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.31 No more cap jams

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CaptainVane

Colt ‘51 & Remington ‘58 .36; Colt ‘48 .31
Joined
May 13, 2023
Messages
955
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2,058
Location
Perry Hall, Maryland
I had horrible cap jams on my ‘48 Colt .31. So I did what Blackie on utube said about filing smooth all the rough edges and sharp points on the hammer cap groove.
Just got back from the range and not one cap jam of 80 rounds fired. None, nada, zip.
Rem #11 caps.
It’s like a completely different pistol. What a pleasure to shoot it now. I could quickly fire 5 with no hesitation and since this is my EDC I now have full confidence in it.
I am happier than a pig in whatever pigs are happy in.
Back in June I posted about the fix on my .36, finally got around to the .31.
 
It's something that should never ever under any circumstances be carried in black power reproduction revolver form.
Let me guess, you live in a state that either doesn’t require a carry permit or hands them out like candy on Halloween.
 
Every Day Carry. In Maryland its nearly impossible to get a carry permit for a cartridge pistol, but you can carry a BP all day long with no permit.
Regarding concealed carry, MANY states regard Cap n Ball revolvers no differently than carrying a modern handgun.

In MANY states, if the firearm can accept gun powder and a projectile and go BOOM and propel that projectile, the firearm CANNOT be carried in public. Nor can they legally be carried loaded in a vehicle.

Carrying on your person on YOUR property is generally considered OK. Be it modern or reproduction.

You really need to sit down and read, very carefully, the rules of your state. Or call the handgun permit licensing division in your state and ask them.
 
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Regarding concealed carry, MANY states regard Cap n Ball revolvers no differently than carrying a modern handgun.

In MANY states, if the firearm can accept gun powder and a projectile and go BOOM and propel that projectile, the firearm CANNOT be carried in public. Nor can they legally be carried loaded in a vehicle.

Carrying on your person on YOUR property is generally considered OK. Be it modern or reproduction.

You really need to sit down and read, very carefully, the rules of your state. Or call the handgun permit licensing division in your state and ask them.
I have, MD allows BP. As said beats a stick, which by the way was all a guy had (baseball bat) when he died of lead poisoning in downtown last year.
This is not a CC thread and i will not turn it into one. So last comment from me on that matter.
 
I have, MD allows BP. As said beats a stick, which by the way was all a guy had (baseball bat) when he died of lead poisoning in downtown last year.
This is not a CC thread and i will not turn it into one. So last comment from me on that matter.
You turned it into a Concealed Carry thread the moment you said your .31 Cap n Baller was your EDC= Every Day Carry handgun.

You carrying it concealed or open?

May make a difference from a legal standpoint.
 
One very important thing to remember. If your carrying a .31 for self defense and God forbid, you ever have to use it there is a 95% chance the courts will hear two sides to the story. Just not gonna kill the guy w/o a direct head shot. If ya had to shoot him he's gonna lie (and could be a dem so who they gonna believe?). Getcha an ROA or a dragoon and load that sucker up with with3f (or 4f if ya believe Brit, and I do), heavy flat nosed soft lead bullet. Accuracy wont matter so forget the guys stating 17 grains is most accurate. We want splatter here, on the other side. So forget that, you will be close enough. Then theres only one side of the story which begins with complete silence.
 
One very important thing to remember. If your carrying a .31 for self defense and God forbid, you ever have to use it there is a 95% chance the courts will hear two sides to the story. Just not gonna kill the guy w/o a direct head shot. If ya had to shoot him he's gonna lie (and could be a dem so who they gonna believe?). Getcha an ROA or a dragoon and load that sucker up with with3f (or 4f if ya believe Brit, and I do), heavy flat nosed soft lead bullet. Accuracy wont matter so forget the guys stating 17 grains is most accurate. We want splatter here, on the other side. So forget that, you will be close enough. Then theres only one side of the story which begins with complete silence.
If attacked by an angry squirrel, a .31 may beat it back.

Outside of that, a .31 is a terrible choice for an EDC.

The ball may bounce off the bad guy and hit the shooter.

Get a .44 Cap n Ball and hacksaw a few inches off the barrel.

Then loaded it with bullets and not balls.
 
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It’s like a completely different pistol. What a pleasure to shoot it now. I could quickly fire 5 with no hesitation and since this is my EDC I now have full confidence in it.
Congrats on getting it to run right! There's great satisfaction in problem solving and/or fine-tuning your gun.
 
If that is what you can legally carry in your state then I highly suggest to move up to a larger caliber. Doesn’t have to be a Dragoon but at least a .36 as a minimal caliber such as the Pocket Police that will give you more stopping power and still be a small platform.
 
Every Day Carry. In Maryland its nearly impossible to get a carry permit for a cartridge pistol, but you can carry a BP all day long with no permit.
Captain Vane - MD law as I read it treats a concealed BP pistol the same as a cartridge pistol and you need a carry permit for both. I'd love it if I'm wrong but as a holder of an FFL for over 40 years I have to keep up with the regulations. Be very careful unless you want to share accomodations with a lifer named bubba.
 
Every Day Carry. In Maryland its nearly impossible to get a carry permit for a cartridge pistol, but you can carry a BP all day long with no permit.
No, that's not true anymore. You have to jump thru hoops (16 hour course) and pay money but unless you're too poor a shot to hit the target or a criminal you get your permit. Supreme court changed that last year with the Bruen decision.
 
Fear levels, long CHL's wait times and total disrespect for law/govt in general are increasing fast. This results in many carrying without even considering a permit. Yet to see or hear of use of any BP arms being popular other than the tiny .22 ML revolvers which sell out fast. Most bikers here are openly strapped with high capacity unmentionables and cops just look other way.
 
You know what. I don’t have thin skin, but what started as a confirmation of Blackie Thomas method on utube that for me eliminated all cap jams from a cap jam prone BP pistol quickly turned into insults against my intelligence for keeping my only available method of exercising my right to stay alive.
And i see this over and over on this forum. I was offering a possible solution to help you all out with cap jams and quickly turned to insults against me.
So know what? Figure out your own stuff. I wont offer any solutions to improve your BP experience.
 
You know what. I don’t have thin skin, but what started as a confirmation of Blackie Thomas method on utube that for me eliminated all cap jams from a cap jam prone BP pistol quickly turned into insults against my intelligence for keeping my only available method of exercising my right to stay alive.
And i see this over and over on this forum. I was offering a possible solution to help you all out with cap jams and quickly turned to insults against me.
So know what? Figure out your own stuff. I wont offer any solutions to improve your BP experience.
No one insulted you. You segued from a .31 caliber cap n ball remedy to carrying it for self defense.

All we did was tell you it's very likely illegal to carry a black powder cap n ball revolver, concealed on your person, to circumvent carry permit laws.

This is true all over the country. In fact, some counties have taken it upon themselves to ban carrying cap n ball revolvers.

Open carry may be a possibility. Depends on your locality though.

Say what you will, folks were just trying to keep your azz out of the slammer and away from spooning with Bubba.
 
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