the chance of moisture intrusion instead of any other alternative method of sealing the nipple end.
 
Well hate to say it but it's the only defense weapon I have, other then my .25 auto but that needs work done. FTF every other round. I trust this revolver enough and myself in the loading techniques. You might consider it risky that I do this experiment when it is the only weapon I have on hand, but taken my loading methods I'm testing are all correct ways one might load a black powder revolver.
 
Why put any grease of any kind in your gun? Or wax? No wads. (wads are for shotguns)

should be only the powder, tight fitting ball and very tight fitting caps. then it will store for many many years indoors.
Probably for your life time.
a very light coat of oil on internal moving pasts and on outside is ok to help prevent rust.

warning, after many years the Chambers can lightly corrode
some. also half of ball touching powder.
 
Why put any grease of any kind in your gun?
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Because any black powder shooter knows that greasing your chamber hinders the possibility of a chain fire and can dramatically reduce the amount of fouling in the barrel. I tried shooting with wonder wads and crisco over the ball, the barrel had hardly any fouling and still had that "shine" to it.
 
Pyro,

i have been shooting my 51 colt for 38 years now and that's literally thousands of balls. i have never even once used grease of any kind in the loading sequence. Also never ever used a wad of any kind.
Same goes for all my other revolvers. Never had a chain fire either. proper fitting caps and balls, proper gun fitment and tunning eliminate that problem.

in the last several days i have loaded and shot 266 shots grease free and with absolutely no cleaning of any kind just yo show that it can be done. and the gun is quite accurate.

24 grain volume geox ffg powder with .380 ball.
no. 10 CCI caps. and that's it!

no fouling problems what so ever and still not one cap jam or miss fire. not even a cap falling off.
And I'm going out now to continue the testing.

So don't tell me you have to use grease.

if some of you would take the time to set up your guns like i have explained in several of my posts you would find the same thing.
 
So don't tell me you have to use grease.
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I have shot dry cylinders as well, but I prefer to have some safety from chain fires and feel that the lubricant helps. Prove me wrong but I will still use a slob of Crisco over the balls. Plus it's fun to see the looks of people seeing you toss a can of vegetable shortening on the table at a gun range.

To get back on topic...
There are cork like fiber wads made for reloading...
Click to expand...
This is what I would like to try next, I'll need to pick some up from them.
 
Interesting.
I've never experienced a chainfire. Always assumed it was the Crisco.
Maybe I was just wasting good shortening for nothing?
Is there any good documentation as to whether the old west gun handlers ever shot without grease of some sort?
Now you have me wondering...
 
The vegetable fiber wads are a good suggestion. The ones that Cabela's sells seem like they're almost indestructable.
See close up photos in post #5:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=462065

For a lube having a lesser chance of contaminating the powder, try using a lube pill made with a higher percentage of beeswax over a tight fitting OP wad or card. Or using some pure beeswax as a lube pill could be even better.

Beeswax has a high melting point range, of 62 to 64 °C (144 to 147 °F).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeswax
Click to expand...
 
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In the Army's trials of Colt revolvers back in the 1800's they never used any type of grease to seal the chambers and remarked that about a thousand rounds were shot per day with no cleaning until the end of the day w/o incident.
Go figure.
 
The only way I store mine loaded

If I'm storing a Rev, Pistol, or rifle long term ... it's with a Black Powder only, a proper fitting round ball, andn a properly fitting cap on all six with a Revolver.
In a Pistol or Rifle no lubes just a spit patch held in yur mouth upon Black Powder and a proper fitting cap or an empty or filled closed pan on a flintlock.
Same goes for shotguns...
Longest I've had a C&B Rev loaded was 1 1/2yrs. and all went off when fired.
Leave the lubes for the range and multiple cylinders full of shootin'. ;)
 
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