extra capped cylinder

[pinemarten]

Hello,

If this has been covered before I apologize, missed it in my search...but, I own a beautiful Pietta 1858 with an extra cylinder. I would like to keep it as an extra defense gun (own it so why not keep it ready for emergency use...). I could easily fit the 2 cylinders in the box with my other handgun. Any unacceptable safety issues with keeping loaded and capped cylinders in that box under my bed? How about carrying extra cylinders with caps on out in the field? I deer hunt with my longbow on a 2 1/2 mile hike to my brush blinds out in the U.P. michigan. I walk out after dark. Got wolf tracks in mine often as they hunt in the same area. I am thinking about carrying the .44 with extra cylinder. I enjoy carrying it around...though she is rather heavy.

Any thougths or redirections to older posts I might of missed?

Daniel

 

[Khufu]

I carry an extra cylindar capped in the field, I have a leather belt pouch for it. to keep it safe, just protect the caps from impact.

 

[necchi]

Any unacceptable safety issues with keeping loaded and capped cylinders in that box under my bed?

Nope. As long as you understand the safety issues involved.
Keep in mind that they have to be un-capped for vehicle transport.
There will be a bunch that jump on the band wagon exclaiming it to not only be un-safe but a down right hazard.
The same folks that won't keep a pound of powder in the house because they know the fire department won't help if they know it's there.

 

[pondoro]

Well I love my muzzle loading pistols but I'd sure rather carry a medium or short barreled revolver for protection. Still I expect that cap and ball revolvers have saved many a life.

There was quite a fight here a year or so ago about the practicality of swapping cylinders and whether our ancestors did it. It seems to me that I'd drop all the important pieces into the tall grass.

 

[swathdiver]

Make up six paper cartridges, put them into an authentic cartridge box made from pine with a pull string and forget the heavy cylinder. If you can't get out of harm's way with six rounds (in peacetime), a reload ain't likely to help ya anyways.

 

[poordevil]

I keep more than 0ne pound of powder in my house But I would not carry around a capped cylinder outside as if I dropped it, like the piece of buttered bread, it would land caps ground most, and one I would have something hotter than a mad rattlesnake snapping between his feet.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Any unacceptable safety issues with keeping loaded and capped cylinders in that box under my bed?

Nope. As long as you understand the safety issues involved.
Keep in mind that they have to be un-capped for vehicle transport.
There will be a bunch that jump on the band wagon exclaiming it to not only be un-safe but a down right hazard.
The same folks that won't keep a pound of powder in the house because they know the fire department won't help if they know it's there.

IMHO, that practice would cross the line from safe to unsafe. For military purposes firepower was considered more important than safety. As long as you do not put others in danger and are careful with handling you might survive. :shocked2: A better option, again, IMHO, would be to carry the charged cylinder uncapped.

 

[necchi]

A better option, again, IMHO, would be to carry the charged cylinder uncapped.

That is actually what I do.
I do keep a Rem Army in my nightstand drawer loaded and capped for the purpose pinemartin suggests,, but the extra 2 cylinders are not even in the area.
I have no fantasy that I will get into a fire fight needing 12 shots with a night time burglar while hiding behind my up turned bed mattress blasting away as he hides in the hallway shooting back.
Besides, I'd be more like Keanu Reeves, multiple shooters would use full auto weapons at me, and I'd methodically take each one out with one shot while using great dexterity and extreme stealth.
(Oh, I might get a shoulder graze, but I'd just cauterize it with a red hot butter knife)

 

[pinemarten]

...I have kids around and the remmie won't fit in the lock box with the other home defense S&W, so that's why I thought about just keeping a cylinder ready to go in the box. I can swap in the loaded cylinder pretty quick before I need to be ready for defense mode. Of course, I also practice speed loading my S&W, so that may be what I should focus on. I just wondered if keeping the cylinder capped and loaded was smart. As for dropping it, seems like the nipples are sunk and not the part of the cylinder that would strike the ground.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and tips!

Daniel

 

[Khufu]

the Remington is NOT built like a colt, a key reason to own the remington over the colt was rapid cylinder changes, and was designed acordingly. not as a military weapon, but civilion, the army issued colts, if you wanted a remington, you had to buy it. the caps are recessed below the back of the cylinder (see pictures). dropping a loaded capped cylinder would at worst result in a damaged non functional cylinder, but the same would happen loaded or not.
nervous nellies usually get excited without ever having seen or really looked at the item and simply declare things unsafe without thinking things through .by the way, I store up to 50 lbs of powder in my house. I have a powder magazine made from an aluminum foot locker and it complies with BATFE and state fire codes. that is not unsafe either.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

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

 

[crockett]

Well if young'ns are around but you keep both cylinders locked up with the S & W than I don't see a problem. On field carry- I'm pretty sure the caps are protected but I'd have a small cap pouch on my belt for the second cylinder- faster to access and a safe way to carry the second cylinder.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

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?

 

[F.G. Ford]

I suppose, I would rather a loaded 1858 Remington to a tennis racket, or a rolling pin.
However there are many more and reliable choices I would take other than a 158 year old piece of ordinance.
These guns certainly did their duty way back then, and were state of the art at the time.
Today, I would rather a modern large caliber rolling pin with a large clip.
Good luck!
Fred

 

[Jim C]

The Pale Rider carried and used extra loaded and capped cylinders for his 1860 Army Colt, but I think he was probably bigger than life. :wink:

On a more serious note I see nothing wrong with it as long as they're stored and handled safely.

 

[Khufu]

Officers and calvary carried handguns, not soldiers, remingtons were not standard issue, colts were, due to shortages the union took whatever they could get, some were issued Sharps, but not many some Ghalagers, which the troops claimed were as useful as a bar of iron. soldiers who could afford it purchased their own arms, including handguns the remington was a civilian pistol pressed into service to fill the shortage. soldiers dod not carry spare cylinders, hand guns were a backup not a primary weapon, the saber was the primary the handgun was to be drawn left handed, or weak side. civilians used spare cylinders not for speed, but to keep from carying powder ball and cap. read Elmer Keith's excellent book "Hell I was There". he wrote about first hand conversations with civil war vets. and I used a spare cylinder LONG before Pale Rider ever was thought of, for the same reason as the old timers, I don't want to carry extra powder ball and cap. as for self defemce, I think a '58 in todays world would be less useful than a saber. Sabers never run out of bullets.

 

[fraungie]

I have seen many photos from the civil war and all those cavalry guys carried extra pistols. I know someone said it was documented that someone way back when carried an extra cylinder. I have been shooting cap n ball pistols since the early 80's. Clint Eastwood sure makes changing cylinders in his 1858 Remington look so easy but c'mon. My cylinder has so much crud on it after firing 6 shots I have to tap the cyl pin out with a plastic rod and a hammer. I cannot get it out any other way and the colts are even trickier. The gun comes apart in three pieces and don't loose the wedge. All of this is done on the back of a horse? Look at some of those photos. They have shoulder holsters,cross draw holsters and even holsters on the horses saddle. Extra guns were a lot easier.

 

[Khufu]

if your gun has a wedge and comes apart in 3 pieces, it is NOT a Remington, and a remington cylinder is very easy to change. but please reread my post I said the Calvary DID NOT change cylinders they mostly had colts, their primary weapon was a saber the side arm was for backup. you are thinking of movies again carrying many handguns (Josey Wales). the extra cylinder is to cary a convient reload, not needing to cary a flask, balls and caps for Civilians carying a sidearm, and not as a primary weapon, but backing up a rifle as I cary my '58 Remington. and changing a cylinder on a colt is difficult and a waste of time, a Remington is very simple and easy

 

[Grumpa]

The Us gov't purchased 12,251 Remington Navy revolvers, and 114,513 Remington Army revolvers. Many others were purchased by men who preferred to own their pistols (rather than carry a Gov't owned weapon) or by men who would not otherwise have been issued a pistol.

In addition to Colts and Remingtons, the Federal Gov't also purchased Whitneys, Starrs, and Adams, as well as Allens, Joslyns, Pettengills, Savages, and Rogers and Spencers.

Also foreign made revolvers, Perrins, Lefaucheuxs, and Raphaels.

As the war progressed, the saber was overshadowed in the Cavalry by the carbine, and the revolver.

 

[swathdiver]

My cylinder has so much crud on it after firing 6 shots I have to tap the cyl pin out with a plastic rod and a hammer.

Your gun may be "shot out", being there might be too much gap between cylinder and barrel/forcing cone and frame. A normal sixgun lubricated with bore butter can easily shoot 2-3 cylinders before needing the pin cleaned and lubricated again.

What are you using to lubricate the cylinder pin? Is your pin being "cut" by the flame?

One of mine is being cut, but only when not using wads. Another, the fit is so tight between frame and cylinder, it has never cut.