Back in the old day

I wonder if they actually sealed the chambers with grease. I've never seen it mentioned historically. I know it's problematical if you don't do it, but how likely is it for a chain fire? And why do all cylinders fire when one fires from a spark?

I'm not a revolver guy; got one but haven't fired it yet for some reason. May this week, and I'll seal the chambers.

Gene, my limited understanding is that they did not seal the chambers back in the day.

I do know, or at least believe, from much research on the subject as well as discussions here that the dreaded chain fire is more likely to be caused by a loose seated cap than an un-greased chamber mouth.

I never used it in mine when I fired it, and I never had an issue.

That said there is a you tube of a guy test firing his percussion revolver along side another. He chose not to grease the borrowed one as an experiment and had a chain fire on the video.

I still believe it is more likely to be caused by a loose cap or uncapped nipple than not greasing the chamber.

But, that's just my humble opinion. You will get many opinions here on both sides of that fence.

I have one that will chain fire. It's a .36 Uberti. I discovered the chamber requires a .380 ball, rather than .375...that fixed the problem. When it did chain fire, all it did was stuff a ball into the loading lever and skim some lead off the wedge. Cleaned up and no damage at all.

I have a friend who has an original Manhatten that still has one chamber loaded. The ball is covered with grease that looks to be an animal grease of some kind. I don't believe the purpose of the grease (if present) was to seal the chamber, but to lubricate the passage of the ball.

I believe most used wax covered wads over the powder and under the ball or bullet.
Chain fire happens almost always from the back end not the front when caps fall off live chambers from recoil of poorly fitting caps or buggered nipples.

Colts nor Remingtons instructions mentioned lubrication over or under the ball.
U.S. Army manual didn't mention grease over the Paper cartridges and no paper carts have been found yet with lube except in a conical bullets grease groove (which was actually tallow/wax).

Did some research, and the best opinion (IMO) was with a single fire, a loose or missing cap. For multiple, it was undersized balls and/or irregular cylinder boring creating gaps. I think grease can sel the gaps but so can oversized balls pressed in enough to seal irregularities. Full disclosure: I've never shot a c/b revolver.

Wow no greased Minies have been found?

I remember reading somewhere about dripping candle wax over both the ball and the cap when the gun might be needed in damp or rainy weather. Of course candles then were generally a softer bees wax or tallow, compared to today's harder petroleum based paraffin

I'm not sure I'd drop wax from a burning candle on a loaded chamber.

Gene L said:

I'm not sure I'd drop wax from a burning candle on a loaded chamber.

Click to expand...

More fun would to be to lite a cigar from the burning candle, smoke the cigar while dropping the wax onto the loaded chambers.

Richard Eames said:

Gene L said:

I'm not sure I'd drop wax from a burning candle on a loaded chamber.

Click to expand...

More fun would to be to lite a cigar from the burning candle, smoke the cigar while dropping the wax onto the loaded chambers.

Click to expand...

Don't forget, Hey, hold my beer and watch this

I don't know if grease was used. In hot weather it would likely melt and soak into a holster. If wads were used over the powder and under the ball, the grease isn't that vital. BUT I'm not sure about the use of wads. Colt, in one of his earliest patents for combustible ammunition had a wad so there is some evidence.
On the grease, Robert E. Lee carried a Navy Colt and the chambers were filled with what is thought to be red sealing wax. Sevens years after his death, about 1877, someone fired the revolver and all six chambers fired. The wax might have been done to keep the powder dry.

Sealing wax is a harder, more brittle, higher temperature wax. Gosh such concern over dripping wax over a lead sealed chamber. Ever chack to see how candles were made. Kettle of molten wax over a fire. A bit more dangerous than sealing a gun chamber

I've been shooting grease covered balls in revolvers for fifty years and only recently started making felt grease wads.
It is a far better way to load for general use I'm discovering.
First of all greasing over a ball is not consistent at all as each shot blows off more of the grease originally applied to each chamber were as a greased wad is precisely the same for each shot.
Shoot the first shot in a full cylinder then look at the absence of most of the grease originally applied to the rest of the live chambers. Each successive shot blows more of it off the rest of the charges.
Each successive shot has less grease and more fouling in front of the ball.
Also a felt wad has a certain amount of scrubbing action on the bore helping to clear fouling from the preceding shot.
A felt wad over the powder also seals the chamber from flash over along with a properly fitting ball.
I know the bottom of the ball makes a dish out of the wad but it will still seal the chamber closed if made over size the correct amount.

zimmerstutzen said:

Sealing wax is a harder, more brittle, higher temperature wax. Gosh such concern over dripping wax over a lead sealed chamber. Ever chack to see how candles were made. Kettle of molten wax over a fire. A bit more dangerous than sealing a gun chamber

Click to expand...

If the chamber is sealed with lead, what purpose does the wax serve?

good question.........possibly as a pre-ball barrel lube, possibly simply because some of the old timers used it.

Paladin said to put a lump of suet in your holster to help you draw fast so I never worried about the grease melting.
:idunno:

[


If the chamber is sealed with lead, what purpose does the wax serve?[/quote]




Good point,,Using wax on a cap and ball would make about as much sense as sealing the chamber mouths on a modern cartridge firing revolver.

Using candle wax over the balls could help ensure that no flame would enter past any imperfect balls and would guard against moisture penetration if carried in rainy/humid conditions & left loaded for extended periods. I seem to recall that some modern military ammunition is lacquer sealed to help long term storage.