BP Revolvers....What Am I Doing Wrong??!?!

[Carbon 6]

Bite your tongue! Open-top Colts are sexy. Those Remmies must've been designed for people with skinny middle-fingers

I agree, Colts are sexy, I own over a dozen. I'd trade them all for Remingtons too.

 

[drobs]

Dump the Remingtons - buy more Colts.

 

[jimhallam]

I use "wonderwads" (or the equivalent) and can get 50+ shots out of my original Tranters without problems.
No point using over-ball lube --- and if you DO then you get sticky hands which can create problems with caps.
Do NOT use Pyrodex!!!!! It will pit even stainless steel. If you want / need to use a B.P. substitute then use Triple 7.

 

[bang]

Been using Pyrodex for years. Like any gun, you have to clean them properly.

 

[FishDFly]

"Chain firing does not come from the open end of the cylinder. It is a problem on the cap end of the cylinder. A ball pressed in to a cylinder can not and will not allow burning powder to get behind it. The problem is always at the cap end of the cylinder."

I just finished Elmer Keith's SIXGUNS and he came to that conclusion from shooting original revolvers. Use the correct fitting cap and no problem.

 

[RobRBraron]

"Chain firing does not come from the open end of the cylinder. It is a problem on the cap end of the cylinder. A ball pressed in to a cylinder can not and will not allow burning powder to get behind it. The problem is always at the cap end of the cylinder."

I just finished Elmer Keith's SIXGUNS and he came to that conclusion from shooting original revolvers. Use the correct fitting cap and no problem.

I don't understand this "either/or" atitude to this problem. My experience has been that BOTH poorly fited caps AND poorly fitted/ungreased balls can cause a crossfire. I know that one of the authors (can't recall his name) years ago in the NMLRA magazine published a long article on the results of his experimentation in which he concluded that crossfires could only happen at the rear. I followed his procedures on my own, and came up with exactly the opposite results. I think it's foolish to challenge "can't happen"..... just my 2 cents, take it as you will.

 

[Zonie]

Speaking of chain firing, even the people who worked for Sam Colt weren't real sure what was causing it.

In Colts first development Patersons the rear of the cylinder was shrouded with a metal shield, much like the pepperboxes being made at the time.
Like the pepperboxes, chain firing was a common event.
The first thing Colt did was to remove the shielding. This helped in reducing the problem but it was still there.

The next thing Colt did was to redesign the rear of the cylinder so there was a "dam" between the nipples. He did this by counterboring the area around the nipples, leaving material between the counterbored pockets. This design greatly reduced the number of chain firings.
Colt Patented the idea of having a dam between the nipples and all of the cap and ball revolvers he made following this had this feature. (Notice all of the material left between the nipples on your Colt pistols.)

Still, chain firing still happened.

The Colt people came up with another idea Colt Patented. This was to make a chamfer at the mouth of each chamber. (For you folks who aren't into machining talk, a chamfer is a corner break where material is removed, usually at an angle of 45 degrees to dull the edge.)

The idea was, the flash from the gap between the front of the cylinder and the barrel was somehow getting past the ball so, the chamfer was added with the idea that it would deflect the blast away from the ball.
Notice the large size of the chamfer at the mouth of the chambers in this Colt Patent drawing. It looks to be as large as the forcing cone at the rear of the barrel.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49532/49532-h/49532-h.htm

Apparently the idea didn't last because the cap and ball revolvers he made after 1847 did not have it.

 

[RobRBraron]

Speaking of chain firing, even the people who worked for Sam Colt weren't real sure what was causing it.

Not really germain, but ..... several years....uh, decades....ago....I procured a coffee can with the mortal remains of three Italian revolvers in various stages of disassembly. One was a .31 5 shot loosely based on the '49 Colt. The old boy I got it from had decided that it was "too hard to load" and proceded to "fix it" by opening the fronts of the the chambers with a drill press. I HAVE been able to shoot it without having crossfires..........but it aint easy!

 

[mechteacher]

I have never had a chain fire event.
I shoot a Pietta 1858 Remington .44 caliber revolver with BP 3F and Pyrodex P that I bought in 1997. I load swagged balls that shave some lead ring as the ball is pressed in. I have tried the crissco on top of load. Made a big mess and had powder held by that mess. Now I use a fiber wad (soaked in Ox-Yoke 1000 Wonder lube) on top of powder. I have much cleaner shooting. Swagged balls do not have wrinkles or defects like case balls can. Wads add seals to powder in cylinder. I use #10 caps because they fit tight and do not fall off other chambers while firing.
Loading:
Powder in chambers. Face of cylinder clean.
Cardboard or fiber wad, tight seal, lubed if desired.
swagged ball or conical bullet pressed in cutting ring of lead showing proper fit in chamber.
Cap with tight fitting cap. They have to be pressed on, no slip fit.

 

[DUANE BUTT]

Many years ago I purchased a Remington cap and ball revolver and was sold .440 dia. balls. The sales person thought because it was a 44 cal. that these were the proper size. It didn't take me long to see they were too small of a dia. they caused chain fires. Also too big a cap can and will cause chain fires. I use number 10 Remington caps and Slix shot nipples and felt wad coated with bees wax this has taken care of many issues.