36 Cal Questions

[maineguide]

I just had a friend give me a 36 cal pistol. And I am new to this type of blackpowder shooting.
My question is: What do you use for grease over the ball to help stop the chain fire?
Or can you use bore butter for this?

 

[Leatherbark]

Bore butter works well.........I've used[url] crisco........in[/url] cooler weather......anything to keep fouling down.......Some times lube over ball is more accurate than a wad under the ball..............Bob

 

[Bob Riegl]

:applause: Jack you have exactly my method using the wonder wads lubed with b/b1000. I like 30 or more grains of fffg and never had a chainfire. One thing however, is to check how easily the caps sit on the nipple-if they don't fit well-----DON'T FORCE THEM--rather turn the nipples down a wee bit until you get and easy snug fit. Check them into a drill, runat slow speed and use a small file to turn them down a wee bit---until you get a good sliding fit. When you get a crappy fit that's when you start to shain fire IMHO.

 

[renovato]

Maineguide, another option is to use a lubed wad under the ball instead of grease over the ball. Often it improves accuracy, and it's not as messy to deal with. Seems to keep the bore a bit cleaner too. I switched to that method and have preferred it ever since.

 

[maineguide]

Thanks guys for the info when I get a chance I will try both.

 

[crockett]

I used grease (crisco) for years- kept in in an empty shoe wax tin. Now I use wads over the powder and under the ball. They are greased wads and work well.

 

[maineguide]

Where can you get greased wads?

 

[maineguide]

Another thing I would like to know is can you use these wads under a conical bullet?
With this revolver that was given to me there was also a bullet mold and it makes a ball and conical bullet.

 

[Rebel]

Yes you can use them under a conical, just leave enough room for the powder. Ox Yoke Wonder Wads are pre-lubed wads. Try some of the BP suppliers. They have them here.[url] http://www.trackofthewolf.com...subId=37&styleId=124&partNum=OX-WAD-36-W[/url]

 

[maineguide]

Thanks Rebel

 

[Rebel]

Always happy to help.

 

[TFoley]

How do you get '30gr or more' into your .36cal? :hmm:

Just curious, is all. As the recommended load is around 22gr. And the Civil War load was a mere 17gr.

tac

 

[philo426]

I use Oxyoke originals wonder wads without grease on my 1860 Army and have never haad a chain-fire!It tends to keep the bore cleaner as well!

 

[crockett]

That 30 grains is going to be hard, with 25 grains I have to really "crunch" down on the powder to get the ball seated below the end of the chamber(grease over the ball method).

On those conicals- the army used them during the Civil War because they needed sometime to stick the paper case on and the conical had a recessed base. A conical (other than the wad cutter type) will tend to twist out of alignment as it is seated- not good for accuracy. Balls are generally more accurate and you can use more powder. I should have noted that the 17 gr. military charge on combustible cartridges was with a concial. Concials, being longer, take up more room in the chamber.

 

[Pinkerton]

Where can you get greased wads?

The method I use, along with many other people,
is to buy 1/8" thick , hard density felt from "durofelt",($13.50 for a piece 54" x 12") get a 3/8" hollow punch, and open the centre up a little with a dremmel tool so the wads are cutting out at @.40.
(3/8's is a tad small for .36 cal)
This will make them fit snug going out the barrel.
Cleans and lubes the bore with every shot.
Then use bore butter by hand and grease them while watching TV.
Or you can micro-wave some bore butter in a small saucer, and with tweezers, dip wads one by one to lube them.
You will save a whack of money over buying them for @ .10 each pre-cut from supply stores.
I shoot alot, so this method his way better than peeing away hard earned money on exspenive pre-cut wads.
This way works for me, no chain fires, gun is clean, and I get very good accuracy.
I can shoot 40-50 rounds in a cowboy match over the course of a day, and not clean the gun till i get home. :thumbsup:

 

[Pinkerton]

This might be a dumb question, but can you use a thin coat of alox bullet lube on the round balls to help with accurracy, or will it react badly
with BP or Piro?

 

[renovato]

Any lube on the ball will just scrape off with the ring of lead when you seat it in the chamber. Might work over the ball or as a wad lube though. Seems the natural products work better in black powder guns though.