New to the Forum and making my way through the Pitfalls

[MongoRemmie]

Just wanted to say high to all as I am a new member and a newbie to BP Pistols, but from what I have read here, I seem to be on the right road as to equipment accessories.

First of all I bought my first BP from Cabella's just before Christmas and I chose the 1858 New Texas Army Remmie. I liked the looks of the brass and I had done my home work on the history of the gun. I have to say, I love this piece, the ease of reload and the accuracy.

Any way here is my progression from absolute newbie to a more seasoned newbie.

I started out with the 30 .451 balls that came with the Cabella's starter kit, but have since moved up to the Hodgdon .454 for the extra tightness. I also started out with lard to prevent chain fire and that lasted all of 6 rounds( way to messy) and I went with the lubed felt pads from Buffalo Arms. I got 500 for $15.00, but looking back I shuda taken them up on their 1000 for $20.:banghead:

Powder wise, I started with the Pyrodex Pistol Pelets and for ease of use they can't be beat, but they are expensive and break to easy in my bag, so I just recently changed to Pyrodex P powder. It works as good if not better than the pelets and is at least half the price per shot. I did the "Call Cabella's Tech Support" thing when I looked in the Pietta manual and they called for 15 grains and I said to myself "But the Pyrodex Pellets are 30 grain. After confirming that I had indeed purchase the Pistol from Cabella's they forwarded me own to a BP Techie and he said the 15 grain crap from Pietta was just that "crap" and was a cya thing and he suggested a 25 grain load, which is where I am at now and love it.

Cleaning wise, I bought some Break Free can spray from Walmart and it cleaned real well and quick, but it left my fingers numb, so I figured that can't be good for my fingers or the gun, so I ordered two 8 oz flasks of Butch's BP Bore Cleaner and have been real pleased with the results and with the citrus smell and it's gentleness on the hands.

Now I come to a pet pieve that I had and just recently solved, that being caps. I originally bought a tin of #10 CCI's and they would just not fit on the pietta nipples properly. They would fire, but you had to go around twice:banghead: and let the hammer seat them snug. I tried their #11's and they fell off. :banghead: So I went back to my local Sportsman's Warehouse and bought some of those #1075 caps from Nobel. They went on easier than the CCI #10 and stayed on better than the CCI #11's but I still was having a 30% misfire or drop off rate,,,,not good enough for me.

So I did further research an found good marks and high praises for the Remington #10 caps as they seem to have been made specifically for the pietta nipples. Problem was no one carried them locally, so I checked with Bass World an Cabella's. BW sold them in tin's of 100 for $6.95 but Cabella's only sold them in lots of 1000 for $46.85. Thinking I would just stick my toe in the water before jumping whole hog in, I went with Bass World and ordered two 100 tins for $14 and paid $5.00 for shipping (so I thought)

However checking my Debt Card ballance the next day, my $19 charge to BW had ballooned to $42.00. I called them and asked *** and they said it there was a "hazardas material charge" from Fed Ex, so I said cancel and called Cabella's and they said it was a one time blanket charge on all BP and percusion caps and applied to 100 caps or to 1000 caps and it was why they only shipped in lots of 1000, so said "put them in the mail"

They came in within days, and man they have made me a believer. Perfect fit, just snug them up with the opposite end of the in-line capper and they never fall off and fire every time.

So now this is where I am and feel totally confident that my Pietta 1858 New Texas Army will fire every time and hit what I am aiming at within 20-25 yards, so I keep it loaded, in the house, in my bedroom upstairs and any baddie that tries come upstairs will never make it to the top

So my advise to any newcomver, avoid the pitfalls I had above go straight with Pyrodex P, lubed felt wads, .454 balls, Remington Caps and stay away from those harsh Spray Can Cleaners. And oh yeah one more thing, Brasso cleans the brass parts of the 1858 New Texas Army really well and several appications of Brichwood Caeys; "Tru-Oil" to the walnut handles puts a nice sheen to the wood and seals it just fine.

 

[Macmac]

Well I hope the little six shooter is loaded with just 5 rounds... Stored loaded, upstairs it better be the hammer is resting on a empty chamber..

 

[scrat]

The number 11 caps should have worked ok. Problem though they were too loose. You need to give them a light squeeze before you put them on. This will make them a tight fit and avoid the rattle when you go to fire. Next you need to try some real black powder. Goex works very very good

 

[Elbert P . Suggins]

I'll make it short. Forget the pyrodex pellets. Try to use real powder. Use 30 grains. Size 10 Remington caps should work, if not pinch no. 11s so they stay on. Use 451, 454, or 457 size round balls. Bore butter over the top. Wash with soap and hot water and use hair dryer afterwards. Lube and spray with Remmie oil. Buy yourself a cartidge revolver of at least 38+P for home protection and use the Remmie for fun.

 

[Chawbaccer]

I think yours is a brass frame. You might consider using lighter loads, maybe 18-20 grains of Goex, a little cream of wheat on top to fill the cylinder and then the ball. I use Crisco or toilet bowl wax for lube. Nothing special is needed to clean. Bucket with some soap and hot water, drop parts in and grab a peice at a time and wash it. get it good and dry and oil it up.
Everybody will be giving you advice on what works for them, you really can't go wrong, just have your self a good time making smoke.

 

[MongoRemmie]

Macmac
Senior Member


Join Date: 12-11-07
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 1,084

Well I hope the little six shooter is loaded with just 5 rounds... Stored loaded, upstairs it better be the hammer is resting on a empty chamber..
Macmac is online now Report Post

_____________________________________
Macmac:

Good advise for Colts but perhaps your not familiar with the 1858 Remmies. They have a 12 hammer slot cylinder and the hammer can be safely parked with the hammer between two capped chambers and no need for an empty chamber like the Colts. That was one of the major breakthrough's for the 1858 Remmie over previous Remmies and Colts as well as latter Colts not to mention the over strap which strengthened the gun all around as well as the ease of cylinder removal

 

[mykeal]

MongoRemmie is a new user so perhaps he hasn't had the opportunity to consider this before.

This is from an earlier post in another thread:
This is a subject of much debate. My personal opinion is that it's SAFER to carry with the hammer on an empty chamber than on the safety notch/pin (on some revolvers there is a pin between chambers) with all 6 loaded. There is not a great deal of difference between the two, but the empty chamber does provide a little more security. Here's why:

Consider the hammer down on the safety notch/pin between two loaded and capped chambers. In this position the bolt is raised and resting against the outer surface of the cylinder between two stop notches. The only thing resisting cylinder rotation is the hammer on the pin or in the notch on the back of the cylinder. Pull the hammer back to the point where the hammer clears the notch/pin and the cylinder is free to rotate in either direction; it only needs to turn 30 degrees and the hammer is over a loaded and capped chamber; if it falls the gun will discharge.

Now consider the hammer down on an empty, uncapped chamber, between two loaded and capped chambers. In this position the bolt is raised and resting in a cylinder stop notch. Both the hammer and the bolt are prohibiting cylinder rotation. Pull the hammer back and the cylinder is still unable to move until the hammer moves far enough to lower the bolt; this hammer position is several degrees further back than in the above case. In addition, the hand will only allow rotation in one direction when the bolt clears the cylinder stop notch. Finally, the cylinder must rotate twice as far (60 degrees) to put a loaded and capped chamber under the raised hammer.

Many people argue that a good holster with flap or hammer stay makes the difference moot, but there is the issue of inadvertently catching the hammer on the holster, belt or clothing while stowing the gun - there's no holster safety mechanism to prevent that.

Finally, some argue that the small advantage in safety that one gets from carrying on empty is negated by the possibility of needing that sixth round. Perhaps; there are no statistics to evaluate that one way or the other.

Granted the advantage is small, but when you consider the possible damage that can be done by a negligent or accidental discharge, the choice to get every possible extra bit of safety one can seems obvious.

 

[DeepintheHeart]

Regarding cleanup, a guy who shoots black powder at the range (he works there) said he uses Windex with vinegar to cut through the residue immediately after shooting. I tried it and it works. You have to hunt around for it, but spraying with that and then doing the hot soap and water cleanup seems to work really well.

I'm using the #10 Remington caps and I've only had one or two malfunction. My biggest complaint, however, is with my Pietta 1851 New Navy that has two nipples that absolutely will not come off, no matter what I try. I've tried two different nipple wrenches. I've tried soaking in WD-40, another penetrating oil and finally 48 hours in kerosene. They won't budge. The nipples are so small I can't find a tool to get in there and put some serious leverage on 'em. But aside from that, I really enjoy BP shooting, and its a lot cheaper than anything else these days.

 

[MongoRemmie]

DeepintheHeart
New Member


Join Date: 12-19-08
Location: Double Oak, TX
Posts: 14

Regarding cleanup, a guy who shoots black powder at the range (he works there) said he uses Windex with vinegar to cut through the residue immediately after shooting. I tried it and it works. You have to hunt around for it, but spraying with that and then doing the hot soap and water cleanup seems to work really well.

_________________________________________________

Thanks for the above advise but I took this in another direction that you might like.

My nephew works at a car wash and he had brought my wife home a big 5 gallon plastic jug of this stuff called "Nature's Best Citrus all purpose cleaner made by Trans-Mate that they use to wash cars with.

I filled a clean pickle jar half full with this stuff and filled the rest up with water and shook it up. I got then took a small bowl, filled it up with the stuff, dropped my nipples and cylinders in there and let them soak about 30 mins and they came out clean as a whistle. I then use the remaining liquid in the bowl and cleaned the bore, frame and hammer it took every bit of the grime out, did not hurt my hands and smelled like an orange blossom.

So if you have any friends in the car wash or detailing business, give them a call and pick some of the stuff they use.