Taking the plunge

The Colt 1851 and 1861 Navy models are both .36 cal. The '51 is a pleasure as is the '61. The '51 to me, has a more business like look to it. The '61 is more refined and graceful. It reminds me of a leg of a beautiful, shapely woman. As for shooting the 1911 Gov't, depending on the style you shoot, don't hold the revolver like you would the 1911 if you use two hands. The same applies in reverse. Have a ton of fun ! :thumbsup:

Always use Remington #10 caps on the revolvers. The #10 caps fit tighter than #11 caps without having to pinch them. I have never seen any other brand of #10 caps except Remington but that does not mean they don't exist. All Dixie Gun Works #10 caps are Remington brand and I believe if #10 caps of a different brand were made, DGW would have 'em.

When I first started shooting BP in the mid-1970s, I purchased some new Pietta replicas from Cabellas which were a .44 caliber '51 Navy, '60 Army,'47 Walker Colt revolvers and a '58 Remington revolver. I was cautious and would grease seal the chambers or use either over-powder or over ball pre-lubed Wonder Wads to prevent a chain fire. I quit doing that after the first 10 or 20 shots. I have never had or have I seen, a chain fire but that does not mean they don't happen. Chain fires most often happen to someone who tries to fire a .451" ball in a revolver that is chambered for a .454" ball or they use homemade lead balls that are out of round with a flat spot where the sprue was located. The way a chain fire works is the plasma from the exploding powder escapes past the cylinder and barrel to the adjacent cylinder and detonates those cylinders. Certain conditions must be present for a chain fire to occur. One is a loose cylinder with more than .002" clearance (end-play) between the barrel and cylinder at half cock and another is a ball that is too small for the chamber. That implies a old worn out revolver and someone who thinks all .44 caliber balls are the same diameter.

I'd go with the .44 cal revolvers! I and my Son own five of them and use them in competitions all of the time. So far we have three Colts: The Walker, 3rd Model Dragoon, and a 1860 Army. We also have two Remingtons: an 1858 steel frame New Model Army and a 1858 Stainless Buffalo with 12" barrel.

For a newbie, I'd recommend either a 1858 Remmy or an 1860 Army Colt as a starter revolver. Get used to the BP effect, then go upstairs to the "Magnum" of the big Dragoons or Walker. Anybody that can shoot a .45 ACP 1911A1 with factory ball ammo and hit what you're aiming at won't have ANY problems with a C&B revolver...just remember to let the hammer fall on the cap without letting the barrel drop in anticipation of the BLAST, and you'll do FINE :thumbsup: !

Welcome to the Forum!

Dave
NRA BP pistol Sharpshooter
Club Champion BP revolver 2007

1stTexas said:

...I have never seen any other brand of #10 caps except Remington but that does not mean they don't exist. All Dixie Gun Works #10 caps are Remington brand and I believe if #10 caps of a different brand were made, DGW would have 'em.

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CCI makes both No. 10 and No. 11 caps. They're available through many mail order retail sites, including, believe it or not, Dixie Gun Works:
CCI Caps for sale by DGW

1stTexas said:

...Certain conditions must be present for a chain fire to occur. One is a loose cylinder with more than .002" clearance (end-play) between the barrel and cylinder at half cock and another is a ball that is too small for the chamber. That implies a old worn out revolver and someone who thinks all .44 caliber balls are the same diameter.

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You apparently did not read my response to your post under the thread "Home made wads for .44". I asked for your explanation of how the condition of greater than .002 clearance between the barrel and cylinder is necessary for a chain fire to occur. I have not seen a response to that query.

In all my years of shooting BP, not only have I not had a chain fire, I have never seen one. I am not saying it can't happen, just that I have never experienced it. I use a cheap (fabric store) felt OP wad, lubed with 50/50 Beeswax and EVOO and .454 balls to get a good cut ring. I also have never used any lube over the ball to seal the cylinder. I use Uncle Mike's nipples to insure a good fit and seal on the caps. Considering how much I shoot, over the years, I probably have over 5,000 balls through each of the three guns. You just can't travel to matches with only two guns. :grin: Other than that, I just make smoke and have fun. :v

one of my shooting buddys says that he witnessed a chain-fire years back, he shoots a ROA hisself and is good shot, he knows of what he speaks. myself I've never had or seen one. I'm betting that the cause is related to incorrect ball size and sloppy powder charging more likely. maybe uncapped nipples or loose caps.
when shooting slugs I always have them lubed and use a dry felt. if ball (rarely now since I make Lee conicals) I grease the chamber over ball.
at any rate safe practice is neccesary.

I had never had one until last year. It was both the gun and my fault. I have never owned an Armi San Marco that was any good and this was no exception. It was a '60 Army model. I mic'ed the chambers and they were out of round. The day i had took it out to shoot it i shot one cylinder full with powder and then a wad with no problems. The second cylinder i skipped the wads and the first shot sounded like a double tap with a semi auto. I only had one extra chamber go off, but that was enough. No damage to me or the gun but it still scares ya.

Cap n Ball usage and procedures.
This will benefit you to read.., I have refreshed myself with it from time to time.

Was this directed at me? I know how to use them, and i know what caused the problem, defective gun and me skipping the wads or grease, although in other revolvers with Round chambers, i have skipped them and never had a problem.

Wads and grease give a false sense of security when applied over the ball. It's not some errant spark drifting down into the powder that causes chainfires. Grease would catch that in a heartbeat. It's the hot gasses under pressure that are the worry. They can blow past grease easily. That's why the ball needs to be slightly oversized, so that a ring of lead is shaved off when seating the ball. This creates a nice tight seal that the gasses can't get around.

The other thing to consider is that chainfires are just as often ignited from the rear. You can have the front of the cylinder stuffed all nice and tight, and still have a chainfire if the caps don't fit the nipples tight enough to form a gas seal. Remember, there are some hot gasses under pressure back there too.

In order to have a chainfire, hot gasses need to enter the cylinder from somewhere. Chainfires can be traced to either an incorrect loading procedure that leaves one end or the other unsealed, or a problem with the gun itself, such as an oversized cylinder, or one that's out of round. Correct the problem and the gasses can't get in.

Was this directed at me?

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No It was directed at the topic of the thread itself.

Taking the plunge

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The threads original questions about getting into cap n ball., I just thought in may be helpful to the starter of this thread . ak47ak74 ., Seems open to some imput ., I do not know the author of this thread., but I enjoyed reading it., it wouldseem the author has some good thoughts and experience., I meant no harm.

Thanks again for the links and replies guys. You've been really helpful to this newbie. So I think I've decided to go with a Model 1860 from Uberti.

But now I have another question. Other then price what's the difference between the Dixie Gun Works and the Cimarron Models? Are Cimarron's worth the extra few bucks?

I've never owned a Cimarron. However, based on forum postings, Cimarron has a reputation for high quality guns. The rumor is that they "cherry pick" the guns they receive from Uberti and sell only the ones that pass their inspection. I've never seen a post on any forum from someone who said they were dissatisfied with a Cimarron gun, or who returned one.

OTOH, Uberti's quality standard is fairly high; they get few escapes. It does happen, but it seems rarely. And all the mail order houses I know will replace a Uberti that doesn't pass muster. Thus if you get one you're out the time it takes for shipping and getting the agreement to replace it.

Is it worth the extra money to reduce or even perhaps eliminate the possibility that the gun will have no problems? That's what you're buying with the Cimarron premium. Plenty of people say yes, but it's your money.

I believe that Cimarron specs out their own finishes. That'd explain why they seem to have a little higher quality finish that the general Uberti's sold elsewhere. I had meant to talk to them about that at the SHOT Show, but it slipped my mind. Having seen them side by side with identical guns from other sellers, I think the extra few bucks is worth it, if for no other reason than aesthetics. If it's just going to be a day in, day out, shooter that's going to end up with a few dings anyway, I'm not sure the extra money would buy you any higher quality than if you bought it elsewhere.