Questions about cap-n-ball revolver

[valen]

I've recently received a used cap-n-ball revolver from my dad. He hasn't shot it in years and I'm thinking about taking it with me to the range soon, but I want to be sure of the loading process. It came with a bunch of conical bullets and I have plenty of 3F, but I wonder about other stuff I need.

Its a brass frame pietta, but I'm not familiar enough to say what specific model. My dad suggested 15 grains of 3F for a load. Do I need to load powder > wad > ball or do I load powder > ball > wad? Whats the deal with cornmeal and crisco?

 

[rodwha]

Being that it is a brass framed pistol it won't be capable of handling higher pressure loads. From what I've read about 20-25 grns is max with a ball so 15 grns may be about max for a conical.

Many fill in the space with a filler of some sort to bring the nose of the projectile closer to the cylinder face. This reduces the jump to the forcing cone which ought to aid in accuracy, but depending on the projectile length may be necessary to seat the projectile firmly on the powder charge. There can be no air gap here. Most people use some form of cereal grain such as Cream of Wheat. I've been considering felt wads which would be easier to deal with in the field and wouldn't give issues if loading on a windy day.

Some people load Crisco over the ball for lubrication, but this is messy and doesn't last long. A lubed felt was is better, though a conical should have a lube groove(s).

Powder, wad, ball.

 

[MacRob46]

I've recently received a used cap-n-ball revolver from my dad. He hasn't shot it in years and I'm thinking about taking it with me to the range soon, but I want to be sure of the loading process. It came with a bunch of conical bullets and I have plenty of 3F, but I wonder about other stuff I need.

Round balls are a lot more comfortable to shoot in a brass frame revolver. I have shot conicals and round ball in my ancient Navy Arms Reb revolver and the conicals increase the pressure and recoil, so years ago I abandoned the conicals. 15 gr of FFF is plenty for round balls. I would not worry too much about the distance between the bullet and the forcing cone affecting accuracy.

 

[crockett]

There are different options. If I said "you can do it A or B or C- you are just going to get confused.
Conicals weigh more than round balls and therefore generate more pressure which probably isn't so great in a brass frame gun. Use round balls.
Heavy charges aren't so good in a brass frame gun so I'd go with 12-15 grains of fffg.
Accuracy is thought to improve if the ball is seated just deep enough into the chamber to allow the cylinder to rotate. The ball therefore travels less distance before entering the actual barrel. The problem is, you MUST seat the ball so there is no air space. Air space between powder and ball creates DANGEROUS pressures. You can either seat the ball down deeper in the chamber and not worry about any possible loss of accuracy or you could use a filler between powder and ball to locate the ball farther forward in the chamber.
Quite frankly, until you have been shooting a while these tiny differences are un-important. Sometimes filler, et all does nothing to improve accuracy.
So, I'll suggest ONE way that ought to work well for you.
1. On a clean, uncapped revolver load a chamber with a charge of 12 grains of fffg black powder. Now put over the powder a pre-lubed felt wad. You buy these. Now ram down a round ball and seat it firmly on the powder/wad. Repeat for all chambers (or five if you will carry the gun), and cap the loaded chambers and you are ready to shoot. The pre-lubed wad eliminates having to fill the ends of the chambers with Crisco or similar grease.
The more powder the more velocity. Velocity sometimes works with the rate of twist in the barrel as far as accuracy. So...after you have shoot a couple of times you can try adding or dropping a grain or two on the powder charge to see if a different powder charge makes for better accuracy.

 

[ZUG]

Mike Beliveauy (duelist1954) has some YouTube videos on this subject that will help you out and are fun to watch https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrzQir9WP9UpH8qtWx_ppw

 

[FishDFly]

Do a search for "Cap and Ball Primer" on the
.www and it will provide the correct information you wish.

 

[Zonie]

Seems to me he already has done a web search and he's ended up at the best site around. :grin:

Valen: You didn't say what caliber your cap and ball pistol is so it's hard to say if 15 grains of powder under a bullet is right or not.

It would (IMO) be about right for a .36 caliber pistol but a bit light for a .44 in a brass framed gun.

Like the others, I suggest that you buy a box of lead roundballs. They load much easier and have less recoil than a bullet.

If you buy some lead roundballs, you will need to get some .375 diameter for a .36 caliber or, .454 diameter for a .44.

Have fun.

 

[valen]

Finally getting around to getting back to this board. it is a .36 I've seen wonder wads for sale at track. I'll order myself some and some round ball too.

 

[arquebus]

One more tip, that I see hasn't been mentioned yet, is to snap a cap on each nipple when you begin your range session, & before you load your first charge. This will make sure the nipple channel is open & burn up any residual oils from the last cleaning. Also, if you have a need to clean the revolver/cylinder during your range session snap another batch of caps before continuing to load with powder/ball, etc.
I shoot 20gns of 3Fg with a roundball in my STEEL frame Pietta-Remington, so think 15gns in a brass framed revolver is a good idea. I also use Cream of Wheat over the powder & smear each chamber mouth with lube. I've tried the felt wads, but personally prefer the wet lube.

 

[M. De Land]

I'm to tight to fire six caps to clear nipples.
It can be done as well or better with a shot of break cleaner and a blast of compressed air from a key board cleaner can.
Break cleaner will dissolve and clean out the oil along with drying super fast.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Prelubed Wonder Wads are OK, but I've ben using a square of 2 ply TP with a tiny dab of ball lube folded inside it - works every bit as good as the felt wads.

 

[cynthialee]

Prelubed Wonder Wads are OK, but I've ben using a square of 2 ply TP with a tiny dab of ball lube folded inside it - works every bit as good as the felt wads.

That does sound functional, but I would worry about the TP catching fire and setting the grass alight.

 

[smoothshooter]

With the high price and lack of availability of caps nowadays, I have a hard time justifying expending them to check for clear nipple channels. In my Colt clones, if I angle the gun just right, I can just look through the nipples from the rear as I rotate the cylinder. As long as I can see daylight through each nipple, and I almost always do, it is good to go. No need to waste any caps on a flash channel that is already clear.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Prelubed Wonder Wads are OK, but I've ben using a square of 2 ply TP with a tiny dab of ball lube folded inside it - works every bit as good as the felt wads.

That does sound functional, but I would worry about the TP catching fire and setting the grass alight.

When you fold it up with the lube inside, and seat it firmly between ball and powder, the seating pressure distributes the lube evenly throughout the paper wad, it exits the barrel and breaks up into several small pieces - if you use it dry, it makes TP confetti - never had any catch fire, and I shoot where the sumertime temp often reaches 120º with humidity hovering in single digits just above zero.

 

[Poor Private]

As an aside.
High price of caps, and lack of availability? I am sorry but i just bought 5 tins of psitol caps from a vendor at a gun show. the cost was 5.50 per tin for Remingtons. I have no problem finding caps at all. Our local Cabelas have both musket and pistol caps in stock(CCI). Our local gun stores in Hastings and Kalamazoo has them also. The only item I find tuff to find is cannon powder in small quantities. The Kalamazoo gun store carries black powder, and has it when I need some just some sizes may be lacking. I find that if people ask for items they usually show up in the stores.
If they can sell em they will stock em. Or order them for you. Even our local chain department stores Wally World, and Meijers carries caps in their sporting goods aisle. They may be pricie but they have them in hunting season. Thats when I buy and stock up for the off season. Currently I think I have about 3-5k of each-pistol caps and musket caps in my personal ammo stash, along with several hundred rolled cartridges for musket and cannon.
BUT your right there is no need to waste caps on a pistol cylinder. pull the cylinder and look through the nipples. If you have so much grease and oil in your cylinder that you feel you need to "shoot em out", your using to much when you clean your guns.

 

[Billnpatti]

These videos may help: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dualest1954+brass+frame+revolvers

 

[ccmountainman]

replying to others.
I have never ever popped caps to ensure the flash channel was clear.
I always do that when I clean.
I don't worry about lube / oil in the chamber either.
My revolvers are almost always reloaded after cleaning.
My rifles, the lube / oil film is so fine I can dump powder in and shoot. Been times it has set 6 months before it was shot.
It's all in the care you take when cleaning!

 

[smoothshooter]

Most of the time, when I plan to reload the revolver for the long term after cleaning ( with Ballistol and / or 70/30% isopropyl alcohol ), I will hold the freshly - cleaned cylinder over an open fire or stove burner until it gets to the point where it is uncomfortable to hold, and set it aside to cool. This evaporates any water or any excess light oil trapped in the nipples or chambers.
After it cools, I load as normal with wads under the balls lubed with olive oil and beeswax. If the wad lube a little thinner than I like, I carefully wrap each wad in a little wax paper to reduce the chances that any lube squeezed out after the seating process contaminates the powder charge. The wax paper ruptures upon firing and allows the lube to do it's job.
Have never had a misfire using this method even after several months unless there was a weak hammer strike issue failing to pop the cap.

 

[Billnpatti]

Well, I'll be darned!! I never heard of the thing with wrapping a bit of waxed paper around the wad to protect the powder. Sounds kind of ingenious to me. Good idea!!! :thumbsup:

 

[fraungie]

get yourself about a foot of clear aquarium hose at a pet store press one end of it on each nipple one at a time and blow into the other end. It is safe and will clear your nipple. I would also run a dry patch in all the chambers to suck up any oil left on the walls. Use the patch then blow. You will know instantly if the nipple is clogged.