(*Homer voice*) Mmmmm, BP Revolvers..... gurgle

M

Matt Wallis

New member
Well, alright I have to say, I've been bitten by the black powder bug. But for me, it's not flintlock, or muskets or BP rifles (though that may come back later down the road! ;)), it's those beautiful cowboy lookin' revolvers.

But now I have questions, questions, questions! First, is there a good website or book that I can get on the history behind these guns? In fact, being relatively new to guns, I just learned of their existence about a year ago. Believe it or not, I had always thought that guns just sort of went from BP flintlock style muskets and pistols straight to modern metal cartridge guns.

Second, since I don't I have any nearby friends or relatives that shoot them, how can I learn how? If I buy a gun with a kit, will it contain instructions? And for that matter how safe would it be for me to just wing it from some instructions?!

Third, got any recommendations for a first BP revolver. I definitely want to be able to use it in CAS. I'm on a budget (price being part of the attraction to these revolvers, I must admit), but I also want it to be a reliable gun.

Finally, I'd just appreciate your thoughts on these type of guns. Do any of you use them much? What's been your experience? Does anyone ever actually carry one (as a hunting sidearm or something)?

I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,
Matt Wallis
 
Hmm. I'm pretty sure I mean the percussion cap and ball revolvers. Although, I guess I'm learning something new here, because I didn't know there were black powder cartridge revolvers. What I'm thinking of are the guns that one often sees in the cabela's catalogs, or that you can find in gunshops that come prepackaged with all the accesories. Those are percussion revolvers right? Like the Walker Colt, the 1850-something New Army, etc.

Thanks,
Matt
 
Matt,

The first thing you need to do is to visit Dixie Gun Works website and order a catalog.

Give the catalog a good going through and decide what sort of cap-and-ball revolver you want. Calibers ranging from .31 to .44 (actually .45) with various Colt and Remington models ans well as Starr's.

Dixie hs everything you will need. But it is cheaper to buy Powder locally. You will need a powder flask, powder measure, balls, primers and either felt overpowder wads or some CVA spit lube to prevent chain fires. Dixie also offers a number of Ho-to books on shooting blackpowder guns ans even some VCR tapes.

Welcome to the wonderful world of blackpowder.

doc Hudson
 
Yup, you meant a "cap 'n ball" revolver.
You can best learn how by buying a general book on muzzleloading black powder weapons (you can find this at Barnes and Noble). They should have a chapter or two on blackpowder revolvers. READ THIS BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!!!
The first cartridge firing weapons used regular black powder. They didn't switch to smokeless till the late 19th, very early 20th century.
I own one of the Cabela's 1858 Remington New Army replicas. They are kinda junky and inaccurate, but can still be fun. I use mine as a project gun, and have tinkered with it enough to make it a fairly smooth weapon. The Dixie guns might be a tad more pricey than what you were thinking about, but they are definitely higher quality. A kit should contain almost everything you need. Basically: revolver, lead round balls ,FFF Blackpowder or Pyrodex P ,#10 percussion caps, powder measure, flask (pretty much all of the supplies are cheaper at gun shops once you factor in shipping) and a tub of Crisco. You can substitute felt wads for the Crisco. This serves to keep sparks from one chamber of the gun from getting into another chamber and blowing the front of your revolver off.
 
Matt - If you want some hands-on instruction you might contact NRA and/or NMLRA and see if they can refer you to a certified instructor in your area.

http://www.nra.org
http://www.nmlra.org

You also might consider ordering their student manuals on black powder shooting. They both have manuals which are quite good.

Keep your powder dry.
 
The very best cap and ball revolver is not a replica, but a modern piece, ie., the Ruger Old Army. If you can afford it, it's the way to go. Very accurate and handles black powder fouling well. Also it takes down very easily. The Colts handle fouling better than the Remingtons in my experience(also reported in 19th century reports)but the Remingtons have better sights. IMHO, Uberti makes the best replicas.
 
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