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Recent content by Brian the Brit

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  1. B

    Price of powder in 18th century

    A couple of weeks ago, I visited Fort Nelson, one of a string of fortresses built on Portsdown Hill, the high ground overlooking the naval base of Portsmouth on the south coast of England. The fort has been restored and now houses part of the Royal Armouries' collection of artillery through the...
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    Flash cones around nipple

    I've just fitted a brass flash protector to my newly acquired original P1856 Enfield to protect the woodwork near the nipple. I had one fitted to my Euroarms 1858 Naval rifle and it did the job admirably. They do not interfere with capping. It's simply a 1 1/2" diameter circle cut from a sheet...
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    Home-made lube query

    Sorry for the confusion, LD, I meant that I had obtained a bottle of genuine Murphy's Oil Soap but that it is the concentrated product. Would I be right in assuming that the guys in the US use a 'ready to use' diluted form when using it to make their lube? I know that there are lots of...
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    Home-made lube query

    I'm currently trying to make a batch of lube using the formula: beeswax - 4oz by weight, neatsfoot oil and Murphy's oil soap each 2oz by volume that I found somewhere on the web. My first attempt has been a complete disaster resulting in a paste with the consistency of porage that is glutinous...
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    How did they carry cap and ball fixin's?

    'Skin' could be a general reference to the material from which the cartridge is made or it could be a specific reference to 'skin cartridges' that were available at the time and made from nitrated animal guts or 'skins' as they were known. I think the latter is more likely. Some cartridges...
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    How did they carry cap and ball fixin's?

    Although I can add nothing to the original poster's query, I have experimented with home made cartridges in my Uberti Colt 1860 .44 repro with great success. Initially I tried making combustible paper cartridges using cigarette paper but these proved to be flimsy and they left unburnt residues...
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    Question about caps?

    1. Were the percussion caps used in the American Civil War any different from the ones that we use today? I ask because I'm constantly having to strip my Uberti Colt 1860 to remove cap fragments (CCI and Remington) that fall into and jam the action. Somehow I can't believe that the US Army would...
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    Timing problem - Pietta 1858 Remington

    When the hand arrived it needed no 'fitting' after all - so I guess I was lucky. I took the revolver to the range yesterday and fired 48 rounds without a single misfire. Looks like I've cracked it! Thanks again for the kind advice. Brian
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    Stripping an 1858 Remington

    Just an update, I ended up fitting a new bolt, hand and trigger/bolt spring. The bolt needed some filing to get it to engage in the cylinder notches but the hand needed no 'fitting' and timing is spot-on. At the range this morning I fired 48 shots without a single misfire and put most of the...
  10. B

    Timing problem - Pietta 1858 Remington

    Thanks for all the wise advice, Guys, it's very much appreciated. My apologies to the Moderator for posting in the wrong section. Brian
  11. B

    Timing problem - Pietta 1858 Remington

    Well, the new bolt and trigger/bolt spring arrived today and after a bit of filing to the bolt are now fitted and working perfectly. When the bolt snaps into place the cylinder locks into position with negligible side-to-side movement. Unfortunately the cylinder does not always line up...
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    Stripping an 1858 Remington

    Brilliant! Thanks, Emery. The bit that was confusing me was how to remove the main spring. The rest seems pretty straightforward and not too dissimilar from the Colt 1860 in the way it works. I shall now attack it with confidence. Brian
  13. B

    Stripping an 1858 Remington

    A friend gave me his Pietta Remington 'New Army' today which on investigation needs a new bolt and and trigger/bolt spring. Everything else appears to be fine. I have ordered the new parts and while I await their arrival wondered if anyone has posted an idiot's guide to stripping and...
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    Determining the powder charge

    In 'Powder and Ball Small Arms', The Crowood Press, (1998:15), Martin Pegler says: "It is interesting to speculate how early hand-gunners determined the correct charges for their weapons other than by a sometimes lethal process of trial and error. A rule-of-thumb method which was still in use...
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    Range Report - Original Barwick 20 bore flintlock

    Many thanks for the kind words of support and encouragement, Gentlemen! I shall experiment with some thinner patches and different loads and see what happens. If by some miracle I do manage to hit the target one day I'll be sure to let you know. :wink:
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