New to cap & ball revolvers

[Chaco24]

What brand of revolvet was used in the video. ?

I believe that it’s a Pietta, in the video description it says “ loading the 1858 Remington Pietta....

 

[smoothshooter]

Welcome Chaco24 to the forums.

Pyrodex is harder to ignite than real black powder (GOEX, Olde Eynsford, Scheutzen, Swiss, et al). You didn't say if you have caps, but I would want to have the hottest caps that I can find, that would probably be the Remington caps. Sometimes the pistol nipples are sized for #10 caps and other times they are sized for #11. I would use #11 magnum caps (CCI) to help set the Pyrodex charge off. If the caps are a bit large, you can slightly pinch the cap and they will stay on the nipple. You may have to watch for loose caps jamming the works, but the loose caps can easily be cleared from the action. Pistol grade powder (3fg) would be better than rifle grade RS (2FG), but the 2fg will work.

The powder charges in this muzzle loading sport are measured in volume which is equal to real black powder. Pyrodex is less dense so the measured weight is less than the equivalent weight in black powder, but Pyrodex is designed so that the volume measure is roughly equal to that volume of black powder. Yes, 2f is safe to use in your new pistol. Be very aware that the fouling generated by shooting muzzleloading firearms is very corrosive, so be sure to carefully clean and lubricate your new pistol.

Read the threads on cleaning and lubricating. A new pistol will need to be cleaned using alcohol or carburetor cleaner to get the grease out of all the nooks and crannies that will block your cap flash from getting to the powder charge. Then you want some grease on the pin that supports the cylinder. A little bit of anti seize lubrication on the nipple threads is a good step. Do not over tighten the nipples in the cylinder. Its not necessary to tighten past snug on any of your threaded bolts or nipples.

The first time you go to the range be sure to cap your unloaded gun and fire a cap on all the cylinders. Point the muzzle at something that will move to watch and see if the bore is clear. Blades of grass move, leaves flutter, or dust will blow around.

What size ball came in the starter kit. A good 44 caliber ball will be 0.454" in diameter. It is confusing, but you want a soft lead ball so that when you load the ball a ring of lead is shaved off the diameter. 44 refers to the diameter from land to land and you need the 45 caliber ball to fill the grooves. There is a long thread on this topic here on the forum.

There is no need at this time to worry about refinements on the cylinder mouth diameter or other performance improvements. This is the time determine how it shoots and where to find black powder. Yes, Pyrodex or 777 will work. And if that is all that is available there is no reason to get over stressed.

Make some smoke and put some holes in a target.

Before shooting a cleaned gun I just look through the nipple holes before loading.
If I see daylight, the nipples are clear, and I save a few caps.
Any nipple holes that I can't see thru get a cap busted on them.

 

[Chaco24]

Well my second New Army 1858 Pietta revolver (with the 8 inch barrel) was delivered this afternoon from Cabela’s along with an extra cylinder. I cleaned all 3 cylinders, nipples, and the barrels of both revolvers with 91% rubbing alcohol and then ran patches with Bore Butter through both barrels & put Bore Butter on the threads of the nipples before screwing them back into the cylinders, and then I placed caps on all of the cylinders, I will fire the caps on each cylinder tomorrow morning and do a more thorough cleaning of each revolver. If I made a mistake in the my first cleaning of the cylinders and barrels please let me know (and please don’t chastise me harshly I’m just getting into cap & ball black powder revolvers, so YouTube & Google are my only resources, I’m on this forum for helpful advice ) TIA.

 

[FishDFly]

Ditch the Bore Butter.

Use 3 in 1 oil or another good gun oil for rust protection.

Remove the nipples, remove the Bore Butter from the threads and use Anti-Seize on the nipple threads.. Do not over tighten the nipples when putting them back into the cylinder.

 

[FishDFly]

Pietta Black Powder Pistol Loads | Muzzle-Loaders.com

How to Load a Black Powder Revolver (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Read the above, they may help you.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I'm with FishDFly. Bore Butter may be okay for a patch lubricant, but it is not a good rust inhibiting lubrication. Use Birchwood Casey's Barricade. Use an anti-seize lubricant for the threads in the nipples. I like RIG for the grease on the cylinder pin. Bore Butter gums up.

 

[Chaco24]

Thanks for the tips FishDfly & Grenadier1758.

 

[FishDFly]

You are welcome.

Read all you can about BP revolvers before shooting them. In all honesty, approach U-Tube with a large grain of salt, lot of poor information.

Do a search on the internet for the "Dallas Muzzle Loading Club", they can help you. Might even help you with finding BP.

If you decide to use a filler (corn meal or Cream of Wheat) be aware that COW does not compress and if you put to much in the cylinder you may not be able to seat the ball completely into the cylinder, then you have a problem.

 

[Bulldog60]

Found this site that covers loading and shooting BP revolvers. Found it very interesting and informative. http://www.geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps1.html

 

[FishDFly]

Looks worth while.

 

[8 BORE]

As I stated in earlier posts, I use a 9mm case and a 40sw case fill either with 3f and the other with corn meal the .454 ball will seat a few thousands below the mouth of the chamber. Experiment.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Found this site that covers loading and shooting BP revolvers. Found it very interesting and informative. http://www.geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps1.html

Some good reading here. Thanks for sharing

 

[bigted]

Congrats on your new revolver. Beware ... habit forming begins immediately. This is contagious and very addictive. Seems to be an airborn virus that will penetrate brain cells and attack heart strings. The very soul is in danger of extreme vexation and nervous twitch till the experience is repeated over and over again.

Once past this nerve vexing addition to your very marrow, this game is extreme fun and as long as pure lead and Black powder (or the substitutes) is used, you can not really get into trouble. The first powder smoke is the most exhilarating and this feeling can be chased for a lifetime. Your path will be vexed with success as well as failure ... but in all ... you will surely chase this nerve racking pleasure for the rest of your tommarow's.

I for one am very happy to see yet another feller taking the most fun pastime you can have and still have your clothes on path and welcome you to the black powder smoke club. Very open club with no real rules except to remain safe for yourself as well as the other folks you rub elbows with.

 

[BeoBill]

Thanks for the information!!! When I bought the revolver I also purchased a “starter kit” for 44./.45 Caliber black powder revolver that came with a powder flask, powder measure, capper, 2 different size lubed wads, nipple wrench and thirty .457 lead balls. I also bought some Hornady swagged lead balls in .457 & Remington #10 caps, Ballistol and Hoppe’s #9 Black powder gun bore cleaner & patch lubricant. Also I downloaded some YouTube videos from duelist 1954, blackpowdershooter44, & Dustin Winegar to help get me started.

Welcome to the club! I think you have your bases covered. Watch the videos and learn from them. #10 caps are right for your Pietta, as are the .457 balls. Although the balls are a bit oversized (I use .454 in mine), you'll be OK using them. The main thing is to shave off a lead "ring" when you seat each ball.

You should be using FFFg powder; I use Triple Seven, but also use 44 cal (30 gr equivalent) pellets on occasion when I feel lazy. Your powder flask should throw between 24 and 30 gr of powder. Makes no difference if it's real black powder or a substitute like Pyrodex.

Wads are good to seat between the powder and ball to completely avoid a "chain fire,' which happens when multiple chambers ignite at the same time. Luckily, that's rare if you're careful.

It's important to clean your gun after each use. Black powder residue is corrosive, where substitutes such as Pyrodex are not, but will still screw up your action eventually. Watch a video on how to field strip your revolver for cleaning; there are no special tools required and no small parts to lose. Just follow the instructions for cleaning and lubing.

And absolutely the most important thing to remember is to MAKE SMOKE AND HAVE FUN! You'll find it's addicting.

 

[BeoBill]

Before shooting a cleaned gun I just look through the nipple holes before loading.
If I see daylight, the nipples are clear, and I save a few caps.
Any nipple holes that I can't see thru get a cap busted on them.

I like to run a paper clip through them, just to shove out the fly droppings. After removal and cleaning, I also put on a small dab of anti-seize compound for brakes before reseating them. And I lube with white silicone grease from the auto store.

 

[Chaco24]

Well I got 2 cheap holsters from Amazon.com and a leather cylinder pouch from Cabela’s & I was curious about safety concerns with carrying a loaded and capped cylinder in the cylinder pouch, thoughts???

 

[Eutycus]

I too am new at this cap and ball revolver shooting.and I feel that I needed to find out what size ball would give me the correct fit. I dont have a mic (yet) so I ask alot of questions. I hope I'm not annoying too many members here.

 

[hawkeye2]

Carrying a loaded cylinder is OK, carrying a loaded and capped cylinder is not a good idea. You have a short barreled 6 shot firearm on your person that can be set off accidentally by something striking a cap and guess where it is pointed.

 

[rodwha]

Welcome to the club! I think you have your bases covered. Watch the videos and learn from them. #10 caps are right for your Pietta, as are the .457 balls. Although the balls are a bit oversized (I use .454 in mine), you'll be OK using them. The main thing is to shave off a lead "ring" when you seat each ball.

You should be using FFFg powder; I use Triple Seven, but also use 44 cal (30 gr equivalent) pellets on occasion when I feel lazy. Your powder flask should throw between 24 and 30 gr of powder. Makes no difference if it's real black powder or a substitute like Pyrodex.

Wads are good to seat between the powder and ball to completely avoid a "chain fire,' which happens when multiple chambers ignite at the same time. Luckily, that's rare if you're careful.

It's important to clean your gun after each use. Black powder residue is corrosive, where substitutes such as Pyrodex are not, but will still screw up your action eventually. Watch a video on how to field strip your revolver for cleaning; there are no special tools required and no small parts to lose. Just follow the instructions for cleaning and lubing.

And absolutely the most important thing to remember is to MAKE SMOKE AND HAVE FUN! You'll find it's addicting.

Absolutely untrue about Pyrodex not being corrosive like BP. The fact is that it is much more corrosive than BP. A fellow did a test in his garage where he burned a pile of BP on one steel plate, Pyrodex on another, and Triple 7 on the third. He left them in his garage for 4 days and cleaned off the mess and found this:



Pyrodex did a number on my rifle after about 12 hours taking the advice like that. It took hours to finally get a clean patch.

But this is a moot point if you clean your gun(s) soon after, and if you find you don’t have the time you can run very oily patches (I’ve tried Ballistol and it works) through the barrel, chambers, etc and spray the internals. This causes the fouling to absorb the oil and not atmospheric moisture keeping it from rusting.

In the above pic a wire brush was used on both steel plates but wasn’t needed on the T7 plate.

 

[Eutycus]

What was the big selling point of Pyrodex several decades ago? Other than being synthetic what really was the sudden interest in it. Was it cheaper? There was a myth about it being less corrosive but that was baloney.