The James Dalziel Dougal is here

Rainy? Rainy? Did rain stop them at Sevastopol? Did rain stop them at the Somme? Did Churchill say we will fight them on the beaches...but not if it's damp? No!

Now go out there and shoot...but wear you galoshes, you don't want to catch a chill.
 
personally ( if I were going to shoot it... I shoot my oldies, but they generally don't carry that kind of value ) I'd work up a load with Trailboss... your pressures will be at OK levels, but you won't have to disassemble & wet wash the gun afterwards, like should really be done with black powder... I've had very good results shooting both my 32 & 38 S&W guns ( some of pretty low pedigree, thus not that great even when they were new ) with both round balls & cast bullets using Trailboss...

though... there is nothing like shooting real "black"... there are just so many parts to be concerned with corrosion in a black powder cartridge revolver... BTW... don't forget to wet wash your brass... I have a batch of 50-70 cases that came with one of my rifles, that the brass is too pitted to use, as it didn't get washed afterwards...
 
I wouldn't count on Trail Boss being safe in this gun.

The pressure curve developed as powder burns can be a crucial factor when shooting these old guns.

The British found out that, even though cordite pressures weren't all that different from black powder when they made the switch in the 1890s, early Webley revolvers then in service were still being damaged by the smokeless loads.

Turns out that cordite has a VERY sharp initial pressure rise and this was causing problems. Black powder as a more gradual pressure rise and is more of a continuous push.

Because of these problems all of the older Webleys chambered for black powder cartridges were removed from military service and replaced with Webleys with strengthened cylinders and heat treating.

To be perfectly frank, I don't know what Trail Boss' pressure curve is, but I certainly wouldn't want to experiment with it using a fine, old, and valuable handgun like that.
 
I understand not wanting to damage the gun... but I've found with my starting loads, that the brass cases do not even swell to the chamber... a half case full is where I start, & work up from there... so far on either cartridge, a 1/2 case full has sooted back to the rim... & working up from there gets me clean cases & safe loads... I don't have a pressure barrel to test... but from my initial tests the pressures are low... don't know if its the unique doughnut shape to the powder or it's formulation ???

... but I think if I had to shoot a gun of that value with black powder, it would seriously limit it's use, as I'd be afraid I'd miss a salt molecule & get some added corrosion on an internal part, that would effect the function of the gun over time
 
Missing something in cleaning is certainly a worrisome aspect, too.

I used to boil the frames of my black powder pistols on top of the stove after cleaning.

It would both remove any last traces of corrosive salts and would also heat the metal so that it would flash dry.

A bit more corrosion on a gun that old is a LOT better than egg shaped chambers, or a blown cylinder.
 
Yep, its shot.:)

Because I was moving, I was under prepared and only did 10 rounds which were 10 grains of FFFg with a 255 bullet. I started out by using gunk out on all the metal, then relubing with Ballistol. Loaded her up, put a touch of Bore Butter on the first two chambers.

Pop and flash, lots of smoke, 10 rounds a bit high at 21 feet in a little over two inches.

Bet it shoots better, was a bit nervous and all that :)

Then dumped the empties into Tupperware with Palmolive and swirled them around, took off cylinder (it has was real hard too this gun is tight), unscrewed the hinge screw with a PROPER fitting screw driver popped off the barrel, took out the extractor (which only fits back in one way) and the extractor hook or catch and started scrubbing with Ballistol and water, 50/50. Ressembled with a bit of Bore Butter on the cylinder shaft. Sprayed Ballistol in and around

All looks good, three days later, the cylinders show a bit of lead from the short cartridges, going to scrub that out this weekend and pull the cylinder to check, but this revolver is so well fitted there was just a smidge of fouling near the hinge which vame off with toothbrush

I have some easier ideas for cleaning the next time so I am going to load up fifty rounds and work it a bit. There is no recoil at all so this isnt hurting the gun at all and it deserves to be shot :)


WildimsobritishAlaska TM
 
If you are loading BP in cartridges, you might want to try American Pioneer powder (the Jim Shockey stuff). I have been told by the BP shooters that it is very easy to clean up, much easier than regular BP.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top