Black Powder; Newbie Edition

>>32360366
No need for filler in front stuffers. Push the pathc and ball right down to powder.
Hot water and funnel for initial cleaning, after that whatever you prefer to clean and lube. Make sure to get a nipple pick and wrench as well.
TC bore butter for a decent grease. Forgt the old standby of Crisco, since it went vegetarian it is now more acidic and can etch the bore if left.

>>32360416
Do I need patches? I know it can help prevent a chain-fire, but I've also seen guys add grease to the cylinder after loading the whole thing. What're your thoughts on that?

So, a nipple wrench...do I remove those for each cleaning? Since black powder is messy, do I clean every nook and cranny of the revolver after I'm done shooting it? Like, with water, is disesembling the whole thing and brushing it in a basin of water a good way to clean?

I ask a lot of menial questions because I don't want my first BP gun to be a guinea pig for my potential mistakes like my first couple rifles were when I was like 12. I really want to do things right and keep the revolver beautiful for as long as I keep shooting (my whole life ).

>>32360504
>Do I need patches
No, a tight fitting ball that has a small ring of lead shave off of it when you seat the projectile will create the seal
>Do I clean every nook and cranny
If you want your gun to be in the best shape it can, yes. Get that nipple wrench and keep your gun well maintained. Black powder shooting is as much commitment as it is patience and art.
>I ask a lot of menial questions
Black powder revolvers require a lot of menial tasks.

>>32360504
Normally you don;t use patches with revovlers. You use a lubed felt wad instead and have the ball slightly oversized to shave a ring of lead off when loading. Greasing after loading does help but not really needed.
Grease the nipple threads with anti seize and remove every couple months of firing to clean.
Pop the barrel and cylinder off and flush those with water. Make sure to wash and scrub the frame where powder residue accumulates. Follow all water with a good drying and lubing.
This is one time when windex does help. The surfactants break up the carbon deposits while the ammonia neutralises the sulfur compounds left over.

I want a cartridge conversion cylinder. Is it worth it?

>>32360619
>>32360668

Cool beans, thanks guys.

I'm really stoked about getting into this, just because I've always thought the processes of loading and maintaining BP guns to look so relaxing and almost therapeutic...I have bad anxiety issues a lot of the time, so keeping my mind busy with tasks helps a lot, and combining that with guns seems like a natural match for me.

For my .44 cal, should I buy both .451 and .454 diameter lead balls, or just .451? I've been reading on it, and it seems like either can be used, but it didn't seem very conclusive.

Also, can I use ff powder because it's supposedly a large enough caliber, or stick with fff?

>>32360710
.454 gives a better seal but can be a bit harder to load.
ffG will work but the fffG is better to use. Easier to ignite the small amounts being used.
When you find a good cap that works well and fits without needing pinching make sure to buy a bunch.

>>32360710
Buy both and see which prints best. Ruger Old Army revolvers like the larger .457 ball, the .451 and .454 seem to be best for Pietta and Uberti repros.

>>32360746
>ffG will work but the fffG is better to use. Easier to ignite the small amounts being used
Good to know. I plan on shooting reduced loads to conserve powder anyway, and don't need the whollop of a full charge for plinking.

>>32360766
It is an Uberti, so I'll see about buying a small box of both sizes initially to see what works well for me, before buying the big box of 100 like I was planning on doing soon.

>>32360702
>I want a cartridge conversion cylinder. Is it worth it?
from a novelty or historical standpoint sure. from a monetary or im a felon who cant legally get a gun and this is my only option to get a gun its stupid as fuck. you spend 500-600 bucks on a 5 shot revolver. yeah yeah yeah it holds 6 but you only load 5 for safety reasons. its a pain in the ass to reload and needs expensive specialty cowboy ammo since modern bullets will blow it up.
you can get a 6 shot rossi/taurus/armscor etc .38 special for 300 and it isnt fuck huge.

>>32360366
Irony I was at a gun show today and some guy was selling his collection of 11 black powder guns, including a Colt Dragoon model 1, 2 and 3. Wanted $9000 for the whole lot, wasn't willing to sell them off one at a time.
He'd probably get more if he sold them individually.

>>32360702
Buy a $100 cap and ball pistol and spend a few more bucks for powder, balls, caps, etc.

>>32360366
I've learned how to clean my firearm after firing from here:
http://www.geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps4Mobile.html

Not sure how accurate the science of it is, but my gun hasn't rusted following this method.

>>32360928
Most moden repros come to with safety notches so you can load all six chambers

>>32360928
>yeah yeah yeah it holds 6 but you only load 5 for safety reasons
You load 5 if you intend to carry it loaded and even then it's not strictly necessary. No reason not to load 6 at the range.

Caps won't go off with a hammer resting on them, they need to be striked by considerable force to go off. Safety notches are a thing for a reason as well.

Not to mention, the first damn rule of shooting is to keep the barrel in a safe direction at all times.

>>32361230
Yeah, although I don't recommend using them if you want to carry the gun. They are not very deep and the hammer can slip out of them quite easily.

>>32361220
Will read, thanks.

>>32361220
John knows his shit but soap and water won't rust your gun either as long as you dry it thoroughly.

>>32365382
He's convinced that a barrel will hold its "seasoning" if you don't thoroughly clean it, and that's a good thing for the bore's protection. While that might be true for porous cast iron griddles, but I'm skeptical that it's the same for a gun barrel.

Some of what I read on his site seemed like layman's logic that might not be true, but does seem like it makes a lot of sense.

>>32367953
The best way to clean a barrel is to just shoot a few rounds through it. The bullets will knock out all the gunk and debris.

>>32368046
I know. Does it work that way with BP though?

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>>32368046
Lol
Nice troll. I did laugh
Clean it. Clean it often
Just to be sure go clean it now.

>>32369598
>be sure go clean it now

I'm not getting it until Wednesday or Thursday.

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>>32369606
No!
Go clean it now

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Once you get tired of that pos Italy gun
Find a nice ruger old army

>>32369625
Lol, okay.

By the way, what's a good store for black powder? I don't want to order online because I don't want hazmat fees. Cabela's got my back?

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Make one of these
Take pictures post on diy

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>>32369666
There is a Big R near me
Their prices are lower than rural King, dicks, gander mountain and even Walmart

>>32369698
But if you are lesbian then make sure you shop at gander mountain.

Because lesbians don't like dicks

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I like smokepoles.

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>>32360366

How are New Orleans Derringer's? They look moe as hell and are cheap in kit form, does anyone have experience with these?

>>32369625
hey this is a blue board MODSSSSSSSSSSSSS

>>32369657
i dont doubt they are excellent and fucking durable as all hell but i want a black powder gun for the historical look. adjustable sights? target front sight? ruger emblem in grip? it just doesnt have the look anon. i have a modern looking ruger GP100, for cap and ball i want my pistol to look old and original

>>32370740
My brother conceal carries one

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9 shots of .44 lead ball, one shot of 16 ga.
French design, Confederate made. Totaling under 5.6 lbs.

>>32360504
Here is what you do for that.

>buy bacon
>cook bacon in a pan
>eat the bacon
>save the grease
>smear a dollop of grease over each cylinder after loading the whole wheel.

>>32371653
That's an enormous fucking revolver.

>>32372909
It's not ever six pounds, do you even lift?

>>32372896
Newp. Holy shit, nope. Oh my god, so much fucking nope. Noperino. Powder>ball>grease is a great way to get chain fires. Powder will still burn if it's smeared in grease. The best way to prevent chain fires is powder>wad>grease>ball. You can also used lubed wads and save yourself a step.

>>32372919
It's not too heavy to use, it just takes up a lot of space compared to, say, an SAA.

>>32360504
One more thing to add, do not use petroleum based oils. Petroleum oil turns black powder residue into hard, gritty fouling. I use a very light coat of olive oil and it keeps fouling soft and easy to clean.

>>32367953
I never really tested Johns method simply because water and soap work and I don't mind how long it takes. I like my guns clean, not just clean enough.

Also, watch this. It's meant to discuss upgraded for Pietta's Colt Navy reproduction, but there's some stuff in it, like adding the Slix-Shot nipples, that would apply to any black powder handgun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfTGjm3IDYw

Protip:

Toy caps meant for toy guns are great percussion cap substitutes if you're lighting real black powder. All you have to do is cut the plastic holding them together.

Unsafe as fuck though. Don't bump your gun too hard.

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>>32372928
> The best way to prevent chain fires is powder>wad>grease>ball

>>32371653
The loading assembly sucks though.

>>32372928
>>32372961

Newbs

Ill fitting caps are the most common cause of chain-fires, it is virtually impossible to have a chainfire even with zero grease as long as your balls fit tight. Want to take all damn day to load your pistol while the Yankees pick you off? More concerned about a mythical "chain fire" than losing a leg to musket shot? Take a pinch of some good old bees wax. Squeeze it flat and push it into the cylinder before the ball. Ram the ball home and then slap some pig grease on there lastly.

Or you could load it like a man; dump that powder down there, ram a ball home and cap that thing.

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>>32373050
>Ill fitting caps are the most common cause of chain-fires
Caps have literally nothing to do with chainfires. I don't see how an ill fitting cap could set off another one.

>it is virtually impossible to have a chainfire even with zero grease as long as your balls fit tight
First of all, you don't use grease to prevent chainfires. Grease is used to soften the residue to maintain good accuracy and operation for longer.

Second of all, if there is some crushed powder between that tigh fitting ball and the chamber wall like in pic related you can expect a chainfire. Tested it multiple times.

>Want to take all damn day to load your pistol while the Yankees pick you off? More concerned about a mythical "chain fire" than losing a leg to musket shot?
I don't usually fight yankees when shooting my black powder revolver.

If I had to I would use pre-made paper cartridges instead.

>ake a pinch of some good old bees wax. Squeeze it flat and push it into the cylinder before the ball. Ram the ball home and then slap some pig grease on there lastly.
Don't see why you need 2 layers of grease. The layer under the ball helps with the residue, the layer aobve the ball does fuck all and none of the have anything to do with chainfires.

>Or you could load it like a man; dump that powder down there, ram a ball home and cap that thing.
K, have fun taking ages to reload, not being able to hit the broad side of the barn and struggling to operate the thing after 20 or so shots.

Meanwhile I will just use pre-loaded cylinders and paper cartridges.

Work smart, not hard.

>>32373050
Confirmed for not owning a BP revolver.