It is pretty well known that some troopers and others "back in the day" carried spare cylinders for their percussion revolvers, since reloading in the normal way took a lot of time, even with cartridges.
So some modern users of percussion revolvers have taken to carrying a loaded and capped cylinder for the same purpose. I strongly recommend against the practice. Unlike those fellows in blue and gray, no one today is being shot at, and if you are, I hope you have something a lot more modern than a percussion revolver.
But a loaded and capped cylinder is, effectively, a short barrel pistol. If it drops or receives a blow in such a way as to fire a cap, the ball can kill. So, guys, it is great to feel a kinship with the old timers, but we need to realize that to them an accident that COULD kill them was of far less concern than an enemy soldier who WOULD kill them if he could. They lived in constant danger in a dangerous time.
But if we have an accident and someone is injured or killed, not only is that a tragedy in itself, but it reflects badly on the hobby and can lead to more restrictions on the shooting sports.
Jim
So some modern users of percussion revolvers have taken to carrying a loaded and capped cylinder for the same purpose. I strongly recommend against the practice. Unlike those fellows in blue and gray, no one today is being shot at, and if you are, I hope you have something a lot more modern than a percussion revolver.
But a loaded and capped cylinder is, effectively, a short barrel pistol. If it drops or receives a blow in such a way as to fire a cap, the ball can kill. So, guys, it is great to feel a kinship with the old timers, but we need to realize that to them an accident that COULD kill them was of far less concern than an enemy soldier who WOULD kill them if he could. They lived in constant danger in a dangerous time.
But if we have an accident and someone is injured or killed, not only is that a tragedy in itself, but it reflects badly on the hobby and can lead to more restrictions on the shooting sports.
Jim