Re: 1858 Antique Finish Drop in Cylinder Conversion

[Zulch]

And .  .  .  I use Titegroup which isn't position sensitive. I would recommend it if you can find any.

Mike

Mike, thank you sir. Where have you found Titegroup? Is it pretty accessible? Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it.

[Zulch]

G. That is a fantastic video!! So easy to follow. Thank you for posting this one. Now I want to disassemble it instead of dreading it. Very "gun" inspirational video.

[Captainkirk]

Tim;
The advantage to cartridges is super simple; Instant loading with no muss, no fuss. (what the hell is a "muss" anyway?  ) You can carry cartridges in a pouch, pocket or cartridge belt. They aren't affected by wind or rain, if you are inclined to shoot in such mediums (not this child!) No loading stand needed. Every load uniform, unlike loose field loads, which probably vary by 2-3 grains. Plus, it feels badass dropping those cats into the cylinder, if that makes a difference.

As far as the cylinder goes; yes. You pull it out each time to reload. you can shuck the empties with a pencil or dowel rod...I've even used a twig in a pinch. It gives you an opportunity to wipe down the frame, cylinder pin and cylinder to keep the fouling down.

[Zulch]

Tim;
The advantage to cartridges is super simple; Instant loading with no muss, no fuss. (what the hell is a "muss" anyway?  ) You can carry cartridges in a pouch, pocket or cartridge belt. They aren't affected by wind or rain, if you are inclined to shoot in such mediums (not this child!) No loading stand needed. Every load uniform, unlike loose field loads, which probably vary by 2-3 grains. Plus, it feels badass dropping those cats into the cylinder, if that makes a difference.

As far as the cylinder goes; yes. You pull it out each time to reload. you can shuck the empties with a pencil or dowel rod...I've even used a twig in a pinch. It gives you an opportunity to wipe down the frame, cylinder pin and cylinder to keep the fouling down.

Thank you Cap. I knew you could make it clear for me, I tend to overthink. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages which don't seem to exist anyway. So acquiring drop in cylinder, empty cartridges, primers, a Lee press of sorts, a die, casting mold for bullets?? .45??, what am I leaving out here guys??

[Captainkirk]

You might want to pick up a tumbler (wet or dry, or both as the case may be) to clean the empty cases with. Helpful, but not required..

[Zulch]

You might want to pick up a tumbler (wet or dry, or both as the case may be) to clean the empty cases with. Helpful, but not required..

thanks again Cap. 

[Captainkirk]

Also, be aware...should you decide to go the smokeless route, additional equipment will likely be needed. Like a good scale, for one. And most likely a smokeless powder dispenser. You can hand dip the old fashioned way if you choose but you need to be very careful as a 2-3gr variance can ruin your day...and your gun. Just sayin'.

[Zulch]

Thanks. I think will just start BP and see what happens 👍

[Marshal Will]

BP Cartridges are a lot of fun, too. Carry a jug of water along to throw the cases in after use. That makes cleaning them really easy when you get to it.

Marshal Will, Hey. Thanks for the video. Very easy to follow. Doesn't look to awful difficult. I'm thinking that I may would like to go back and forth with cylinders. So I should leave the spring as is as you said. So here's one for you. I've never owned a drop in. So, when using a drop in it seems that you must remove it after your 6 rounds have fired. Does the back of the cylinder come off so you can easily remove the spent cartridges? I guess a small punch or pencil for pushing cartridges out is in order? So hear comes the question. I've been thinking, would it just be simpler for me to shoot BP and round ball since if I make black powder charged cartridges what am I gaining? You still have to clean the lil bugger. I get in trouble when I think too much. Just ask Dave. Seriously, is there a difference to you seasoned vets that I am missing here?  Regardless of which route I go, bottom line, I will be keeping this gun. The video you sent made the gray areas of disassembly much more clear to me. I really appreciate that.

Yes, leave the spring as it is but you can back off the tension screw some to lighten it a bit.

I filed the bottom of the cylinder pin on the end so when I pulled it back to remove the cylinder, I could take it out and use it to push out the spent cases. This only works on a long barrel where there's enough space to the loading lug to allow it.

You can order Trail Boss directly from Hodgdon when it's in stock. Currently it is out of stock. You may have to check around until someone has some available. I see it listed right now at Ammunition Camp. You may have to check around for availability.

There are other powders that work, too. Hodgdon TiteGroup is an alternative I used for years before Trail Boss came out. It has a little harder recoil but kept within CAS loading, not too hard on things. Powder Valley, Inc currently lists it available. I didn't look anywhere else for it.

[Captainkirk]

Cleaning a BP cartridge gun is no different than cleaning a cap and ball. Taylor's has a nifty little tool that allows you to pull all 6 firing pins on the cylinder backplate with ease, same as you would nipples on a C&B. Not something you need to do every time, but makes it an easy chore. Think it was like 15 bucks or so. Highly recommended.
The only difference in cleaning you will see is with your brass. And as others have mentioned, they don't need to be shiny and polished to function. Both Mike116 and I prefer shiny, polished, new-looking brass but that's a personal preference on my part. Clean, stained brass will function as well as shiny polished brass. That part is totally up to you, Tim.





You don't need to cast your own bullets to get into reloading for BPCR. Midway sells pre-cast/prelubed bullets ready to go. Make sure you get the ones lubed with SPG lube or the green-stripe bullets with the lube suitable for either BP or smokeless. If you don't intend to load smokeless the SPG is preferred. The 'blue stripe' bullets are for smokeless only.

WRT dies; I prefer the RCBS "Cowboy" dies. They are a bit more expensive than standard carbide .45LC dies but worth it IMHO. They are designed with different tolerances for .452 flat nosed cast lead bullets while the standard dies are designed more for modern jacketed bullets. You can get with me if and when you decide to order stuff and I'll steer ya straight.

[ShotgunDave]

Tim. If you go down the path of reloading, don't forget that the bullets need to be lubed. As Capt mentioned, SPG is probably the most popular lube. It is available from your favorite online retailer, Midway.

If you buy bullets already cast, make sure they are lubed for black powder use. Some are, some are not. The lube used for smokeless isn't very good for black powder use. It will turn to a hard waxy mess in the barrel. So be sure to get the right kind. If you cast your own, which I highly recommend, you'll have to lube them. Pan lubing is probably the most popular method, followed by using a lubrisizer. Pan lubing only requires a shallow pan and melted lube. The lubrisizer is another piece of expensive equipment to buy.

Is your head spinning yet? Lots to consider when converting a gun to use cartridges.

[Hawg]

Is reloading equipment becoming available again?

[Zulch]

Thanks Cap, I will look into these that you mentioned. The lubed for Black Powder ones.

Yes Dave, so much so that my neck is sore. There is more to this than I first thought. Hmmm? I will be taking baby steps toward this. Casting versus buying pre formed/lubed lead? I will look around and start doing the math. Thanks to you both for the content and explanation. A lot to think about and consider. Hawg brought up a question too. Is this stuff readily available? I will begin my search.

[Marshal Will]

From what I've seen, Midway always seems to have reloading dies and presses available. Probably the quickest way to get going is the Lee Challenger kit. Eventually one will replace everything but it gets you going for around $200. Plus a set of dies. I used one of those presses for years before getting anything else.

[Zulch]

From what I've seen, Midway always seems to have reloading dies and presses available. Probably the quickest way to get going is the Lee Challenger kit. Eventually one will replace everything but it gets you going for around $200. Plus a set of dies. I used one of those presses for years before getting anything else.

Thanks Robert, I am headed to my favorite website besides the forum here. Midway here I come!!. Guess I better check my funds too. Eeek!!