Loading cap & ball revolvers

[GreyGus]

I use to shoot an ASM 1860 army quite a bit, but that was a long time ago.
My practice then was 20grs pistol powder loaded directly from a flask, then a wonder wad, seat the ball and cover the ball with bore butter. I never had any problems.

Being older, and I hope wiser, is loading powder directly from the flask dangerous? Am I risking a cook off that turns that flask in my hand into a bomb? What do the experienced shooters here do?

Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[akroguy]

I assume you're using a flask with a spring loaded swing gate that you swing open with your thumb, invert the flask to fill the measure tube, then close the gate and pour charge into chamber? Yes, that's FINE. Don't worry about it. The shallow chambers of the C&B revolver will NOT hold an ember. It doesn't happen. I've burned through metric tons of powder in C&B revolvers while in a gunfighter team doing shows all day long on hot summer days and not once in over seven years of rapid firing and reloading all day long, did ANY of our revolvers cook off anything. Ever. Just load and shoot. Enjoy.

 

[GreyGus]

I assume you're using a flask with a spring loaded swing gate that you swing open with your thumb, invert the flask to fill the measure tube, then close the gate and pour charge into chamber? Yes, that's FINE. Don't worry about it. The shallow chambers of the C&B revolver will NOT hold an ember. It doesn't happen. I've burned through metric tons of powder in C&B revolvers while in a gunfighter team doing shows all day long on hot summer days and not once in over seven years of rapid firing and reloading all day long, did ANY of our revolvers cook off anything. Ever. Just load and shoot. Enjoy.

Yes that’s exactly what I was doing, appreciate your response

 

[TDM]

Agree with @akroguy.

 

[ppg1949]

I used to load from the flask but never had a cook off. What I used then was the first BP gun I ever bought. It was a 1851 brass frame Colt in 44 caliber. I gave $30 for it new in ‘76. I was at the range with a friend on a cold windy snow covered day. After I had fired a couple of cylinders, I was loading from the flask and noticed the balls were hard to load. Being a rank novice, I thought it was from the cold. The first shot I fired the Colt bucked hard upward. Snow fell off the the range roof with a loud kerplop. My buddy exclaimed “What the hell!” I told him that cylinder was very hard to seat the ball but I thought it was the cold. He had introduced me to BP and was my mentor. He looked at the Colt and then picked up my flask working the lever a few times and declared “That’s it!”. The flask lever was not closing off the inside cutoff gate allowing more than the 20 grain load to trickle into the cylinder. That is why it was so hard the seat the ball. That one super load stretched the brass enough that it was so loose after that as to be unusable. He took off the cylinder and using a toothpick got most of the powder out. We went to his garage where he put the cylinder in his table vise. We had left the nipples off. He filled each hole with water and knocked the balls out with a brass punch. Even though the gun was junk, I was just happy nothing more serious had happened. I have never loaded from the flask since. And I have never bought another brass frame revolver.

 

[Larry Akers]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER load any muzzleloader directly from a flask or horn

 

[CaptainVane]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER load any muzzleloader directly from a flask or horn

Right, how would you know many grains your loading. Might look good on Sunday morning Danl Boone tv show. Not good in real life.

 

[GreyGus]

I use a flask with a 20 grain spout. After inverting the flask to fill the spout, close the via the spring loaded valve that separates spout from flask.

I was under the impression this is why flasks are designed with the spring loaded closings valve and interchangeable spouts so you can measure different loads

 

[GreyGus]

Right, how would you know many grains your loading. Might look good on Sunday morning Danl Boone tv show. Not good in real life.

By the size of the spout on the flask.

 

[wiscoaster]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER load any muzzleloader directly from a flask or horn

All that's necessary is a measured load. If the horn or flask has a spout that limits the charge to a known measure, then I think this advice is going too far.

 

[nick_1]

I do not do it with my rifle but load my revolvers directly from the flask. I have two different spouts. one for pistol and one for revolver. 20 and 25g respectively. I am forced to use a powder measure and pistol stand at the NMLR matches but running biathlons with side hammer pistol and T7 there is zero chance of a cook off. T7 dose not leave embers like real BP and its hard to light. I had loose T7 all over my loading stand and thought I would clean it up easy with a match. could not get it to go. had to use a blow torch and spray all the different areas and corners. it would not spread from one spot to another. still lots of unburned powder on there after trying to cook it all off with the blow torch. Real BP if I had touched the match to one spot the whole thing would have gone poof.

 

[wiscoaster]

.... Real BP if I had touched the match to one spot the whole thing would have gone poof.

.... and you wouldn't have had all that trouble trying to clean it off.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Load the revolvers right from the flask. Been doing that way until I started making paper cartridges.

I have a 30gr spout. I put a guitar pick over the end, open the lever, invert the flask, fill the spout. Flip it back vertical, remove the pick and pour the powder into the cylinder.

I use the pick because your finger/thumb leaves a space and the spout does not fill up all the way.

 

[nick_1]

shooting is so much a mental game. I just tell myself that the small difference in charge variable from my finger pressure will not affect my impact point enough to matter . seems to work.

 

[CaptainVane]

By the size of the spout on the flask.

I was referring to a horn. Yes a flask has a spout.

 

[Crow Choker]

Well, if 51 years of shooting percussion revolvers makes me experienced, I'll give my 2 cents. Muz load rifle yes, I load using a horn and measure. Six shot cap and ball revolvers, load using a flask with screwed in spout with spring loaded lever that shuts powder flow via a flat metal plate. I have various sizes of brass flasks and various marked screw in spouts, each of various lengths that allow a premeasured grain weight of black powder to be dumped into each chamber of the cylinder depending on what revolver I'm shooting, anywhere from 18-50 grains.

I've used a powder flask to load cappers all 51 years of shooting them. In the early days I did check from time to time to see if any still burning remains of black powder were still inside a chamber, never saw any, have read a number of times basically what 'akroguy' posted. I did try the method of pouring black powder from a flask into a powder measure then dumping that powder into each chamber of the 6 shooter several times, but that method is slow. Even slow if shooting and having a table or whatever by you, but many times (most of the time) my shooting is walking and plinking along a river or through wooded area and doing the flask to measure routine would be a pain and slow.

Reference what 'ppg1949' posted about the metal plate attached to the spring loaded lever not closing all of the way and allowing more powder than wanted into the chambers, I had that happen once to a flask. Noticed it right away. If you are paying attention to the loading process and have shot any percussion revolver enough times, you can see what level your needed powder volume is in the chambers and if powder is still flowing from the spout after releasing the flask lever when you pull it away from a chamber, well---tells ya something is wrong. I had to repair the lever to plate attachment and all was good to go. Guess bottom line is to use whatever method you want and feel secure. I'm very safety conscious and wouldn't be doing loading from the flask if I felt there is a danger of having an 'explosion'.

 

[Bad Karma]

Load the revolvers right from the flask. Been doing that way until I started making paper cartridges.

I have a 30gr spout. I put a guitar pick over the end, open the lever, invert the flask, fill the spout. Flip it back vertical, remove the pick and pour the powder into the cylinder.

I use the pick because your finger/thumb leaves a space and the spout does not fill up all the way.

I don’t think I’ll ever use a pick in that manner but I visually confirm the charge every time before pouring into the chamber. I have modified most of my spouts so that a 30 grain spout now pours 25+ grains with the small void you’ve described. And so on for various guns and loads.

 

[nick_1]

I use a bench grinder to get the spout just right. my last batch the 20g spout was actually 25g and the 25g spout was actually 30g so i ground them down untill they were correct.

 

[Edm]

When I use my flask with a spout, I always press and fill it, and then just out of habit after I release the trigger mechanism on the flask, I press it back to make sure it is closed. I also look on revolvers to make sure the powder level is correct in the cylinder.