extra capped cylinder

[crockett]

My personal opinion is that a certain amount of hand tuning at the factories was done on revolvers. A spare cylinder therefore may work but not well- that's just my hunch.
The only documented thing I ever found on the spare cylinder idea was in a book about Quantrill. Frank James picked up a Colt 1851 from a dead Federal soldier. The gun was too beat up to use so he just took out the cylinder and saved it. The assumption was so he could do a cylinder change but that is just an assumption- he might have figured he could sell it to someone.

 

[fraungie]

It is an 1858 Remington in stainless and I also shoot an 1858 Remington revolving carbine that is blued. Both cylinder pins need to be removed to get the cylinder out and I need to tap them out. The Colt cylinder pin is threaded into the frame and not removed. Mosby AKA "The grey ghost" carried 4 revolvers.

 

[fraungie]

I was using high temperature bearing grease. The gun has done it since new and the stainless does have a line on it not sure if it is gas or from the cylinder during recoil.

 

[Khufu]

I have owned several '58s and none of them could you remove the cylinder pins without removing the screw that holds the loading ram on and pullung the loading ram out first, they slide out and stop. when I was new to BP revolvers 40 years ago, I put lube on top of the balls to "seal" the chambers because someone told me to. not only did it collect dirt and junk, it fouled my holster and when fried made such a mess that I almost gave them up. the lube and powder fouling hardened and glued the cylinder pin in place. since I learned that putting lube on top of the balls is not a good idea, my fouling issue has deminished. every few cylinder loads I slide open the pin (slides right out)pull the cylinder out and slide the cylinder pin back in and wipe it. I have way more trouble with Colts fouling out than Remingtons. since you have 2 guns that you are having trouble with, it is likely not the hardware as much as the loading/shooting practices. I do on ocationally put a cardboard over powder wad soaked in SPG in to keep the barrel from leading, but my Remington is not real prone to leading. I would say to check your cylinder gap but the odds of 2 guns with misfit cylinders is slim.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I can usually get a couple of cylinders through my 58 before the pin sticks. I also just pull the cylinder or change cylinders after a couple of reloadings and wipe the pin. I may also put a drop or two of Hoppes BP solvent on the pin to help loosen it. I usually use a lube on the pin before shooting. I use home made lubed wads over the powder.

My oldest 58 is a Pietta kit I built about 40 years ago. I'm going to have to replace the cylinder pin one of these days because it is starting to get an erosion cut on the top of the cylinder pin.

 

[Poor Private]

I own both Remington and Colt style revolvers. I much prefer the Remington. The latest purchase was a Pietta Remington from Cabela's. This one is laser engraved(including the cylinder), and gee oh gosh oh my it came with a spare cylinder.
The change over from one cylinder to the other I can do in seconds. All it takes is practice. Mine gums up and makes difficult to change the cylinders after several loads. And it's because the pin is just tuff to push out due to build up-a quick wipe and it's ready to go again.
I have a private firing range behind my barn. And when it's Black Powder time I loan out the pistol(s) to my wife and friends and I reload the spare cylinder while they fire.
I also do civil war reenacting and carry a revolver.( it depends on time and unit). I always have a reloaded cylinder(s)-but when your doing multiple scenerios throughout the day and weekend you don't have time to reload, so when I get to an event I open my gun box and load all the cylinders I am going to use that weekend. I change them out between the events.
Next I use it as my night security, even loaded with blanks. Who wants to be shot with a blamk gun from a max distance of 6-7 feet.
Now the big question, Would and do I carry a loaded spare cylinder with me when I carry the Reminton 58, yep you betcha I do occaisionally. I own a farm with woods. So the times I walk the property I carry a spare cylinder in a leather pouch designed for it. Alot easier than carrying a pouch of balls, a flask of powder and a itty bitty tin of caps when your tramping thru woods, brush, and such. If I want to shoot at a tree branch, I don't have to worry about haveing an empty gun.

 

[swathdiver]

I was using high temperature bearing grease.

That oil based lubricant plays havoc with black powder. Stick with natural stuff, like bore butter, which is beeswax and olive oil and your cylinder won't get stuck as often or bad.

 

[MSW]

I own both Remington and Colt style revolvers. I much prefer the Remington. The latest purchase was a Pietta Remington from Cabela's. This one is laser engraved(including the cylinder), and gee oh gosh oh my it came with a spare cylinder.
The change over from one cylinder to the other I can do in seconds. All it takes is practice. Mine gums up and makes difficult to change the cylinders after several loads. And it's because the pin is just tuff to push out due to build up-a quick wipe and it's ready to go again.
I have a private firing range behind my barn. And when it's Black Powder time I loan out the pistol(s) to my wife and friends and I reload the spare cylinder while they fire.
I also do civil war reenacting and carry a revolver.( it depends on time and unit). I always have a reloaded cylinder(s)-but when your doing multiple scenerios throughout the day and weekend you don't have time to reload, so when I get to an event I open my gun box and load all the cylinders I am going to use that weekend. I change them out between the events.
Next I use it as my night security, even loaded with blanks. Who wants to be shot with a blamk gun from a max distance of 6-7 feet.
Now the big question, Would and do I carry a loaded spare cylinder with me when I carry the Reminton 58, yep you betcha I do occaisionally. I own a farm with woods. So the times I walk the property I carry a spare cylinder in a leather pouch designed for it. Alot easier than carrying a pouch of balls, a flask of powder and a itty bitty tin of caps when your tramping thru woods, brush, and such. If I want to shoot at a tree branch, I don't have to worry about haveing an empty gun.

emphasis added

I'm not telling you what to do - -it's your land and it's your gun...

having said that, however, pulling a gun on someone is a last resort. if I pull one on you, the last thing you'll see in this world is muzzle flash ... this isn't called a 'deadly weapon' for no reason.

if you gotta shoot, then shoot. any plaintiff attorney worth a bucket of warm spit will make you look like a bloodthirsty maniac on the witness stand if you've shot a bunch of blanks at his client.

no offense meant, but that's my take on it, for what it's worth.

 

[Poor Private]

Obviously you don't "do reenacting". At events you are not allowed ammo of any kind on the property except for demo purposes. It's a big no-no. It's a big safety issue since a couple of people have been shot with live guns. Also recently a couple of notable actors have been shot and killed with blank loaded pistols. Jon Hexum is one of them I am thinking about. There are others if you Goggle it.
Try it some time take your pistol and load it with 30 grains of powder, and filler and see what the concussion range is. And it's even further out using a long gun. That's why you see reenactors shooting ducks at events. the closer we get to each other the higher the barrel goes in the air. It's even worse for a cannon the safety blank zone can be out as far as 100yds.

 

[necchi]

But dude, someone breaking into your house to do you bodily harm,,,ain't pretend.
Shooting blanks at an intruder is insane.
You presume the intruder has a normal mind and would react in fear,, let me tell ya,, an intruder loaded with drugs is going to follow up his fear impulse with rage.

 

[Grumpa]

:metoo: :shocked2: There are people who are insane, hopped up on drugs, or just overcome with rage, who just don't feel the impact of the heaviest bullet. Sure, they will drop dead in 15 seconds from loss of blood, but in those 15 seconds they will have done horrible things to you. And you want to shoot them with blanks? :youcrazy:

Load the cylinder with the heaviest charge of powder and ball you can cram in the chambers. Paint the cylinder red, and don't take it to the site where you are re-enacting.

 

[Poor Private]

I guess I didn't make myself clear. I do this at civil war events. You don't have a house there it's a tent. And Live ammo isn't allowed. But there/can are sneak thieves there who try to come into tents while your sleeping, also your at a strange environment. You protect yourself the best you can.
At home it's a different environment- AND I don't tell others how I protect myself at home- it's none of their business what goes on in my house as long as it's legal.

 

[Grumpa]

:thumbsup:

 

[Capt. Thomas]

Good information here, though my sources indicate that the federal government purchased nearly 110,000 of these revolvers during the ACW.

They did. And they did not train the soldiers using them to carry extra loaded cylinders and swap them out while in use; extra cylinders, whether in use by the military or civilian users, were considered a waste of money and production line time. But then, Clint Eastwood did it in the movies so they must have way back when, right?

We are all entitled to our opinions but I'll go with what my Great Grand Father was taught by his and was taught to me by mine and my father. Look up some of my other posts. It may have not been part of formal training but the troops and civi's both carried a loaded spare if and as fast as they could afford it. My forth and third Grandfathers had no choice because there were no cartridge loaded ammo then and paper is too slow if you have to load 6 of them, on a single shot musket it makes no difference since that's all you have. I have my forth and third Great Grandfathers Remington's all 7 of them with the spare cylinders they carried.

By the way "Clint" and the other two more so, did it in the movies because it was pretty common place in real life back then, if you could afford the cylinders. It's rumored that Wild Bill carried three pistol's and a spare cylinder as well even though he preferred the Colt Navy's. Something else I bet you don't realize. The cavalry soldiers and raiders carried as many as 4 pistols, hence the 7 Remmie's all carried by my for fathers ( ever see photo's of the saddle holsters?)and also liked sawed off double barrels for mounted close up work instead of the single shot carbines or even the very few Spencer repeaters that were around. Hence the two I also have that were there's.

They also carried last ditch guns too, a la the 69/70' Remington derringer he carried during the Indian wars in a boot holster at that. Not just for Gambler's, most of the officer and enlisted that could afford it carried them.

My family has been military or law enforcement or both since the Revolutionary war and my Great Grand dad taught me the manual of arms and how to shoot as a kid with his 49'Colt Pocket. My dad wanted to start me out on a .22 buy Great Grand Dad wouldn't hear of it. Said I needed to learn it all and the right way.

Sorry for the rant, Yes you can safely keep a loaded rem. cylinder and can keep the whole gun loaded if you like, all six cylinders. The 58's have a safety notch between cylinders and is totally safe fully loaded, not so with the colt's and the little pin instead of the full cut notch.
Every one of my original Colt's has the pins almost if not completely gone except one, which was never carried and not fired very much (.36 Navy).

Capt. Thomas

 

[pinemarten]

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such any interesting and informative post! I just shot my '58 Pietta with my 16 year old daughter today; she is a good shot with that! What an amazing heritage and gift your Grandfathers passed down to you...so much wisdom has been lost. I plan to record your advise so i can pass it down to my own clan i have grandfather's who were in the revolutionary war, I see it in our family history. (my daughter is a desendent of Gen. R. Lee according to her mother's side). But, unfortunately no direct living relations to pass the wisdom to my generation. I am learning by trial and error and through this forum. I will carry the cylinders if I want without worry...

Daniel

 

[pondoro]

Carrying a loaded spare cylinder makes sense if you will (or might) be firing from cover with a bunch of allies. I cannot see it helping much in a one on one situation.

 

[pinemarten]

well...I walk outta the woods to my cabin from blinds that are as much as 3 miles through the hills. I know its about slim-ta-no chance of fightin' off a wolf pack these days. But, I know of at least to bear hunters who have been treed by wolves up here in the past few years. Their tracks are often in mine on the way back. The largest pack I've seen had 12....same as my revolver and an extra cylinder!

Daniel

 

[Gee Dog]

I have seen no evidence that the old timers used extra cylinders for swap-out. They carried multiple revolvers.

 

[Gee Dog]

White lithium grease like Lubriplate AA on the cylinder pin/arbor works wonders for mitigating ”˜bind-up’. It stays soft and will extend smooth function dramatically.

 

[csaduck]

My great great grandfather was a pony express rider, and he had 4 extra cylinders for his colt to fire and swap out when shooting at Indians. Gun and cylinders were passed down thru the family till my dad fell on hard times and sold it. But he used to tell me all about gramps stories.