Truck gun

[Bugtrucker]

I am wondering if I load my 1958 NA and keep it loaded without firing will it do any damage to the gun? I am wanting to carry in my pickup truck.

 

[FishDFly]

Keep a close eye on the balls to make sure they do not come unseated from the pistol vibrating/rattling around in the truck.

 

[Bugtrucker]

N

Keep a close eye on the balls to make sure they do not come unseated from the pistol vibrating/rattling around Never thought about that, you would think that after cutting the ring off when loading it should remain tight in the chamber! How did the solders on horse back keep their ball from falling out? No pun intended!

 

[Dibbuk]

IIRC, black powder is hydroscopic, and will absorb water from the air, which can both prevent combustion, and cause rust in the chambers.

 

[Treestalker]

You should be fine if you degrease the nipples and thoroughly clean the gun and do not oil the chambers. Use a Wonder Wad between your powder and bullet or ball. make sure you have a snug fit on your caps and some folks even put a small length of plastic tubing over the cap and nipple junction. Let no oil come close to your caps and maybe use a thick grease over the balls. It should work fine. My bro carried a sawed off 1851 Navy .44 like that in his taxicab back in the free world before felons had statues made of them. 'Long is the Way, and Hard, that out of Hell, leadeth up to Light'.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I keep mine loaded and have made a habit of shooting and cleaning them a few times a year. I started with monthly, went to quarterly and now I just shoot-clean-reload every 6 months. I have a few revolvers loaded like this. This past Monday was my 6 month mark. They all fired instantly with every shot, no problem. They've been carried on me inside, outside, leather holster, IWB, left in truck, house and tent. I've come to trust my cleaning, loading and the components for each.

 

[tenngun]

Loaded in a clean gun black powder will not rust a gun, a patched greased patch will not slip in a juggling of a truck.
I used to carry a loaded CVA mountain. I shot it and cleaned it once every six months. It never misfired and never rusted

 

[FishDFly]

Loaded in a clean gun black powder will not rust a gun, a patched greased patch will not slip in a juggling of a truck.
I used to carry a loaded CVA mountain. I shot it and cleaned it once every six months. It never misfired and never rusted

Beg to differ there, Fellow at a shoot asked if he could shoot his loaded pistol he had been carrying around in his truck under the seat for quite some time. Told he go ahead.

When he pulled the trigger the noise was more than substantial, kinda lifted the tin on the roof. Pistol flew over his head and tumbled to the ground. It was a Trapper style pistol and the sharp part on the back of the stock cut his hand to the bone. Pulled out my EMT bag and bandaged him up, loaded his things into his truck and sent him onto the hospital for stiches.

Conclusion after ward was a couple of things. Ball had become unseated and moved forward. Since the ball had moved forward, the powder had room to move around and vibrate around and became fines.

For those who say it won't happen in a truck, modern ammo rattling around in a glove box, the powder will become fines in the case and when shot, will be become much more aggressive.

 

[tenngun]

Well my experience was a lot different. Before assuming it was because of being in the truck a would wonder if it was misloaded

 

[Stantheman86]

I'd assume a good many percussion revolvers were carried loaded for years on the Frontier or kept loaded by regular people. If the caps are tight you should be fine.

I don't think the average ranch hand who carried a cap and baller was capping off a cylinder full every few months. I've even read stories on this forum of people who loaded a percussion revolver in like 1984 and found it, and all 6 rounds went off fine.

 

[smoothshooter]

IIRC, black powder is hydroscopic, and will absorb water from the air, which can both prevent combustion, and cause rust in the chambers.

Not a problem in percussion guns if the chamber area has no fouling from previous shots and is dry, and a properlt fitting cap is on the nipple.
Residue from fired black powder can attract moisture from high humidity.

 

[smoothshooter]

IIRC, black powder is hydroscopic, and will absorb water from the air, which can both prevent combustion, and cause rust in the chambers.

Not entirely true.

 

[smoothshooter]

Keep a close eye on the balls to make sure they do not come unseated from the pistol vibrating/rattling around in the truck.

If the balls come loose they were too small to start with.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I don’t use a fancy wad or a bunch of grease when I’m planning to keep a revolver loaded. I’ve used Goex, Pyrodex P, Pyrodex pistol pellets and Triple 7 (3F). Fresh powder from a properly sealed container, don’t touch it with skin and load quickly but carefully. Over powder I load two card wads, like milk carton material. These are Circle Fly brand and appear to be waxed or coated on one side. Then the ball. The ball is seated firmly and leaves a lead ring that falls off as its loaded. No grease. That is to keep the fouling soft and gun functioning when shooting continuously, a lot more than 5 or 6 shots. Without a lube they’ll do just fine for a cylinder full. With it, it ended up in the holster, console, pants and wherever, and didn’t necessarily last for months anyway. I use caps that are seated tight so that I cannot pick them off the nipples with my fingernail. This combo is working for me in my 4 revolvers that are kept loaded.

 

[Stantheman86]

If the balls come loose they were too small to start with.

How many guys carried cap and ballers on horseback and it doesn't seem that many balls were popping out of chambers , any more than a .45 LC slug would come out of a cartridge

When you load a percussion revolver you are in effect turning the chamber into a cartridge.

 

[mushka]

My truck gun would be a multi shot rifle that needs no attention until its use is needed.

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

This will probably set off a firestorm...

Assuming you are using it as a truck gun for personal defense in these uncivil times? If so, you had best have 100% complete confidence in it.

If, God forbid you ever have to drawn down on somebody it had better work. As much as I love my percussion revolvers there are far better choices for a truck gun circa 2021. This isn't 1871. Sure, those percussion revolvers served the purpose until metallic cartridges and advanced firearms became readily available, but your opponent would have most likely had the same as you. Today's bad guy doesn't always carry cheap stuff.

Most of the bad guys are not trained, disciplined shooters but why take the chance?

An old mentor once taught me, why would you put yourself in a situation where you have a 50/50 chance of not surviving? But if you do, you better be sure...

 

[Stantheman86]

This will probably set off a firestorm...

Assuming you are using it as a truck gun for personal defense in these uncivil times? If so, you had best have 100% complete confidence in it.

If, God forbid you ever have to drawn down on somebody it had better work. As much as I love my percussion revolvers there are far better choices for a truck gun circa 2021. This isn't 1871. Sure, those percussion revolvers served the purpose until metallic cartridges became readily available, but your opponent would have most likely had the same as you. Today's bad guy doesn't always carry cheap stuff. They may not always be disciplined shooters but why take the chance?

An old mentor once taught me, why would you put yourself in a situation where you have a 50/50 chance of not surviving? But if you do, you better be sure...

Not saying this applies to the OP but some people on YouTube who have "run afoul of the law" and can't own cartridge guns have videos about using cap and ballers for defense because it's all they can legally own in their state.

 

[Bob McBride]

Yea, no. My truck gun is a .45 ACP or an AR Pistol. There’s times when BP is worth the extra challenge and times when it’s all about a high cyclic rate.

 

[Bugtrucker]

I keep mine loaded and have made a habit of shooting and cleaning them a few times a year. I started with monthly, went to quarterly and now I just shoot-clean-reload every 6 months. I have a few revolvers loaded like this. This past Monday was my 6 month mark. They all fired instantly with every shot, no problem. They've been carried on me inside, outside, leather holster, IWB, left in truck, house and tent. I've come to trust my cleaning, loading and the components for each.

I keep mine loaded and have made a habit of shooting and cleaning them a few times a year. I started with monthly, went to quarterly and now I just shoot-clean-reload every 6 months. I have a few revolvers loaded like this. This past Monday was my 6 month mark. They all fired instantly with every shot, no problem. They've been carried on me inside, outside, leather holster, IWB, left in truck, house and tent. I've come to trust my cleaning, loading and the components for each.

I keep mine loaded and have made a habit of shooting and cleaning them a few times a year. I started with monthly, went to quarterly and now I just shoot-clean-reload every 6 months. I have a few revolvers loaded like this. This past Monday was my 6 month mark. They all fired instantly with every shot, no problem. They've been carried on me inside, outside, leather holster, IWB, left in truck, house and tent. I've come to trust my cleaning, loading and the components for each.

This will probably set off a firestorm...

Assuming you are using it as a truck gun for personal defense in these uncivil times? If so, you had best have 100% complete confidence in it.

If, God forbid you ever have to drawn down on somebody it had better work. As much as I love my percussion revolvers there are far better choices for a truck gun circa 2021. This isn't 1871. Sure, those percussion revolvers served the purpose until metallic cartridges and advanced firearms became readily available, but your opponent would have most likely had the same as you. Today's bad guy doesn't always carry cheap stuff.

Most of the bad guys are not trained, disciplined shooters but why take the chance?

An old mentor once taught me, why would you put yourself in a situation where you have a 50/50 chance of not surviving? But if you do, you better be sure...

I used the term truck gun as a reference term! Believe me I always have a very useable 357 on my person, along with a shotgun and rifle in the truck! I go out scouting new areas and spots for coyote hunting, and sometimes I just feel like shooting might be a snake, a tree, walnuts out a tree was my brother and I competed with each other doing this with 22s! If you hit the walnut you lost, had to just hit the stem! I just would like for me to do some crazy things like calling in a coyote close and shooting with cap and ball. Just don’t want to have to load it on the spot! I also have a permit to hunt out my pickup do to disability!