How fast can BP revolvers be reloaded?

[nick_1]

i was speaking mostly from the standpoint of the frontier havening just read 4 different first person accounts. as far as the CW was concerned the actual regular army cavalry equipment lists show that that not every man even had a revolver much less two. the regulators and Bushwackers in the border wars are a different story and its well documented that they carried as many guns as they could steal.

 

[Trev]

I think I probably read all those stories back in the early '60s and dozens of pseudo "western history" magazines that were published then, all based on true happenings as told by Himself. Some of the military reports are probably accurate, but some of those even were written to enhance the reporter's ability.
I'm rather skeptical of all history having seen it somewhat revised in my lifetime. The winners define the truth until another winner revises it.

 

[Trev]

What I think of as the Frontier, the days of the fur trade, the rendezvous and the exploration of the midwest and the Rockies was all over before the revolver came to be. Wrapped up by about 1840ish as the first wagon train full of civilization left Missouri in 1836 or so.

 

[BillinOregon]

Interesting thread, as I have just acquired a second Uberti Model 1860 fluted model. I've gotten old enough to get fumble-fingered so doubt I could replicate anything meaningful. I will mention that my great-grandfather, who fought in the Border Country with the Third Wisconsin Cavalry, lists in his diaries a revolver and carbine among the firearms issued, and complains bitterly about saber practice. His company missed the fracas at Baxter Springs, but there were plenty of instances of encountering and chasing "Secesh" during his years of service. He and his brother enlisted in Janesville in 1862. Upon separation from the service, he purchased his saddle -- a McClellan, I assume -- and later was a saddle and harness maker.
His name was William Peckham Rathbone Wood and here he is probably about 1861. I sent transcripts of his diaries to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

 

[Trev]

That might have been lucky as Blunt's troopers didn't do well against Quantrill that day.
I have no idea what units g.grandfather rode with, stories named commanding generals and I've forgotten them, think most of his action was in SW Mo. though because that's supposed to be how he first saw this area and later moved here.

 

[BillinOregon]

Trev, many comments in great-grandfather's diary about the character of the local soils, the health of the corn, the abundance of the peaches. These things were so important in those agrarian times to a boy who grew up on a farm in Sauk County.

 

[Trev]

It was good country for small farms with horses, lots and lots of orchards when I was a kid and one year we shipped 9 freight cars of strawberries from this county in one month, but with farming switching to big tractors 1000A fields and corporate ownership, the whole area turned to cattle in the '70s and 80s. Hardly any crops grown these days.

 

[Dexterado]

I can reload mine in about 3 minutes, or so. And that includes using wads which I doubt they did. But I also use those guns of the west star cappers which speeds it up.

 

[smoothshooter]

That makes a lot of sense and best tactic to do. That begs another question. Were there possibly leather holsters sewn on each side of a saddle aside from any holsters worn on a belt or a shoulder holster?

Yes on the saddle holsters , but not all that common.
Keep in mind that occasional cleaning, and transporting multiple percussion revolvers is a lotof a lot of trouble.

I’ve often wondered how fast 19th century black powder revolvers could successfully be reloaded in the civil war or confronting desperadoes given the stress of a situation. Excluding possibly having an extra loaded cylinder acting like a modern day speed loader or having several loaded revolvers, I’m curious just how fast a BP revolver can be quickly loaded using paper cartridges and a capper? I’ve never read any 19th century literature for the civil war or armed confrontations mentioning how quick a BP revolver can be reloaded. Has anyone read or even timed how fast a BP revolver can be loaded without fumbling the paper cartridges, dropping caps on the ground, etc. and all the rounds in the cylinder fire successfully without a mishap?

Keep in mind that transporting and maintaining multiple percussion revolvers is a real pain, and that does not include keeping them loaded most of the time, and cleaning them within a couple of days if they have been fired. And if someone had one or more revolvers it’s just one more chore to deal with a lot of days. If the revolver toter has a horse to take care of as well, it’s even worse. Not likely much reloading went on while the bullets were flying or riding on a horse.

 

[smoothshooter]

All I know is I'm glad i didn't have to find out! Even during a battle swapping put cylinders would have been hectic. Remember the movie Josey Wales? Multiple revolvers was the way to go. If I recall correctly he had 4.

The multiple cylinders concept is a modern thing.

 

[nick_1]

anyone in the actual arm/ cavalry would have had one revolver and one carbine. The guerrillas in kansas and missouri had multiple six shooters. the civilian scouts in the west also had multiple revolvers and a rifle and sometimes shotguns.

 

[smoothshooter]

Many revolvers (some still loaded and cocked) have been dug up on Civil War battlefields by relic hunters like myself and are pictured in books and other CW publications but I have never seen a picture or read of a recovered cylinder loaded or empty. YMMV

According to people who have researched these sort of things, neither Remington or Colt have/had any record of shipping extra or replacement cylinders.

 

[smoothshooter]

Hollywood and Louis L’amour novels have filled our imaginations with fallacies. Civilians just didn’t get into the big shootouts we see portrayed on the screen. They were quite rare.

The capabilities of one’s weapons dictate tactics, not the other way around.

And before anyone blasts me, I loved reading Louie L’amour books!

As a practical matter, unless someone was a bank robber or a soldier or Indian scout, I would hazard a guess very few percussion revolver carriers even carried any extra ammo, same as now with modern handguns. Just more stuff to carry around.
Human nature doesn’t change.

 

[smoothshooter]

The short answer? They can't.
Many ACW cavalrymen carried all the CNB guns they could find, steal, buy, or beg. There are many written examples.

But

The short answer? They can't.
Many ACW cavalrymen carried all the CNB guns they could find, steal, buy, or beg. There are many written examples.

But what did they do after the engagement was over for the day, and it possibly being weeks before they were in the next engagement?
I am skeptical that anybody wagged around a bunch of revolvers tor days on end when not needed. Thats a lot of extra weight. Too much extra equipment to keep track of while trying to do all the day to day things a soldier has and is expected to do.

 

[nick_1]

there was a video on the spare cylinder thread where some real historians went through loads of actual equipment lists for both union and Confederate cavalry and there was scarcely enough revolvers to equip a troop with a single revolver each. The regular troops did Not have multiple revolvers or any way to carry them.

 

[TNGhost]

there was a video on the spare cylinder thread where some real historians went through loads of actual equipment lists for both union and Confederate cavalry and there was scarcely enough revolvers to equip a troop with a single revolver each. The regular troops did Not have multiple revolvers or any way to carry them.

Your ex must have been a proponent of the spare cylinder idea?