I Have Read Here In The Forum About Folks Buying Used Guns That Were Left Loaded And That The Powder Still Had Kick In it. My Question Is; How Long Can I Keep My Uberti 3rd mod. Drgoon Loaded ? I'm Thinking About Using That Old Blaster As My Home Defence Gun, But I'm Not Sure About How Long I Can Keep It Ready To Rock and Roll. It Will Be Kept In A Safe I Can Open Quickly, Even In The Dark. Any Ideas :idunno:
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How Long Can It Stay Loaded ?
- Thread starter nilo52
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This is and has been a favorite question for me, too.
I have purposely left guns loaded even in undesirable conditions for long periods of time to see what would happen.
My experience tells me they can be left loaded for very long periods of time and still work. The old timers surely didn’t discharge their guns everyday and must have left them loaded. Some precautions must be taken, however. My choice is flintlocks but percussion guns should be easier to keep.
But as an exact lenght of time................
I have purposely left guns loaded even in undesirable conditions for long periods of time to see what would happen.
My experience tells me they can be left loaded for very long periods of time and still work. The old timers surely didn’t discharge their guns everyday and must have left them loaded. Some precautions must be taken, however. My choice is flintlocks but percussion guns should be easier to keep.
But as an exact lenght of time................
They can be left loaded with BP almost indefinitely, but I dunno about the subs.
That said, I seem to remember Hickok,I think, who drew the loads every evening to reload wit fresh powder, because his life deepened on the reliability of his revolvers.
With reliability of today's modern pistols vs a percussion revolver, I, personally, would not trust my life, or the lives of my family with a piece that is less that 100% reliable.
God bless
That said, I seem to remember Hickok,I think, who drew the loads every evening to reload wit fresh powder, because his life deepened on the reliability of his revolvers.
With reliability of today's modern pistols vs a percussion revolver, I, personally, would not trust my life, or the lives of my family with a piece that is less that 100% reliable.
God bless
Blizzard of '93
Cannon
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I've left my '58 Remmy and ROA loaded for months and no problem stored inside. with grease-wax mix over the ball/slug and the cap snugly on the nipple it will be reliable for longer than you will need it to be before you can shoot it and reload.
I would opt for a shotty as a primary weapon even a single shot but the BP revolver back-up to it I would not hesitate.
I would opt for a shotty as a primary weapon even a single shot but the BP revolver back-up to it I would not hesitate.
Besides "Keeping My Powder Dry" What Kind Of Precautions Are You Talking About ? It Is My Opinion That The .44 cal Is A Proven Man-Stopper. Just Ask All The Dead Indians,Civil War Solders,Settlers And Various Other Nincompoops How Deadly They Are. I Also Think That The Enormous Report And Muzzle Flash Will Help Anyone Change Directions In A Prolonged Exchange. I Can Hit A Mans Head At 25Yrds All Day Long (in fact I'll be shooting out at Five Dogs Range on The 4th) And Frequently Hit A Man sized Steel Gong At Even Further Distances. Not Bragging Just The Result Of Lots And Lots Of Practice Over The Years With Modern Weapons As Well As My BP Revolver. :thumbsup:
nilo52
nilo52
I have kept many of my cap and ball revolvers loaded for several weeks and then fired them with nothing more than an occasional hang fire, no special precautions taken either. However, one or two times I did shoot them over a chronograph and noticed some decline in performance, not accuracy just velocity. Now I was using pyrodex or 777 so I can't say for sure if black powder would also decline performance wise. I am very comfortable with the reliability of my cap and ball revolvers and wouldn't hesitate to use them for defence. Are there better options, sure, a good quality modern double action revolver can't be beat for pistol defence. That said I would take the cap and ball over most automatic pistols. A jam or a stove pipe won't happen with a cap and ball.
:2
Don
:2
Don
Interesting.
The subject of using a bp revolver for home defense comes up fairly often on the bp forums. It almost always involves the question of "How long can I keep it loaded?" I've always maintained this is a meaningless consideration, for the simple reason that if you're going to rely on a gun for self protection you must be proficient with that particular gun, and that means regular practice - with that very gun. And if you follow that premise you won't need to worry about how long the gun remains viable - you'll be reloading - and maintaining - it often enough that it's not an issue.
nilo52 acknowledges that fact:
Don't worry about the reliability of a bp revolver. Just take care of your own reliability and the gun's will follow.
The subject of using a bp revolver for home defense comes up fairly often on the bp forums. It almost always involves the question of "How long can I keep it loaded?" I've always maintained this is a meaningless consideration, for the simple reason that if you're going to rely on a gun for self protection you must be proficient with that particular gun, and that means regular practice - with that very gun. And if you follow that premise you won't need to worry about how long the gun remains viable - you'll be reloading - and maintaining - it often enough that it's not an issue.
nilo52 acknowledges that fact:
nilo52 said:
Don't worry about the reliability of a bp revolver. Just take care of your own reliability and the gun's will follow.
Don,
I Aso Have Two Airdale Who Are Large Dogs. In Fact they Seem To Think They Are The Primary Defence Weapons In My House :wink: The Amount Of Snarling/Barking They Produce Has Run-Off More People From My Front Door Than You Would Belive :shocked2: I Own Three Other "Modern" Pistols That I Shoot Every Weekend . A .9mm Glock, A S&W .357, And A 1911 .45 . With The Exception Of The Smith I Have Had Smoke Stack / Jams At One Time Or Another. Between The Doggies (AKA the pack of wild dogs) And My Favorite New Gun (the Dragoon) I Feel Preeety Safe. I Would Like To Take This Chance to Apoligize To The Folks I Lumped Togather As "Nincompoops" , I Had Been Watching An AMC Marathon On John Wayne Movies Last Night And He Reffered to The Evil Doers As Nincompoops And The Term Stuck In My Head For Some Reason :idunno: I Belive There Are Good And Bad Men . You Help The Good 'uns And Watch The Bad 'uns. Everyone Enjoy Your 4th :hatsoff: :thumbsup:
I Aso Have Two Airdale Who Are Large Dogs. In Fact they Seem To Think They Are The Primary Defence Weapons In My House :wink: The Amount Of Snarling/Barking They Produce Has Run-Off More People From My Front Door Than You Would Belive :shocked2: I Own Three Other "Modern" Pistols That I Shoot Every Weekend . A .9mm Glock, A S&W .357, And A 1911 .45 . With The Exception Of The Smith I Have Had Smoke Stack / Jams At One Time Or Another. Between The Doggies (AKA the pack of wild dogs) And My Favorite New Gun (the Dragoon) I Feel Preeety Safe. I Would Like To Take This Chance to Apoligize To The Folks I Lumped Togather As "Nincompoops" , I Had Been Watching An AMC Marathon On John Wayne Movies Last Night And He Reffered to The Evil Doers As Nincompoops And The Term Stuck In My Head For Some Reason :idunno: I Belive There Are Good And Bad Men . You Help The Good 'uns And Watch The Bad 'uns. Everyone Enjoy Your 4th :hatsoff: :thumbsup:
Tg, It Seems Eveyone Agrees That I Can, In Fact , Keep Mine Loaded For A Reasonable Amout Of Time. Keeping A BP revolver on Your Magizine Stand Is Very Interesting To me. I Just Came Back From A Local range Called Five Dogs (guess They Got Five Dogs ?) And A Bunch Of SASA Folks Had Been There For Awhile. You Know, You Meet The Nicest ( And Politest ) Folks At The Gun range :hatsoff: They Told Me That The Cartridge BP Is Good For Years :shocked2: I Hope Eveyone Had A Blast OnThe 4th :applause:
Nilo52
Nilo52
Besides "Keeping My Powder Dry" What Kind Of Precautions Are You Talking About ?
Keeping you powder dry is the key. All you have to do is keep your powder dry.
I have not done as much experimenting with the subs so I won’t say they will last but they should.
Black powder guns are really very simple. They need a spark, form a flint or a cap. They need a clean pathway to the main powder. They need dry powder. That’s all. Black powder doesn’t degrade over time or break down like new powders do. If your gun is in your bedroom by the bed, I am sure it will work as desired. Providing it is a reliable gun in the first place.
Keeping you powder dry is the key. All you have to do is keep your powder dry.
I have not done as much experimenting with the subs so I won’t say they will last but they should.
Black powder guns are really very simple. They need a spark, form a flint or a cap. They need a clean pathway to the main powder. They need dry powder. That’s all. Black powder doesn’t degrade over time or break down like new powders do. If your gun is in your bedroom by the bed, I am sure it will work as desired. Providing it is a reliable gun in the first place.
I've never heard of real black powder weakening over time unless it got wet.
Black Canyon powder (and I would expect the newer versions of it) changed from a fairly poor powder when new into a hardened lump after being exposed to humidity.
Black Canyon powder was one of the first of the no sulfur powders that the makers claim "won't corrode the barrel" etc.
I've heard that Pyrodex will weaken after being exposed to humidity after the jar is opened but I haven't seen that with my Pyrodex yet.
Black Canyon powder (and I would expect the newer versions of it) changed from a fairly poor powder when new into a hardened lump after being exposed to humidity.
Black Canyon powder was one of the first of the no sulfur powders that the makers claim "won't corrode the barrel" etc.
I've heard that Pyrodex will weaken after being exposed to humidity after the jar is opened but I haven't seen that with my Pyrodex yet.
Steve French
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I have five 1858 Remington reproductions and I wouldn't hesitate to use any of them for home defense, even my Bison. I have an R&D conversion cylinder to go from .44 RB to .45 LC and that makes it more practical to use as a home defense weapon, but I would still use it as a cap and ball. If it was good enough back then, it's good enough now. :grin:
Pustic
Pustic
Ya Got Five Of "Em !! :bow: I Think You Are A Very Lucky Man (or at least an un-married one) To Be Able To Enjoy This Hobby Like You Do!, I Would Love To Buy A Walker But My Honey Would Give Me The Fish Eye If Asked. At Least I Think She Would, Anyway She Has Learned The Word "Gun Poor" From Someone Who Is Not My Friend. With Five Pistols You Are Now My New Hero :v
Envious nilo52
Envious nilo52
Woods Dweller
45 Cal.
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I have a 45 flintlock dulling pisto,l and had it loaded for a Home Defense Gun in 1986. I moved that year and I put this pistol in a leather bag and packed it away and forgot about it. In 2007 I was going through my old stuff and found this pistol, took it outside and pulled the trigger! BAM! It fired. 21 years! I would have to say it will last a long time.
Zonie,
I know you have done some tests on black powder. So, if black powder gets wet and you dry it, will it still fire? My guess is, it would. Sounds like a fun thing to try. I suppose powder enclosed in a cylinder may tend to stay wet if it indeed drew moisture form somewhere.
I know you have done some tests on black powder. So, if black powder gets wet and you dry it, will it still fire? My guess is, it would. Sounds like a fun thing to try. I suppose powder enclosed in a cylinder may tend to stay wet if it indeed drew moisture form somewhere.
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well, woodsdeweller's twenty year record beats mine (about three) but i think that mykeal's point is well made; you should practice with the weapon often enough so that the relative age of the load shouldn't make any difference.
having said that:
if you can't use a 12 guage pump (full choke, riot length barrel, extended magazine, #4 copper plated buckshot) the sound of someone racking a round is unmistakeable and requires no translation or interpretation: "Hi there- the mess which is about to made on my wall will consist of (mostly) you bone, soft tissue, neurolgical connections and assorted other of your body parts. You would do well to rethink your badly concluded life choices in whatever remaining time you have left." then, i'd go with the M1911. if you've had stovepiping in the past, make sure that the return spring is balanced to the load being fired. once you have this issue thrashed out, you will have a very well proven manstopper.
just one guy's opinion, and no doubt worth what you just paid for it.
having said that:
if you can't use a 12 guage pump (full choke, riot length barrel, extended magazine, #4 copper plated buckshot) the sound of someone racking a round is unmistakeable and requires no translation or interpretation: "Hi there- the mess which is about to made on my wall will consist of (mostly) you bone, soft tissue, neurolgical connections and assorted other of your body parts. You would do well to rethink your badly concluded life choices in whatever remaining time you have left." then, i'd go with the M1911. if you've had stovepiping in the past, make sure that the return spring is balanced to the load being fired. once you have this issue thrashed out, you will have a very well proven manstopper.
just one guy's opinion, and no doubt worth what you just paid for it.
I've never tested black powder that was damaged by water.
My common sense says that if the powder got wet enough to actually leach out the salt-peter it would weaken it noticeably.
This is born out by several references written over 160 years ago by folks like John Bell on the Long expedition to the Rockies in 1820.
He mentioned drying powder and on several occasions later in his writings he mentioned weakened and damaged powder contributing to the Hunters failure to bring meat back from their hunts.
Black powder that was slightly dampened by humidity wouldn't leach out the salt-peter so if it were fully dried it should (in theory) be undamaged.
My common sense says that if the powder got wet enough to actually leach out the salt-peter it would weaken it noticeably.
This is born out by several references written over 160 years ago by folks like John Bell on the Long expedition to the Rockies in 1820.
He mentioned drying powder and on several occasions later in his writings he mentioned weakened and damaged powder contributing to the Hunters failure to bring meat back from their hunts.
Black powder that was slightly dampened by humidity wouldn't leach out the salt-peter so if it were fully dried it should (in theory) be undamaged.
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