Any 1860 Army shooters?

[Helen Keller]

I got a new steel frame 8" on the way and was wondering if anyone else played with these.


Preferred powder? cap?
crisco or some home made batter for the cyclinders or just buy wonder wads?



any trick or quinky-dinks you do?








Really considered buying the detachable buttstock for it too but those are almost the price of the gun.

[old Grump]

Not sure what a quinky dink is but I have the 1861, two walkers and a ROA. I just shoot dry because I rarely fire more than one cylinder full at a time but if I do a wonder wad will work, just set it over the powder before you set the ball in. I have a can of Crisco in my shop for extended shooting sessions. Not sure about your gun but 30 gr of FFFg should be an accurate load, I do 35 - 40 in my ROA and 40 - 45 in my Walkers but they have more capacity than your gun. For a light target load 20 gr of FFFg and 10 cornmeal for a filler works nice. With round ball at 25 yards my groups equal the groups from my Dan Wesson .357. I bet yours does the same.

[Schuetzenman]

Don't have a cap n ball revlover anymore but I did have one for a long time and shot it a lot, it was a Remington New Model Army .44. I always like the RWS percussion cap. Holy shit! I just looked them up on Dixie Gun Works web site the damn caps are $10.95 for 1 tin of 100 caps!!!!!!! I use to pay $20 bucks for 1,000 of these things, that was 2 cents each and now they're 11 cents! OMG!

[alismith]

#11 caps should work fine. I've used Crisco for volume shooting (it really greases up the gun, but makes clean up easier), but don't recommend it for anything but immediate shooting as it is runny), I've used melted candle wax for over bullet protection if I were going to keep the gun loaded for extended periods of time, and I'm currently, using Wonder Wads, as they are the easiest/cleanest way to keep the gun loaded for long periods of time.

I prefer to use BP, but since it's gotten harder to come by around here, I've switched to Pyrodex and Triple 7. The newer powders shoot much cleaner and tend to lubricate the barrel a little, but you still have to clean everything up as soon as possible after you're done shooting.

The best way to totally clean the gun is to take it apart and let all the metal sit in super hot, soapy water for about 10 minutes, then clean as you would any other gun. Make sure it's dry after cleaning, then lightly coat the metal with oil. Prior to shooting again, clean all the oil off, and you're good to go.

If you ever get a Remington-style revolver, try to get a couple of extra cylinders, as they make for faster reloading times. If I go out hiking, and take my Remington, I, usually, carry two extra cylinders with me. It cuts reloading time down to about 10-15 seconds.

You'll find that BP revolvers are almost as accurate as center fire revolvers at the same distances.

[O.S.O.K.]

The #11's may be a bit large but you can still use them by pinching them a little to make them stay on. Most cap and balls have nipples sized for #10 caps.

I have a standard model 1860 Pietta and it shoots great. I also have a couple of 5 1/2" Sheriff's models and they are also a hoot. I used to have a snub nosed version like alismith posted in that other thread but sold it some time ago - you can get a good price for them!

Here's my Sheriff's models:



And my Pietta 1858 target model (has adjustable sights):




I like Pyrodex P and use about 30 grains under an ox-yoke wonder wad and either a .451" or .454" Hornady round ball depending on the revolver for my 44's - the 1860's tend to be good with .451" and my 1858 wants .454".

I clean with Ballistol and TC Bore Butter.

[ROCK ME AMADEUS]

Well shot mine yesterday for the first time.
started with 25gr of GOEX FFG , .454 hornady roundball heavily lubed in alox .
stepped up to 30gr and I'm satisfied with that.


pretty neat, was able to hit a hanging jug a 30 yards with it.





Now I just need to get a powder dispenser I can set to my charge so I can load the powder faster.

[davepool]

#11 caps should work fine. I've used Crisco for volume shooting (it really greases up the gun, but makes clean up easier), but don't recommend it for anything but immediate shooting as it is runny), I've used melted candle wax for over bullet protection if I were going to keep the gun loaded for extended periods of time, and I'm currently, using Wonder Wads, as they are the easiest/cleanest way to keep the gun loaded for long periods of time.

I prefer to use BP, but since it's gotten harder to come by around here, I've switched to Pyrodex and Triple 7. The newer powders shoot much cleaner and tend to lubricate the barrel a little, but you still have to clean everything up as soon as possible after you're done shooting.

The best way to totally clean the gun is to take it apart and let all the metal sit in super hot, soapy water for about 10 minutes, then clean as you would any other gun. Make sure it's dry after cleaning, then lightly coat the metal with oil. Prior to shooting again, clean all the oil off, and you're good to go.

If you ever get a Remington-style revolver, try to get a couple of extra cylinders, as they make for faster reloading times. If I go out hiking, and take my Remington, I, usually, carry two extra cylinders with me. It cuts reloading time down to about 10-15 seconds.

You'll find that BP revolvers are almost as accurate as center fire revolvers at the same distances.

When you say, ''take it apart to clean" do mean remove the cylinder and grips and soak it it, or is this a complete disassembly, trigger group, hammer etc

[alismith]

When you say, ''take it apart to clean" do mean remove the cylinder and grips and soak it it, or is this a complete disassembly, trigger group, hammer etc

For the Remington style revolvers:
I don't completely disassemble the frame. I just take the cylinder out, remove the nipples and clean the barrel and frame with a cleaning brush/patch just like a centerfire revolver (suing BP solvent instead of regular gun solvent). However, I do use an old toothbrush and some BP solvent to clean around the barrel on the cylinder side of the frame. I use pipe cleaners and a little solvent to clean around the hammer and that part of the frame.

The only parts I completely immerse in hot soapy water are the cylinder and nipples. Then I brush them out, rinse them off with clean, hot water, then dry them with a hair dryer. After they sit for a while, I apply a light coating of gun oil on everything metal. The next day, I dry off the oil and reload it, if I'm going to be shooting it anytime soon.

I disassemble everything about once a year and check for any rust on the springs, etc. If everything looks okay, then I reassemble and I'm ready to go. If not, then I clean it off, oil it and reassemble.

Pipe cleaners are really handy for getting into the small places, like inside the nipples and the threads of the cylinder where the nipples screw in.

Tightly rolled up paper towels are great for sucking moisture out of hard to reach places, especially inside the nipples.

For the Colt style:
I do most of the above, plus I dismantle the loading lever from the barrel and immerse the barrel and loading lever in water, too. Then, clean as with the Remington, rinse, dry, oil, and reassemble.

[O.S.O.K.]

Helen you get your 1860 yet?

[ROCK ME AMADEUS]

Helen you get your 1860 yet?

Well shot mine yesterday for the first time.
started with 25gr of GOEX FFG , .454 hornady roundball heavily lubed in alox .
stepped up to 30gr and I'm satisfied with that.
pretty neat, was able to hit a hanging jug a 30 yards with it.
Now I just need to get a powder dispenser I can set to my charge so I can load the powder faster.

That's what I said.



Long story short, I really hate computers sometimes.

[ROCK ME AMADEUS]

Have a new repro "Walker" on the way.

[Helen Keller]

I found a USED UNFIRED in the box Stoeger Walker today for $275..



I'll probly pick it up next week as the gun store was full of .22lr disenfranchised zombies..



so I'll have 2 Walkers and my 1860 ..

I've been buying more BP and caps lately than I have anything else.

[raxar]

I got a natty old italian brass framed remington copy a couple months back for $20, took it out once but forgot the crisco so I had to use it as a single shot, haven't taken it out since.

[davepool]

From what I've learned and tried, if a small ring of lead shaves off of the ball when you load it in the cylinder indicating a tight fit in the cylinder, the chances of a chain fire occurring are minimal

[davepool]

I found a USED UNFIRED in the box Stoeger Walker today for $275..



I'll probly pick it up next week as the gun store was full of .22lr disenfranchised zombies..



so I'll have 2 Walkers and my 1860 ..

I've been buying more BP and caps lately than I have anything else.

Me too, and this thread started it all for me. I don't know if i should thank you or curse you , but i'm hooked on BP shooting now, i don't even take my cartridge guns to the range with me any more.

[raxar]

From what I've learned and tried, if a small ring of lead shaves off of the ball when you load it in the cylinder indicating a tight fit in the cylinder, the chances of a chain fire occurring are minimal

I think you should put that theory to the test...

[alismith]

I think you should put that theory to the test...

That's a surefire way to invoke Murphy's Law (pun intended).

[Helen Keller]

I coat my balls in Alox....

[old Grump]

I load 6 in all my black powder revolvers and never put Crisco on top of the bullet. Your chain fire would come from a cap malfunction setting off a neighboring cap. There is no way that a ball seated snugly in the chamber will allow any embers past it to the powder for a chain fire. A wad with a little crisco or a bag of wonder wads made by Ox-Yoke over the powder and under the ball is all you need for lube. It won't affect the powder but I like to dribble a little cornmeal on top of my powder charge to help fill the chamber so it doesn't touch the powder anyway. If I'm going hunting and carrying in a holster then I leave the red chamber unloaded and let my hammer sit on that one. No need to go single shot.

[Kadmos]

Sadly the caps are sized differently between brands, so you kinda have to experiment and see what works best.

My preference is Remington caps, although to be fair they are often a real pain in the butt. The primer material falls out easily, so you have to check and make sure it's in there. And they tend to blow apart and jam up the gun easier.

The CCI caps are better made, but they are often harder to put on and seat correctly, plus they require a harder hit.

I've had alot of CCI caps that needed to be hit twice, or really forced on pretty hard to seat, which makes me a bit nervous.

For powder I use Goex 3f for everything. There is nothing like using real black powder if you can get it!

I prefer to use a wonder wad under the ball also, have done grease over the ball, but it's messy...although it does keep the gun from binding up as quickly.

Get or make a loading stand, it really helps.