Revolver loading

[LSLibelo]

I have left a pair of ROA and 4 additional swap cylinders(6 cylinders total), 2 RB, 2 LEE 215 grain HP and 2 LEE 220 grain RN conical, loaded for months as "Home/Camp Defense" peices in a very humid climate without ability to reload. (2 & 4 legged predators)

For carry piece an NAA Super Companion also with swap cylinders. (2 legged predators)

All ROA loaded with Remington 10 caps, Swiss 3F powder and projectile. With ROA RB dry Felt wads between powder and projectile.

NAA loaded RWS 1075 caps, 4 grains Swiss 4F and NAA projectiles. As per NAA manual instructions.

All cylinders, ROA & NAA, with cap seals cut from plastic aquarium air pump tube, lude/grease over projectiles.

When it was time to empty them all 36 ROA chambers fired. 3 Chambers fired "light", all NAA chambers fired. All chambers, ROA and NAA fired with acceptable performance.

 

[nick_1]

I have had numerous slow fires and miss fires over the years. My current system with wax lubed conicals seems to be the most reliable but my week point is still the nipples. the only misfire I have had since switching to conicals I believe was caused by oil contaminated caps. Its worth noting that powder can get wet from humidity and be in a state where it would not have fired but then dried out and was fine when t was fired. I have had paper cartridges that were soggy and useless from humidity in June work flawlessly in November.

 

[Cliffdweller]

I always load a card wad then lubed cushion wad then ball when I know its gonna be loaded for a while.

 

[Malamute]

Two of mine have been loaded as long as Ive owned them, uberti 1851 and 1860. Theyve gone a couple years at a time between shooting. Recently, theyve both been loaded 5 years or more, the 51 without caps in the midwest for several years. They have slow fired a time or two when left a year or more but I believe have always fired. I dont recall how long Ive had them, close to 20 years or so. Ill see how they do whenever I get around to shooting them again. I live in a very dry climate, 10% humidity in summer isnt unusual.

Mine are loaded with 3f black, crisco over the balls, and whatever caps I have available at the moment, no wad, full charges. They mostly live either in a holster hanging by the door or on a nail on the wall. They get loaded immediately after hot water cleaning, no oil anywhere near the nipples, grease on the arbor (white lithium?).

Have no idea what caps, I tend to buy them at gun shows whenever I see them reasonably priced, so have maybe 5 or so different types/makes. Last time I bought caps was perhaps 15 or more years ago.

 

[ArmorerRoy]

I left my pistol loaded with paper wrapped cartridges and capped for a year. All six chambers fired as they should. There was no grease above the balls either. I also left it in a leather holster with no damage to the blueing.

 

[springfield art]

It depends on your climate, your loading technique and your capping. I have had much better luck for some reason with conicals than RB. Some folks have tricks to seal the caps on the nipples that seems to help. Personally I shoot my 1858 fresh once a week and sometimes every two weeks. very occasionally three weeks.

Bill Hikock used to change out his percussion loads DAILY. We don't have to do that, but, after a month or so, I'd get pretty dicey about having it around for home defense or any critical usage.

 

[springfield art]

Two of mine have been loaded as long as Ive owned them, uberti 1851 and 1860. Theyve gone a couple years at a time between shooting. Recently, theyve both been loaded 5 years or more, the 51 without caps in the midwest for several years. They have slow fired a time or two when left a year or more but I believe have always fired. I dont recall how long Ive had them, close to 20 years or so. Ill see how they do whenever I get around to shooting them again. I live in a very dry climate, 10% humidity in summer isnt unusual.

Mine are loaded with 3f black, crisco over the balls, and whatever caps I have available at the moment, no wad, full charges. They mostly live either in a holster hanging by the door or on a nail on the wall. They get loaded immediately after hot water cleaning, no oil anywhere near the nipples, grease on the arbor (white lithium?).

Have no idea what caps, I tend to buy them at gun shows whenever I see them reasonably priced, so have maybe 5 or so different types/makes. Last time I bought caps was perhaps 15 or more years ago.

Your experience underscores the cautions they always state about muzzle loaders; the old musket or shotgun that "comes into the shop" often has a load in it!! And, that's no "load"! ha, ha....

 

[Malamute]

Your experience underscores the cautions they always state about muzzle loaders; the old musket or shotgun that "comes into the shop" often has a load in it!! And, that's no "load"! ha, ha....

Mine get used for cabin security duty from time to time, I may grab one to go out and feed the birds or change sprinklers, one time there was a plague of vicious bunnies in the yard, a veritable stampede whenever I came out the door. I had to thin them out once, it let them know I wouldnt tolerate a hostile takeover.

 

[D Yager]

Plumb amazing what a black powder arm will do to a rabbit intent on terrorism. Been charged by a rogue rabbit more than once.

 

[Malamute]

I was attacked once by a bunny. Was out in the front yard outside the dog fence, sitting on my knees in the sagebrush watching it get dark, the dog was busy doing dog stuff, she jumped a bunny, it raced off down the path, realized I was there in the path, too fast and too late to change course, made a ninja bunny leap that kicked me in the shoulder with those powerful rear legs, then continued to race off away from the dog. I was laughing too hard to do anything.

 

[D Yager]

I can't top that one! I either snuff em when they come at me hard like that or they realize that it's a bad idea to stay on course and turn away.

 

[Dexterado]

I have read reports of people finding civil war weapons loaded during the war that had been kept dry, and still fired. And also, found canon balls are still considered dangerous.

 

[nick_1]

you have to watch out for those killer rabbitswww.youtube.com/watch?v=YhcVGEWvjEo&t=20s