Lubricated Wads and Greasing the cylinder?

S

SAA GunSlinger

New member
When loading a black powder revolver you add your amount of powder, use a lubricated wad, seat your ball and then put bore butter on the top of the bullet correct? Ive heard people say that you don't need to put bore butter on the top of the bullet if you have lubricated wads. The way Ive always done it is using lubricated wads and I put bore butter on top of each chamber when there fully loaded. I was told a long time ago putting grease on the top of each bullet would help prevent a chain fire. So what is the correct method? Do I do both or only one?
 
You can do just fine with either a wad under the ball or lube over the ball. (I like lube over the ball)
But it isn't going to hurt anything to do both. You just want to stop the sparks from going around a ball and getting to the powder in a cylinder that wasn't intended to fire at the moment. A tight fitting ball "should" accomplish that, but a wad or grease (or both) add more insurance, and I believe the grease softens the fouling and makes cleaning easier later.
 
I don't use the wads. I have never had a chain fire with lube over the bullet. I can create one every time by not putting lube over the bullet, even though I'm shaving off a nice ring of lead when I seat the bullet. I tried just the wads and still occasionally had an extra chamber or two go off. So I'm an over lube guy. I shoot C&B class in CAS, so I've put a lot of rounds down range. But feel free to experiment. That's how we figure it out.
 
I usually run just the lubed wad in my ROA and havent had any problems with chain firing. I would do what you feel safe doing, it does not hurt to do both as its additional protection. Now if I'm out and its wet I think I also would add lube over the ball just for additional protection but this has not been a problem I have had to face.
 
Ill fitting primers have been accused of causing as many or even more chain fires than from the other end.
I use either a lubed wad or dry gasket paper under the ball, of the proper size of course.
And no longer bother with all that greasy mess over the ball anymore.
 
Ill fitting primers have been accused of causing as many or even more chain fires than from the other end.
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I'll never believe that because I can't make it happen. Use either one, you don't need both. A lubed wad is a lot less messy.
 
I use lube over the bullets because it is required in N-SSA competition.

I like having lube either on the bullet or in front of it so that the bullet actually benefits from the lubrication. Putting the lubrication behind the bullet does not lubricate the bullet, though it may help keep the fouling soft.

But, lots of people use lubricated wads.

I tried stacking a bunch of them once to eliminate the need for filler and instead when I compressed the ball it squeezed all the wads and the lube oozed into the powder, ruining it. That was my one and only attempt at using lubed wads.

Steve
 
when I compressed the ball it squeezed all the wads and the lube oozed into the powder, ruining it
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Why I use dry gasket paper.
It seems to work just fine.
When using lubed wads, I squeeze most of the lube out of them.
A little dab'll do ya'.
 
[g.willikers]Ill fitting primers have been accused of causing as many or even more chain fires than from the other end.
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[Hawg]I'll never believe that because I can't make it happen. Use either one, you don't need both. A lubed wad is a lot less
Click to expand...
I can't seem to find the bookmark I saved for it, but there's an awesome video on YouTube which shows sparks from one fired cap getting under caps on other nipples and setting off those charges.

I didn't want to believe it either, but there were literally dozens of small sparks sent flying by the one cap hit by the hammer; watching the video in slow motion, you'd have no choice but to see and believe that "ill fitting primers" can cause chain fires.

Old No7
 
I didn't want to believe it either, but there were literally dozens of small sparks sent flying by the one cap hit by the hammer; watching the video in slow motion, you'd have no choice but to see and believe that "ill fitting primers" can cause chain fires.
Click to expand...

I agree that there's a lot of sparks but I have loaded full cylinders and only one cap at a time and can't make one chain so no I do not believe it.
 
Haven't had a chain fire in more than 40 years. I don't use either wads or grease. I do, however, put a few drops of vegetable oil over the balls. And when I did have a chain fire all those years ago I wasn't using anything on top of the balls.
 
Haven't had a chain fire in more than 40 years. I don't use either wads or grease. I do, however, put a few drops of vegetable oil over the balls. And when I did have a chain fire all those years ago I wasn't using anything on top of the balls.
Click to expand...

Same with me but I had a lot of them in 69-70. I do use wads now most of the time but a drop of olive oil works just fine.
 
I suspect that most of the rear ignition chain fires are due to the recoil ring being battered in brass framed Colt style revolvers to where the battered ring allows the cylinder to strike the recoil shield and pop the caps. I cannot see how flame is going to get under even an ill fitted cap and set things off. There are too many corners to get to the powder. There is a slight chance that flame could get into an uncapped nipple flash hole but it is unlikely.

As to cutting a lead ring from the ball to get a good seal: I've seen cylinders that had a machining defect that left a ledge on one side of the chamber mouths and the ball would be cut out of round when seated thus allowing flame to ignite the powder. Chamfering the chamber mouth eliminates the sharp edge and allows the ball to be swaged when seated. I believe that is why the chambers on all my Euroarms Remingtons are chamfered. Chamfering is not needed if the chambers are truly cylindrical.
 
Colt never mentioned wads, fillers or grease.
Know your gun, your powder load, your bullet, and your target and if you have to shoot some where they have special range rules like N-SSA or SASS.
Grease over ball, hot gun and slopped powder can light off.
For me when I just want to ring steel a few times with my Colts it is all 6 loaded, powder and ball only
 
Back in the day average people didn't shoot as much as they do now. Back then it was a shot or two once in a blue moon. Now you need something to keep fouling soft and Colt did mention wads, he said you didn't need them.
 
Howdy

I suppose I should chime in on this one. I don't shoot much C&B these days, but I bought my first C&B revolver in 1968.

Lubricated wads were not on the market then. In those days it was standard procedure to smear Crisco over the ball. I was never crazy about the idea of Crisco, the grease in the chamber next to the one being fired would melt and run out of the chamber. Regarding chain fires, if you don't get a good seal with the ball, if for instance there happens to be a dent or cut in the ball right where it seals in the chamber, that will leave an open path for an errant spark to find its way to the powder in an adjacent chamber.

Yes, I had a chain fire once back then, slathering Crisco over the balls. As I said, I never felt that a thin layer of melted grease offered much spark protection in case there was a void in the ball to cylinder seal. Once Wonder Wads became available I never slathered anything over the balls again. 1/8" or so of felt makes a better spark arrester than a few thousandths of contact between the ball and the chamber.

On the rare occasion I shoot a C&B these days, I always place a Wonder Wad between the powder and ball, and nothing on top of the ball.
 
I like ball, wad, powder. Though have been experimenting with a dab of bore butter between the ball and wad.

Just got back to work after taking a 3 week vacation home in MO.
Shot a couple cylinders out of my pair of Pietta 1860's almost every day at my backyard 25yd gong.

Just last week was playing around with trying to develop a shot load to take out carpenter bees. 1st tried loading all 6 with just 30 gr of FFFG and a wonder wad (no ball).

You'd think that would be chain-fire city. No such luck with chain-fires or killing carpenter bees. The wads in the unfired chambers were singed.

Then tried rice between 2 wonder wads. Again no chain-fires. Didn't have any smaller grain / meal type food products in the house. The rice didn't work either on the carpenter bees. Really need a small pellet type grain to play with and a thinner wad.




This gentleman - theorizes that the majority of chain-fires happen on the 2nd loading from shooters who use lube over ball.

http://www.geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps2.html

On the 2nd loading, grains of BP can be caught in the grease between the ball and chamber wall.

Edit picture borrowed from that link:
PowderTrain.jpg
 
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