Revolver Accouterments
- Thread starter Walkabout
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Not much really ... Caps, ball the right caliber size and powder. You might also get the lubed wonder wads in your pistol caliber to put between the powder and ball. Then bang away !!
If you are getting a .44, you will want .451 round ball. If you are getting a .36, then you want .375 round ball.
Ohio Rusty ><>
If you are getting a .44, you will want .451 round ball. If you are getting a .36, then you want .375 round ball.
Ohio Rusty ><>
hanshi
Cannon
Rusty has it nailed. REQUIRD: caps, powder and ball. All the other stuff is mostly a subjective decision.
Don't forget a powder measure and cleaning supplies.
Id get a nipple wrench and a pistol cleaning rod as well. There are a lot of things worth their weight in gold for convenience, and you will probably figure out what those are for you personally after a few shootings. Also some oil like ballistol or rem oil is a good idea. After a few cylinders these guns can get really hard to turn. A little spritz if needed on the cylinder will keep you in action.
I don't know if you'd call a holster an accoutrement or not but one of those may come in handy.
TDM
Cannon
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Caps- 10’s or 11’s. Can’t be choosy these days. Balls- I like .454’s for a .44 and .380’s for a .36 Uberti and .375’s for a .36 Pietta. Nipple wrench. Appropriate size wads is you want, but not necessary. Over ball lube if you want, but not necessary. An adjustable powder measure and / or fixed measures. Spring loaded capper is nice if you can find the caps. Powder flask or horn to keep your powder in. SlixShot nipples for whatever you buy. Proper turn screws for disassembly and assembly. Nipple pick. Cleaning rod, jag, brush, & swab. Lubricant of your choice. Honing stones to polish your internals. Dawn dish soap and cotton rags for cleaning. And a holster.
Plus whatever I forgot to list.
Plus whatever I forgot to list.
Anti-seize lubricant for the nipple threads.
Spend some time watching Duelist Den 1954 videos.
Spend some time watching Duelist Den 1954 videos.
Some kind of "grease" if you want to shoot more that a couple cylinders before cleaning.
user 48679
54 Cal.
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If you'd like to be fancy 
Jason60chev
36 Cl.
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Here's a cased set that Iput together, as a gift, for my best friend......
TDM
Cannon
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Good luck!
Johnny Tremain
Silversmith in training
The right sized balls mean you mic you cylinder bores and find the biggest one (yes they vary).
Then but over sized balls. 451s were too small for my 1860. Midway had some .454s on sale so I bought a box knock that my largest bore is .453. When I bought a mold, I went with .457. Now them balls will seal real tight.
I had a chain fire in the 70s, and it was this year before I got another one.
Also no one said wads. I use .030 45 cal ones that have been soaked in T/C No 13 bore cleaner.
For my first cleaning I use Windex and compressed air. That gets the big chucks away.
Then I use the No 13 bore cleaner. Lubing the dried metal with T/C Bore butter.
Tools you might want. A pick to clear the cone passages with. Also to remove bits of caps that seem to go every where. I have one of the redactable ones (another blanket prize). It is crap. To small a wire for pistol cones, better for a vent pick for a small caliber rifle.
A powder measuring device.
The cheap way is to get a graduated by volume tube. (looks like a test tube). From the can to the tube, to the cylinder.
I had a flask, musta been a blanket prize many decades ago. It had a 15gr spout, Ive changed it out for a 30gr spout. I put a guitar pick on my finger, then wrap tape or a band aid around it.
When I flip the flask over, my finger does not stick into the spout and rob me of powder.
A luxury: a capper. straight ones need to be modified to fit some pistols. (mine did)
A bag to carry it all in. My wife donated a should bag with many compartments. Everything I have for the revolver is in that bag.
Then but over sized balls. 451s were too small for my 1860. Midway had some .454s on sale so I bought a box knock that my largest bore is .453. When I bought a mold, I went with .457. Now them balls will seal real tight.
I had a chain fire in the 70s, and it was this year before I got another one.
Also no one said wads. I use .030 45 cal ones that have been soaked in T/C No 13 bore cleaner.
For my first cleaning I use Windex and compressed air. That gets the big chucks away.
Then I use the No 13 bore cleaner. Lubing the dried metal with T/C Bore butter.
This leads to sledge, any petroleum oil does not react well with burnt black powder.
Tools you might want. A pick to clear the cone passages with. Also to remove bits of caps that seem to go every where. I have one of the redactable ones (another blanket prize). It is crap. To small a wire for pistol cones, better for a vent pick for a small caliber rifle.
A powder measuring device.
The cheap way is to get a graduated by volume tube. (looks like a test tube). From the can to the tube, to the cylinder.
I had a flask, musta been a blanket prize many decades ago. It had a 15gr spout, Ive changed it out for a 30gr spout. I put a guitar pick on my finger, then wrap tape or a band aid around it.
When I flip the flask over, my finger does not stick into the spout and rob me of powder.
A luxury: a capper. straight ones need to be modified to fit some pistols. (mine did)
A bag to carry it all in. My wife donated a should bag with many compartments. Everything I have for the revolver is in that bag.
I got a Pietta Remington NMA a couple weeks ago. Fun to shoot, pretty accurate. Definitely going to add at least one extra cylinder. I think they were around $65 at Pietta USA. Anyone deal with them, do they ship pretty fast? Are there other sources that might be better? Thanks
Flask, measure or a spout for the flask that throws the correct charge, nipple wrench, I'd recommend pre-lubes felt wads over the powder and under the ball. Also get a couple of screw drivers and carefully grind them down so they exactly fit the slots in the bolts. Polish the screwdriver edges but don't round them off. An Altoids tin or similar to hold the balls, wads, etc.
Ive never had any experiences with sledge or sludge or anything like that. I use ballistol exclusively on my black powder guns and have for years. They all go bang very nicely after getting cleaned and put away the previous time.
Johnny Tremain
Silversmith in training
Over the years Ive seen ramrods break, lots get stuck in the barrel. Maybe there isnt that much in the product, never used it, no one I know uses it, and Ive not seen it at rondies.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Whats In your Wallet?
from the top down, left to right.
Dry cleaning patches, wads, balls, flask, powder, No13 soaked patches, caps, come pick, capper, sand mallet, the bag to hold it all, measurement graduated tube, bag of OEM cones, ratchet, in the bigger bag is a oiler (with bore butter in it) the socket that fits the new SliXshot cones.
Might be to much, but gets just about any mishap covered.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Whats In your Wallet?
from the top down, left to right.
Dry cleaning patches, wads, balls, flask, powder, No13 soaked patches, caps, come pick, capper, sand mallet, the bag to hold it all, measurement graduated tube, bag of OEM cones, ratchet, in the bigger bag is a oiler (with bore butter in it) the socket that fits the new SliXshot cones.
Might be to much, but gets just about any mishap covered.
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This is getting confusing. If the gun is ready to shoot, snap a cap on an empty chamber to burn off any oil. Oil, once burnt, turns into a brown tar that becomes hard to clean. A lot of folks confuse this brown tar on a cleaning patch with rust. Not rust residue, its tar. Actually it's a better idea to run a patch with rubbing alcohol down the bore before shooting to remove oil. Then the tar thing isn't an issue.
At the range, powder, lubed wad, ball. Then the next chamber. When all the chambers are loaded, then cap. The ball should be near the end of the cylinder which makes for better accuracy (usually). Some folks want a light powder charge so in order to get the ball near the end of the cylinder they put in the powder charge and then a filler like cream of wheat. Always seat the ball firmly on the powder or filler. My experience has been that a full powder charge often gives the best accuracy. A lubed wad eliminates having to put grease over the end of the chambers.
I shoot 100 rounds a range session and never have to do any cleaning at the range. No trouble at all.
After shooting, take the gun apart. Remove barrel, cylinder, then backstrap, etc. all the interior parts- once you have done this a couple of times its easy and fast. That is, with the Colt design. you need to NOT mar or bur the slots in the bolts so that's why you need screwdrivers that precisely fit the slots. You can use a wire brush on revolvers so maybe wire brush the bore 10 times to remove any lead fouling.
Next, use water and a toothbrush to scrub the various parts. I put the small parts in a pizza pan to keep track of them. Use a Q-tip swab for small areas- like the nipple threads on the cylinder. Dry the parts. Use a dry Q-tip for small areas- to dry. Then oil. Any light machine oil is fine- my Colt Navy 36 is over 50 years old and is fine. Remember, remove the oil before shooting- saves a lot of headaches.
That's about it, don't make it harder than that.
At the range, powder, lubed wad, ball. Then the next chamber. When all the chambers are loaded, then cap. The ball should be near the end of the cylinder which makes for better accuracy (usually). Some folks want a light powder charge so in order to get the ball near the end of the cylinder they put in the powder charge and then a filler like cream of wheat. Always seat the ball firmly on the powder or filler. My experience has been that a full powder charge often gives the best accuracy. A lubed wad eliminates having to put grease over the end of the chambers.
I shoot 100 rounds a range session and never have to do any cleaning at the range. No trouble at all.
After shooting, take the gun apart. Remove barrel, cylinder, then backstrap, etc. all the interior parts- once you have done this a couple of times its easy and fast. That is, with the Colt design. you need to NOT mar or bur the slots in the bolts so that's why you need screwdrivers that precisely fit the slots. You can use a wire brush on revolvers so maybe wire brush the bore 10 times to remove any lead fouling.
Next, use water and a toothbrush to scrub the various parts. I put the small parts in a pizza pan to keep track of them. Use a Q-tip swab for small areas- like the nipple threads on the cylinder. Dry the parts. Use a dry Q-tip for small areas- to dry. Then oil. Any light machine oil is fine- my Colt Navy 36 is over 50 years old and is fine. Remember, remove the oil before shooting- saves a lot of headaches.
That's about it, don't make it harder than that.
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