Mike Belliviue on BP EDC's

[dangerranger60]

He doesn't touch on it But I remember reading that Bill Hickock wrote that he emptied and reloaded his guns everyday. If you lived on a farm that made shooting everyday easy, but for those that lived in a city like Boston or NYC, that does not seem reasonable. how long could you keep an every day carried gun loaded and still expect every chamber to fire?
With the ball sealed in grease you could keep moisture out but what about the nipples and caps? DR

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[po18guy]

Hmmm. If you mix a touch of capsicum into the black powder, even if you miss the perp gets OCed.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

At one time....
A Uberti 1860 Army copy , was the largest caliber handgun that I owned...it served as my "house gun" for awhile.
I kept it loaded and capped....if stored in a dry area...the load will still be 'fresh" for quite awhile.
( I kept it loaded for a month....and re-loaded after every monthly shoot at our club )
And yes lube on the cylinder face helps keep out moisture...Be aware it also attracts grit and the like.

And while I would not recommend this as something everyone should do...
I did shoot and use this Uberti quite often at our club...and knew how to shoot it well
I did not feel undergunned , so to speak , for its use as a "house gun".

Once I was gifted a 1851 Navy replica...it was loaded...and had been for about 20 years.
I took it out and shot it to unload it....
4 chambers went off the first time...all sounding good..and hit the gong with authority.
2 required a second chance...one sounded "weak"..the other...just kinda went "poof"...made it out the barrel...but only just.

Percussion revolvers don't compare too well to a modern revolver or pistol when only viewed on paper in a ballistic chart.
However...when given a proper ( historic ) loading , along with pure lead , either with round ball or conical....
They pack a punch on an actual target.
Andy

 

[dangerranger60]

I get that a house gun could be kept loaded for a long time, but how about an every day carried one? with all the dirt, grit, sweat, pocket lint, and being bumped around that everyday carry puts out? would once a month refreshing the load be enough?
I unload my current EDC weekly and either clean or at least wipe it down. I guess a Cap and ball revolver could be cleaned without unloading the cylinder. DR

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I would that yes a percussion revolver ( properly loaded ) could be kept loaded and still be depended on to work for a long time.

With that said...
Weather...humidity...wet...will all play a role here.
Andy

Edit to add :
Would I feel comfortable to carry a percussion revolver as a EDC , in today's world.....
Yes...but then I have been shooting them for a long time now...and know their ins and outs.

Percussion revolvers are just like any other gun...you gotta figure out what works for them...
And practice with that....

 

[dangerranger60]

My Great Great Grandmother was born just after the civil war. until she died she still had a Colt pocket percussion revolver and a 5 shot pepperbox. There were lots of stories of her using them, but no one remembered anything about her loading or unloading them. She passed in the early 1960s when I was still little. DR

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Percussion revolvers were still in common use after metallic cartridge guns were around.
In 1876...Wild Bill was still using percussion '51 Navies...granted he did own and use other firearms...

Just like now..people used what they knew....what they liked...or what they had.
Besides....FEDEX , UPS and AMAZON weren't around to make sure everyone had the latest and so called greatest...
Andy

 

[dangerranger60]

MY own GG Grandmother was still actively carrying hers until after WWII. That would have had her about age 80. After that they became house guns. DR