Black powder revolver cleaning

ive only shot my bp pistol twice first time I cleaned with typical gun cleaners, maybe balistol dont remember
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"Typical" gun cleaners, like Hoppes #9, are solvents for smokeless powder and don't work very well if at all on black powder residue.

Ballistol works great on black powder residue though.

when I went to go shoot it next time all percussion cap holes were blocked
I got really worried I wasnt going to be able to shoot the loaded cylinders, but I added new caps and thankfully that worked
guess cleaning it somehow clogged the holes
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Many black powder shooters, particularly with muskets, will "snap caps" prior to loading a live charge. That is, you fire a couple of percussion caps with no charge down the barrel. This blasts any crud/oil out of the nipple and fire channel that might cause a misfire.

Revolvers tend to be a bit more forgiving - I never snap caps on them but then I don't saturate my chambers with oil, either.

In any case if a chamber fails to go off following up with a second cap will often do the trick, as you discovered. Failing that if you clear out the nipple with a nipple prick, as described above, you can usually open up things enough to get a cap to ignite the charge. If you don't have a nipple prick a sewing pin will do.

If all else fails you can carefully unthread the nipple and remove the charge out the threaded hole. Once the charge is out you can drive the ball out using a nail from the rear that fits down the threaded hole while the cylinder is sitting on a block of wood with a hole drilled in it for the ball to drop into/through.

Steve
 
Once the charge is out you can drive the ball out using a nail from the rear that fits down the threaded hole while the cylinder is sitting on a block of wood with a hole drilled in it for the ball to drop into/through.
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I have done that a few times myself over the years. Easiest way to unload a cap 'n ball revolver.
 
You can remove all petroleum products with denatured alcohol. In fact, I use EEZOX on ALL my firearms, BP and smokeless because it works so damn well at keeping rust away. When I'm ready to shoot the BP firearm I clean up the EEZOX with denatured alcohol and I'm good to go.

You should NEVER use WD40 on ANY firearm. It builds up a gummy, plastic-like coating. It's just bad news for guns.
 
WD-40 is for water displacement. Concur with ManofWar that it does leave a film which over time can impede the operation of the firearm (I was warned about it at Ilion, NY). Use a real lubricant.
 
Is anyone using an ultrasonic cleaner? I know a guy at work that uses one with with different solvents. I've actually got one on the way as I can use it for my other activities.

You can use an US cleaner with dish soap and water too which is what I plan to do. It will clean out ALL traces of lube, so oiling is important after US cleaning.
 
Ultrasonic cleaner? No, I have been doing it like this with hot water for decades. Works great and my 16 year old Remington is rust free and very clean.

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I don't know much about the uses of marketed black powder solvents or others of the sort but I hose my competitive revolver frame (Remington) with WD40 and clean all the carbon from it that way followed by alcohol to degrease. WD40 long term is not a good idea (so I've been told). However I do not get paranoid or worry about it getting into the frames internals. Never been a problem. WD40 is a good solvent. Then I oil it well with machine oil. The cylinder goes into a small plastic jar with a lid submerged in soapy water and shaken. Then I clean each chamber with the nipples submerged cause a suction piston action flushing the chambers and nipples. Then it's dried thoroughly and oiled. A can of air helps clear the nipples of standing water. In time when fouling inside the frame gets bad the entire gun is broke down and given a soapy water bath, each part cleaned and dried thoroughly and oiled as its all reassembled. I shoot competitively and haven't had problems yet. Black power is messy. No doubt about it. But the supplies and ammunition (if gone about in a sensible way) can be affordable and the shooting these guns accurately poses a fun challenge. Just my side of the story.
 
Since I use Triple 7 FFF powder in my BP pistol...I use water clean-up --- then an oil-down. Triple 7 is more accurate than Goex, yet it seems to be a more acrid smoke. You'll find that BP soot will find it's way between the pistol grips.

I unscrew my nipples, clean it out with a tooth brush and a plastic Q-Tip --- I'll then dump the nippleless cylinder in a pot of boiling hot water...let cool, then put grease on my nipple threads and screw them in. I use a ratchet wrench too unscrew/screw my nipples.

I'll use brake cleaner degreaser on my pistol before a shooting session; while wearing eye-pro.
 
Shot my London Navy after work today, only 18 rounds. Loaded and reloaded, slow fired, cleaned with home made bp solvent, oiled and was on the way home in a half hour.
 
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