Question for the Cap 'n' Balling Ladies and Gentlemen

[wild44blackhawkbill]

what kind of powder are you using real black powder or a fake one ? if you are using a fake black powder the fouling is as hard as a rock and the grease will not keep it soft , back when i only had a 1860 army colt and hunted with it and relied on it to work every time , i would use little pieces of some small red tubing that was just a little smaller than the cap to slip over the cap and nipple as a retainer and to seal out water , CVA makes cap collars , but small tubing works fine and its cheap , you also want to be sure your nipples are not burned out , this lets gas blow the cap off , a heavy main spring helps too , .. in the book "sixguns " by Elmer Keith , he tells of his neighbor a ex-cavalry civil war veteran showing him how to load and shoot a colt 36 cal cap and ball , and he said that he filled the chamber almost full of 2fg black powder " yes 2 f not 3 f ", used a wool hat felt wad and seated the ball just below the chamber mouth " no grease or lube " he then pinched the caps put them on , and upon firing he let the gun recoil up and re- cocked while it was at the 90 degree angle to let the cap pieces fall out the frame of the gun , i have found this too works and might caution you this is a really stout load , but very capable of stopping man or beast a like , .. it takes a lot of trial and error , these guns are really a lost black art, i recommend the book too , is a great read but its not cheap ..

[Tower75]

I use real black. 2F

Seems to work well with beswax wads, but the cap-jams annoy me. Don't think I'd have the ability to cock while recoiling. I find it hard to cock one-handed anyway. When I try cocking onehanded, with my shooting hand, I find I get a lot of muzzle-wave, and on a range it can be frowned upon. I normally cock with my left hand while pointing downrange with the right.

[dromia]

Aye he was some laddie Elmer. I used to look forward to his column in Guns and Ammo in the good old days when gun comics used to have good writers who said what they found and thought along with robust editorship. All the gun comics do now is of their advertisers.

Elmer's books Sixguns and Sixgun Cartridges and Loads were standard reading in my young pistol days.

[greenshoots]

The only thing that annoys me about my "Colt" and the general Colt design is it too easy for the fired caps to jam up the action. I normally only get through 3 or 4 shots before a cap jams the

there is a fix for that think its on a guys web page cap baylor tex rangers

greenshoots

[Doz]

If you don't mind doing a bit of surgery, this might be worth a read.

[Tower75]

That's quite a good idea. Thanks

Unfortunately, outside my skill-base. My tools consist of; hammer, screwdriver, rock.

[Doz]

Looking at the pics, I think that's what he used...

[wild44blackhawkbill]

Aye he was some laddie Elmer. I used to look forward to his column in Guns and Ammo in the good old days when gun comics used to have good writers who said what they found and thought along with robust editorship. All the gun comics do now is of their advertisers.

Elmer's books Sixguns and Sixgun Cartridges and Loads were standard reading in my young pistol days.

my fondest child hood memories are of staying awake at night , when i should have been sleeping to go to school the next morning , reading and re-reading the Elmer Keith articles in Guns&Ammo , dreaming about the days of high adventure and the day i would own a 44 mag .

[idge]

Hi Tower just wondering how your getting on with your colt replica, I am seriously considering getting an 1860 army so are you happy with your choice of black powder pistol ?

Thanks Clive

[Tower75]

Hi Tower just wondering how your getting on with your colt replica, I am seriously considering getting an 1860 army so are you happy with your choice of black powder pistol ?

Thanks Clive

Hi, idge.

To be honest, I haven't shot it in a while. I was still using loose powder, wads and ball. I was considering making up paper cartridges, bu haven't gotten around to it, yet.

I'm happy with the revolver as a whole, yes. It hits what I aim at. The main thing that annoys me are the cap-jams. But that might be just me.