Cap n ball pistols

[BillGabby1]

Ok guys are there any pistoleros here??
I'm just getting started. I got a Pietta 1851 in 36 cal. with brass frame in a kit and just a few days ago got it finished. Wasn't too big a job because the cylinder and barrel came already blued. The loading lever/ram, hammer and, trigger are CC Hardened.
The add on Dixie said it was in the white, but it wasn't. Probably someone packed the blued parts by mistake, but I'm not complaining since the blue job is quite nice. So all I had to do was file and sand and polish the brass frame and trigger / grip frame and whittle the grip to suit me, and put it back together.I haven't shot it yet, I didn't have caps for it, and we've been getting some good rains here to boot, and I don't want to rust it too soon, I'd cry!
So I hope there are others here who will share their experiences, and brags or cries with the rest of us.
Don't you just love those silly smilies?
Gabby

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[Andy54Hawken]

I have owned and own a number of cap and ball revolvers , both original and replica.
They have all been fun to shoot.
I was given a brass framed copy of a Colt Navy many years ago . The load I use in it is 15 to 18 grains of 2F a greased felt wad and a .375 round ball.
When shooting yours be sure to grease the front of the cylinder to prevent a "chain fire."

All of the cap and ball revolvers I have owned or shot , have shot high excepting my original Colt 1860 Army and Colt Second Gen. Dragoon.
Andy

 

[etrain16]

I have a revolver I bought from a member here. I've not yet shot it - just been a time issue. I've got everything I need now, just need a few hours to get to the range uninterrupted and start the process.

In the meantime, I've been occasionally checking out some YT videos on how to properly load an shoot them. Hickok45 has a video on BP cap/ball revolvers you might enjoy watching:

 

[HuckleberryFun]

I have owned and own a number of cap and ball revolvers , both original and replica.
They have all been fun to shoot.
I was given a brass framed copy of a Colt Navy many years ago . The load I use in it is 15 to 18 grains of 2F a greased felt wad and a .375 round ball.
When shooting yours be sure to grease the front of the cylinder to prevent a "chain fire."

All of the cap and ball revolvers I have owned or shot , have shot high excepting my original Colt 1860 Army and Colt Second Gen. Dragoon.
Andy

My first handgun was also a Colt Navy cap and ball revolver that I assembled from a kit. As a teenager in California I could not legally buy a firearm yet, but black powder kits were exempt. I overloaded it like crazy, like boys do, and by all rights it should have blown apart in my hand, but didn't. It was lots of fun!

 

[Bon Sauvage]

My favorite cap and ball revolver is the 1860 Army. I love the looks, and it feels oh so nice in my hand. Unlike more contemporary pistols I always fire my cap and ball pistols with a one hand hold, and I practice with either hand.

I figure that the old boys often had a pistol in one hand and reins or a saber in the other. I'm too old to reenact but not to old to dream.

 

[Brutus57]

I am reading this thread with great interest. I thought my Colt Navy .36 cal replica had been stolen but I found it in a moving box I didn't remember putting it in..... I need a mold, balls, caps, etc. What grease prevents chain fire? Andy. I bought it about 15 years ago to help out a buddy but he didn't have any accessories with it.

Brutus Out

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Personally I have found that greasing the chambers just results in an untidy mess. I use home made felt wads greased in mutton tallow between the powder and ball to lubricate and reduce the chance of chain fires.
Additionally, many if not most, chain fires are caused by flashovers from poorly fitting cap/nipple combinations. SliX-shot nipples will prevent this. Black Powder Nipples for Cap Ball Revolvers

 

[Alexx1401]

Used to play with them a while back. Started with one of the Italian imports with brass frame. Then a Remington copy with steel frame. So much fun I bought 2 Rugers. They sadly stopped making these. In the steel frame models you can,t over load one. The "max load" is how much BP will fit and still let the slug seat. Now the brass frame always came with a warning that heavy loads would in time cause it to shoot lose and get out of time.
I found that real BP works better than the Pyrodex. BP was always harder to find. All kinds of restrictions on it since the stuff is a lot less stable than the new stuff.They are a TON of fun, BIG mess while shooting and cleaning. If you really want to be able to hit what you shoot at you really need the one with adjustable sights.

 

[Capn Jack]

Ah yes, I remember it well.
The worn out tooth brushes....
My little plastic tub of hot soapy water....
Baking the parts dry in the oven...
And the aroma of Hoppe's #9 drifting through the house..
(Much to my wife's disgust)
I remember it well.

 

[Alexx1401]

, Wife never has liked #9 either. I don't use it to clean any more but still LOVE that smell. If the car carpet gets "musty" smelling I put a few drops on it. Have loved the smell since childhood.

 

[etrain16]

, Wife never has liked #9 either. I don't use it to clean any more but still LOVE that smell. If the car carpet gets "musty" smelling I put a few drops on it. Have loved the smell since childhood.

I don't use it anymore myself, but I always have some on hand - I grew up with it, it's all I knew for years. That smell brings back memories.

 

[thorborg]

I like my 44, It really fun to shoot. My only offerings to this thread Are:
Keep the wind to your back or side.
Meticulously clean your gun before you go home and you will never lament "Oh Crap" when you pull it out in a couple months.

 

[rick benjamin]

I am reading this thread with great interest. I thought my Colt Navy .36 cal replica had been stolen but I found it in a moving box I didn't remember putting it in..... I need a mold, balls, caps, etc. What grease prevents chain fire? Andy. I bought it about 15 years ago to help out a buddy but he didn't have any accessories with it.
Brutus Out

Petersoli Starter kit
Lee Round Ball mold
Chain fire prevention grease

 

[Ura-Ki]

I picked up a matching Pair of 1858 Remington's a few weeks ago ( finally) and have been having a ball shooting them! I have always liked these pistols and needed to have a pair to go with my 1855 Colt Revolving Rifle! Best part is they use the same projectiles and Black Powder so I only need one Mold and the same size patches. Another thing that is really neat is the Loading ram from the Cavalry Carbine can be used for the Rifle and Pistols and the bullets as cast will seal the cylinders to prevent chain firing with out the need for sealing the cylinders! Lyman used to make the correct bullet mold for these, but sadly you have to custom order them now days, and lyman takes it's time with custom molds! Dixie Gun works stocks the molds from time to time as does Track Of The Wolf so A person can still get the correct molds these days! B.P. Rules!!!

 

[Alexx1401]

I picked up a matching Pair of 1858 Lyman used to make the correct bullet mold for these, but sadly you have to custom order them now days, and lyman takes it's time with custom molds! Dixie Gun works stocks the molds from time to time as does Track Of The Wolf so A person can still get the correct molds these days! B.P. Rules!!!

When using round balls they seal since they are over size and actually shave a little lead off as they are forced into the cylinder. I still used to put the cream over the top back when I was shooting them. Many years later I read several times that the real culprit in most chain fire was the nipples. Flash was going from one nipple to another.
Lee still catalogs the molds for these. You can get either round ball or conical for the pistol you use. When I was shooting BP I was casting my own to save money. Both the RB and conical were super easy to do since I was using pure lead which is easy to cast with.

 

[Ura-Ki]

The Remington's have slightly over size nipples that fit tight and the risks of chain fire are very small, still good point! The Colt has odd size nipples that can cause real head aches when priming. I had a new set made that are slightly looser, but still tight enough! The good Col. Colt apparently figured this out when he designed his Rifle so as to cut down the risks of a flash over, and I have seen other arms from this era have "solved" this issue much the same way!

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Back in the day, I had Italian copy's of Remington's! A .36 and a .44. A lot of fun to shoot and some of the greatest looking firearms ever!
Best story I have from them is I took a coworker, who had just bought a .380, to the range. We had the place to ourselves, so we set up some cans on the 100yd range! I showed my friend how to operate his new pistol safely and let him run a couple mags down range, while I loaded my .36 Rem. When ready I took a limp wristie, straight from the western's pose aimed at a tiny Snappy Tom can, at about 85yds, and centered it! Total act of God!!!
But, my buddy didn't know that, so I was the Doc Holliday of the machine shop for a few months!

 

[Ura-Ki]

I had a bunch of folks at a local B.P. shoot freak out watching me shoot my Colt Rifle! Most were concerned it would blow up, and then to every ones horror, I grasped the forearm Rifleman style and fired the full cylinder! They were reaching for cell phones to call 911 because they were just sure if it didn't blow up, it was going to burn my arm off at the wrist! Bunch of pansies! LOL Had to explain that Standard U.S. Army and Navy Uniforms of the day were made of nice thick wool and the possibility of burning your self was not very likely, add to that a lot of folks made leather grieves ( like me) to protect the forearm, and no burning took place. Even with a max charge, these old Colts are WAY stronger then people believe them to be! My replica will take 24 gr of 2F with out so much as a hickup, and my two originals can take 21 gr with the same results! I haven't pushed the Remington's very hard yet, but I bet they could take even more then the rifle's!!!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I am reading this thread with great interest. I thought my Colt Navy .36 cal replica had been stolen but I found it in a moving box I didn't remember putting it in..... I need a mold, balls, caps, etc. What grease prevents chain fire? Andy. I bought it about 15 years ago to help out a buddy but he didn't have any accessories with it.

Brutus Out

Brutus,
I find that most Colt Navy replicas like a .375 round ball , 18-20 grains of 2F and # 11 caps.
A greased felt wad between the powder and ball will help take up space and prevent a chain fire.
For grease I use Bear grease , Deer tallow or TC Bore Butter.
You will be surprised at how well the gun works with such a load , Wild Bill never had it sooo good!
Dixie , The GunWorks and Track of the Wolf all sell a nice colt style flask so you can shoot in true 1850's -60's style!
Just be aware that most Cap and Ball revolvers shoot a mite high at close range.
Andy

 

[BillGabby1]

Well I'm pleased we have so many cap n ball shooters here, I'm hoping we keep this thread alive.

I'm extremely fortunate to have a great best friend who furnished my pistol in return for my finishing his Uberti Walker replica kit for him, and he requested a high finish on his and, specially fitting grips for his small hands I'm almost finished on the steel, just need to finish filing and sanding the lower part of the frame which includes those darned rounded areas that are so hard to get just right. Fortunately I'm pretty patient, and when I start trying to rush the job I just stop for a while. I've been waiting for more buffing wheels for my Dremmel type tool and they arrived today so I'll be getting back to work, I needed the break. { I did the work on mine first as I was out of practice and I didn't want to make any rusty mistakes on his gun, better that it happen on mine so I wouldn't (hopefully) make the same mistake on his. So far so good. }
All the rest of the metal is see yourself polished, and I test blued the back strap using Oxpho-Blue Gel, and it looks great I applied it about 6 times and it has that Colt Python look, I can hardly wait to see how the rest turns out.
I'll keep y'all informed and maybe figure out how to upload some photos when I'm done.
Keep yer powder dry,
Gabby