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eastwood44mag
Member Posts: 2,655 ✭✭
You undercharge a muzzleloader? Let me clarify, going to put a few rounds through an old cap and ball revolver, I've never shot it before, I don't really want to overcharge it, and I'm recoil sensitive (broken wrist a while back doesn't like heavy recoil). So, is there a risk to using too little powder, or would the worst case scenario be having to pull a ball that wouldn't clear the barrel? Thanks.
O Lord,
grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the supreme firepower to make the difference.
O Lord,
grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the supreme firepower to make the difference.
Comments
Another approach is to use lube patches on top of the powder before seating the ball. Either way, make sure there's no space between the powder and ball. Either way will work fine.
What caliber revolver are you shooting?
.36
O Lord,
grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the supreme firepower to make the difference.
Wonder Wads are not greased. They contain a dry lubricant which, in my experience, doesn't keep fouling down as well as a greased wad.
Soak those Wonder Wads in a bit of melted Crisco or lard before use. They'll keep the bore much cleaner.
But before you do anything, have that revolver checked by a competent gunsmith!
Cap and ball revolvers don't have a lot of steel between the chambers. In some old guns, this steel has rusted through to the adjoining chamber. The firing of one chamber may ignite the adjoining one.
At the very least remove the nipples and give each chamber a thorough cleaning so you can spot any questionable areas in the wall of each chamber. Use a strong light; a penlight is ideal.
Before loading, lubricate the cylinder pin well with Crisco. Also, lubricate the teeth at the rear of the cylinder, the hand that comes up through the frame to turn the cylinder, and the bolt that locks the cylinder (inside, bottom frame).
Put a thin coat of Crisco on the sides and front of the hammer, and in the hammer channel in the frame. All of the above areas build up fouling quickly, so the Crisco helps keep them working even with fouling.
The old, original guns typically use balls larger than what is considered standard today. For the .44s, this is no problem as you can easily buy .454 or .457 inch balls. But for the .36 this is a problem as only .375 inch balls are readily available.
If possible, find some .380 inch balls. If not found, use the .375 inch balls but they should not be a slip-fit in the chamber. If they are, the pistol should not be fired until larger balls are acquired.
Warren Muzzleloading of Arkansas sells .380 inch balls, made without a casting sprue, at about $7 for 100.
If you find .380 inch balls, and they have the casting teat (sprue) on them, seat the ball in the chamber with the sprue up and centered.
What model .36 caliber do you have?
The little Colt Pocket models use about 18 grains of FFFG black powder as maximum, with the wad. The Colt 1851 Navy maxex at about 24 grains of FFFG black powder, with wad. The Remington .36 Navy maxes at about 27 grains FFFG with wad.
If you have a large-frame .36 caliber, I'd suggest starting with 17 grains, as was previously suggested. For a small framed gun, such as the Colt 1862 Pocket, start with 12 grains or so, for a light load.
To fire it, charge each chamber and then thumb a greased felt wad into the charged chamber. Finish seating the wad with the rammer. Make sure the wad is firmly seated on the powder, leaving no airspace. If you don't feel any resistance, simply add another wad.
If necessary, add corn meal so it's within 1/8 inch of the mouth of the chamber. Now, seat a ball firmly on the corn meal, leaving no airspace. The ball must be slightly below the chamber mouth for the cylinder to turn freely.
Pinch a cap into an elliptical shape and gently seat it on the nipple --- Keep your fingers away from the front of the cylinder while seating the cap! Likewise, keep the revolver pointed in a safe direction while seating the cap.
There is no need to put grease over the ball if you use a well-greased felt wad twixt ball and powder.
After your first shot, if you don't see a cloud of dust or mark on the target, ensure that the bullet left the barrel before shooting it again. Remove the cylinder and peer down the bore. If you can't see daylight, there's an obstruction.
Bring a 12-inch length of 5/16" dowel with you, and a small hammer, to tap out any obstruction. However, with 15 to 17 grains of FFFG black powder, you should not experience a stuck ball.
Properly loaded, cap and ball sixguns can be amazingly accurate. The old timers were not as handicapped as one thinks with such guns. All that was needed to keep them going was a supply of powder, lead, caps and bullet mould.
"A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44!"
It's made by Richland Arms Co. Other than that, I don't know much about it. It's a brass frame, closed top, stainless barrel. I bought it at a gun show a week ago, just got my .375 roundballs in today. It's been used within the past few years, and the chambers look great after a little CLP to clean em out.
Hope you can tell me more about it.
O Lord,
grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the supreme firepower to make the difference.