My first revolver shoot

[jirusse]

I bought a Pietta replica 1851 Navy colt through the mail last week and just fired it today. I know this is old stuff to you guys, but I have to tell someone and my wife is tired of listening to me.

I picked up a brass ball/conical mold that looks very old at a pawn-shop a few years ago, so I dragged it out and cast up a big pile of .375 balls and bullets out of old range lead. (I cast a lot of .45 and .38 bullets, so why not?) I think I may try to buy a better mold, but it worked pretty well.

So, off to the range. My expectations were low since I barely know how to load the darned thing, but the lines and feel of the 1851 are awesome. It feels great.

I HAD A BLAST. I shot about 60 balls and a handful of conicals at targets ranging from 10-25 meters. I also chunked a few at a dirt berm at 100m, just for fun.) This gun, right out of the box is grouping something like 5 inches at 25 meters, even with me shooting it. I think someone with decent eyesight might be able improve on that and bring it down to 3 inches. Is that normal? I thought cap and ball revolvers were much less accurate than that.

I used about 18 grains of Goex FFFG with both types of projectile, topped by a generous dab of crisco. The conicals were difficult to seat straight and when I got it wrong and mashed them in crooked, they seemed to fly all over the place. When i took time to seat them properly, they seemed to group about the same as round balls.

Does anyone out there use .36 conicals?

 

[Don]

Welcome to the fun of black powder revolvers. I shoot mostly round balls but shoot Lee conicals on occasion. Loading them straight is the trick. I rolled the bottom band between two pieces of steel to make it easier to load straight. They are pretty accurate and fun to shoot. Enjoy :thumbsup:

Don

 

[BullRunBear]

Congrats on getting started with C&B revolvers. Fun, aren't they? (And addictive.) And they can be surprisingly accurate. Sorry I can't help with conicals but I only shoot round ball. Your powder charge and ball size are in the right neighborhood. I use .375 ball but some prefer .380. I use lubed felt wads instead of grease over the chamber mouth. Just personal preference.

What are you using for the propellant? Sorry if you already know this but you have to clean the gun after every session.

You have a lot of enjoyment ahead of you.

Jeff

 

[jirusse]

I took a shower with it and then dried it with a fan. My understanding is that black powder residue is water soluble, so I soaped it up good and dried it thoroughly. I soaked it in breakfree afterward.

Is this how you clean a revolver? My wife raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

 

[azmntman]

No....I usually bathe with my revolvers, showers seem to spray the residue. Soaking in the tub with the ol ROA and all ya gotta worry about is a lil black ring which comes right off with MR Clean. :youcrazy:

 

[Poor Private]

Also I hear that some pull the wood grips and send it through the automatic/powered dishwasher(without the soap). I can't do that, since my wife would get p*ssed, since she is the dishwasher. I have a friend that after a civil war reenactment when he gets home on sunday takes a shower with his musket, since he lives in a aparment, and they frown on guns out in the common or on patios(worried about someone going postal I suppose).

 

[BullRunBear]

Welllll, I generally make do with a bucket in the back yard. If I'm sharing a shower, I prefer it be with my wife. :thumbsup:

I do remove the nipples every time and clean them using pipe cleaners. Makes it easier to fully clean and dry the cylinder chambers. I put a small amount of lithium grease on the threads once they are dry and use a good amount of the lithium grease on the arbor when I reassemble everything.

Some people think this is too much work but it only takes me 15 or 20 minutes start to finish and I'll be able to pass on my BP guns in my will.

Jeff

 

[jirusse]

I greased the nipples with TC bore-plug grease, but breakfree is the only lube I used on the rest of the pistol. I have to think that in the 1850s, people would have used almost any kind of oil they could lay their hands on. Does anyone know anything about lubes from that period?

The action got really tight after the first 12 shots, but I increased the amount of crisco covering the balls up to "excessive" levels. It seemed to loosen whatever crud was binding the cylinder. I was able to keep shooting. When I finished at the range, it was still shooting fine.

I think I like the "dirt factor" of BP.

 

[graybeard]

I live alone these days so it's no problem to use the dishwasher. I take off the wooden handles and field strip my 1860 Army replica. I run a patch or two with solvent through each cylinder and the barrel. Make sure the barrel and cylinder are vertical in the dishwasher. Run them through a regular cycle. Take out while still hot and spray down with Rem oil. Reassemble. Been doing this for many years and no rust yet. graybeard

 

[M. De Land]

The trouble with showering with them or putting then through a dishwasher is that neither removes burned on crud that has gotten into interior parts but it does melt out and wash away most of the lube from the swivel points.
The oil and grease does get contaminated with fouling and for that reason needs to be thoroughly cleaned and replaced before long term storage.
They will be fine for a week or two of partial cleaning on camping or hunting trips unless completely soaked or dropped in the dirt but need to be gone through thoroughly before putting away for longer periods of time.
Slathering then down with WD-40 or gun oil is not good practice either for a couple of reasons.
It attracts dust, get on the grips and some lube points require grease in a revolver not just gun oil.

 

[azmntman]

Obviously we take our cleaning supplies with us into the tub/shower! What you think we no nothing?? :blah: :rotf:

 

[cynthialee]

Sounds like a good day.

I take it apart and put it in the dishpan with hot sudsy water and wash it up with a scrub brush and some q-tips. After it is dried I oil it up with 3in1 sewing machine oil.

 

[ccmountainman]

A very old man back in the 1970's taught me this.
Starting with a new revolver after the first shoot.
Strip it completely down. Nipples, cylinder the action.
Thoroughly clean all parts with rubbing alcohol.
Polish / stone all the rough edges if any on the internals.
Reassemble the internals. pack the cavity full with CVA patch. It is no longer made, Use bore butter (a bit thin) or wonderlube paste or make your own with beeswax and lard. Thick enough it don't drip out in hot weather, but thin enough not to make the action stiff.
Replace trigger guard. cock hammer and work some down in there. q-tip or such apply a thin film in the hammer slot and on both sides and face of hammer, if shooting soon to inside of frame opening where cylinder goes ( I do it regardless)
Apply a dab of antisieze or such to nipple threads just in case you ever want them out again.
apply a liberal amount of the patch grease to the cylinder arbor hole and the pin.
Install the cylinder.
Wipe down the outside of the gun with any old gun oil. No need for the exotic stuff, that didn't exist back then anyway.
I always keep mine loaded. So nothing in the chambers.
I pull the nipple every two or three years if I think of it.
I clean the action cavity about as often.
Being packed full fouling can't get in.
I don't live in a high humidity area, so don't worry about moisture either.
Two of my revolvers are 35 yr old, no rust on them.
Never needed to replace the nipples. Got a dull bluish gray patina over all.

 

[M. De Land]

Do you take all the screws, springs and pins out in the shower as well?
I've yet to completely break down a used revolver that did not have some internal rust some where inside of it and usually some pits in the bore that was thought to be clean.

 

[azmntman]

Shower? that's paperkiller, I bathe with mine and ya sure, or course, heck ya wanna do a good job if yer gonna have to wipe that nasty ring off :rotf: