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black powder - first time
just-shoot
Member Posts: 233 ✭
Purchased a new 1851 Navy Yank black powder pistol manufactured by F. LLI PIETTA - Italy, today at a gun show. Stop by a local gun shop and purchased all the other necessay items. Instruction manual states, pour black powder/pyrodex into chamber, lay pre-cut wad, insert ball, and fill the remaining space with grease (crisco). Setting everything with the lever plunger. Sales person at the gun shop who seemed very knowlegable on this firearm said, pour powder, insert ball, then smear a little crisco on wad and insert in to the chamber. Any advise from black powder shooters? Any other info for someone who's green with black powder is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any input.
Comments
The only thing I disagree with is Crisco than seat (which might be a simple misunderstanding). Powder, Ball, Seat, Crisco (or other product), Cap all loaded cylinders, and enjoy.
The reason you top off the chambers with Crisco and cap all the loaded cylinders, is to prevent having more than one go off when you pull the trigger. Circle fire (or chain fire) as it's called, is not fun for you or those around you.
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
But I agree with tailgunner that first you seat the ball then you slop on the grease over the ball. I use a product called bore butter but you can use about anything, I tried crisco but on a hot day crisco just dripped out of the chambers before I even had a chance to fire the gun so I used something a little more heat resistant. I've seen guys use everything from axle grease to oatmeal or some mixture of junk inbetween but I would personally advise you to use a pre-lubed patch before the ball.
Annoy a liberal by working hard and being happy.
Your life is not my fault.
Also never use any powder but a Blackpowder or one of the new powders rated for BP revolvers. Make sure before you use it. If you use the wrong powder you could have a 'frag' in your hand.
When you wrestle a 'gator, there ain't no good end!!
"Molon Labe!" Spartan General-King Leonidas
Annoy a liberal by working hard and being happy.
Your life is not my fault.
If you know it all; you must have been listening.WEAR EAR PROTECTION!
When got my first bp revolver the salesman sold me the wads and told me to use grease on top of the ball. I used crisco.
Then I went with just the wads. Unfortunately sometimes you forget things and precut lubed wads aren't in every corner store.
Then I started using just crisco on top of the ball. That also worked just fine and allowed me a slight amount of room to seat my balls a little deeper. I stuck with just lube on top of the ball after that. I now add a small ammount of beeswax to crisco using a coffee can in an old skillet like a double boiler. The beeswax makes the crisco a little easier to handle on hot days and it's less likely to melt out and mess up the inside of your holster if you are carrying. A friend mixes like I do and then rolls the lube into little balls the same size as the lead balls. Then he rolls them in powdered mica to keep them from sticking together. He carries them around in an altoid tin. When he loads he just puts the lube ball on top of the loaded chamber and smears it with his thumb. Makes for a faster reload that way.
Woods
Black powder will explode so keep it away from sparks and fire. Tell your friends not to smoke when you have it around.
1. My remaining black powder revolvers are Pietta's or Ruger's. I have had others but have parted with all of them except the above.
2. My black powder rifles are mostly Pedersoli (including my flint-locks), and all of my black powder shotguns are Pedersoli with the exception of one that has been of service to my family for over a century.
3. Whether or not you choose to use a "Wonder-Wad" over the powder is something that you will have to decide for yourself. Here in north-central Florida, Crisco and Bore-Butter can't stand up to the heat during "primative-firearms" season. I use a "Wonder-Wad" over the powder and a high temperature lithium grease over the round ball.
4. Unless you have a license for black powder after the "Safe Explosives Act" (an oxymoron if I ever heard one) took effect, you are out of luck on buying black powder. I bought every bit of "Elephant" I could get my hands on before May 24th. I would have bought any "Swiss" I could have found, but alas no luck in that department. As for black powder substitutes, I personally like "Clean-Shot" better than "Pyrodex", but in either case, it must be firmly compressed by the wad/ball in order to work correctly.
5. If you have any "Goex" black powder, it doesn't burn nearly as clean as "Elephant" or "Swiss". If you have any "Swiss", be aware that it is a law unto itself and produces considerably higher pressures than "Goex" or "Elephant". In plain English, with "Swiss" you would be wise to back it down 15%-25% or more.
6. Make sure --- darn sure --- double darn sure that you rest the hammer in the "safety" notches between the cylinders and NOT on a cap. If the hammer is struck while resting on a cap, it can fire. This is the voice of experiece speaking---I have had one fire when a branch swung back and hit the hammer---fortunately no one was injured or worse.
Have loads of fun with your new black powder revolver --- but be safe.
Best Regards[:)]
It will foul as good as what you could buy commercially.[:D]
When you wrestle a 'gator, there ain't no good end!!
"Molon Labe!" Spartan General-King Leonidas