WoodsWalk Loading

[JamesKelly]

So what sort of equipment do people strap to themselves in order to load their percussion revolver for a Woods-Walk shoot? Say, as in ten steel targets of odd sizes & ranges, five shots each? Which shoot I am fantasing as a way to get some Non-Action percussion revolver competition going locally?

I can load my flintlock rifle just fine from pouch & horn, but a revolver? OK . . .think it would be just too wierd & Many would Laugh.

Don't know what Wyatt Earp did. Me, I am a wimpy modern guy using Oxyoke wads & little grease discs. Tonight I rigged up my flask with an old brass measure to set over the spout to keep odd sparks out of that wonderful Italian cut-off valve. Put bullets, capper & a zillion Oxyoke goodies into a leather belt pouch by blackpowderbags.com. Barring too much rain I'll try it out tomorrow with a Ruger OA in stainless.

Seems a touch half-***. Well, it is.

I see that westernstarleather.com has a black powder rig with a little "possibles pouch" attached. Little. Have any of you used it?

 

[Ratdog68]

Have you considered multiple cylinders, pre-loaded... then just change them out when empty?

 

[Voodoochile]

That's what I use with my Pietta New Model Army w/ 5.5" barrel, 2 spare cylinders, although some would say that the practice is relatively dangerous.

 

[Nicodemus38]

set it up as a skirmisher or el bandito type shoot. either carry cumbustible cartridges and reload before advancing to the next stage, or carry extra cylinders with the remingtons. or else carry a preloaded revolver for every shooting object.

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Nothin' wrong with a possibles bag in the field. I use one Rattlesnake and Jack Rabbit hunting... I use a flask for my Revs and a Horn for my Rifles or 10ga SxS... an alternative is a belt pouch they work great and look good.

 

[mykeal]

Speed is not an issue on a woods walk, so I don't see a need for spare cartridges.

I carry the gun in a holster and a possible bag containing a leather ball bag with balls, a capper appropriate for the gun, loaded with caps, and a flask with a spout calibrated to throw the optimum load for the gun. The gun is usually a Colt since they last longer than a Remington or a Rogers & Spencer before fouling the arbor badly enough to stop the action.

The issue is always how best to lube the bore and arbor. Lubed felt wads and lube buttons or pills are frankly a pain on a woods walk. They need to be as dry as possible - you don't want to have slippery hands and fingers. I tend to prefer felt wads as opposed to pills or buttons and certainly more than tubes of lube, although a small tube sometimes seems to work ok. I haven't really found a good solution to this problem yet.

I hold the revolver in my left hand and charge the gun using my dominant right hand. I can generally do this while walking fairly slowly and paying attention both to where I'm stepping and looking out for targets. I rarely have to look at the gun. This takes some practice.

 

[madcratebuilder]

I have three cylinders for my 1858 and when using the open tops I carry a small possibles bag with a ball bag, flask, caps, grease cookies, loading stick and a shop towel.

Over half my shooting is done from the tail gate of me truck. I drive out to BLM land or gravel pits, set up a table and chair and have at it.

 

[whosyrdaddy]

My first vote is for a preloaded and capped cylinder swap.
If done with careful deliberation, this can be a relatively safe practice.
This can be effective with ROAs, Remingtons, and even with Colt types that can be reassembled with hand pressure only.

Second vote is for pre-measured powder charge in consumable paper with lubed wad glued to the top.
This allows for one handed operation without the inherent dangers of loading from the flask.

 

[mykeal]

Why is everyone in such a hurry?

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Why is everyone in such a hurry?

LMAO Mykeal! I was thinkin' jus' that myself the other day. I have caught myself trying to reload as fast as I can so I can shoot again and reload again ... that Triple P press helps at the range or field. But I don't take it walkin' ... This ain't Missouri and I ain't Josey Wales... :O) Relaxed I hit more targets...

 

[theotherwaldo]

I've never done any Woodswalk competitions, but here's my answer to reloading revolvers at the walk. It's an old grenade and M-16 mag pouch. The near-side powder measure gets swapped out for an Alka Seltzer bottle full of Crisco when in actual use.



I've been using this combination since the late '70's.

 

[mykeal]

It just amazes me that everyone has to figure out how to speedload a percussion revolver. Now, the cowboy action stuff I kind of understand, but on a woods walk?

The bad guys are not coming over the hill. It's a walk in the woods, for Pete's sake. Enjoy the day. Take your time. Relax. Stop and smell the powder. It'll be over all too soon. Why rush it?

 

[theotherwaldo]

Who said anything about speed-loading? My little walks usually involved at least thirty miles of trail, harvesting your provisions along the way and reloading wherever the trail was flat and smooth.

Trout, squirrel, blackberries, and yerba buena tea... Good memories.

 

[mykeal]

People carrying spare cylinders, for instance.

 

[Ratdog68]

People carrying spare cylinders, for instance.

In my neck of the woods, Yogi is just about anywhere... so are mountain lion. Maybe not a LOT of 'em... but, the chance of them being in the area is there. I prefer the notion of being able to have a fully charged gun in my rig. Doesn't really mean I'm in a big ol' hurry.

 

[mykeal]

In my neck of the woods, Yogi is just about anywhere... so are mountain lion. Maybe not a LOT of 'em... but, the chance of them being in the area is there. I prefer the notion of being able to have a fully charged gun in my rig. Doesn't really mean I'm in a big ol' hurry.

What does any of that have to do with the need for carrying spare cylinders on a woods walk?

A woods walk is a scheduled, pre-arranged competition event, not a solitary jaunt through the ferns. There are several other people involved. I believe the odds of encountering a pride of mountain lions under those conditions, they being solitary cats that avoid human contact as much as possible, as akin to encountering that venerable legend himself.

And I don't believe I suggested anywhere that you should carry an unloaded, or partially loaded gun. So, what are you talking about?

 

[madcratebuilder]

A woods walk is a scheduled, pre-arranged competition event, not a solitary jaunt through the ferns

.

Really. To me it's a just a day in the woods. I didn't realize it was an organized competition with rules on reloading. I guess I should have read the OP closer.
Either way you do have to reload, what's the difference of carrying loaded, extra cylinders or fixin's in a possibles bag? I don't see anyone being in a hurry or talking about speed loading. The extra cylinders for the Remington is more a convenience thing than a speed thing. If you got 'em, why not use 'em.

 

[mykeal]

Rules on reloading? Where did that come from? Who said anything about rules on reloading?

Getting back to the op's question: what should you carry to support a percussion revolver on a woods walk? Several people suggested loaded, or perhaps just charged, spare cylinders. Why? What you NEED are powder, balls, caps and grease or wads. The only reason (I saw) for the spare charged cylinder is speed; you can load the revolver faster. But a woods walk is not a speed event, so why be in a hurry? This ain't CAS.

Convenience? Well, maybe, I suppose. I guess I'm just reacting to the ongoing discussion elsewhere about certain designs being superior since thye are amenable to faster cylinder swapping; I see the spare cylinder as a speed thing as a result.

 

[Ratdog68]

Rules on reloading? Where did that come from? Who said anything about rules on reloading?

Getting back to the op's question: what should you carry to support a percussion revolver on a woods walk? Several people suggested loaded, or perhaps just charged, spare cylinders. Why? What you NEED are powder, balls, caps and grease or wads. The only reason (I saw) for the spare charged cylinder is speed; you can load the revolver faster. But a woods walk is not a speed event, so why be in a hurry? This ain't CAS.

Convenience? Well, maybe, I suppose. I guess I'm just reacting to the ongoing discussion elsewhere about certain designs being superior since thye are amenable to faster cylinder swapping; I see the spare cylinder as a speed thing as a result.

I'm with MCB here. The term "Woods Walk" (to me) is nothing more than being out in the woods... alone time. Hence the reason for my input of a charged/spare cylinder.

Just as you never said anything about "rules"... I never said anything about speed. The question was originally asked what I would carry.

I assumed it was a solo event... you assumed it was about "speed" when some favor a spare cylinder.

Out west (here), cougars are a threat to humans... not ALL the time... but you never know which cougar hasn't read the OP for avoiding humans. Joggers/walkers etc. do (from time to time) become victim of attack. And yes... some bears are unable to read that same OP.

Now... given the scenario you speak of... I'd still opt for a spare cylinder. Why? Because it's my choice and I'm able to do so.

 

[whosyrdaddy]

Well, I must admit that I too misread/understood the question in the opening post as " how to reload with the least amount of hassle while walking through the woods ".
After rereading the OP, I now see that his "woods Walk" calls for a total of 50 shots.

The following comment leads me to think that loading benches would not be provided under his scenario.

but a revolver? OK . . .think it would be just too wierd & Many would Laugh.

In light of my new understanding, and for the reason stated in my earlier post, I think that the pre-measured consumable cartridges would be my preference.

Let me clarify for anyone who misunderstood my earlier post about carrying/swapping loaded cylinders as a matter of convenience. While I do advocate the practice as being relatively safe, i.e. risk:benefit, I do not recommend that it should be done in a hurry.

 

[Voodoochile]

Ever thought of mixing it up a bit?

Carry your Long Bow or Recurve & a quiver of arrows with ya & your preferred side arm of the day.

This way you have the best of both worlds of launching some lead at some nasty target as well as maybe get some arrow time in as well "never know when it requires a quiet stealthy shot."

 

[Ratdog68]

I'd be all over that notion !!

Speaking of Longbows... I'm next inline for my Zona !!! Bill's been paid up for a couple of weeks now. He's making noises of hoping to have mine done this weekend ! I'm stoked !

 

[Voodoochile]

I've been monitoring his thread on his bows, too bad about his camera...

I just recieved my tooless limb bolts for my Zona T/D Recurve, I'll try to get a pic tomorow with them on...

 

[Ratdog68]

Oooooo... as in "antler base" type bolts? I'd be very interested in a similar affair for mine (T/D longbow). Lookin' forward to seein' your new limb bolts.

BTW... if you need some decent/inexpensive ready made POC arrows... I bought some from a guy on ebay. They're not "fancy", but seem solid enough. He takes about a month to fill/ship the orders, but seems like a nice enough feller.

 

[Voodoochile]

Hmmmm, I may have to get his addy from ya...