chamber sealant

Gtrubicon - "Keep your cylinder face clean of powder when loading and make sure that you have a good fit of your caps to your nipples"
good advice. I think the ease of loading and having no grease on your weapon probably outweigh the chances of having a chain fire.
I read in another post that chain fires are actually cause by fire arcing between nipples rather than it being a product of the cylinder face

Chamber sealant is not only to prevent chain fires but to lubricate the lead bullet going down a steel pipe, no different that every bullet made out of lead been shot in metallic cartridges, from 22s to 500 SW magnums. It also keeps the fouling softer to keep the guns cycling longer. Don’t let those who think because it’s messy is not need it.
As chain fires, I have posted here before, I have shot over 200 caps trying to recreate a chainfire from the nipples, to include impregnating and filling the cap less nipples with 4F. I have been unsuccessful! This is only done on a ROA and an 1851. This leads me to believe they happen from the front of the cylinder where there is substantial more direct heated pressure against the adjacent chambers than fire “arcing” to somehow get inside adjacent nipples which are 90 degrees or so.
Caveat:,I talk to myself, so take it with a grain of salt.

Mogadishu Meanderer said:

As chain fires, I have posted here before, I have shot over 200 caps trying to recreate a chainfire from the nipples, to include impregnating and filling the cap less nipples with 4F. I have been unsuccessful! This is only done on a ROA and an 1851. This leads me to believe they happen from the front of the cylinder where there is substantial more direct heated pressure against the adjacent chambers than fire “arcing” to somehow get inside adjacent nipples which are 90 degrees or so.
Caveat:,I talk to myself, so take it with a grain of salt.

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I agree!! But if @Jappo reads this you're gonna hear about it !!!

Mike

And I take the opposite approach, I used to put grease over the top but.
1, Found out it created a mess as the grease was splattered all over the gun
2, Most of the grease in the adjacent cylinders was blown out after the first firing anyway.

So now I use a greased wad between the powder and the ball.
1, I do not worry about the grease affecting the powder, the grease isn't that heavy and they do not stay loaded for long.
2, No more grease all over the gun
3, After a shooting session the bore looks great, no build up.
4, Great accuracy
5, Never had a chain fire

I am glad you system works for you French, the thing is that we don’t have a metric to determine scientifically what works and what doesn’t since most topics are subjective and most folks do not spent time experimenting for real. Lots of information gets pass down thru the Net on someone else’s opinion and conjecture. Some folks will shoot four cylinders and call good, almost any pistol cans do that with or without lubrication. When you get up to the 150 RBs in one session thats when you really notice the difference between grease or wads. Also, accuracy is subjective, for Mike Belevue hitting Evil Roy at 15 yards one handed is great, but vey different than shooting 2” groups at 25 meters. Wads are good for expediency and cleanliness but none of my guns (21) shoot tighter groups with them than ball and butter! Never mind when they gat stuck to the ball and produce horrible flyers!

Yep, different strokes for different folks.

M. De Land said:

I used Criso for years with complete satisfaction but got tired of wiping off my shooting glasses and spotting scope lens when shooting up wind. It's cheap, plentiful and works fine !

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Ive owned and shot my ROA's almost 50 years and have always used Crisco as a sealant. It is messy, but I've never had a chain fire.

Sadly that is a negative and not proof of anything other than you put grease over the balls.

I read in another post that chain fires are actually cause by fire arcing between nipples rather than it being a product of the cylinder face

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Urban legends existed before the Internet, though the internet sure can spread em far and fast.

I would hope you actually read the comments though it appears not. Read the post about the testing in Post 22. That is typical of someone who actually has done tests.

Consensus from those who are informed vs opinionated is rear chain fire is rare to non existent. Others have tested that and have not been able to created one.

As for lube, lubed bullets are a thing. Some kind of grease going down the bore ahead of a bullet? Hmmm.

One guy tested lubed wads and came up with a cleaner gun.

Me? I just take soap and water and a 45 cal brush and clean out my barrels and the cylinders after each range session. Clean as a whistle.

I pull the cones on the cylinders so I can get all the way to the bottom of those. I also drop the unmentionable cylinder in and clean it was well.

45D method of grease in the mechanism helps in keep stray water out and rust forming. A Colt style open top of course the barrel comes off and that is even easier.

Smokerr - "I would hope you actually read the comments though it appears not. Read the post about the testing in Post 22. That is typical of someone who actually has done tests."

Honestly I did not read them as carefully as I should have. I am still trying to get back into cap and ball shooting and am following all the different opinions posted. I think I will just take my ballistol can with me and do some periodic swabbing next time. I'm a boiling water fan myself.
Best,
lp

45D said:

I agree!! But if @Jappo reads this you're gonna hear about it !!!

Mike

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Well Mike, I am going to conduct another test the last week of August. I have put aside 200 caps, powder, balls and wads! It will be the Walker and the NMA, both Ubertis. 50 grs of 3F, RB, 1075 Plus surrounded by two chambers loaded with25 grains of 3F and two wads over the powder, no caps, do 50 rounds, repeat with the surrounding nipple filled with 4F, 25 rounds, lastly if haven’t gotten a chain fire , same as before but cylinder nipple recess impregnated with 4F. I will post the results when I get done, I am shooting, pun intended, for 5 chain fires on the 200 caps! We’ll see.

I had several chain fires with my 1858 when I was developing a hunting load. Here is what I found...

I was using a .452 ball to start. Chain fires were regular (maybe 1:50)

I moved up to a .454 ball (still developing a load) and noticed a reduction in the number of chain fires (1:100).

When I started testing accuracy with wads, I had no chain fires at all. Wether the wad was lubed or dry didn't make a difference.

When I started accuracy testing with my cast bullets it took the same pattern (although with less occurrences).

No patch with 452 cast bullets had chain fires (maybe 1:75). But none when using a lubed or dry felt wad.

All shots were made with either homemade #10 caps, or CCI #11 pinched to fit #10 nipples. The cap used didn't make a difference that was noticeable.

This is my experience with my pistol. Others milage may vary.

Smokerr - "I would hope you actually read the comments though it appears not. Read the post about the testing in Post 22. That is typical of someone who actually has done tests."

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I went back and read it and part of it is an apples and oranges. Lubed bullet become necessary when you go over 1000 fps. Note all 22 bullets are not lubed, some like Rem have the gold coating (never looked up what it is)

I agree with Post 22. Chainfire is from the front. Now how to prevent it is subject to the gun you are shooting (actually the cylinder in the gun).

I also agree on what wads can do. I actually experimented with wads in front of a bullet (safety thing on .451 ball loads). I pulled the wad out from the end of the chamber I was firing but the rest had them in it. What I saw was a blast pattern on the very outer part of the wad and no penetration even to the middle.

In my former work world we called that a Flame Areastor. Batteries and fuel tanks. Open to air but a baffle system that does not allow a flame front to get through it.

That follows Post 22 test as well as others calling it a safety factor.

Where we differ is how well the lead seals. I have shot .451 sans wads and no chainfire. I think its iffy and don't do it usually without wads. Somewhere .451 and below you do get chain-fire if you are counting on a lead seal.

From his account it sounds like he had loose chambers, maybe oval. As that is not going to seal, then yes a Wad is an answer. Ergo the gun (or the cylinder).

Uberti and Pietta call for .454 and Ruger .457 balls.

My 76 x ASP has a tapered chamber, no lead ring cut but it seals solidly.

I look forward to the response. I would prefer some latitude to the affect, I am not sure you read post 22. Being a former tech and mechanic I lived in a world of shaded nuances. It could work fine, it could be broke and it could be in between.

Mogadishu Meanderer said:

Chamber sealant is not only to prevent chain fires but to lubricate the lead bullet going down a steel pipe, no different that every bullet made out of lead been shot in metallic cartridges, from 22s to 500 SW magnums. It also keeps the fouling softer to keep the guns cycling longer. Don’t let those who think because it’s messy is not need it.
As chain fires, I have posted here before, I have shot over 200 caps trying to recreate a chainfire from the nipples, to include impregnating and filling the cap less nipples with 4F. I have been unsuccessful! This is only done on a ROA and an 1851. This leads me to believe they happen from the front of the cylinder where there is substantial more direct heated pressure against the adjacent chambers than fire “arcing” to somehow get inside adjacent nipples which are 90 degrees or so.
Caveat:,I talk to myself, so take it with a grain of salt.

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I'm equally certain it can and does happen from either end of the cylinder when nipples get washed out from erosion ,the hoods get battered from hammer impact , hammer spring tension is reduced for a better trigger pull and etc. I've watched quite a bit of slow-mo percussion revolver footage which reveals an amazing amount of fire being expelled from both ends of a percussion revolver when shooting and a flash under pressure has no trouble at all of going around a corner when it is being reflected in all directions from adjacent surfaces like recoil shields , hammer faces , spent cap metal and fouling build up.

11th corps said:

Ive owned and shot my ROA's almost 50 years and have always used Crisco as a sealant. It is messy, but I've never had a chain fire.

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Then you are using way too much lube. Bought my first ROA early 80’s so only have a couple of years experience I was told enough lube to seal around the ball, anything else is a waste of lube. Basically I use a syringe to deliver enough so I can still see the top of the ball. Clean up is a dream as all I am cleaning is BP fouling. I’m out next weekend I will take a pic of what I do and post.

I'm a newcomer here. what the heck is an ROA?

Ruger Old Army, 45 caliber (44 by BP reckoning ) aka Ruger modern built BP revolver loosely based on the Spencer Ram system though its a Blackhawk Based frame.

1972 to 2008.