Going back to Pyrodex for Revolvers!

[Curt LaManna]

I know, to some, it's sacrilegious, but after struggling to free up the cylinder pin on my Remington '58 Army, that I fired 3FG powder by Goex, I'm going back to Pyrodex P. I never had that problem using that stuff. I even greased up the pin before loading and shooting it. It also seems to gum up the works on the Colt's as well.
The other advantage I've had using it is that I can get higher velocities with less of a charge.
Cleans up easier by far. Now for my Flintlock pistols, I'm still using real BP.
Is it just me, or is this a problem in the revolvers?
Thanks!

 

[Zonie]

Not a problem in my mind.

Pyrodex does lay down a layer of fouling on the first shot but after that it doesn't seem to build up like real black powder does.

It's also easy to find at many local stores and by shooting it instead of real black powder my supply of real black powder lasts longer.
That indirectly allows me to shoot my flintlocks more.

 

[mb3]

I started using 777 3F in my revolvers because it seems to be easyer to clean. I have noticed better performance also.

 

[rickystl]

Hi AZ. I agree with you and Zonie. Using real BP I couldn't get the cylinder to even rotate by the third cylinder full. I have some Clear/Clean Shot left over from years back (volumn for volumn)that I shoot in my revolvers. Sometimes I think it burns cleaner than modern powders. I've shot as many as six cylinders before cleaning, still maintaining accuracy. So, I'm sold on using the imitation with revolvers. That's just been my experience.

 

[TFoley]

I'm going back to Pyrodex P. I never had that problem using that stuff. I even greased up the pin before loading and shooting it. It also seems to gum up the works on the Colt's as well.

On our regular guest days, where friends and relatives of club members can come along for a legal taster of shooting, I usually haul out the ROA and the Walker.

The ROA gets around 240 or more shots of 25gr of Pyrodex P + RB through it during the day, and rarely, if ever, gets torn down for a clean. Sure, I wipe it over after every cylinder-load, but the pin grease is still there at the end of the day.

In the Walker I shoot only the real deal, when I can panhandle it.

tac

 

[nkbj]

Been told that water proof wheel bearing grease will keep the '58's from seizing up. Haven't tried it yet.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Lithium grease (Lubriplate AA650) Bet on it.

 

[Rhett Griffith]

+1 on the lithium grease! :thumbsup:

 

[TFoley]

+1 on the lithium grease! :thumbsup:

I use some of my copious store of Swiss Automatenfett...contains MSO-whatever.

tac

 

[bdhutier]

+1 on the lithium grease! :thumbsup:

+2 here!

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I have to agree with Cap and ball revolvers. I used to shoot my 58 remington;s in the cowboy action shoots. I used real black powder. After firing each cylinder. I had to field strip the pistol, wipe down the cylinder and frame and re grease the pawl cavity and cylinder rod. Last week I took one of my Remmys to the range and shot black powder. I shot three cylinders and had to do this every time between shooting a full cylinder.
These earlier posts sound real good to me! I used to shoot Clean Shot in my revolvers, I guess they do not make this powder anymore.
Thanks a bunch guys! :bow:

 

[TFoley]

Seeing as how we had a few noobs this morning, a good pal handed me over a pound of FFg to shoot in my ROA, and told me to let them shoot the real thing, and not that 'cr&ppy fake stuff'.

Well, we shot 120 26gr loads of RB down the old beast, and apart from wiping it over after every cylinder-full, and occasionally scraping the crud off the hammer, we did nothing else to keep it shooting - no tear-down, nuthin'.

So what are we doing wrong, that we are not having the fun of a complete dissassembling and cleaning every couple of cylinders like many of you are getting?

We feel that we are somehow missing out on the real experience of shooting a BP revolver with the real stuff....and not cleaning it every twelve or eighteen shots like we are 'sposed to... :grin:

tac

 

[LRB]

+3 on the lithium grease. I have never had a freeze up. Spent caps in the action has happened though.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I too like Pyrodex in revolvers but I've found better accuracy from "RS" than from "P".

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I have no idea of what I was doing wrong. I was using 25 grains of Goex 3F, a fiber wad, 451 ball with axle grease on top. In cowboy shooting you shoot two pistols in each stage with 8 stages, so that is 16 cylinders shot. After each stage I had to take the cylinder rod out and wipe the fouling off and grease it up. If I did not do this The pistol would lock up after two stages. I was shooting a 1858 Remington repo. My 58s shot better than my Ruger 45 colt. Perhaps someone can tell me what I did wrong back then.

 

[redwing]

I like the 777 in the ROA. When shooting RBs I load 40 grs. topped off with Mobile One gear lube {Non Petrol}. This load produces 1200 FPS and is very accurate and easy to clean. The same load with 3f gives 975 fps. :thumbsup:

 

[123.DieselBenz]

I find in my rep rem that shooting 30gr pyro p that after 2 cylinders I need to clean ... Need to get some of that lithium grease stuff ... Wonder what the old timers used?

 

[Rifleman1776]

When I had my Ruger Old Army I used only real black powder (with one exeption, see below) and never experienced a cylinder freeze up. Never used fancy greases either.

As for Pyrodex. I got into a pre-market test for Pyrodex before it was released to the public. This was back in the 70's. I loaded my ROA with it and never got a shot off. Tried every brand of cap on the market. Never had ignition. Never ever in many attempts. After that I didn't want to load in my rifles. Also, I noticed the advertising said it didn't corrode "like" black powder. My old editors instincts kicked in and I read that as it did corrode but in a manner different than black powder. After pulling the balls out of the ROA I poured the remaining powder into my wife's garden and have never tried it since. Caveat: I understand it was later changed to provide better ignition. I'll accept that without trying it.
BTW: I met Dan Pawlak and knew him slightly. Sad loss. I didn't like his powder but admit he was as fine a person as ever was.

 

[redwing]

I have never read a mention of using any grease back in the day. Colt does not mention using grease in their loading Inst. back then. The handguns were intended to shoot pickets or bullets in paper Crtgs. This was for more powerful than a RB and faster loading. The shooting of RBs seem to be more of 20th Century thing. They did not use cream of wheat over the powder or other spacers. This seems to have orginated from fellows who reloaded modern ctgs for target shooting. The ROA and the Rogers and Spencers will shoot very well with out locking up as they are of a more advaced design. :thumbsup:

 

[DanChamberlain]

Redwing,

The roundball was definitely "not" a 20th century thing. There are enough photos of original boxed cap and ball revolver sets with accompanying roundballs. I also have a photo of a Civil War Guerilla and you can clearly see roundballs in his Remington revolver's cylinder chambers.

Dan