C & B over ball grease

[FireMaker]

Reading an article in my 1982 Guns & Ammo annual, it states: "To prevent the embarassing and hazardoud occurrence of a chain-fire, each chamber should be sealed in lubricant. In the old days, they used things like bear grease." How Good Were the Cap & Ball Revolvers - John Wooters, 1982

I read this and was amaized. Anyone that has handled bear grease would know that it aint gonna work as it will melt and junny just holding it in your hand. Must be mixed with wax or deer tallow to get it so it will no melt. I have not experimented with the tallow but have done a lot with the beeswax. I think that 20yrs ago, some stuff was just written and some information was accepted as fact. That's where the reenactor population is doin the experiential archeology to prove/disprove. :m2c:

 

[2172]

started out using Crisco, but after about 5 shots, the smell made me hungry...at some other shooter's suggestion, switched to water pump grease...from time to time, I buy one of the commercial preparations, but return to the water pump stuff.....I completely agree about the "experts" of 30 years ago. Heard as gospel all kinds of stuff that I now know from experience was just "sounds good, ain't true",Hank

 

[musketman]

What about thick wheel bearing grease, would that work?

 

[FireMaker]

I need to tinker. I like the bearfat/beeswax 2:1 or 2.5:1. But, getting the fat here in Illinois is rather difficult. I like the grease to be firm so like the mixe with the beeswax. Also attempt to use what was available, then.

Neen to try other household oils mixed with the bees wax and see what I can get. Hopefully can get something that has is natural based and firm. Time will tell.

 

[Rebel]

I used whele bearing grease for that purpose until it finally sunk in that how was a chainfire going to occur from the front of the cylinder? The ball is so tight a fit that a small ring of lead is cut off as it is loaded. Ain't no way any flame is going to get past there. And besides, the flame is going forward, it ain't gonna make a u-turn and head back into the cylinder. If you get a chainfire it would hacve to be from a cap missing on a loaded cylinder. All the grease does is keep the fouling soft in the barrel :m2c:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Assuming that a properly fitting ball is used, it is very unlikely that a chain fire would be caused by flame getting around the the swaged ball in the next chamber. A chain fire would more likely be caused by fire getting around a loose cap on a nearby chamber.
A good lube is a 50-50 mix of beeswax and tallow. Don't know as it will prevent chain fires, but it does keep fouling soft, and it keeps the cylinder turning. In the winter I add a little olive oil to it. Not sure if it does any good, but it makes me feel a little better.

 

[Rebel]

Hey Russ, i beat ya to the draw. :crackup:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Yup! Great minds think alike!

 

[Rebel]

How true it is. ::

 

[jim gray]

I was thinking abut that a lot. I couldn't see the logic in sealing the chambers to prevent chain fires because as you say there doesn't seem to be anyway a spark could get past a ball or bullet that is basically a press fit in the chamber.

I didn't realize or consider the risk of loading six and capping only five chambers until I read an earlier post on this forum. I typically carried my gun with one loaded chamber left uncapped under the hammer.

 

[Rebel]

Not a good idea to leave a loaded chamber uncapped. If y9u are going to have a chainfire that is how it would happen. Better to leave the chamber either empty or to cap it.

 

[Gatofeo]

A lot of information given as fact some years ago is false, if not dangerous.
Take a look at the Lyman Black Powder manual from about 1975. Photo of a guy in there capping his revolver with his fingers in front the chamber being capped!
If that cap is ultrasensitive and goes off ... OUCH!

I've experienced three separate multiple ignitions with a cap and ball revolver. All occurred with the same gun more than 30 years ago - a cheap, brass-framed 1851 Navy in .44-caliber (yeah, I know, no such beast historically).
As I recall the first time the 2 o'clock chamber went off. No harm done.
The next time (some months later) the 2 and 6 o'clock chambers went off. Somehow that 6 o'clock ball got out of the space between the rammer and cylinder and I never found it.
The third time (again, some months later) the 6 o'clock chamber went off and lodged against the rammer, swelling it out and distorting the metal around it. I junked out the revolver at that point and gave it to a gunsmith friend for parts.
Now, here's some important info:
1. All balls were .451 diameter, as recommended. I still have that old Lyman mould I used to make them.
2. Crisco was liberally smeared over the ball. At that time, I hadn't yet learned of using a greased felt wad between ball and powder.
3. All caps were placed on the nipples as-is. Later, I learned to squeeze them into an elliptical shape to better cling to the nipple.
4. Since I've adopted squeezed caps and greased felt wads, in a variety of revolvers, I have yet to experience another multiple ignition. Statistically it may be a fluke but I tend to credit these two practices with discouraging multiple ignition.

I rarely put lubricant over the ball, preferring instead to use a greased felt wad. See my other post, submitted yesterday, "Found! Proper Felt to Make Wads!" for information on felt wads.
Also, you'll find an old lubricant recipe that is excellent. I've used it in a variety of black powder applications and found it every bit as good as any commercially made black powder lubricant, but much cheaper.
Also, search for my earlier post, "How to Properly Use a Cap and Ball Revolver" for a wealth of information.
You'll want to print out these posts for easier reading and reference, as they're detailed and quite long.
The ol' ugly desert cat don't do nothing by halves :haha:

 

[ShortBus]

I'm here to tell ya it does happen. About 25 years ago (jeezzzz I'm getting old) I had my first BP .44cal navy.

You had to be 18 to buy a pellet rifle but for $40 any jackass (clears throat) could walkout with a BP revolver.

Hung out at the gun store until I got a guy to buy me a pound of FFFg and me and my buddy went to the range. Well we figured out how to load it. Popped 5 rounds off. NEATO!!!

Loaded it up the second time. "boom","boom","boom","boom","boom"

Full auto baby! gun ended up pointed straight up, smoke everywhere. My hand is tingling like a broken bat single.

Always right on top of a situation my buddy says "sounds like it went off more than once?!?!"

LMAO "ya think?"

One went down the pipe, one lead streak down the side of the barrel, one streak on either side of the lower frame and one ball mashed into the ram rod. I'm guess'n that's where the tingle came from.

Went home (dug the ball out) and did a bit of reading. Started greasing the end of the cyl with this white CVA lube that came in a squeeze tube. Never had another instance.

Getting a solid ring cut is good but can be difficult with a navy and it still isn't fool proof. :imo:

SB