BP Revolvers

[TFoley]

This is neat to know but you shooters who live overseas might not want to broadcast it to the authorities.
I understand some of the laws over there that permit owning a cap & ball pistol require that the production of the guns had to be before 1860?

Never heard of THAT one, me.

Here in UK we can freely buy an antique C&B revolver or single-shot gun, long or short, any kind of a lock, and any age, even if it is a cartridge-firing gun that shoots one of the many hundreds of obsolete calibres.

However, if you want to shoot it is has to be registered and licensed on your firearms' certificate, just like any other Section 1 firearm or replica thereof. You can only buy a working replica if you have the license to do so.

tac

 

[aeatwood]

I would also recommend shooting some Goex 2F. My guns like basically a full charge, with a .454 Ball. I leave just enough room to seat a greased felt wad against the powder so that it doesn't interfere with centering the ball in the chamber to seat it.

 

[Zonie]

I think it was Germany, France or one of the other Countries on the mainland.

I recall discussing this with one of our members who was rather upset to hear that the 1858 Remington Army revolvers wasn't made until 1861 because of his countries laws.

At the time, we decided what the authorities didn't know wouldn't hurt them. :grin:

 

[Many Klatch]

We had a thread here a while ago on how to fix the hand springs with a bobby pin. The hand springs will fail eventually but the bobby pins seem to work better. I replaced my broken hand spring with a bobby pin and it works as good as ever.

This should link you to a discussion on the hand spring replacement.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/269819/

Many Klatch

 

[lorren68]

Thanks that was some good information, now if I just knew what the "hand" and "hand spring" are I would be set. :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Zonie]

The "hand" is the part that is connected to the hammer down in the frame.

It's job is to protrude from the rear of the frame and to engage the ratchet teeth on the rear of the cylinder.

When the hammer is cocked, it is this "hand" that pushes against the ratchet to rotate the cylinder to the next chamber.

To cause the hand to protrude and engage the ratchet teeth on the cylinder, a small, thin spring is attached to the hand.

This flimsy little spring is flexed a great deal as the hand skips from one ratchet tooth to the next and it becomes fatigued.
It's breaking is the most common mechanical problem with all of the Cap & Ball pistols.

The spring and hand are usually sold as a assembly because the spring is pressed into a groove in the rear of the hand.

As it is merely pressed in, some people have replaced it with a piece of bent bobby pin and for many, this has fixed the problem.
For others, not.

 

[lorren68]

Thanks Zonie

 

[tv_racin_fan]

I should have read this earlier.

The springs need fitting. They may run fine right out the box but generally don't. Or so I have been told anyway I aint broked any yet.

I need to get spares myself..

Axtually I think the hand comes up from under and indexes the cylinder. The pawl comes out the frame back and rotates it. I think that is how it goes and for all I know an 1858 aint got both of em.

 

[Zonie]

The part that comes up out of the frame to engage the notches in the outside of the cylinder and thereby stop its rotation is called the "cylinder stop".

The part that comes out of the recoil shield to rotate the cylinder is called the "hand".

Both the Colt revolvers and the Remington revolvers all have these parts although the designs are slightly different so a Colt hand cannot be used in a Remington pistol.

 

[M. De Land]

Another spring that is prone to breakage on any of this single action guns is the bolt or trigger spring which is the same spring with two separate fingers out of the same body.I found that the stainless steel flat coil springs that come in some tape measures make an almost indestructible trigger/ bolt spring. I used one that came out of a Luftkin tape measure after the tape body broke. There is so much chrome in the stuff making it so tough you have to drill it with a carbide bit and shape the fingers with a dremel thin disk grinder. Never have broken a pawl/hand spring in any of my single actions yet but if I do I will use this same material to make a new one.
Speaking of springs I'm just finishing a hammer spring for a very nice .54 caliber pistol for a friend that couldn't get a replacement from the outfit that made it. Man what a job to mill out the tapered body, file out the purchase stud, get the a"V" in the right place and file in the stirrup purchase, heat treat it and draw the temper. It's burning off the oil in the temper drawing now. I like to use a 50/50 mix of kerosene and 30 weight motor oil. Mix it up well drop in the spring on it's side and see what happens. So far it has worked perfectly on quite a few flat V springs. Hope this one works as I have over 8 hours in the fabrication and fitting.If it breaks I'll go see a shrink in the AM. MD :rotf:

 

[Billnpatti]

You can buy parts for your guns from such places as Dixie Gun works or Track of The Wolf. For information on disassembly and working on your revolvers go to this site http://www.youtube.com/results?sea...j34j1j1j4j6j1.49.0...0.0...1ac.1.2v-TX88mDJI.

If clicking on this site doesn't work, just go to www.youtube.com and then in the search box, type "Disassembly of Remington black powder revolvers"