Question in navy arms remington .44 revolver

R

robertsails

Inactive
A few weeks ago I bought a 1858 new army remington 44cal piston from. Friend. I think the gun was made in the 80's. Never was shot. I took it to the range today for the first time. I have never shot a bp revolver before. A few things happened. Gun shoots great, seemed to be pretty dead on with aim. However every time I pulled the trigger I felt something hit my hand. It did not burn or cut. Was this lead coming out from the cylinder and the barrel or just parts of the caps? On the lat shot of the first cylinder I thought I saw something shoot out. Cold not tell if it was the burnt wonder wad or anything. I did notice that all but. One cap was blown off the nipple. Could the stuff I felt been bits of the caps? I also noticed when i loaded the cylinder again that the caps seemed a bit loose on the nipples. Ay input folks? Thanks
 
I would guess that if it's hitting you on the hand, say, between your thumb and trigger finger, it's probably a bit of the cap. Nothing to worry about, it's just one of the side effects. If the caps are loose, you can try pinching them just a bit so that they fit tighter. They'll still probably hit your hand now and then.

Now, if you were holding the revolver two handed and your non-trigger hand was a little close to the front of the cylinder, then it could have been a bit of lead or wad squeezing out of the gap. Don't put your hand up there :D
 
I think it may have been some of the wadding or cap. I was only on the right side of the pistol. What's the optimal load for one of these for just shooting targets?
 
Try about 27 Gr of FFFg, a wad & a round ball.
You could be getting shavings from the ball as it gets into the bore, or cap parts.
Old trick is to put 2 large pieces of cardboard, one on each side of the pistol, alongside & parallel to the bore. See where the cardboard gets whacked with stuff to eliminate the problem.
You may find you need to use different size caps if they are too loose. Not just the size, but also the manufacturer. Once you find the ones that fit "just right" stick to that brand.
 
Careful there wogpotter, you are showing your age. I haven't seen or even heard the cardboard trick in years. BTW it does work. Maybe it's the semi auto thing.

Robertsails; I hope you already do, but, eye protection is a MUST with the BP revolvers. Bits of this and that go every which way. If you were shaving lead badly, you would probably get some minor cuts on your hand from the lead. I'm not talking bleeding like a stuck hog, just a little booboo and a spot of blood. More likely just debris.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Holy Black. Enjoy!
 
Take a close look at the attached photo of me shooting my Uberti Remington: note the cap flying off the right side of the gun. You are either getting caps hitting you or you're getting spray from the cylinder gap. do the cardboard thing. You may find the chambers don't line up with the barrel and you are shaving lead, wad, or flame.
Welcome to my world. One shot and there's no target!
 

Attachments

  • MeNoTarget+Cap.jpg
    MeNoTarget+Cap.jpg
    48.1 KB · Views: 43
Thats what it looked like. :-) So was probably the cap taking off. Cool Thanks everyone. Sadly in my area it is hard to find different kinds of caps. Not many places deal with BP stuff. I have a bass pro shop south of me but they are always over priced.
 
Also I was using wonder wads. Are they any good to use? The balls seem to go in pretty tight so I do not think I need to patch it.
 
Wonder wads are good to use and help to prevent chainfires.
Some would say that revolver balls are never patched.
Use the proper size balls for your chambers, usually .451 or .454.
As long as they don't creep forward during firing they're okay.
Some powder is more potent than others and causes more blow back through the nipples.
Which powder were you using?
 
Robertsails,
I use F-1 1/8" wool automotive felt to punch out wads for about 2c each. I've also felted red wool fabric scraps and punched out wads for virtually nothing (remnants from hemming a wool Confederate artillary uniform) using a 7/16" hole punch in the drill press over a block of wood and dumping them in a pan of melted 50/50 bees wax and olive oil for lube. The gun barrel and cylinder mouths stay clean all day long.
 
The wads are a handy form of cheap insurance & lube the bore as well. I use either the "Wonder wads" or the "Ox-yoke originals" when I can find them.
MUCH less messy than sealing with Crisco:barf::barf::barf:

Careful there wogpotter, you are showing your age. I haven't seen or even heard the cardboard trick in years.
Click to expand...
Not saying I'm old, but it was parchment when I started out:o
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top