First time BP owner.

[endlessendeavor]

So after drooling over black powder revolvers for about 6 months now, I've finally ordered my first black powder firearms ever.

I've always been a shooter, but much to the amusement of my AR and XD oriented friends, have always preferred wood stocks and bolt actions. No firearm has ever provided me with fun and satisfaction to match the 1937 Mosin-Nagant 91/30 I bought on the day of my 18th birthday.

I own a Walther P38, but never particularly enjoyed handgun shooting until a buddy brought his brand new Ruger Vaquero in .45LC and a couple boxes of cowboy action loads out one day. That's when I started looking into revolvers and old west firearms, which led me to the Percussion Revolver.

The idea of black powder six-shooters and one on one loading, even meticulous cleaning appealed to me so I started to read up and finally got to the 1858 Remington, and the 1860 colt. For the last six months I've alternated which one I told myself I was going to buy like clockwork, until I finally bit the bullet and ordered the Remington from Cabelas on Thursday.

On Friday, I placed a second order for the Colt

I've decided I'm going to give one to my father for his 50th coming up next month, and wont be able to decide until I've got both in my hand. I have a feeling I'll end up owning both anyway, and just in the last couple days already like the look of 1851's in .36. I can wait a while though...

Suspense is already killing me, and I bought both #10 and #11 caps at the local store, along with some wrapping papers so I can try making paper cartridges. That's what led me here in the first place actually.

I've read up every primer, starter, tutorial and newbie guide I can find. Bring it on! I'm glad I got a young start on this hobby, no telling where I'll take it.

 

[rdstrain49]

In addition to the Colt and Remington, it sounds to me like you need a Swedish Mauser.

 

[black_powder_Rob]

Welcome to the dark side. I have done the paper cartridges thing and it does add to the speed of reloading. congrats on the new purchase(s) let us know which one you decide to keep.

 

[mykeal]

Order the book, "Percussion Pistols and Revolvers, History, Performance and Practical Use" by Mike Cumpston and Johnny Bates. It can be had from amazon.com.

 

[napp]

Welcome to the forum. I had to chuckle when I read the part about trying to decide between the Remington and the Colt. I did exactly the same thing that you did. I also ordered the Remington first. Then, I had second thoughts and ordered the 1860 Colt the next day.

Before I could make up my mind of which of them I preferred, I won an auction on GunBroker for a Rogers & Spencer. I may never know if I prefer the Remmy or the Colt; because both of them are relegated to the safe while I am at the range firing my R&S. Somehow, it is the one that always seems to jump into my range box when I leave the house.

 

[endlessendeavor]

rdstrain49: I've thought about it but my gun fund is tapped out right now. I already own the Mosin, the P38, and the 1903 Springfield as far as that era goes.

Rob: Thanks for the welcome, I'll be sure to come on and join the appropriate club once I've received them and made a decision. These kinds of things have a way of resolving themselves. It'll probably be the one that is on my nightstand closest to my bed, arranged for easy late night fondling

mykeal: I'll be sure to check it out, I've got a thing for books too and it's always good to have some on hand paper reference.

napp: Ha, good to know I'm not alone in my indecision. Thanks for the welcome. I've got the same problem with that Mosin of mine following me around. "Weren't we just going to be shooting .22's today? Yeah, I'm not really sure how that ended up in my truck. Or the ammunition. Since it's here though..."

 

[clancy12]

I also had the same difficulty deciding but I went with the 1858. My reasoning was that you don't have to bother with wedges on the Remingtons. I am thinking about picking up an 1860 also and I was wondering how much of a hassle the wedges on them are? I don't like the idea of hammering on my guns so....
Anybody have any input on how much of a hassle the wedges are? Thanks.

 

[endlessendeavor]

I'll let you know how much trouble the wedges are when mine arrives. Should be towards the end of this week or the beginning of the next.

They changed the backorder from 3 days to 3-4 WEEKS on me for the Remington 1858 target model, so I'll be waiting a while . I've considered just canceling the order and ordering the regular, but adjustable sights for $30 extra seems worth it to me.

Now on to some more practical knowledge. There doesn't appear to be a comprehensive guide to loading for these things, but based on my knowledge Pyrodex P seems to be much more consistent, if not dirtier than 777.

The main question on my mind is, and I've had a little trouble locating a good answer, what size balls do I used in each? .451, .454, or .457? Does it change a little based the specific piece in question? Is it different for the Colt and the Remington. Should I buy two sizes just to test, or will I be safe with .454 either way? Somebody needs to make a basic reference guide for this!

 

[mykeal]

One of the things about black powder that most people like is that there is no one way to do things - everyone is free to go try what he wants to see if he likes it. You will be safe with a .454 ball; you may or may not get the best performance with it. The same thing goes for the gun itself - it will be safe (assuming you understand and practice safe firearms techniques) but you may or may not get the best performance out of it. The ubiquitous 'wads vs grease', 'chain fires start from the back or the front', 'how to clean' and even 'Colt vs Remington' rants are evidence of the wide variety of things about this sport that have no simple, easy, one size fits all answers.

Keep in mind that you're buying a cheap gun; $200 for a firearm is pretty inexpensive, so don't expect it to be a Kimber. It's possible the chambers are smaller than the bore groove diameter; it's not a precision instrument. The chambers on your gun may be different than one built two years ago. Just because it's the same model and brand doesn't mean everything is exactly the same. And there's no set of minimum standards out there that everyone adheres to; take cap sizes for example. Remington No. 10's are not the same size as CCI No. 10's. The same goes for No. 11's. And RSW doesn't even use that numbering system. And if you assume Remington No. 11's are larger than No. 10's, well, wrong again.

The basic reference guide is: think about what you're doing, be safe, and have fun. And don't expect that just because someone says it works for him that it will be the best thing for you - just smile, say thank you, and give it a try with a grain of salt in the background.

 

[endlessendeavor]

Thanks for the answer mykeal.

Honestly it's exactly what I was looking for. I just wanted to make sure that in the reading I've done I didn't somehow miss out on some piece of encompassing universal knowledge.

Based on the other posts of yours I've read on this forum you seem to be fairly knowledgeable and experienced in the hobby so hearing what essentially boils down to "Experiment and find whatever works best according to your preferences" makes me feel a lot better about not going into something for once not knowing exactly what to expect and how to handle it.

Sounds like it'll be a long time hobby of much trial, error, and experimentation. Just the kind of thing that can hold my attention hopefully.