Cap and ball stuff, Sigh! here we go again.

[John Backlund]

No, not baseball equipment...black powder guns.

I found this (actually one just like it, not my photo) at a local shop the other day for $149, apparently unfired...a Pietta 1858 Remington .44 reproduction...and bought it.



I owned a bunch of these things some years ago, and had accumulated all the accessory crap to shoot them, then got out of it and sold them or traded them off.

Now I need to go out and RE-buy all the junk it takes to shoot them all over again...flask, measure, cleaning goops, propellant, balls, percussion caps, felt wads, and so on......and on.

Sigh!



Next week I think I'll head on over to Cabela's and snag a Pietta 'Colt' .44 Army percussion revolver to go along with this one, they're on sale for $169. At least they will share all the same loading stuff.

[src9000]

Handsome piece.

[Brad Pittiful]

i learned from the pawn stars...most of these replica guns are made in italy...always wanted one...but would like a peace maker type more

[backporch guy]

I had a replica of a Colt 1861 Army cap & ball pistol some years ago. It was fun to shoot, but after a couple of chain fires, I decided it wasn't for me. I never could get the trick of properly sealing the cylinders to prevent more than one going off at the same time.

[Jack S]

I love those. One of my favorite sidearms. I think it is a beautiful design and love the feel and balance.

[Brad Pittiful]

Originally Posted by Jack S

I love those. One of my favorite sidearms. I think it is a beautiful design and love the feel and balance.

and not to mention feeling like clint eastwood if i had one!

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by Jack S

I love those. One of my favorite sidearms. I think it is a beautiful design and love the feel and balance.

I agree. In a period of history when most handguns looked like refugees from a Willie Wonka movie, the Remington was an attractive design, as were the Colts of the Civil War period, and arguably the most asthetically pleasing commercial object to come out of the 19th century, the Colt Single-Action Army. It's an amazing piece of industrial design with what must be a near perfect balance of form and function.

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by Brad Pittiful

and not to mention feeling like clint eastwood if i had one!

I think he used Remington .44's in Pale Rider. Isn't that the film where he walks down the middle of the town's street and does the quicky, loaded cylinder switch on his Remingtons? something this revolver design was noted for being able to do for a quick reload. I'll probably buy an extra cylinder or two for it, they're about $60 each.

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by Brad Pittiful

i learned from the pawn stars...most of these replica guns are made in italy...always wanted one...but would like a peace maker type more

They're usually Uberti or Pietta guns from italy ( I forgot about pedersoli, another Italian replica maker). I think the Uberti's cost a bit more than the Piettas. You see a lot of Uberti replica firearms in the movies these days.

You can buy a blackpowder Colt 'Peacemaker' replica that uses percussion caps and loose-powder loads, but as such they are not very authentic in that configuration, being a cartridge firearm from the beginning.

For a gun usually priced in the $200 range, and sometimes as little as $160 when you can find them on sale, the fit and finish of them is quite amazing, the impression you get is that they are quality pieces at an amazing price.

[TeleKato]

Indeed, most of these are now made in Italy and I've got one (not a cap-n-ball, but a .45cal SA revolver) and it is sweet. Right before I stopped gun-hobbying, I wanted a .38 like the one Doc Holliday used; found one at a good price, but didn't buy it. Always regret that. I still occasionally take out the .45 and the leather holster, tie it down low, and practice quick-draw.

You gonna pull those pistols ... or whistle Dixie?

[20721]

And you think playing guitar is an expensive hobby?

They are fun. Just getting one to load properly and shoot is a huge feeling of accomplishment. And to think people used to fight with these things!

[John Backlund]

There's three main period reproduction percussion revolvers that I'll probably aquire, one being the 'Remington' .44 I now have, a 'Colt' .44 Army, and an 1851 'Colt' Navy .36, the pistols usually associated with Hickok.

All these percussion models can be found relatively cheaply, as compared to some other reproductions such as the S&W breaktop .44's, which can cost up around $600-$800, a little too rich for my budget.

I may find a flintlock pistol too, I had a few of them in years past and they were a smoky hoot to blast with.

[R. Stratenstein]

Yeah, blackpowder shooting is fun!

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by 20721

And you think playing guitar is an expensive hobby?

They are fun. Just getting one to load properly and shoot is a huge feeling of accomplishment. And to think people used to fight with these things!

When I had my Brown Bess 'trade musket' (shortened barrel with brass studs 'decorating' the stock), I was amazed when I fired it for the first time, I fully expected for the pan to flash and nothing else...but it went 'BOOOM!!" at my first try, blowing out a cloud of smoke. That thing tossed a .75 caliber (3/4 inch!) ball downrange. It sounded just like the guns on that old Danial Boone show with a defined 'Chiff! sound as the priming powder in the pan ignited, followed a fraction of a second later by the main charge...'Chiff-BOOOM'.

Very satisfying!

I've always wanted a full-length Brown Bess musket, but they're running about $1000 these days.....so you really have to want one to spend that much, but it's a unique arm with a lot of history behind it.

[E5RSY]

A little pricier than the Italian jobbies, the Ruger Old Army were great pieces. This thread made me start poking around, and I had no idea that Ruger had stopped making them.

[yz250f49]

I have the same gun, and a few others as well. Nice choice!!

[idjster]

Very, very nice! I've never been a cap and ball, or black powder, shooter, just modern firearms, but I've always appreciated the beauty of a nice piece like that one. And having to re-supply yourself? I think everyone who has had a hobby that they stopped doing and then picked it up again has had the same issue. I have with shooting and other things. It's frustrating, but if we hang on to everything 'just in case we want to do it again' we'd all be living like hoarders. I know I would be.

Nice handgun, though. I hope you really enjoy it!

[Boubou]

Nice gun,

So how does cap and ball work?
This is a 6, or so, shooter?
Never mind, rad the post, I get the idea

Originally Posted by John Backlund

Now I need to go out and RE-buy all the junk it takes to shoot them all over again...flask, measure, cleaning goops, propellant, balls, percussion caps, felt wads, and so on......and on.

Actually do you load "cartridges" or pack each cylinder individually?

Sent from my iPad using TDPRI

[John Backlund]

Oops, double post.

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by Boubou

Actually do you load "cartridges" or pack each cylinder individually?

Sent from my iPad using TDPRI

It's a 'loose powder' percussion revolver, basically, the next technological ignition step up from a Flintlock, but before self-contained metallic cartridges were developed, or at least refined to the point of being practical.

To shoot this revolver, you need to place a measured amount of granular (or pelletized) propellent into each cylinder, press a lead ball down on top of the charge (using the gun's built-in hinged press handle that can be seen under the barrel, if loading while the cylinder is in the gun).

Then, a small, roughly small-coin-shaped, pre-lubricated felt sealing wad is pressed over the seated ball and charge. Instead of a commercial felt sealing wad, some use a grease, or even Crisco, smeared over the charge to seal it and prevent what is called a 'chain-fire', which can happen when an ember from a fired cylinder manages to find it's way into adjacent loaded cylinders and causes multiple, simultaneous discharges to occur. Not a fun thing.

Anyway, the last thing to do in this seemingly elaborate series of tasks to fire this thing is to place a small, brass percussion cap on each of the six chamber 'nipples' at the rear of the loaded cylinder.

I think it's ready to fire at this point.

Then, after several repeats of this procedure, you head home and spend the next hour cleaning the propellant residue off of, and out of, the gun....and yourself.

Great fun!