Carrying Rifle & 1860 Revolver on 3-day hike - What to bring?

[DougB]

I'm going to be participating in a 3-day "Pioneer Trek" with a church (Mormon) youth group next week. Is is more-or-less a re-enactment. Personal gear will be pushed in handcarts (one for each "family" of 8-10). This is similar to the way some Mormon pioneers came west in the 1850's.

Anyway, I'll be carrying a .50 Cal Hawken-style rifle and a Colt 1960 revolver clone in a civil war style holster. I may also let one of the other adult leaders carry my flintlock .50 Cal Kentucky-style rifle. I'm trying to figure out exactly what I need to bring, and how best to carry it. I generally have a big tool box full of black powder shooting stuff, but obviously that won't be practical on this trip. Here's what I have:

Hawken-style Rifle:
Powder Horn for rifle powder
Adjustable powder measure
Ball & pre-lubed patches
#11 Percussion caps
Short Starter

Revolver
Colt-style powder flask/measure
Pre-lubed wads & balls
Crisco & T/C Bore Butter (do I need both?)
#10 caps

Flintlock
Same as rifle above, except spare flints, and FFFFG priming powder ins a small spring-loaded brass dispenser.

Plan to carry a fairly small leather sholder bag, with the basic shooting supplies, plus a powder horn over my sholder. I have a spring-loaded straight line capper, but I've never tried it. I've been told (after I bought it) that they don't work very well and I should have bought one of the round ones. I'm not sure how best to carry wads, lubed patches, etc.

I always seems to have stuff all over, and to wish I had three hands when loading at the range (especially the revolver) - so I'm trying to figure out how best to feed my guns on the trail, have everything I need (but not too much), and to keep things looking fairly authentic.

I'm also concerned about how to clean the guns enough to keep them shooting without taking them apart or having a lot of extra supplies, hot water, etc. Anyway, sorry to have gone on so long, but I would be grateful for any tips about what to bring and how to carry it.

Doug

 

[Owen]

i can't help you, but darn that sounds neat.

 

[Tommygunn]

Just my opinion:
If I brought pre-lubed wads for the revolver, I would leave the Crisco at home. If you use bore buttler to grease the gun parts you might want that, of course, but there seems little point in bringing more than you really need.

 

[mykeal]

Keep the lubed wads, lose the Crisco and Bore Butter. And you can probably get along with just one powder type and one powder horn. It won't hurt to use 3f in a rifle or 2f in a pistol. If you have time, I'd change the nipples in the revolver to use #11 caps so you only have one size of those to keep track of.

 

[Sistema1927]

Is the revolver correct for the period? Aren't we talking about the period ending 1860. I would think that an 1851 or 1849 would be better.

However, I would imagine that it was the rare member of the pushcart movement who had any type of sidearm. Rifles, yes, but I bet that handguns were a rarity.

 

[DougB]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

Regarding the crisco, I thought I had to put grease over the end of the balls when I load the revolver - am I okay to just load powder (25 gr), a pre-lubed wad, and a tight lead ball (they always cut a ring of lead when loading), without spearing crisco over the end? That would save a lot of mess on the trail if its okay.

Regarding the powders, I'd thought about just bringing one, but I think the flask with built-in measure will make loading the revolver a lot easier, and I want to carry the powder horn for the rifle for the look as much as the need.

Regarding the period-correctness of the revolver, you are right. I believe the last of the handcart pioneers came in about 1860 - about the time my revolver came out. I just about bought a 2nd model Dragoon for this, which would have been more period-correct, but I decided to be slightly incorrect and avoid carrying an extra pound or so of steel on this hike. I also considered an 1851 Navy, but I prefer .44 to .36 caliber, and most of the inexpensive 1851s are .44s - which I understand are not authentic at all.

Mormon pioneers were coming west in wagon trains up through about the end of the 1860s, so I'm sure some of these revolvers came with later (non-handcart) groups. You are probably also right about there not being many revolvers of any kind with the handcart pioneers - since they were among the poorest and probably couldn't afford them, but I'm going to be "captain" of a company of several handcarts, so I'm rationalizing that the captain/guide might have been a little better equipped than the average pioneer. In any case, we aren't going to be period-correct in many details - though we are trying to dress and look "in the spirit" of the pioneers (no T-shirts, sunglasses, baseball caps, electronics, etc.).

Doug

 

[arcticap]

I hope that you always carry a nipple wrench and a nipple pick along with your percussion guns.

 

[mykeal]

You do not need to use the Crisco when using a lubed felt overpowder wad, especially when you are getting a good ring of lead - that's serious overkill to add a grease seal.

Loading your revolver directly from a flask is OK, but don't load a long gun that way. It's rare, but definitely possible that a long gun could have hot embers in the barrel (a revolver will cool embers very quickly, whereas they might last for a couple of minutes in a long gun), which could ignite the powder stream pouring down the barrel, in turn creating either a highly motivated projectile or a bomb from the flask. I've seen it happen and it ain't pretty (read second and third degree burns, singed eyebrows, hot metal in the hair, etc.)

I suggest you take a powder measure, and second the suggestion from articap about the nipple wrench and pick.

 

[dstorm1911]

I always just use prerolled paper charges for my Long guns, same way ya do the paper cartridges for a revolver except much easier and faster, use an arbor to roll a tube of cig paper dump in 60 grns of FF then twist the end shut, I carry prelubed patches in empty remington tins for percussion caps ya can get 40 into each tin, carry the balls in a belt ball pouch, to load simply tear the end off the paper rolled powder dump in the charge in the same motion wad the paper and drop it in as well (don't wanna be litering) then put a patch on the center of bore then ball and ram home the lube I mix up is pretty common and so slick I never need a ball starter, 1/3 parafin 1/3 bees wax 1/3 lard melt em together I then drop my cut pouches in and when they stop bubblin fish em out with a strainer lay on cardboard to cool then pack in cap tins

Use the same lube for the revolvers carry some in a musket cap tin (my long guns are all converted to use musket caps....... no capper needed and much easier to handle especial in adverse conditions added bonus hotter ignition costs about $5 for a conversion nipple for your Hawken at most stores that stock BP supplies)

As far as the period correctness very few settlers period had handguns.... they were considered im-practical and money better spent elswhere Farmers swore by their rifles handguns weren't trusted much (just got this lecture from my 71 year old partner who got it from his grand father it was his comment about the custom 58 Euroarms I'd just finished cutting down and re-dovetailing etc..) he pointed out what all the historical pictures also show.. only lawmen, outlaws, town dandies and gaurilla fighter types cared for the handgun or even saddle revolvers like the dragoon but rather bet everything on their long gun....... The mormon settlers I believe were primarily farmers no military and no lawmen so I doubt ya woulda seen many handguns at all more commonly woulda been a pair of rifles, the wife reloaded one while the man fired the other..... old school "Autoloader"

 

[Kaylee]

Well that sounds just all kinds of cool! Please, come back with stories when you're done!

Given the conditions under which the Mormons went west, I'd not be at all surprised to find more than a few went as well armed as they could afford. And besides, if JMB hissowndarnself was a Mormon, well heck.. they should let you guys carry 1911s any ol' place now. Call it a religious thing, like the Sikhs and their little knives.

Anyhow... I realize it's a few years too early, but perhaps fudge a bit and just use Civil War reenactor gear for the pistol - you know, cap pouch and cartridge box and all? Thing is you'd prolly have to order it, and I doubt it'd get there by next week.

(oh - and have a screwdriver and replacement hand and trigger/bolt springs on hand. )

-K