time spent with my '61'

[bigted]

got to spend some intimate time with my Pietta '61 today. I was conversing with nother shooter on another forum recently and he mentioned that he just loads and shoots ... no wad nor grease ... just powder and ball, cap and shoot. also mentioned that he gets as many shots this way as he did with the lubed wads OR the grease over ball procedure.

so taking 36 balls and a flask of powder with the spout that throws 20 grains GOEX 2F powder I headed for the range to find out how many I could shoot in such a fashion.

after shooting the 36 balls thru the 5 inch barreled '61' from Pietta ... I really wished I had brought more balls with as there was a small bit of catching in one place but nothing that I perceived it would be like. im sure I could have fired many more without cleaning and to top it off ... when I got it home ... it cleaned up just like it has always done. no muss ... no fuss. didn't lead and the revolver cleaned up in spiffy fashion.

IM A BELIEVER FOR SURE !!!  ./..  ... 

[bigted]

I had a broken trigger return spring and was waiting on the mail to get another when I  ... while screwing around with an old brasser 58 remmy ... seen the trigger/bolt spring looked longer then the colts so I popped it out and surely nough ... worked just fine ... so I got to take the 61 out today after all.

this loading and shooting without lube dripping from my elbo is very nice indeed. seems like accuracy is holding as well but I need to put it on target to verify this.

this Pietta '61' is my fav C&B I have. it wears an 1860 grip frame now so my over large hands grip it tons better ... makes it an even better shooter for me now.

by the time a feller loads cases ... shoots em ... cleans the revolver ... cleans the cases ... loads the cases ... I feel im better served just loading em and shooting em at the same time in my C&B's rather then to say ... shoots JUST LIKE my Colt C&B ... when in fact I can just shoot the C&B's and be done with it. sides ... there is pomp and circumstance to these jewels like no others.

just noticed today that my arbor is getting gas cut on top where the gas blasts down on it from the firing chamber. my '62' Colt is doing the same thing tho. BUMMER. 

[Fingers McGee]

Don't worry about the gas cuts. All of my percussion revolvers have them. They will never get deep enough to cause issue. 

+1

Now you know why I like 1861s.

[StrawHat]

Colt's "Improved Navy" is the finest revolver to come from Connecticut. 

I was taught to load and fire C&B revolvers without any lube in the chamber.  Been working fine for 50+ years that way.  Doubt if I will ever change.

Kevin

[bigted]

thankyou Kevin ... I read your post on another forum and tried out your "no lube" style and gotta say that this is the best lesson learned for a long time. nothing to do but load n shoot and the blowmind is that I get just as many shots as when I used all that messy lube over, under and around. now I just enjoy the smoke in the air and the freedom of just shooting my favorite revolvers.

many thanks for the huge tip.

[NineMilePete]

I just might try this.  I guess I still would worry about accuracy and leading.

[Captainkirk]

Using a Wonder Wad does about the same thing, with a bit more feeling of security against chainfires. But the big mess of over-lube is gone.

[StrawHat]

Using a Wonder Wad does about the same thing, with a bit more feeling of security against chainfires. But the big mess of over-lube is gone.

If anyone does not know how I feel about chainfires, well...

If you have an oversized ball and squeeze it into the chamber so it shaves a ring of lead, or swage it into a chamfered chamber so it is effects a good seal, how can a spark get past it to ignite the charge?  Sorry, I don't buy into that theory.

Now, use a tight fitting ball and poorly fitting caps and see what happens.

Kevin

[bigted]

pretty amazing in that I just watched a chain fire on a you tube posting.

the first loading was of tight fitting no lube balls and they all 6 fired individually without event of any kind.

the second loading was with .445 balls and dry and the first hammer fall resulted in three chambers firing at the same time ...[chain fire].

I do not know what the feller expected with such small balls except to exhibit that indeed a chain fire is possible with too small a projectile in the chambers.

I have experienced an event when I was a kid with an old worn out Italian revolver that had oblong chambers on the cylinder. I had a massive chain fire and as it happened my dad made the painfully disturbing declaration ...["that son-of-a-bitch has to go"]. so GO it went and I stayed away from C&B's for years after that.

but it do happen and happens most especially when there is no education along with the addition of a C&B revolver and the proper care and loading required for them.

[Captainkirk]

Using a Wonder Wad does about the same thing, with a bit more feeling of security against chainfires. But the big mess of over-lube is gone.

If anyone does not know how I feel about chainfires, well...

I DO know...and I don't disagree. But it's such a quick and easy step to seat a wad under the ball, and the added security gives me peace-of-mind.

[bigted]

  ... PEACE OF MIND? priceless ... 

[Southron]

Well, what I do is to melt 60% REAL Beeswax [never, never,never use Paraffin!] and 40% Bore Butter together in a double boiler arrangement. Then I simply dip my round lead balls in the molten mixture and set them aside on a sheet of aluminum foil for the wax to cool and harden.

After the wax has hardened on the balls, I put them in a box and I am ready to go to the range. Loading at the range is a breeze...just dump the powder in the chamber with a flask and seat the lubed ball in the chamber, cap and you are ready to fire.

I tried the "naked cast round ball" thing and noticed that after shooting a few cylinders I was getting a lead build up in the barrel. Never have had any problem with leading with the "pre lubed" cast round balls I use now.

 

[bigted]

as it happens ... the other day I took my 61 out again and having shot all my 2F GOEX I dug out my leftover cartridge powder from the same maker [they do not make it anymore].

went to test another revolver and took the '61' with to fill out the day.

went to shoot the '61' and boy what a disappointment. it scattered shots all over the place. I fooled and cleaned and inspected and loaded her up again and shazam ... all over the target again. after shooting several cylinder fulls I gave it a good cleaning and finding no leading but bunch's of fouling ... I reloaded and had the same results ... very disappointing I must say.

scratchin me head as I headed home ... it occurred to me that when I was shooting this lot of cartridge ... I could never get it to shoot worth a damn. I remember that when I switched over to a fresh batch of the 2F things came together at once.

I don't know what the deal is with this powder but maybe it got wet or somehow contaminated but the crap wont shoot for beans in anything I have loaded with it. I tried BPCR with it as well as my muzzleloaders and of course the revolvers ... both the C&B and cartridge revolvers and I could never get it to perform worth shit ... even tho others swore by it and bought all they could find when they stopped making it.

guess im tryin to say that "make sure the powder is good before changing a bunch of stuff. shoot it in a known performer with good components before throwing the baby out with the bath water ...  ...