Need advise on possible restoration project.

I have an old cap and ball revolver my dad left me a long time ago. It's been hanging on the wall but the more I've gotten into black powder the more attractive she looks hanging there. Not sure of make or model there are none on the gun that I can find. The lock and springs are strong and stay at full and half cock. I'm not sure if the bullets are soldered in place or not. The barrel looks rough but there is rifling. What do you guys think? I can supply any more pictures that are needed. I have never restored a gun before either just FYI.

Looks like an 1860 army, as far as if it is safe to shoot or restore someone smarter than me is gonna have to help you there

jrweis1997 said:

Looks like an 1860 army, as far as if it is safe to shoot or restore someone smarter than me is gonna have to help you there

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also bullets are probably not soldered in place, cap and ball rounds were purposely oversized to seal the chamber if its the real McCoy guy might have loaded it and then heard rebs surrendered and went home!

A great piece is history, that is 45D or Mr. Deland area for sure.

My only thought is to drill the balls (very carefully) to let any powder out so something around 1/4 inch and that would also allow you to introduce Kroil from that end to deal with getting the cones out (or at least try).

With the balls pressed into the cylinder you must treat the gun as loaded. Put an ample amount of oil in both ends of the chambers. Carefully place a wood screw in the center of the ball and screw it in being careful to go in straight. Then place a piece of wood across the cylinder and pry the ball out. Do not use any abrasive of any kind or chemicals at this point. Here an old pistol that was as rusty as yours that was cleaned up easily.
IMG_0518 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

Acohill1 said:

I'm not sure if the bullets are soldered in place or not.

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Not soldered in place.

Can you easily remove the nipples or are they frozen in place? If you can remove them it’s quite easy to push the loads out.

SDSmlf said:

Not soldered in place.

Can you easily remove the nipples or are they frozen in place? If you can remove them it’s quite easy to push the loads out.

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Gonna have to get a pistol nipple wrench that will get down in there. They are likely pretty solidly stuck.

Povidone Iodine 10% usp

From previous experience, I would take off the grips and disassemble the grip end as much as possible. Throw the whole mess in a basin of Kroil. Let it soak. Take everything out once a week and run a brass brush thru the barrel and use a dental pick around the nipples and the seated balls. Do this repeatedly for at least a month. You should be able to pull the balls at that point. The barrel is about as clean as it is going to be too. Shoot it but if it doesn't produce decent results a reline might be in order. Once the balls have been removed continue to soak the cylinder for another month. Once you think the nipples are free of crud you can try the nipple wrench, Take your time and be patient, might need a little heat too. The Kroil soakings will do the most good! Be patient and you can take a POS and bring it back to something you are proud of!!!!!!! Time is your friend.

edrutecki said:

From previous experience, I would take off the grips and disassemble the grip end as much as possible. Throw the whole mess in a basin of Kroil. Let it soak. Take everything out once a week and run a brass brush thru the barrel and use a dental pick around the nipples and the seated balls. Do this repeatedly for at least a month. You should be able to pull the balls at that point. The barrel is about as clean as it is going to be too. Shoot it but if it doesn't produce decent results a reline might be in order. Once the balls have been removed continue to soak the cylinder for another month. Once you think the nipples are free of crud you can try the nipple wrench, Take your time and be patient, might need a little heat too. The Kroil soakings will do the most good! Be patient and you can take a POS and bring it back to something you are proud of!!!!!!! Time is your friend.

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Okay I'll buy some kroil and start soaking the cylinder.

Just remember, no heat till you get the lead and possible powder removed first.

I'm thinking that may be an original, and possibly valuable. Until you can have an experienced collector look at it, don't mess with it. You don't want to turn a $10,000 revolver in to a $400 paperweight.

Acohill1 said:

Okay I'll buy some kroil and start soaking the cylinder.

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It certainly looks like a well used original. There’s no finish left to speak of but there is patina. Removing rust as described should not lower, and may enhance the value. No matter how poorly it shoots I would never reline the barrel. If it’s not a shooter just clean it, keep it protected from further corrosion and admire it. You can pick up a $300 replica which will handle the shooting chores for you.

BTW, how deep are the “bullets”? It almost looks as if someone poured molten lead into the chambers at some point. If not, those balls are seated very deeply. Sometimes people worried that grandpa’s old thumbuster would fall into the wrong hands so they would use various methods to render them inoperable. Grandma on my mom’s side had my great uncle remove the firing pin from my grandpa’s SAA. Fortunately it was easily replaced.

The 1861 Remington that I posted above was covered with red rust. After disassembly all the metal was washed in hot water and detergent. Then immediately boiled in distilled water for twenty minutes. The dried parts were covered in machine oil and allowed two days to cure. The parts then got rubbed down with an oily rag that lifted the crud off leaving the surfaces in a stable condition. No abrasives or chemicals were used. The marking became more legible and nothing got rounded over.
IMG_0520 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

Phil Coffins said:

The 1861 Remington that I posted above was covered with red rust. After disassembly all the metal was washed in hot water and detergent. Then immediately boiled in distilled water for twenty minutes. The dried parts were covered in machine oil and allowed two days to cure. The parts then got rubbed down with an oily rag that lifted the crud off leaving the surfaces in a stable condition. No abrasives or chemicals were used. The marking became more legible and nothing got rounded over.
IMG_0520 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

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So it actually received a new blued finish…

Acohill1 said:

I have an old cap and ball revolver my dad left me a long time ago. It's been hanging on the wall but the more I've gotten into black powder the more attractive she looks hanging there. Not sure of make or model there are none on the gun that I can find. The lock and springs are strong and stay at full and half cock. I'm not sure if the bullets are soldered in place or not. The barrel looks rough but there is rifling. What do you guys think? I can supply any more pictures that are needed. I have never restored a gun before either just FYI.View attachment 299536View attachment 299537View attachment 299538View attachment 299541View attachment 299543View attachment 299544View attachment 299555View attachment 299546View attachment 299539View attachment 299540

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You've come to the right place. There's guys on here that can help, maybe one of them would even do the work for a fee. Those grips look nice! Don't re-finish them.

I've restored a number of original Colt & Remington revolvers to shooting condition, the following is method I would start with.

First;
Don't attempt any restoration unless you have solid mechanical experience, would be a shame to severely downgrade this historical revolver...
Second;
If you feel confident to proceed, purchase a quality set of gunsmith screwdrivers so you don't damage the screws & purchase a Ted Cash ratchet nipple removal tool set for both rifle & pistol nipples. Can buy off Ebay or Amazon.

Remove the grips & soak the entire revolver in a 50-50 solution of auto transmission fluid & acetone for two days.

This treatment usually frees-up corrosion on nipples & frame thread screws & in the bore.
Once the nipples are removed, soak the powder charge in oil use a small diameter brass punch to remove the balls.
At this point disassemble, clean & re-assemble the pistol & determine if the action works properly & all chambers of the revolver locks up solid & in perfect alignment with the bore when cocked.

** DON'T USE A WIRE WHEEL OR BRUSH ON EXTERIOR SURFACES, THIS WILL DESTROY ORIGIONAL PATINA & SEVERELY REDUCE THE VALUE.
This is just a start.

Phil Coffins said:

The 1861 Remington that I posted above was covered with red rust. After disassembly all the metal was washed in hot water and detergent. Then immediately boiled in distilled water for twenty minutes. The dried parts were covered in machine oil and allowed two days to cure. The parts then got rubbed down with an oily rag that lifted the crud off leaving the surfaces in a stable condition. No abrasives or chemicals were used. The marking became more legible and nothing got rounded over.
IMG_0520 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

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That’s a fine looking revolver… very nice work.

Davey Boy said:

Povidone Iodine 10% usp

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Not to hijack but what does that do? I've used it many times to prep for surgery, never thought of it as useful in a case like this. Please enlighten.

Acohill1 said:

I have an old cap and ball revolver my dad left me a long time ago. It's been hanging on the wall but the more I've gotten into black powder the more attractive she looks hanging there. Not sure of make or model there are none on the gun that I can find. The lock and springs are strong and stay at full and half cock. I'm not sure if the bullets are soldered in place or not. The barrel looks rough but there is rifling. What do you guys think? I can supply any more pictures that are needed. I have never restored a gun before either just FYI.View attachment 299536View attachment 299537View attachment 299538View attachment 299541View attachment 299543View attachment 299544View attachment 299555View attachment 299546View attachment 299539View attachment 299540

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I just

Acohill1 said:

I have an old cap and ball revolver my dad left me a long time ago. It's been hanging on the wall but the more I've gotten into black powder the more attractive she looks hanging there. Not sure of make or model there are none on the gun that I can find. The lock and springs are strong and stay at full and half cock. I'm not sure if the bullets are soldered in place or not. The barrel looks rough but there is rifling. What do you guys think? I can supply any more pictures that are needed. I have never restored a gun before either just FYI.View attachment 299536View attachment 299537View attachment 299538View attachment 299543View attachment 299544View attachment 299555View attachment 299546View attachment 299539View attachment 299540

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It appears to be an 1851 Colt. Brass frame indicates was made in the south. Lots of info on this available on line.