Any Black Powder guys out there? show us your stuff!

[tac]

I hear that some shooters have them proofed and may use some sort of smokeless powder in Ruger Old Army's in the UK. Is that true?

Ive tied one of mine that needed a replacement cylinder anyway to a tree and used a string to pull the trigger and tested it with 9 grains of Unique in a few of the chambers that werent rusty craters . Didnt do anything out of the ordinary. Ive never done it in my hand though.

FRIEND, YOU ARE PLAYING WITH FIRE HERE. The UK nitro conversion involves making a NEW cylinder with a reduced volume chamber designed explicitly to take NO MORE than about 3.5gr of Herco, and uses a #209 shotgun primer. The bullet is a .45cal wadcutter.

In the USA there are a couple of companies who make a new cylinder to take a CARTRIDGE for either 44-40 or 45LC, but here on mainland UK that is prohibited, hence the nitro conversion the way I've described. Lighting up ANY nitro load in a ROA that uses percussion caps is a recipe for personal disaster.

Here is a link to the guy who makes the UK-mainland-legal conversion -

<broken link removed>

See Youtube video here for the US cartridge conversion -

Take notice, please, and take care.

tac

 

[wired]

Haha. Thats why it got tied to a tree. I like my fingers where they are. It was a bad cylinder in a gun I didnt care about and got changed out soon after. Just wondering how you guys did it.

Ive got conversion cylinders for mine. They work great and I even had a classicballistx. Sold it off at a loss to a buyer who I told what a piece of crap it was. I don't know how that guy ( Classicballistx ) is still in business.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Cap and ball conversions were a stop gap measure so to speak.
I like cap and ball revolvers , but they were never designed to fire a self- contained cartridge. ( rimfire or centerfire )
I understand that with modern steel and quality control the 18whatever replica might be made of stronger materials .
But the design of the gun is still made with cap and ball in mind.

I think that as a historic piece conversions are interesting.
However if you want to shoot a self- contained cartridge buy a rimfire or centerfire revolver.
Andy

 

[nfield4]

Been reading a lot about Gen Grant. It became necessary to bring out my 1861 Springfield. Loaded with 525 gr Minie over 60 gr FF. It shot well and a bit high. I believe they are noted for that.



The pistol is a Griswald style 1858 36 cal.

 

[wired]

However if you want to shoot a self- contained cartridge buy a rimfire or centerfire revolver.
Andy

Yes, That is an opinion.

 

[tac]

Been reading a lot about Gen Grant. It became necessary to bring out my 1861 Springfield. Loaded with 525 gr Minie over 60 gr FF. It shot well and a bit high. I believe they are noted for that.

View attachment 277161

The pistol is a Griswald style 1858 36 cal.

Do you mean Griswold & Gunnison?

tac

 

[nfield4]

Yes. That is what I believe it to be.

Both firearms are Italian replicas.

 

[tac]

Well. last year I got to shoot a Canadian pre-confederation Snider stamped up for the Québec Garrison Artillery unit that manned the garrison's cannon in the citadel located on the Heights of Abraham.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tac's+guns+quebec+snider

Last Sunday, the owner, who is a good friend turned up with it again, and as I helped him unload all his gear from his car, he handed it over to me and wished me a Happy Birthday. I was totally dumbstruck.

Here it is, with my other Canadian Snider, a three-band rifle from a local militia [local, that is, if you happen to live in Ontario CAN].

If you want to see a great movie of a Snider in action versus a regular P53 Enfield, then watch murphey's muskets on Youtube -

Sadly, because of the rather odd gun laws here in yUK, although he can freely give it to me, it is classed as an antique/obsolete calibre firearm] if I want to shoot it I have to get rid of another of my guns since my local Chief Constable judges that I already have too many Section 1 [Rifled] firearms.

Apart from my two Sniders I have no other obsolete calibre guns with which to play 'musical' licenses. BTW, there is no record, anywhere in the UK, of ANY similar firearm being used to commit any kind of crime since county police records accessible to the public began to be made - in 1893.

tac

 

[wired]

I'm always amused by laws regulating the number of guns you can own. If you wanted actually effective gun control you'd think you'd want individuals to have MORE guns instead of spreading them out throughout the populace. One guy can only carry so many 12 lb muskets on a shooting rampage.

 

[tac]

I'm always amused by laws regulating the number of guns you can own. If you wanted actually effective gun control you'd think you'd want individuals to have MORE guns instead of spreading them out throughout the populace. One guy can only carry so many 12 lb muskets on a shooting rampage.

Mornin' Mr Wired, it's strange one for sure. The county that I live in makes the following 'additional limitations with REGARD TO PUBLIC SAFETY' -

1. Above SIX Section 1 [rifled barrel] firearms - domestic alarm system.

2. Up to SIXTEEN Section 1 [rifled] firearms - as above.

3. Over SIXTEEN Section 1 [rifled firearms] RD /FFL levels of home security - steel internal doors - no gun cabinets on an external wall - full monitored 24/7/365 monitored alarm system.

Having ascertained from the Chief Constable at the time - a gun-hating female - that the response time for a break-in would be the same in each case regardless of the level of alarm fitted - I refused to make the installation 'recommended' as I already HAD nineteen guns and had been granted my FAC in that full knowledge without any more of her stupid 'recommendation'. So I'm really hoist on my own petard.

In each county around me - and they are ALL now part of a unitary constabulary, including my own - there is NO limit, or constraints on the number of Section 1 [rifled] firearms that you can have, providing that you keep them securely, in exactly the same way as I have done, on and off, since 1975. During my time out of the country in the military, all my guns of the time were lodged in a RFD/FFL premises - for which I had to pay handsomely.

tac

 

[DuneHopper]

Always wanted to get into black powder. When I was about 13 I shot one once always fascinated but never went that route.
Surprised there are not more posts of this, remember Black Powder Guys Lives Matter

 

[etrain16]

Someday....I'd like to start with a revolver - an Army or Navy, something for fun. Not sure yet when I'll do that, maybe next year.

 

[tac]

Right now Cabela's have got some great deals going on Pietta and Uberti cap and ball handguns - take a look!

tac

 

[madcratebuilder]

Love the smoke wagons.




Part of my 45 year collection.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

If I had your LeMat and you had a feather we'd both be tickled.