Leaving my 1858 New Army pistol loaded [no caps nearby] Should I seal nipple holes?

It is 2am and you hear glass breaking, then you hear footsteps downstairs.
Do you really think that this is the time to put caps on the nipples?

It is not!
Go ahead and load that gun right so that it is ready when the time comes.

I keep two of them loaded, one upstairs, one downstairs.

In this configuration you can keep them loaded for 3 years and they will fire fine.
This is with black powder, I am not sure how long you can stay loaded with Pyrodex.
 
BLACK POWDER is HYDROPHILIC.

the charcoal attracts water vapor.....

buffalo bill changed out powder & caps daily.......
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Unfired powder as long as it's sealed off isn't. Fired powder residue is. If it was there wouldn't be loaded guns found with good powder left in them. I found a loaded 58 Remington in a barn once. The outside was pretty rough but once the loads were removed the chambers looked like new.

Wild Bill Hickok
 
Effectiveness?

I don't want to debate weather a BP gun is good choice or not. I just have one question, just out of plain curiosity.

If someone were defend themselves with a blackpowder revolver, how effective would it be? Would one of these weapons slow someone down? How would it compare to cartridge firing handguns?
 
1858 Remington Drop-In Conversion Cylinder

Midway USA has their 45 Colt conversion cylinder on sale. Check to see if it's a Pietta or other brand and order one. Then you get to leave your cartridge loaded pistol and not worry about misfires. Uses BP loaded 'cowboy' .45 Long Colt. product #292-272 [for the Pietta] YMMV some states restrict use of, IANAL, etc.
 
The 44 Remington pencils out to about 38 Special in ballistic comparison. The power factor (IPSC) is about the same. with a 30gr powder charge and a ball, it would hit plenty hard maybe like a +P load.
 
They dropped plenty of men when they were state of the art. I don't think anything has really changed in that respect.
Reliability & accuracy have improved but a .44RB at 850 FPS is plenty lethal still.
 
Well

I would not steer clear of BP revolvers as a tool for defense because of a lack of lethality. The lethality of the BP revolvers is proven.
 
Cap all six and place cylinder in safety so balls can't move into barrel through compacted pressure--- and keep gun angled, hopefully in a holster, downward so no oils will drip back into caps. Every few days remove caps and insert a nicol wrapped guitar string in nipple holes or something similar to clear. Examine caps and if look fouled put on new ones. Um, I would think if you fired one in self protection the noise and smoke would scare them to death before the bullet did. Be safe. I keep one like that and I live in the country. Fortunately never had to use it on no one.
 
I decided to do as Hardy suggests

Cap all six and place cylinder in safety so balls can't move into barrel through compacted pressure--- and keep gun angled, hopefully in a holster, downward so no oils will drip back into caps. Every few days remove caps and insert a nicol wrapped guitar string in nipple holes or something similar to clear. Examine caps and if look fouled put on new ones. Um,

I think hardy is right about this too=I would think if you fired one in self protection the noise and smoke would scare them to death before the bullet did.
When the grandkids come over, I take the cylinder out and lock it up.
None of my grandchildren can get to the 7' shelf in my closet anyway, but still-can't take any chances!
Thanks everyone! :D
 
Legality of a cartridge conversion!

Like the pistol, it can be shipped to you and not a FFL dealer! However, when it is assembled to the revolver, it then does become a controled firearm! If you can legaly own a firearm, your fine but if not, don't get caught with it! As a HD weapon, and you are a "FELON", you are in violation of federal law. So if succesfully defending you home, and kill the intruder, you are in violation of a second federal law, but at least you and the family are safe! You will be going away, but alive!
R&D converters are fine and sorta appear like a Percussion C&B, The Kurst converter with a loading gate (the weapon will need modification) will look like the converted ones of the 1800's. As of 2012, they cost between $200 to $350, plus modification cost (not needed on the R&D)
Check Taylor's & Company, Kurst Cartridge Conversions, Howell's Old West Conversions, Midwayusa, and many others. Good Luck! Brian
 
If you going to use a BP pistol you better practice a lot with it,cause after the first shot you won't see anything through the SMOKE!
 
Hey, I'm the dunce hat boy on this thread. That's ok. Even dummies can offer something. I load a revolver/cap it and set it at an angle with barrel pointing downward. That way, no oil or residue backs up in the nipples. I change out the caps every two days. Of course I put the old ones in a tin to fire at range. Most of them fire.

WBH
 
Oh---I have found that using a nickel wrapped 016 electric guitar string is the best for clearing out nipples. You can but Ernie Ball at music stores for next to nothing.:D
 
Quote:
A Remington is a better choice over a Colt until the Colt is tricked out to prevent cap jams.

How would one go about tricking out the Colt to prevent cap jams?
 
Hardy, you have the thaught correct! with the barrel pointed down for that reason! As for the nickel plated wire, just buy a nipple pick, they will last a long time and only cost $6-$7 dollers, check Cabellas!

Sandman, the main reason for a cap jam is useing #11 caps on #10 nipples, you can replace the nipples with #11 nipples, I would also suggest stainless steel ones due to they are easy to clean and are harder so the won't disform from hamer strikes!
 
Sir, I must ask a question....

...and I am doing so from as objective a point of view as I can.

Without trying to sound too empirical, it is sufficient to say:

a. I grew up in one of the most crime ridden areas in the United States.
b. I also, during that time period, was a victim of violent crime. MULTIPLE times.
c. Two of those occasions involved waking up in my own bed, in my own home, (as a teenager) and finding strange people standing less than a foot from me.
d. Trust me on this: If you have ANY notions of being able to go through the complex functions required to partially or completely load a firearm--much less place caps on a BP revolver, or assembling the gun--lose those notions NOW. I can tell you from hard experience that you will NOT be able to do it. In the worst case scenario, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO IT, UNLESS IT IS WITHIN ARM'S REACH.

Thus, my question...

Is there ANY reason why you can not use a modern firearm--pistol, revolver, carbine, rifle, shotgun--for your home defense arm?
 
Powderman, I share your experiance! After my first occasion of a home intrusion, I was so passive. At that time I had very little experiance with firearms at all, and is one reason I got into them! I don't have any reason not to use any other home protection weapon, infact I have a .40 semi auto on my headboard, and a shotgun at both doors! I also took some hand to hand self-defence classes! I'm 6'2" and 280 lbs. so I know I don't move too fast, but if I get a grip on an intruder (and I have), they will be going to a hospitol first before jail! I know if I didn't do anything I would have been the one going to the ER, or Morgue!
Since then, I moved from El Paso to the woods of Wisconsin, I still keep the protection around, just in case!
As for whomever started this thread, if they are restricted from having a regular firearm, I don't blaim them! Its something, if atleast a heavy piece of iron with a handel they can use as a club, that a "Glock" could never compair to! (weight wise)
 
Yeah I've been reading this thread from the start. I alway figured the OP wasn't eligible to own a modern firearm ( I could be wrong). Because even if someone has done something wrong in the past (and you don't have to be a murderer to be ineligible to own a firearm) they still have a right to defend themselves IMHO. Heck if I would have been convicted of Criminal Domestic Violence 12 years ago when my ex wife filed an erroneous charge against me, then I wouldn't be eligible to own a modern firearm either. So for someone who for one reason or another can't buy a modern firearm the by all means BP will do. I for one would not want to be hit by that .45 cal slow moving chunk of soft lead I tell you that much. And it will most definately do the job, I believe.
 
So for someone who for one reason or another can't buy a modern firearm the by all means BP will do. I for one would not want to be hit by that .45 cal slow moving chunk of soft lead I tell you that much. And it will most definately do the job, I believe.
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Not saying that the OP is or isn't eligible to buy a modern firearm. That hasn't been disclosed and I assume the OP is eligible but has decided to go for a BP firearm for some reason only known to him. That said, for a person not eligible to buy a modern firearm (prior felony conviction, etc.), it still isn't lawful for them to have a BP firearm. They certainly could buy one since they aren't considered firearms by the BATFE and aren't restricted as such, but they could get into big trouble after they used it (or if it was discovered that they even had it). One has to make up their own mind regarding lawful possession/use versus self defense, and be ready to face the consequences. Being alive to face consequences could arguably be a positive consequence. ;)
 
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