Yesterday I shot my 1851 Navy .36 cal quite a bit. I decided to really clean the gun better than I ever had before by taking it completely apart. Thank you Mike Belliveau for your informative videos.
I torn it down and soaked everything in hot water with a squirt of Dawn. Next, Ballistol, followed with a real good brushing with a strong toothbrush. Then, a strong rod and jag with patches wiped the bore spotless. Then a Magnatip screw driver with three different tips was utilized to remove all the internal parts. Those tips were hollow ground. You need real good lighting to do so of the reassembly. Before the nipples were reinserted they were properly lubricated. The arbor was greased slightly. Finally, after the gun was completely reassembled and wiped down. Now in sits in a moisture controlled environment.
The whole procedure got me to thinking about how blessed we are. Yes, every time I load up and shoot this gun, I have flash backs to Wild Bill, or some soldier at Shiloh, or even Greasy Grass. I was cleaning my revolver in dry, air conditioned, well lite surroundings, with the best chemicals money can buy, and wonderful, magnetized tools. I even had hot water and Dawn and a real toothbrush. Blessed, you bet. But what about that lawman, soldier and homesteader whose life depended upon that trigger causing his/her gun to go bang, every time? I can imagine that something as simple as hot water would have been a luxury, much less the 19th Century equivalent of Ballistol.
I learned yesterday that it is not just loading and shooting and smelling the smoke that makes me identify with the ghostly assemblage of those who used these weapons in a bygone day. Even the cleanup causes me to remember and give thanks.
I torn it down and soaked everything in hot water with a squirt of Dawn. Next, Ballistol, followed with a real good brushing with a strong toothbrush. Then, a strong rod and jag with patches wiped the bore spotless. Then a Magnatip screw driver with three different tips was utilized to remove all the internal parts. Those tips were hollow ground. You need real good lighting to do so of the reassembly. Before the nipples were reinserted they were properly lubricated. The arbor was greased slightly. Finally, after the gun was completely reassembled and wiped down. Now in sits in a moisture controlled environment.
The whole procedure got me to thinking about how blessed we are. Yes, every time I load up and shoot this gun, I have flash backs to Wild Bill, or some soldier at Shiloh, or even Greasy Grass. I was cleaning my revolver in dry, air conditioned, well lite surroundings, with the best chemicals money can buy, and wonderful, magnetized tools. I even had hot water and Dawn and a real toothbrush. Blessed, you bet. But what about that lawman, soldier and homesteader whose life depended upon that trigger causing his/her gun to go bang, every time? I can imagine that something as simple as hot water would have been a luxury, much less the 19th Century equivalent of Ballistol.
I learned yesterday that it is not just loading and shooting and smelling the smoke that makes me identify with the ghostly assemblage of those who used these weapons in a bygone day. Even the cleanup causes me to remember and give thanks.
