Newbie question on ball & cap revolver

U

UtahHunting

New member
I have been shooting black powder rifles for years and just picked up my first revolver. Pietta .44 brass frame.

I have read through a lot of posts here and just want some clarification. If I use pistol wads, I do not need to grease over the ball, is that correct? If I do choose to go the grease route, does bore butter work for the grease or should I stick to crisco?

Thanks.

--Jay

P4220110.jpg
 
No, grease doesn't need to be used along with the wads, but using some grease can help to keep the fouling soft.
That's why some folks use wax lube pills under the balls instead of putting grease on top of them.
An option would be to use just a little bit of grease when using wads, or to only lube every other chamber so it will be less messy.
Or to mix/melt the favored lube with some wax which can then be applied to the wads to make a coated or lubricated "waxed" wad.
Bore Butter can be used as the grease over the ball, but it can get runny in warmer weather. And the more lube that's put over the balls, the messier it can get.
That's why some folks mix/melt up a concoction using both wax and lube to make a less runny lube to use over the balls.
The more wax added, the less messy it will be. But too much wax may make it stiffer and harder to spread for using over the balls.
A harder mix of lube/wax is better to use for the wax coating on the wads.
Large plastic syringes can be used to precisely apply only a scant ring of Bore Butter around the loaded balls to help avoid over lubing. Walmart sells a fairly large plastic syringe in their hardware dept. and cattle supply stores sell even larger ones. They might be worth a try if wanting to use wads along with only a little Bore Butter.
 
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Ive only been shooting my Uberti 1858 remington for 5 months now and heres the load I use. 35 grains of fff g black powder then I top off rest of chamber with corn meal and then ram down a .454 or .457 round ball on top of that and then seal off chamber with crisco. with this load at 25 yards I get them all in the black on a standard pistol target.It seems to me the crisco keeps the gun lubricated adequately.clean up is real easy too.It seems like the corn meal helps with accuracy but that just may be my imagination.crisco seems like a cheap way to keep gun lubricated. I oil the gun with olive oil after cleaning it.I love this gun so much it is now my primary weapon of choice!:D
 
Thanks for the replies. I am going to experiment around with it a bit and see what works best. I will initially try the pistol wads then I will try the bore butter. I bought .454 round balls and #10 Remington caps to start out with.
 
I know that someone will start to squawlin but

Fellas,

I could look at one million photos of 1851 Colts. And the one million and oneth photo of an 1851 Colt would still be a pretty pistol.

I don't care how many I have, I am still tempted to bid on every last one of them I see on gunbroker.

Its got to the point where I don't even search using "1851" any more. I don't need any more, I don't want any more.

I've got to concentrate...concentrate....concentrate...1860 colt....1860 colt...186.....zzzzzzz.
 
Quote Doc Hoy:
Fellas,

I could look at one million photos of 1851 Colts. And the one million and oneth photo of an 1851 Colt would still be a pretty pistol.

I don't care how many I have, I am still tempted to bid on every last one of them I see on gunbroker.
Click to expand...

Whew! :o I thought I was the only one. But, my affliction extends to the 1861s too :eek:

FM
 
Whew! I thought I was the only one. But, my affliction extends to the 1861s too
Click to expand...

You guys are in the early stages of the disease. My symptoms now include Dragoons;) My eight variations of the 51 was my 51 symptoms temporarily in check.
 
Well MCB, I'm probably in the later stages. Collecting each variation of 2nd Gens.
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;) You got a head start on me. My problem is I have more 3rd gens than 2nd gens, I guess I need to keep buying both:)

Fingers, if you ever run across any info on a raw cylinder in a 2nd gen Walker, let me know. Mine is the only one in the raw that I have seen. It may have been stripped by the previous owner but it sure does not look like it. It was NIB when I bought it.


MCB,

At my age, the only thing I am in the EARLY stages of is the trip to the other side.
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I hear you, some days it seems like it may be a shorter trip than planned. Getting old sucks but it's better than the alternative.
 
Here's how to make the lubed wads:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=444979

To make lube wads I buy sheets of automotive felt 1/8" thick F-1 and punch them out on a drill press with a cheap 7/16" hole punch chucked into the press. I use the 3/8" (.375") punch for the 36s. Then I melt 50/50 beeswax & lard in a pan and throw in a pile of wads to soak it up. Comes out to about 2 cents a wad. If you want a thicker wad then order any thickness you want up to 1/2-1" depending on your budget and the company.
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I havent started with the Sig Series ................ yet. Maybe there's still some hope for me :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Will do MCB.

Russell's book does not mention any. Adler's book shows an America Remembers Colt Blackpowder (Sig Series :confused:) Walker Commemorative that was made in 2007, with a 'raw' cylinder.

FM
 
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