Cap and Ball

[jbullard1]

I've never owned a cap and ball revolver but want to try one just for the heck of it. I read on another thread to stay away from the brass frame ones. Why? I know they aren't as strong as the steel frames but are there any other reasons. I think cabelas has an 1851 for less than $150 and thought this might be a cheap route to try. I dont want to try and over load the brass one just make some noise and smoke and see if I can actually hit anything with one.
Or will the 150 bucks be better used on a more expensive steel frame one.

 

[brubincam]

i had a fie brand 36 cal brass frame 51 navy for years,shot it hard and a lot,took it to a shop to trade for something else and it was sold to another guy before i left,,,it was still tight when traded,,, :v :v :v

 

[mykeal]

The issue with brass frames is that they do not stand up to what I call abuse as well as the steel frames do. Other than that they are just as good as steel frames.

The frame of any percussion revolver absorbs the recoil impact from the cylinder - when you fire the chamber the cylinder is driven backward into the frame. Brass is inherently softer than steel, and it will deform under the impact load from the cylinder faster than steel will. How much it deforms and the rate at which it deforms depends on how large the impact is.

As a rule of thumb you can pretty much count on any "moderate" load to be both the most accurate load and one that will not unduly punish the frame of a brass framed gun. This will be in the 20-25 gr range for most .36 cal guns and 28-30 gr for most .44 cal guns (all measurements by volume). Finding the exact load involves experimenting.

Filling the chamber with powder so that the ball just clears the front of the cylinder will almost always result in damage to a brass frame gun - repeatedly using such loads is what I define as abuse. Doing so occasionally is ok; a couple of times will not destroy the gun, but repeatedly using max loads will damage a brass frame pretty quickly.

Brass frames are less expensive and an excellent way to get into bp shooting. Properly treated, they will last as long as any steel frame. They are cosmetically pleasing and in some cases truly authentic. There is no good reason to avoid them if you are willing to treat them well.

 

[Zonie]

jbullard1: I agree with mykeal: As long as you are happy shooting moderate or light loads a brass framed pistol will probably last a long time.

The important thing is for you to buy a BP gun and try it out.
They truly are a blast to shoot. The recoil is very mild but enough greater than a .22 to let you know you really shot something.

The biggest problem you will have is cleaning it, and, as with all black powder guns that must be done as soon as you can after shooting it.
Actually, cleaning it isn't much of a problem unless you don't like soap and water.

Happy Shooting
zonie

 

[Mulebrain]

The brass frames are not the best, but I like them. If you shoot 20 grain charges, should last a very very long time!

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[MikeChapin]

I have three brass framed revolvers - two .36s and a .44. The .44 was bought back in the seventies and was one of my first BP arms. It was used and abused and finally shot loose. I silver soldered the cylinder pin and used it a few times after that.

The .36s were bought as kits and one has seen a bit of use as a bunny gun the other fired for target practice. These were shot with moderate loads and are just as tight as the day they were built.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I've had 3 '58 Rem brass frame pistols and while I usually shot 24 gr. 3F loads (tightest groups) I shot some heavy loads(32 gr) using cast slugs of 220 gr. weight in them to practice with my hunting load I carried when I went bear hunting with some ol' boys that have bear dogs. I sold them and now have a steel frame but wish I had kept at least one brass framed. could not tell that the heavy charges did any damage at all, maybe 300 shots. so I figure it would take many heavy charge shots before any wear occured, actually brass has high compressive strength.