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Wad thickness

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When did this loading with cornmeal and or wads start? Cornmeal or some filler has been around for a pretty good while but even that wasnt called for in the original cap and ball revolvers was it? Way back when , I think they used candle wax over the balls or did they?The use of wads is a fairly modern procedure in loading isn't it? Before Wonder Wads came on the market were any other brand or kind of wads used?

From what I have read cornmeal and wads is all a modern day thing. The directions that came with Sam Colts revolvers said nothing about filters, wads , or lube over balls. I have never read anything during the CW or the gunfighting days of using wads, lube , etc. I feel it has more to do with lawsuits and chain firing. Chain fires come from the cap end not the ball end. I shoot just ball over powder and never had a chain fire. Use the right caps and chain fires should not be a problem. Just my own thoughts. Now watch, tomorrow I will go out and fire one round and the other five will follow.
 
You are most likely right. I have no idea of the practice of the day when these were state of the art. I have read about greese, but could not show a referance. I would be intetested if someone could provide some period correct info.
 
Euty,

It won't matter if your home-cut wads are not perfectly round. They'll get pushed to the shape of the cylinder anyway.
I use deer tallow as lube, but other stuff works. If a wad's too thin, use two.
You asked about card wads;
Milk or juice cartons work very well as a wad to separate the greased felt from the powder.
Your wad lube can be melted outside or anywhere, and the wads dipped in and fished out with needle -nose pliers if needs be,... laid on newspaper for the grease to set.

Good luck!
 
Good I was wondering about the slightly out of round ones.Sometimes I get too close to a recent cavity and the wad isnt completely round, but very close. I was planning on using those for "double " wads. And still may.I can foresee alot of experimenting in the future.
 
There's a video on youtube where the guy forgets to bring .45 balls to the range to shoot his .44 revolver.
All he has with him are .36 revolver balls.
So he decides to load the chambers with patched round balls and they worked.
He used dry pillow ticking without lube, cut the material off at the mouth of each chamber and then pushed the balls
in, and the cylinder was loaded off the frame.
I searched and found the video:

 
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Sloppy but I dont see why it wouldnt work, once or twice. I wouldnt make a regular practice of it. Oh , I watched the video with the volume turned down. Next time I'll listen to what he says. Was it just me or did he leave too much patch on the ball.But it did make the gun go bang.
 
I dont know about the safety of the matter but some activities are better carried out when you're home alone. You noticed that phenomenom too? Funny how some things just sort of happen when the wife is away.
 
That would be my thought on the corn meal filler. Its more than just a buffer but also a filler which lets the ball be seated less deeper in the chamber of the cylinder. Therefore closer to the forcing cone and barrel. Less "jump" in other words. How did the use of corn products get started in cap and ball pistols in the first place?
 
That would be my thought on the corn meal filler. Its more than just a buffer but also a filler which lets the ball be seated less deeper in the chamber of the cylinder. Therefore closer to the forcing cone and barrel. Less "jump" in other words. How did the use of corn products get started in cap and ball pistols in the first place?

Correct.... I have been using it for over 20 years. An old pistol shooter told me how and why back then
 
Good morning
Been shooting BP revolvers for many years. Have .36 pocket types up to a couple 44 Dragoons.
I have always put a dobber of Crisco or "bp lube" over the ball to keep the revolver shooting longer.
The lube will help keep the cylinder from binding / clogging and keeps the fowling in the barrel soft.
That is how dad taught me 50 years ago and I figured he knew what he was doing. He had been at it 15 years shooting original Colts and Remingtons along with his .69 muskets before I was big enough.
 
So far I've had no one disagree with my thoughts on corn meal as a filler. So I suppose I could possibly be on the right track about it being a filler to place the ball closer to the forcing cone. I am curious about its origin though.
 
From what I have read cornmeal and wads is all a modern day thing. The directions that came with Sam Colts revolvers said nothing about filters, wads , or lube over balls. I have never read anything during the CW or the gunfighting days of using wads, lube , etc. I feel it has more to do with lawsuits and chain firing. Chain fires come from the cap end not the ball end. I shoot just ball over powder and never had a chain fire. Use the right caps and chain fires should not be a problem. Just my own thoughts. Now watch, tomorrow I will go out and fire one round and the other five will follow.
;)

I agree, there may have been a couple of curious shooters experimenting with reduced powder charges here and there but it wasn’t widespread or we’d have read about it in the literature.
Hmmm... WRT chainfires, I read an article recently that postulated the culprit was powder left on the mouths of the cylinder. He suggested testing this by leaving the caps off of the adjacent chambers (alternately on either side) so I did. Loaded three chambers left the cap off of the chamber to the right of the chamber to be fired. No chain fire. Tried it on the left side as well, no chain fire. The gun, an 1860 Uberti,was strapped to a couple bags of #8 shot with riggers bands and fired remotely. It’s not definitive but certainly suggestive that perhaps the culprit is found elsewhere. I’m also considering trying to create a limited chainfire b loading two chambers adjacent but loading dirty, with powder residue on the face of the cylinder and even smaller balls, .451 in a ruger or something.
I load with and without lube and or wads depending upon what and why I’m shooting. If I expect to shoot more than a few cylinders full I’ll use wad and lube to keep the fouling soft and the gun running through multiple cylinders. Lately I lube (just a dab) between an unlubed wad and the ball. Not over the ball. It seems to be working very well. If I’m hunting or just carrying, I don’t use any lube at all.
 
I've made the statement that I plan on doing alot of experimenting in the future. But here at the beginning of my cap and ball shooting I plan on being careful.So excuse the many questions. I hope I'm not being too overly cautious, I'm being genuinely saftey minded, I hope. And not just for me, Some other beginner may stumble across this post and actually learn something.
 
I have yet to experience a chain fire using oversized .454 diameter ball in my Pietta 44's and .375 & .380 ball in my Pietta 36. Have tried with and without wads with no luck.

I would actually like to see if I can induce a chain fire. Leaving caps off loaded chambers has not caused one for me. Think I need to try some undersized or deformed ball to see if I can get one to go.
 
One problem with chain fire experiments and even with theories is that you are looking for maybe a 1/1000 or 1/10,000 event. So an afternoon trying various theories doesn't absolutely exonerate any specific cause. Even a "lifetime" of experience doesn't prove much. I've never had a chain fire. But I haven't fired 10,000 cylinders. So my method (greased wads) has worked. But I'd be hesitant to claim my method "prevents" chain fires.
 
One problem with chain fire experiments and even with theories is that you are looking for maybe a 1/1000 or 1/10,000 event. So an afternoon trying various theories doesn't absolutely exonerate any specific cause. Even a "lifetime" of experience doesn't prove much. I've never had a chain fire. But I haven't fired 10,000 cylinders. So my method (greased wads) has worked. But I'd be hesitant to claim my method "prevents" chain fires.
I have yet to experience a chain fire using oversized .454 diameter ball in my Pietta 44's and .375 & .380 ball in my Pietta 36. Have tried with and without wads with no luck.

I would actually like to see if I can induce a chain fire. Leaving caps off loaded chambers has not caused one for me. Think I need to try some undersized or deformed ball to see if I can get one to go.

IF IT AINT BROKE-DONT BREAK IT
 
Use care in loading. Don’t splash powder all over the place, neatness counts, powder in the chambers only please... keep your pistol in good repair, cleaned well every time you finish shooting. Always use a tight fitted ball or bullet and the same goes for the nipple and cap. I personally guarantee you will never have a chain fire.








But if you do, and you have followed all of the other safety rules, (safe backstop, know your target, engage only that which you wish to destroy, hearing and eye protection, etc.) It will be a startling moment and not much more. Unless someone can show me permanent damage to either the gun or shooter (I have seen neither in over 4 decades of bp shooting)

And yeah, reading all about this stuff is great, being careful is too. Winter is such a great time to do the reading and speculating as you can tell by the many responses to your questions... Overly cautious? Every so often someone will say, you can’t be too careful. I don’t know if that’s true but the good news is, you get to decide for your self.
 
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