What's a "day's shooting" with a percussion revolver?

A

Andy Griffith

New member
While enjoyably reading of others on here that expound upon the tricks and little tid bits that they've found to smooth and shoot their revolvers better, I've often wondered- what constitutes a full day's shooting out of one, six-shot pers revolver?

The most I've run through one gun without a loading stand is seven cylinders full- I was about worn out! I wanted to shoot more, but didn't want to load any more. It was in the summer time too, so I figure the heat got to me and I must say, I don't enjoy blackpowder shooting when sweating like the proverbial pig.

I did figure out some time ago that, although it's nice to have five or six cylinders to change out while shooting is good, they can be a bear to have to clean if time is short. :eek:

If I could just teach the wife to clean my blackpowder guns. :D
 
robhof

Took my son out to shoot the Walker today, we only got through 5 cylinders full; ran out of powder, the problem when using 45gr per shot. We work as a team with one shooting a few rounds while the other loads. With my 31cal Wells Fargo, I have a spare cylinder so I get 2 rounds between reloads. With my ROA's I have 3 spare cylinders and a conversion, so using 1 gun, I can get 5 rounds before reloading or til out of powder if my son is reloading for me or I'm reloading for him.:D:):p:rolleyes:;)
 
A days shooting in a SASS or NCOWS match will be five or six stages = five or six cylinders full - which would equate to 25 or 30 rounds per pistol (only five chambers are loaded during matches).
 
I've shot more than that with a loading stand, but not without. I can't honestly tell you how many through each gun, but over 250 rounds, because I used a little over two boxes of balls. I did shoot four stages at a local match a while back, and forgot to bring my stand...that was a pain! :(

I do like shooting upwind of armchair mercenaries when I'm shooting blackpowder. :D
 
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Good question!

Loading time is the biggest rascal to slow your shooting days!
I often shoot multiple revolvers (no spare cylinders) and average around 30 shots per revolver in a six hour shooting session. I also shoot some R/F and some Centerfire inbetween.
I use a loading stand and try to let the revolvers cool at least 3 minutes before reloading, so's to avoid any glowing embers.
Yea a shooting session takes a while and if you use either Crisco or Wads makes a difference in reload time! Wads are so much faster! I still measure each chamber because I fill from the Flask to a measure and into the chamber to avoid spills. I just feel better NOT loading directlly from the Flask for safety's sake.
Clean-up is a chore none of us BP shooters can avoid but it can be postphoned a day or so with Pyrodex or some of the other Synthetics.
For Competition shooters, the count differs because of the stages and usually one needs to clean every day. Recteational shooters shoot at a different pace and the number of shots is usually less per day. Still you can easilly start having fun and easilly crank-off 60 shots in a day!
So what is a shooting day? with BP a lot less than costly centerfire shooting or rimfire shooting but they just don't have the same "Kick" that Black Powder Cap and Ball Revolvers give! BP/C&B is just so much more relaxing to shoot!
That's why I got into the hobby I wanted to get more bang for my buck!
ZVP
 
Have to admit I don't really know what constitutes a "day's shooting" with C&B revolvers (or any muzzle loader for that matter). I haven't been shooting C&B long enough to qualify to have an opinion but I haven't got my fill of it in a session yet.

That goes for my other front-stuffers as well. Flint, percussion...you name it. Now, my .45-70 with modern ammo....THAT I can get tired of pretty quick!:D
 
Loading time is the biggest rascal to slow your shooting days!
It takes as long to load a pair of cap and ball revolvers as it takes for 2 shooters to cycle through a stage. Pretty quick with some practice
I often shoot multiple revolvers (no spare cylinders) and average around 30 shots per revolver in a six hour shooting session. I also shoot some R/F and some Centerfire inbetween.
I use a loading stand and try to let the revolvers cool at least 3 minutes before reloading, so's to avoid any glowing embers.
Not necessary. The "glowing embers" are seen in muzzle loading rifles and shotguns and are remnants of the patches.
Yea a shooting session takes a while and if you use either Crisco or Wads makes a difference in reload time! Wads are so much faster! I still measure each chamber because I fill from the Flask to a measure and into the chamber to avoid spills. I just feel better NOT loading directlly from the Flask for safety's sake.
By the time you have shot 5-6 rounds from a revolver, step back from the firing line, de-cap anything left on the nipples and get your loading supplies out any possibility of fire left in the chambers is so remote that your chances of winning the lottery are higher. But if it makes you feel better, go for it.
Clean-up is a chore none of us BP shooters can avoid but it can be postphoned a day or so with Pyrodex or some of the other Synthetics.
For Competition shooters, the count differs because of the stages and usually one needs to clean every day.
In a match, I wipe the face of the cylinders at the end of the days shooting. I then add a bit of lube to the arbor, recharge each chamber with real black powder in anticipation of the next day's shooting and put them away for the night.
Recteational shooters shoot at a different pace and the number of shots is usually less per day. Still you can easilly start having fun and easilly crank-off 60 shots in a day!
So what is a shooting day? with BP a lot less than costly centerfire shooting or rimfire shooting but they just don't have the same "Kick" that Black Powder Cap and Ball Revolvers give! BP/C&B is just so much more relaxing to shoot!
Black powder shooting is not cheaper per shot than the average centerfire shots, just lots more fun!
That's why I got into the hobby I wanted to get more bang for my buck!
Yup! Lots of bang, smoke and fire.
ZVP
 
About 5 years ago I decided to shoot all my pistol matches in one day at
the Nationals at Friendship Indiana. I started about 9:00 in the morning
and finished up the last reley at around 4:00. They shut down a hour for lunch. So I shot 10 , 10 shot matches. for 100 shots. I shot 10 relays which
are 30 min. long.After 5 hours of shooting I was really tired. I will NEVER do
that again. On my last relay I was shooting my Flintlock, had my finger in the
pan, wiping it out, hammer on full cock. You know what happend. Some part
of my hand touched the trigger, hammer fell with flint cutting a deep gash in
my finger. Blood just flew everywhere. I was tired, glad that day was over.
Sold the damm Flint!
 
Guilty!

I guess I am guilty of over zelous safety pratices! I just respect the explosiveness of Black Powder and have tried to avoid any accidents. Can't blame a guy for trying to hard there!
BP shooting is a great Hobby!
For me it's tied neck and neck with Airgunning and I enjoy both immenselly!
Both have the value of slow fire. With the airguns it's cause most are single shots, and we all know why BP revolver shooting is slow... Both give me many hours of relaxatation and hone pratical skills.
Sure glad I found my way to BP revolvers!
ZVP
 
I would probably say in the ball park with Hawg around 75 to 80 with more than one gun so gunking up is not such a issue. Less parinod than VZP is so tend to average well under a round per min till I have to pull barrels and wipe arbors and regrease. But then I use paper rounds and out of the capping its just as fast to load as a .45 army slow loader.
 
Interesting question.

A typical shooting day for me is goal-oriented: practice/proficiency, testing or just plain fun.

Practice/proficiency consists of working on eliminating bad habits - no plans or thoughts of a time period or the number of shots; I shoot until I either get too tired to control the gun or I see improvement in the problem I'm working on. The exception to that is practice with my carry gun: 50 to 70 rounds of .38 sp HBWC for proficiency, then 20 rounds of .357 magnum JRNFP and 5 to 10 rounds of .357 magnum GDHP, all at 10 yards once or twice a week.

Testing is just that; I shoot a specific number of combinations of powder, projectile, patch, wad, lube or whatever I'm testing. I may vary range or adjust sights. The least I've ever shot in testing is probably 5 rounds but it's usually a lot more. The most is probably about 60 rifle rounds and maybe as many as 150 rounds from revolvers.

And just for fun could be 5 rounds or 100 rounds, but probably about 20 to 25 rounds of rifle and 25 to 50 rounds of revolver.
 
For me, it depends on how hot or cold it is outside. At one extreme or the other, I usually run out of gas before I run out of time, but in the spring and fall, I imagine that I can go through 75 or so rounds of cap and ball, with a little cartridge action in between.

A couple of weekends ago, it was so doggone cold and windy that I quit after one cylinder of 1860 and one of 1873. I won't say it wasn't fun, but it was sure miserable!
 
Lately I've needed to call it quits due to the impending sunset.
I'll sometimes try to squeeze in a few hours of shooting before the end of the day, but if I'm running behind when I leave the house i.e. - to load the 1st two cylinders and/or to gather everything together, then I'll end up coming home with some pre-measured powder charges left over. Not that 48 shots or so isn't enough since by then I've usually had my fill.
The outdoor range is only ~10 minutes away from my house, so I'll just go at the last minute if I get the urge. I may bring another pistol along too so as to not waste any time setting up a target at one of the longer side ranges. And the number of shots also depends on whether anyone else is shooting at the pistol range. One time the breeze was blowing the thick smoke directly back toward the firing line, and I felt bad for that couple even though they said that they didn't mind. :)
 
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