Cap-n-Ball

M

Mulio Rex

New member
I have developed an uncontrolable urge to begin messing with cap-n-ball revolvers... I dunno why.. I reckon I just don't smell enough pyrodex...
Anyway, so any suggestions for my 1st filthy stinky primitive (as opposed to clean modern) sidearm?

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Big Guns again
No speakee well
But plain.
--H.C
 
A lot depends on how much you want to spend.Ruger has one of the best on the market.Another one I saw was in the Cobellos catalog.Made by Uberti it is a copy of the colt peacemaker.
Other option is one of the cheaper copies of the colt and remington.
Its fun but what is getting bad is the price and avalability of black powder.
Some of the cheaper copies barrels slug at 451 and cylinders at 449 to 450.With a little work you can use 45 acp slugs in it.More fun.

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beemerb
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world;
and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men
every day who don't know anything and can't read.
-Mark Twain
 
Ive seen the and handeled the ruger, but they are a bit..... modern.

I was thinking of something in the reproduction vein, like a gigantic walker :)

I was looking at the Navy Arms page the the weapons are quite affordable, but Im unsure of quality.

beemerb: .45 ACP projectiles eh? hmmm JHP in a cap'n ball.... neat.

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Big Guns again
No speakee well
But plain.
--H.C
 
Same here actully i would like to get a Flintlock pistol. seems preaty neat. know any place were i can find one?

House
 
Cabela's is definately a low priced place to start out. One bit of advice it to make sure that the gun has a top strap. That is, make sure that there is a strip of metal above the cylinder. The reason being that without one, they can open up over time. Also try to avoid an all brass frame. Plus....make sure you enjoy ceaning your guns. :-)
 
PreserveFreedom: So I reckon you are a Remmington man. I find that the topstrapless revolvers are much more gracefull,and according to legend so did Col.Colt himself.

Im looking for manufactuer recomendations, "I-tye Cowboy" Uberti seems to be at the top of everyones list.

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Big Guns again
No speakee well
But plain.
--H.C
 
1858 Remington New army in .44

I believe that the one I own is an Uberti. I bought it from Cabela's (the actual store in Minn.) for about $68 if I remember correctly. It was quite accurate, a pain to load, but lots of fun. One .45 ACP shell of pyrodex per chamber, don't bother with powder measures. Don't make the same mistake I did. I forgot to clean it the last time I took it shooting and it rusted shut. It still looks fine externally, however the rod you pull foward to remove the cylinder is for all intents and puposes, welded in place. I tried to tap the pin out, bang on the tab on the front, and all I managed to do is break off the tab. If I superglue that bit of metal back on it will make a nice paperweight. The Remington design is vastly superior to the Colt, mostly because of the topstrap.
 
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If you want cap'n ball it's gotta be a Colt of some kind. Rugers & Remingtons are fine, servicable, and strong firearms but they got no class. Sam Colt was the gent that got the whole thing going.

I like the Italian Colt 1851 clones in .44 caliber. For my money the 1851 was the pinnacle of cap'n ball revolver design. The models that came before were either to large or to small, and the models that came after offered no real advantage - they were simply redesigns introduced to minimize manufacturing cost and in some respects are inferior to the earlier guns.

The 1851 has the same grip frame as the classic 1872 Colt Peacemaker. It balances a lot like the Peacemaker, and no handgun feels as natural in the hand as the Peacemaker. Walkers are very heavy and imbalanced, the 1860 has kinda got a Bisley thing going that just doesn't work.

Cabela's sells them all. I got a "Traditions" nickel 1851 a few years back for $99. Great little pistol and a real hoot to shoot, wish I'd bought two or three more. -- Kernel

[This message has been edited by Kernel (edited July 09, 2000).]
 
House, I shoot flintlock muskets quite a bit keep my eyes open for flintlock pistols. Most of those out there are junk; many that you can buy easily don't even come with drilled vents because they're made of questionable materials and the manufacturer doesn't want to be responsible if it doesn't work or blows up.

There's actually a fair amount more to get right when making a flintlock than a caplock. The lock geometry matters alot (the relative arcs of the flint in the cock [it wasn't called a "hammer" until caplocks came along] and the "frizzen" [which was called the "steel" or, confusingly, the hammer]. Further, the composition of the steel in the "frizzen" matters alot, as does how it's been hardened, and most of the repros just use cheap cast frizzens that never really work quite right.

For an example, take a look at http://www.trackofthewolf.com/ for some nice flintlock stuff. It' more expensive than the Japanese or Italian repros, but you get much, much higher quality. There's a good section on flintlocks under "technical support" that you might find interesting reading. Good luck! Flintlocks are a blast to shoot (sorry!).

"If God had meant for man to shoot caplocks, he would have left caps upon the ground."
 
I have owned both Colts, and Remingtons, and IMHO the Rem. is the better gun. Stronger,more accurate. My favorite BP pistol, is my .44 LePage dueling pistol. Thinking about getting a .69 Charleville flintlock pistol, just for kicks :)
 
While we are on the subject, is it me or is the LeMat the most intimidating handgun of all time?



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Big Guns again
No speakee well
But plain.
--H.C
 
Well, regarding the Colt and the Remington .44 Army revolving pistols (as they were called at the time), the military found that the Remington, while stronger, fouled up faster than the Colt. Colts were/are easier to clean than the Remingtons.

I don't like Pyrodex because it draws moisture even faster than black powder in my experience. As to bullets, round ball it the way to go in C&B revolvers, you want that little ring of lead to be shaved off when ramming the ball home over the powder charge. That assures a good tight seal and helps prevent chain fire.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
I found a Uberti "Colt" 1851 Navy repro in a pawn shop. Looks hardly fired for $60.

But what I didn't realize and what you need to know before you jump . . . You need to COMPLETELY disassemble these guns and clean them. Right down to the last screw.

The local black powder guru swears by Formula 409 for cleaning. Make sure to invest in a set of hollow ground gun screw drivers.

. . . drive for two hours, shoot for an hour, clean for three hours . . . But it's addictive.
 
JackFlash -- yeah, the only good thing about black powder is that all you need is soap to clean it up/out. 409? Never tried it. I have had great results with Birchwood Casey BP cleaner, but a strong dishwashing soap (Dawn, for example) and hot water work fine. Hot water will dry faster...
 
Im lucky enough that I just shoot off my back portch, its very convient but picking up all the exploded targets before I mow the lawn gets to be a pain :)

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Big Guns again
No speakee well
But plain.
--H.C
 
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