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  1. G

    .31 colt pocket revolver load

    In "A History of the Colt Revolver From 1836 to 1940" by Charles T. Haven and Frank E. Belden, the authors list load recommendations from Colt in the 1850s and 1860s. .31 Old and New Model Pocket Pistols - Conical bullet of 76 grains (92 to the pound) over half a dram (13.5 grains) of powder...
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    A Pecularly 19th Century Accident

    I have every American Rifleman magazine printed between 1929 and last month's. Somewhere in them, I believe in the 1950s, was the tale of a hunter who kept a pipe in his shirt pocket. He also kept some .22 rimfires in the same pocket. A cartridge founds its way into the pipe's bowl. The man...
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    Original Colt 1851 navy!!!

    Interesting dovetailed front sight. It looks like the dovetailed sight I noticed on an 1851 Colt Navy that Wild Bill Hickok carried. That revolver is in the Buffalo Bill Cody museum in Cody, Wyoming. Saw the revolver this summer, and I was so surprised! No brass bead for Wild Bill, but a...
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    ball size for revolver

    If you bend the rammer by using .400 diameter soft lead balls, then your revolver is a poorly made piece of junk. I use .380" balls all the time, as do many others, because the slightly larger ball (over the recommended .375" ball) not only stays in the chamber better, resisting movement from...
  5. G

    Two finds today

    I would have passed them by. Brass-framed revolvers are almost always of much lesser quality than steel-framed guns. Factories just don't put the fit and finish into them. Because they're used, you don't know whether the previous owner loaded them with Hodgdon 777 (a no-no, because of 777's...
  6. G

    unload a revolver

    You must unload it just as the old-timers did: 1. Remove the cylinder. 2. Remove the nipples. 3. Using a brass, aluminum or hardwood pick (to avoid sparks), scratch out the old powder. 4. Using a hammer and a short length of brass rod that fits in the hole, tap out the ball. A short length of...
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    Reliability of long loaded C&Bs

    Some years ago I read an account of a Union officer who crossed a river by boat with his men, to attack a Rebel position. Well, there were far more Rebels than were expected, and the Union soldiers had to retreat. The officer and a few other soldiers swam to an island in midpoint, hid in the...
  8. G

    conicals 1858

    As you've found out, those bullets are made for the .45 Long Colt or .45 ACP. The design has no heel to start into the chamber. Also, since it's cast for cartridges using smokeless powder, it's probably the wrong alloy for black powder. You need very soft, almost pure, lead for use with black...
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    Great Article in new American Riflemen magazine

    I believe that all Colt percussion revolvers of the 19th century were made with gain twist, going back to the Paterson. The Colt 2nd generation and Signature series were made with standard rifling of constant rate. When Colt introduced its 1873 SAA, gain twist was forsaken. I suspect it was for...
  10. G

    Colt Dragoon Woes

    Remove the wooden grips. Get a couple cans of Brake Cleaner solvent, the kind with the long plastic tube. Squirt this into the action, accessing it from the area forward of the hammer pulled back a bit, or through the slot for the trigger. Shoot that all over the revolver. It will make short...
  11. G

    oiling an 1858?

    I have used olive oil for decades, to give protection to the bore and chambers. Because it's natural, it doesn't require removal before shooting. I typically snap two caps on each chamber before loading for the first time. This removes any olive oil from the chambers. Any olive oil in the bore...
  12. G

    Three for one !,... still scratching my head on this one.....

    BEWARE! Old, original rifles like these are often found still loaded! If you plan to shoot either, put the ramrod or a wooden dowel down the barrel. When it stops, mark its depth against the muzzle with a piece of tape around the dowel. Remove the dowel, then lay it alongside the barrel with the...
  13. G

    New to BP, need advice for .58

    I would have suggested a reproduction Enfield 1858 if I'd found this post in time. But if you're happy with what you got, that's all that matters. I'd choose the 1858 Enfield for a number of reasons: 1. Original and authentic rifling is 1:48 inch, instead of the 1:72" of the 1853. This helps to...
  14. G

    1075 caps

    Contrary to an earlier statement, pinching caps into an elliptical shape is not inviting a multiple ignition. The copper cap is pinched into an elliptical. It is then placed over a round nipple. The soft copper cap form itself around the round nipple, but the "springiness" of the elliptical...
  15. G

    Cylinder fillers

    I've used corn meal or an extra lubricated felt wad for years. I load and shoot right away, so even on the hottest day I don't have concerns about lubricant contaminating the powder. Besides, I use the home-brew lubricant named after me, after I posted it years ago: Gatofeo No. 1 Lubricant...
  16. G

    Catching lead from a BP revolver

    I created a design to catch cap and ball revolver projectiles about a dozen years ago. Cheap to make, and catches all the ball. Took a large, cardboard box made for apples. The kind with the bottom portion that fits completely within the top portion. Laid the bottom d own and put a piece of...
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    First shots with Parker Hale 1858 Enfield

    I've read quite a bit on the internet concerning long-range (out to 1,000 yards) shooting with the 1853 and 1858 Enfields. Impressive. I've done quite a bit of long-range handgun shooting through the years, out to 300 yards. Some of it has been out to about 500 yards, just to see how close I...
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    hi tower japanese replica

    Sounds like fun. Yeah, years ago I tried birdshot in my .36 and .44 cap and ball revolvers, with a big sheet of paper taped to 3/4" plywood. First shot, at 20 feet, I got hit with shot and I heard one tick off my glasses. After that, I shot at an angle to the board. I've resolved since that...
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    Pietta Rem .44 & Uberti Walker .44 loads

    I use extra wads or corn meal for fillers, to take up space in the chamber with lighter loads. Cream of Wheat is often suggested, but it's almost imcompressible. Corn meal is fairly compressible, so if you add a little more than needed, it's not a problem. Add too much Cream of Wheat and you...
  20. G

    New cap and ball revolvers

    Yep ... very addictive! Acquired my first cap and ball revolver about 1970. I have about eight of them now -- not a big collection but a good variety. I just wish I could find an 1849 .31-caliber with 5 or 5-1/2" barrel. Shot a friend's years ago, with this longer barrel, and it so much better...
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