High humidity reeks havoc

[M. De Land]

I started taking the cylinder out to load it, it is just easier for me at my age and sausage fingers. Easier to load the powder, the wad is the easiest step of all and putting the balls in place and getting the rammer precisely aligned is easy as well.

No chainfires and no lube on top of the ball.

I like and use a cylinder loading press at match events as well. I believe it is much easier to get more consistent load pressure in each chamber than using the rammer on the gun. Note the solid steel removable stop block in upper right side of the press. This limits ram depth thus insuring equal pressure on all chamber loads.
This cylinder press is made from scrap metal from around the shop. It is universal to caliber with a brass spud change on the end of the ram.

 

[smoothshooter]

making wads is a huge extra step. I used to make paper cartridges as well and no longer do that. the way I lube my cylinders is superfast, easy and not messy. someone just said it again upthread that lubing chamber mouths has no effect on chainfires. lube has an excellent effect on chainfires. It stops them dead. naturally there are other factors involved but If you are dead set on shooting maximum loads I would highly recommend lube in chamber mouths.

Many would question the statement that grease over ball stops chain-fires dead.
It is not possible for a chain fire to come from the front if balls are well cast and not undersized.
Chain fires CAN come from the rear because of loose or missing caps.
Basically, if chain fires are an issue in your life, your gun needs work or you are doing something wrong.
I have fired many thousands of shots from from percussion pistols with lubed wads, or no wads or lube at all without a single chain fire.
Only witnessed one back in the seventies when one of my cousins had three shots go off at once. Was kinda funny. We did not know a lot about what we were doing at the time ( we were younger teenagers ) but figured the balls we had cast were a little undersized.
Got a different mold that made larger bullets and never had another problem.

 

[nick_1]

And I will wager every single one of the them has not done the live experiments as I have and they simply read something on the internet and have an opinion.

 

[nick_1]

so you going to tell me that in all those thousands of rounds you never had a cap fall off yet at the same time tell me that chain fires are more likly to come from the nipples yet you have never had one... ...

 

[nick_1]

another thought is that if you had wanted to use up that batch of .440 balls you could have simply lubed your chamber mouths and shot them up.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

And I will wager every single one of the them has not done the live experiments as I have and they simply read something on the internet and have an opinion.

I've never had a chain fire and I've been shooting cap and ball revolvers for over 65 years. No lube over the chambers either, just tight fitting balls. If you are shaving a complete ring from the ball when loading, there is no way fire from one chamber can light off another one.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

love how the guy who has never had a chain fire tells the person who has had chain fires, cured the problem, recreated the chain fire deliberately and then cured it again that I am wrong.

Maybe because the guy who never had a chain fire was doing everything right to begin with.

 

[nhmoose]

Maybe because the guy who never had a chain fire was doing everything right to begin with.

Congrats on your 5000 post!!!!!

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Congrats on your 5000 post!!!!!

Thank you!

 

[Tenring]

That’s what makes Muzzle Loading fun in the humidity when your underwear are stuck to your Ace, the pan on your lock is all wet black clogged and sloppy , your revolver cylinder will hardly turn because of wet humidified fowling and the sweat is dangling from your nose. Dam good times. O,yea…..

 

[IanH]

That’s what makes Muzzle Loading fun in the humidity when your underwear are stuck to your Ace, the pan on your lock is all wet black clogged and sloppy , your revolver cylinder will hardly turn because of wet humidified fowling and the sweat is dangling from your nose. Dam good times. O,yea…..

Beats a day at the office any time.

 

[M. De Land]

Maybe because the guy who never had a chain fire was doing everything right to begin with.

Amen

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

another thought is that if you had wanted to use up that batch of .440 balls you could have simply lubed your chamber mouths and shot them up.

So lube alone is enough to hold very undersized balls in the chambers? I would think that there would be some problems with that.

 

[CaptainVane]

That’s what makes Muzzle Loading fun in the humidity when your underwear are stuck to your Ace, the pan on your lock is all wet black clogged and sloppy , your revolver cylinder will hardly turn because of wet humidified fowling and the sweat is dangling from your nose. Dam good times. O,yea…..

And don’t forget hands sweating so bad a smooth grip is sliding all over at recoil. Gave up, was wasting caps, went to cold bar with A/C. Sometimes you have to retreat.

 

[Tenring]

I really enjoy ML it is a true passion of mine but that Rotten kick Butt South Eastern Pa. Humidity will change a man’s direction for that day in a hart beat for sure, That’s the time to get some A/C and some fluids.

 

[Griff093]

I shot a cowboy match this past weekend, two Colt 2nd Gen 1851s set up with Manhattan conversions and Six Shot nipples, .375 Hornady balls, lubed .36 wads, 15 grains of Goex 3F, Rem #10 caps, loaded on the gun in a stand, caps installed with a Ted Nash Snail capper, 6 stages, 5 shots from each pistol per stage... This is the very same (or very, very similar... only change being nipples & either RWS #1075 or CCI #11 caps) load & procedure I've used since mid-1986... I start the day with 6 charged chambers, and cap five at the loading table for each stage. So, that's 37 years of monthly matches, annual matches, State & above matches without a chainfire. (Okay, I admit I don't shoot every month, and have been known to shoot suppository pistols on occasion)... but... sometimes shoot more'n once per month, even as much 4 matches per month, so, that's still a healthy number of opportunities!

Every day at a match, it's basically 12 opportunities for a chainfire thru the uncapped nipple. Hasn't happened yet. Why? My theorem is that with properly sized caps to nipple and proper spring tension on the hammer, you don't really have any "fire leakage" at the nipple. If you have a hammer that bounces off the nipple, or have to squeeze your caps for them to stay on the nipple, your caps are improperly sized, and in either case, you are providing an avenue for flame, especially if you have both conditions.

 

[fistmil]

The question started out was about humidity and became a discussion about chain fires? Back to humidity. Living in south Louisiana we don't have days of humidity but several consecutive months of it. I can't wait until the fall and winter for when we have days of low humidity. After firing 3 cylinders in my 51 navy I remove barrel and cylinder and field clean, then repeat. Flintlocks are another challenge altogether. Flint, pan, and frizzen must be wiped after every shot. And let's not forget the sweat dripping of your nose when priming the pan. Not complaining, just naming a few challenges we who love the sport face. Starting muzzleloading at a young age, trial and error were my coaches. We may not eliminate all misfires, but we can reduce them and adapt.

 

[nick_1]

Griff. even with pinched caps you don't get chain fires from the nipples at least with normal loads. I have never bought slix shot nipples and had pleanty of loose caps fall of with no chain fires. I think all bets are off for max loads and thats when you have to cover all the bases. even then you are hard pressed to make it chain fire . easiest way to make it chain fire is .440 balls in a .44 and hefty charge with no lube.

 

[CaptainVane]

The question started out was about humidity and became a discussion about chain fires? Back to humidity. Living in south Louisiana we don't have days of humidity but several consecutive months of it. I can't wait until the fall and winter for when we have days of low humidity. After firing 3 cylinders in my 51 navy I remove barrel and cylinder and field clean, then repeat. Flintlocks are another challenge altogether. Flint, pan, and frizzen must be wiped after every shot. And let's not forget the sweat dripping of your nose when priming the pan. Not complaining, just naming a few challenges we who love the sport face. Starting muzzleloading at a young age, trial and error were my coaches. We may not eliminate all misfires, but we can reduce them and adapt.

Thanks Fist, i went today, hot but no excess humidity. Makes a big difference. Your experience is same as mine.
I’m only guy at our public outdoor range that shoots BP, and while its fun being the center of attention, i got nobody to compare with. Had 2 gentlemen from Vietnam today that never seen BP pistols. They couldnt stop asking questions. Pretty cool. Thanked me for the education.