My first cap and ball revolver

kyron4 said:

I've been reading a book called "Weapons of the Civil War" and got bit by the cap and ball bug. I did my research and decided on the Pietta 1851Navy steel frame in 36 caliber. After some shopping around I found the best deal at Muzzle-Loaders.com,( https://muzzle-loaders.com/ .) Got it with free shipping during the holiday Friday/Monday sale. I had it on my door step in two days , which really surprised me with the holiday rush.

Now on to the gun. Giving it a good once over nothing seem to be of concern; timing was good, trigger was crisp, bore and chambers clean, cylinder gap was around .003" , though the breech face was off a few degrees top to bottom, barely noticeable. The wedge is what worried me the most after hearing some horror stories of how tight they were. Mine tapped out with a brass punch and a smart wrap from a screwdriver handle, no issues there. Pietta seems to really upped their game from years ago. If I had to list a negative it would be the slight overhang of the wood grips; the fit could have been a little better, but nothing to lose sleep over.

I pretty busy with other things right now so won't get a range report for a few months. This will give me time to get supplies together, balls, wads, molds, holster, nipples, etc. I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions along the way so stay tuned.

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kyron4 said:

I've been reading a book called "Weapons of the Civil War" and got bit by the cap and ball bug. I did my research and decided on the Pietta 1851Navy steel frame in 36 caliber. After some shopping around I found the best deal at Muzzle-Loaders.com,( https://muzzle-loaders.com/ .) Got it with free shipping during the holiday Friday/Monday sale. I had it on my door step in two days , which really surprised me with the holiday rush.

Now on to the gun. Giving it a good once over nothing seem to be of concern; timing was good, trigger was crisp, bore and chambers clean, cylinder gap was around .003" , though the breech face was off a few degrees top to bottom, barely noticeable. The wedge is what worried me the most after hearing some horror stories of how tight they were. Mine tapped out with a brass punch and a smart wrap from a screwdriver handle, no issues there. Pietta seems to really upped their game from years ago. If I had to list a negative it would be the slight overhang of the wood grips; the fit could have been a little better, but nothing to lose sleep over.

I pretty busy with other things right now so won't get a range report for a few months. This will give me time to get supplies together, balls, wads, molds, holster, nipples, etc. I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions along the way so stay tuned.

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sheriff john said:

Gratified to learn the black powder addiction virus is still present in our surroundings. There is no cure, but sometimes spousal intervention may foment temporary remission. Pity the fool without a spouse.

May your every target leave the range with the "X ring" missing. Welcome to the asylum.

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sheriff john said:

Gratified to learn the black powder addiction virus is still present in our surroundings. There is no cure, but sometimes spousal intervention may foment temporary remission. Pity the fool without a spouse.

May your every target leave the range with the "X ring" missing. Welcome to the asylum.

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Jappo said:

I'm one of them "fools" that's why I have 22 of them. No two are the same.
Still need/want the Baby Dragoon.

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D Yager said:

The thing that takes the frustration out of cap jams is an action shield and cap post. The Slix shot type nipples in my experience tend to split the cap leading to more fun digging cap fragments out of the innards.

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The thing that takes the frustration out of cap jams is an action shield and cap post. The Slix shot type nipples in my experience tend to split the cap leading to more fun digging cap fragments out of the innards.

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Smokerr said:

The Slix Shots are good quality but do not solve the problem. For the 58 NMA you want to get the longer ones.

A stronger hammer spring will keep the hammer from jumping back and letting a cap go into the action.

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Zapadach said:

Blackie Thomas had a video out a few years back, on how to stop cap jams without buying slick shot nipples. It involves cutting an ever so light groove on the face of the original nipple. If you can find the video, watch it. It can save you some money.

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wiscoaster said:

Well, that's basically what the Slixshot nipples do with their sidewall vent holes. I'd rather just buy the new nipples rather than experiment with my machining skills on my factory nipples. Seems to me Slix Springs has already got that all figured out, and they're not that expensive. Experimenting with milling your own gas-relief grooves on your factory nipples leads to a high probability of just having to replace them anyway, and meanwhile you've expended time and effort and black powder and balls.

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wiscoaster said:

Well, that's basically what the Slixshot nipples do with their sidewall vent holes. I'd rather just buy the new nipples rather than experiment with my machining skills on my factory nipples. Seems to me Slix Springs has already got that all figured out, and they're not that expensive. Experimenting with milling your own gas-relief grooves on your factory nipples leads to a high probability of just having to replace them anyway, and meanwhile you've expended time and effort and black powder and balls.

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wiscoaster said:

Slixshot nipples PLUS hammer spring.

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Zapadach said:

Your reply indicates that a machinist skills are nessary to perform a simple function......

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