Can a black powder firearm be used for home defense?

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If you want to store a loaded black powder revolver for a long period of time and have confidence it will fire normally years later, clean the cylinder well with rubbing alcohol or lacquer thinner to completely de-grease the chambers and nipples. Dry it well with a blow dryer if you want to proceed immediately or wait until it's dry before you load with powder and a bare ball, no grease or greased wad. After the nipples are capped,fill the chamber mouths with melted beeswax and fill the cap recesses with it as well. Scrape the beeswax off of the rear of the cap so it doesn't cushion the hammer strike and you are finished. You may lubricate the rest of the pistol normally. I would only lightly lubricate the outside of the cylinder and cylinder pin with a vegetable oil, nothing petroleum based.

I think beeswax is essential to getting a proper adhesion to the metal. Parrafin wax won't last through much temperature change.


I wouldn't worry about corrosion in the chambers. Black powder corrodes by drawing moisture from the air. There should be no moisture in the chambers when the gun is freshly loaded and, properly sealed, none can enter.

I've posted about this several times already but it still may interest some. I loaded an old .44 Italian replica as above in 1992 I believe it was. Two chambers were fired early this year. Both functioned normally, no weakness apparent and no hanging fire. There are still 4 loaded chambers to be tested on down the road some day.

Steve
 
Remember the story about General Lee loading up his Navy Colt at the beginning of the 'War of Northern Agression' and carrying it, unfired, through the entire conflict.

After he died, it was handed down to his son who fired it many years later (maybe 20?) to commemorate his father. It worked flawlessly.

As others have suggested, load 'er up with black and ball and tuck it away. Unless it is in a flood, it should work just fine if you ever need it.
 
I recently fired out six shots from a cylinder that I loaded about six months ago...no hangfire, just as big a boom as a freshly loaded cylinder. As Steve says, seal with beeswax around the caps and your good to go for the long haul. Oh, and don't underestimate the bp revolver, properly loaded it'll kill you just as dead as a 44 magnum will...these are not toys.
 
I used to, each time I finished cleaning my BP revolvers, dry and load the cylinders so that next time I needed them they'd be ready to fire without the 5-minute "collect the supplies and pour the powder" dance. Of course, this is a fairly dry climate, but I've never seen any corrosion issues with this practice and the only failure to fire (singular) was when I got some grease into the nipple passage on one chamber. That took three primers to ignite.

777 (or, if you can find it, good old fashioned black) is probably a better choice than the pellets, though there are pellets marketed for revolvers. Just fill the cylinders to the top with powder, carefully put a ball on (trying not to have powder come out of the chamber because you fiddled with the ball too much), and ram it down hard. Then, if you can find it, dribble some low-shrink wax on each ball to seal the chambers up extra tight and prevent crossfires if they really happen. That's optional though.
 
First I heard of that...

You wouldn't want to keep it loaded with black powder for a real long time, because it's corrosive, but a substitute like Triple Seven wouldn't hurt it.
Click to expand...

I've got cans of real BP dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, tin and steel. They've no rust in them, and I've run some of the powder in my .44 Special, .44 C&B Remington, and .45-70 with nary a misfire. BP is just fine carried in capped and bullet-seated gun chambers, just like it is in the cans.

BP substitutes like 777, Pyrodex, Black Canyon, etc. have by nature a higher ignition temperature and are harder to ignite - that's how they get around DOT BP shipping and storage regulations, as well as fire department storage rules. If you cannot find Holy Black, be judicious in your selection of propellant for defensive use. :eek:
 
Massnee-
In your wonderful state, you may be able to have a BP gun without a license, however according to the Fish and Wildlife Regulation abstracts that I got from Mass Wildlife a year or two ago, you still need to be licensed for powder (BP or Pyro/subs). Keep that in mind.
 
Thank you for all the info. I have a license that allows me to purchase the bp. The issue for my wife is one of access. According to Mass law it is a felony for her to have access to firearms. The bp gets around this because according to Mass law bp is not a firearm. Therefore, while she cannot purchase bp she can have access to it. As I said earlier...someday we will move to the United States.
 
massnee, two questions...
Where (what state) is it different?
How would you change the laws in MA?
I live in MA, and MA has a reputation of treating aliens very well.
 
Just an FYI: Blackpowder in its un-fired form is not the problem,the residue left after fireing is the corrosive part.
 
"someday we will move to the United States."
70 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients recently held their convention in Boston; they chose the location. There was a ceremony in their honor aboard the USS Constitution. Doesn't get much more "American" than that...
 
pohill,

Folks from free states could answer your questions better. For example I believe my wife could have access to my AR-15 if we lived in New Hampshire. In Vermont you do not even need a license to carry. I live in the Boston area so it was only by the grace of God that I was able to get a license to carry at all.

Because of the AG's restrictions there are many firearms we can not own here. Recently I paid $750 for a 10 year old used handgun. In any other state I could have purchased it new for $450! Ouch!!!

Concerning Massachusetts being part of the United States…I understand that other states will accept my citizenship…so I suppose I am an American…I just do not enjoy all of the rights the constitution afford (i.e 2nd Amendment, taxation without representation…Kennedy is my senator…he does not represent me :) )
 
Massnee, I'm with ya on most of your statements. I believe that your wife should have access to whatever weapons you have, simply because she is your wife. Like I said, that is common sense. What are you supposed to do, have a secure room in your home where your wife is banned from entering? Who would vac it? (just kidding). The other side of the issue is whether non-citizens should be able to have firearms. In general, except for cases like yours, I don't support their right to own firearms. Why should non-citizens have the rights that I have? They can't vote - why should they be allowed to own firearms? At my gym, non-members can't use the treadmills and weight machines - citizenship is like a membership. I doubt even the NRA would argue for the rights of non-citizens. You are caught in a web whose intent is to keep firearms away from non-citizens. It's too bad exceptions can't be made on an individual basis. Is she working on becoming a citizen?
As far as Kennedy representing me...I can't get into that discussion simply because of blood pressure issues.
In regards to VT and NH - have you checked into their non-citizen firearms laws? NH is becoming MASS-asized quickly. I know little about VT.
But to say MA isn't part of America - I crossed a bridge today that was recently dedicated to a young local man who died in Iraq. His father is a State Trooper. I don't think I'd throw the non-American statement around him right about now.
 
pohill,

From your last post I recognize that I am being slightly misunderstood. I am not advocating that my wife should be allowed an LTC ALP as a non-citizen. I am not opposed to the idea of legal non-citizens having the right of owning and carrying firearms. My problem is that my wife cannot have access to my weapons for the defense of both her and my children. I am excited to begin shooting BP (I will post a range report). However, it is very frustrating that the only line of protection for my family (when I am absent) is a bp firearm. Especially when she could have access to this:

ar1.jpg
 
That longterm BP solution looks a lot like what I've read riverboat gamblers and such used to do with their pepperboxes and derringers, so I've no doubt that's good advice. If it worked back then...!

In regards to VT and NH - have you checked into their non-citizen firearms laws? NH is becoming MASS-asized quickly. I know little about VT.
Click to expand...

No, it's not. They're night and day, West and East Germany.

There are no state licensing requirements in New Hampshire for the possession of any rifle, shotgun or handgun.

It is unlawful for any person who has been convicted of a felony to own, possess or control any firearm.
Persons who are the subject of a court protective order may be required to surrender all firearms and ammunition.

And that's it. All else that's required is licensing for concealed carry.
 
massnee - seriously, is that a good home defense weapon? Believe me, I understand what you're saying and I am with you as far as your wife having access to whatever firearms you have.

Manedwolf - I have a NH pistol permit. All I did was send them a copy of my MA permit and they mailed it to me for $20. Concerning the NH laws, I meant how do they pertain to non-citizens?
You say "There are no state licensing requirements in New Hampshire for the possession of any rifle, shotgun or handgun."
Then... "It is unlawful for any person who has been convicted of a felony to own, possess or control any firearm.
Persons who are the subject of a court protective order may be required to surrender all firearms and ammunition."
There's two licensing requirements right there.
 
To Manedwolf,
To me, NH is the best state in the entire country. If things had been different, I'd be a life long resident of NH. I shoot in NH, bike, hike, ski, camp, etc.
I just hope it doesn't get Mass-asized.
 
That's as good a home defense weapon as anything else.

Theory laden perceptions in some people would have them question it as an assalt weapon. They aren't in control of their minds/fears. The mental worm virus "bad" has gotten to them.

As far as your wife goes, if a situation developed that necessitated that your wife defend her and the kids lives, I doubt that any court would hold her at fault. At least it doesn't make sense. Perhaps some histrionic idiot would beat the drum of cowardice, but a jury ought shelter her in the case of an actual emergency.
 
I don't question it because of its perception as an assault weapon, but, being unfamiliar with it, I wonder about it's ease of use under stress. How long is the barrel? How easy is it to disengage the safety? What about loading, or would you keep it loaded (with kids around)? I'd rather have a shorter barrelled shotgun myself.
 
pohil,

The Ar-15 in the pic has a 16" barrel, holds 30 rounds of 5.56mm ammo with little recoil. Strangely enough there are many who believe the AR platform makes a good home defense choice. The 5.56mm round has a tendency to quickly degrade as it penetrates through barriers. The round was designed to kill people as opposed to penetrate hard targets.

However, the two most important reasons to use an AR-15 are:

1. It looks scary.

2. It irritates liberals.

However, since an AR is not an option...this will have to be the view for those who seek to hurt my family:
bp4.jpg
 
Ma Permit

IANAL but if god forbid she had to use deadly force with a firearm INSIDE the home there should be no problem you have a licence your legal.
If you take your wife to the rifle range she can shoot with you EVEN though she has no permit. I take freinds with me to the range to shoot and they have no permit. If you havn't talked to a lawyer do so you should be able to get a straight answer from him . BTW even though BP guns are not firearms to the feds you have to have a LTC or FID card to have them here in our glorious state
 
Highlander 5, this is a tricky issue in MA. You can receive a BP revolver in the mail without a license of any kind, but to own it and buy powder you need at least an FID card. To carry it concealed you need a LTC. I got my first permit to carry in Lynn...WEST Lynn that is.
As far as getting an answer from a lawyer...good luck.
 
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