Random thread about myths and gun show tales about percussion revolvers......

[Stantheman86]

I just had randomly thought about the many myths I've heard over the years...such as....

Civil War soldiers carried spare cylinders for quick reloads in battle...totally false

Rogers & Spencer revolvers were reissued during the Phillipine Insurrection to stop fanatical Moro tribesman.....I find it unlikely that the US military was digging into storage to unmothball brand new , unissued percussion revolvers made during the Civil War, in 1897 . Colt Model P's were taken out of inventory but they were still bring phased out at this time and were still around in the late 1890s.

If you don't grease your chambers you'll have chain fires........false ....people swore up and down all throughout the 1990s when I first starting shooting my first cap and baller , that I HAD to put grease over my chambers "like they did during the Civil War or you'll get a chain fire" . I've probably fired more ungreased round balls through revolvers this summer alone than the people who tried to make me believe this have in their entire lives.

"I can't imagine guys in battle pouring powder and ramming balls , it takes so long that's crazy " nitrate cartridges and capping are as fast as ejecting brass and reloading a cartridge revolver and faster for a highly skilled shooter . Very few if any user of a percussion revolver in military use was pouring powder besides the Rangers with Patersons and Walkers. Nitrate cartridges were produced in huge amounts by arsenals for both sides during the Civil War which was the largest use of percussion revolvers in any combat.

"Those things are so inaccurate they were for hand to hand fighting " False

Those Confederate revolvers were crude and made as cheap throwaway guns....False, most if not all were very well made by skilled workers. People often apply the Japanese Last Ditch weapon mentality to Confederate firearms

 

[desi23]

Once a tale gets in circulation logical consideration of the claims and any search for historical facts often drop by the wayside......... People love tall tales and particularly enjoy spreading them (to prove how knowledgeable they are of course LOL).... I've heard most of the ones you posted (except the Rogers & Spencer one, that's a first for me) and plenty of others over the years

 

[user 49399]

I’m reminded of some of the many crazy notions that some muzzleloading folks have. One of the funniest ones to me is bouncing a ramrod numerous times off a seated ball. I ain’t figured out what this accomplishes. It’s either seated or it ain’t.

Another one is claiming that you shouldn’t use 4f as a main charge in a long gun. Huh??

There’s plenty more that I’m sure will come along directly.

 

[sheriff john]

50 years ago, lots of gunshow traders claimed items were "Confederate". Admittedly, most were old enough to have been used by someone during that time, but a good story was thought helpful to boost prices. In those days, junker parts guns (and actual parts) were available to create just about anything - and some did just that.

 

[Stantheman86]

Once a tale gets in circulation logical consideration of the claims and any search for historical facts often drop by the wayside......... People love tall tales and particularly enjoy spreading them (to prove how knowledgeable they are of course LOL).... I've heard most of the ones you posted (except the Rogers & Spencer one, that's a first for me) and plenty of others over the years

Gander Mt printed that in their catalog back in the 90s , I remember seeing it back when you could actually buy a Rogers & Spencer repro from Euroarms from a Major retailer, it was all "The .44 Rogers and Spencer, one of the most accurate and prized revolvers of the Civil War. They were re-issued during the Phillipine Insurrection to stop fanatical Moro Tribesman in the 1890s"

Nowadays find me 2 people who even know what a Moro tribesman is, or the Phillipine Insurrection, but I think an ad writer at Gander just spit out some ad copy because few R&S were issued during the Civil War and I will safely assume none were used in the 1890s because they'd have been antiquated junk to soldiers at that point, and any nitrate cartridges in storage would have been 30+ years old. Not even that but try explaining to Soldiers and Officers that they're gonna carry this Civil War era front stuffer cap revolver ,and you gotta ram these paper things in and cap the nipples......they'd probably throw those pistols right on the ground

 

[springfield art]

I just had randomly thought about the many myths I've heard over the years...such as....

Civil War soldiers carried spare cylinders for quick reloads in battle...totally false

Rogers & Spencer revolvers were reissued during the Phillipine Insurrection to stop fanatical Moro tribesman.....I find it unlikely that the US military was digging into storage to unmothball brand new , unissued percussion revolvers made during the Civil War, in 1897 . Colt Model P's were taken out of inventory but they were still bring phased out at this time and were still around in the late 1890s.

If you don't grease your chambers you'll have chain fires........false ....people swore up and down all throughout the 1990s when I first starting shooting my first cap and baller , that I HAD to put grease over my chambers "like they did during the Civil War or you'll get a chain fire" . I've probably fired more ungreased round balls through revolvers this summer alone than the people who tried to make me believe this have in their entire lives.

"I can't imagine guys in battle pouring powder and ramming balls , it takes so long that's crazy " nitrate cartridges and capping are as fast as ejecting brass and reloading a cartridge revolver and faster for a highly skilled shooter . Very few if any user of a percussion revolver in military use was pouring powder besides the Rangers with Patersons and Walkers. Nitrate cartridges were produced in huge amounts by arsenals for both sides during the Civil War which was the largest use of percussion revolvers in any combat.

"Those things are so inaccurate they were for hand to hand fighting " False

Those Confederate revolvers were crude and made as cheap throwaway guns....False, most if not all were very well made by skilled workers. People often apply the Japanese Last Ditch weapon mentality to Confederate firearms

Good comments! Thanks for posting! Myths are hard to dispel!

 

[Stantheman86]

Good comments! Thanks for posting! Myths are hard to dispel!

If I get a curious onlooker at the range with any of my BP or older guns I always ask if they want to shoot a round or two, and probably 9 times out of 10 they'll be like "how did guys fight with these things, pouring powder into the cylinder while you're getting shot at , no way" and I'll always explain that usually, they used Nitrate Cartridges in military use .

Or the guy who watched me fire 5 rounds in a minute with Pritchett cartridges in my Enfield Musketoon. He was fascinated, he thought the Civil War was soldiers loading with loose powder and patched round balls.

The myths come from retailers too, Cabelas and other box store websites and catalogs spread this crap like the "spare cylinders" you can order "for quick reloads, many Civil War soldiers carried pre loaded cylinders into battle for quick reloads under fire " No , probably not once, ever, was this done

Jeff Daniels is shown in Gettysburg at Little Round Top putting a fresh cylinder into his 1860 Army, remounting the barrel against a log , with obvious white grease over the chambers, presumably because there were blanks in the gun but this just further fueled the "greased chambers to prevent chain fires" thing. I'm like, Col. Chamberlain would not have taken the time to load 6 nitrate cartridges and then pull some kind of grease or tallow out and apply it, nor would he have had a 2nd cylinder that was fitted to his gun in his pocket.

 

[Stantheman86]

50 years ago, lots of gunshow traders claimed items were "Confederate". Admittedly, most were old enough to have been used by someone during that time, but a good story was thought helpful to boost prices. In those days, junker parts guns (and actual parts) were available to create just about anything - and some did just that.

Tons of Bannerman surplus muskets were stamped with CSA because anything "Confederate " sold better

Like that sketchy "Gibbons and Clement" revolver that looks like someone fluted the cylinder on a .44 Navy Brasser and antiqued it. I guess there's a few of them around, there are no records of any Gibbons & Clement that made .44 Revolvers unless there's some weird backstory to this

 

[Stantheman86]

I’m reminded of some of the many crazy notions that some muzzleloading folks have. One of the funniest ones to me is bouncing a ramrod numerous times off a seated ball. I ain’t figured out what this accomplishes. It’s either seated or it ain’t.

Another one is claiming that you shouldn’t use 4f as a main charge in a long gun. Huh??

There’s plenty more that I’m sure will come along directly.

I've heard this, if the rod bounces then the ball is seated

However, I've had "stuck" balls that bounced a rod too and they were inches above the powder , and I had to tap them down to shoot them out.

 

[William P Sepessy]

I also blame some of the gun magazines for spreading "Old Wives Tales". I used to subscribe to several gun periodicals and remember seeing the same old advise in just about every article. I believe a writer who had little actual black powder experience was handed an assignment and that person simply repeated what "Uncle Al" had told him years ago.

 

[deerstalkert]

what so many people don't consider is the fact that every mothers son that fired a gun in battle had to load pretty much the same.
it's not like the other side had 30 round mags for their guns.

 

[Stantheman86]

I also blame some of the gun magazines for spreading "Old Wives Tales". I used to subscribe to several gun periodicals and remember seeing the same old advise in just about every article. I believe a writer who had little actual black powder experience was handed an assignment and that person simply repeated what "Uncle Al" had told him years ago.

I've read some crap like this , "we put lube over the round ball just like the Army specified when these were used by Union troops" like ok buddy way to just pull that out of thin air

 

[TDM]

Well, I still believe Clint Eastwood always carried extra cylinders for his Remington.

 

[Bunk]

Gander Mt printed that in their catalog back in the 90s , I remember seeing it back when you could actually buy a Rogers & Spencer repro from Euroarms from a Major retailer, it was all "The .44 Rogers and Spencer, one of the most accurate and prized revolvers of the Civil War. They were re-issued during the Phillipine Insurrection to stop fanatical Moro Tribesman in the 1890s"

Nowadays find me 2 people who even know what a Moro tribesman is, or the Phillipine Insurrection, but I think an ad writer at Gander just spit out some ad copy because few R&S were issued during the Civil War and I will safely assume none were used in the 1890s because they'd have been antiquated junk to soldiers at that point, and any nitrate cartridges in storage would have been 30+ years old. Not even that but try explaining to Soldiers and Officers that they're gonna carry this Civil War era front stuffer cap revolver ,and you gotta ram these paper things in and cap the nipples......they'd probably throw those pistols right on the ground

" Under the wide and starry flag
Civilize then with the Krag
and let the boys go home"
Not that old just a gun history buff.
respectfully
Bunk

 

[Packrat]

Myths and unfounded stories , sounds like todays politics

 

[2 shots]

you guys are all WRONG. .... if its on the net its got to be true , same as if its on the news..

 

[mushka]

I think 2 shots has something there.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Well, I still believe Clint Eastwood always carried extra cylinders for his Remington.

Me too. I've seen him do it! While wearing a top hat, too.

 

[Stantheman86]

Well, I still believe Clint Eastwood always carried extra cylinders for his Remington.

He also carried 20lb of gun on him with 2 Walkers, an 1860 and a .31 pocket , but he's Clint he can do these things

 

[TDM]

He also carried 20lb of gun on him with 2 Walkers, an 1860 and a .31 pocket , but he's Clint he can do these things

Goes without saying.