Cap and ball reloading procedure?

BCRider said:
When I started with my first C&B revolvers about 8 years back I was looking around at options. A guy was using cooking oil. One drop over the balls and that was it. I liked the simplicity and lack of mess so I tried it. 8 years later I love the method. One drop from a small plastic bottle in the joint between the ball and chamber wall and it wicks around thanks to surface tension and seals. And if I only use the ONE drop instead of a big squirt it stays in place just fine.
Click to expand...

I've been shooting C&B for yars and I just learned something! Thank you for the tip re: Canola oil. I'll ty it. And the 'J' pipe cleaner trick. Up to now I've only used them to lear flash holes after I've pricked them with a wire after charging.
 
Olive oil is often used in patch and BP bullet lubes, so perhaps any natural oil will be effective.
(Olive, Canola, Neatsfoot)
Canola is the cheapest.
I'll have to give it a try.

Interestingly, Crisco was the go-to BP lube for a lot of shooters back in the day, and probably is still used by many.
All that it is is hydrogenated oils.
Originally palm oil, it is now a mixture of soybean oil and vegetable oils.

So again, natural oils and perhaps some beeswax works best.
 
+2 on the naturals...I tried BC Riders tip ( THANKS!! ) with canola yesterday,worked like a charm, going to keep doing that. About a year ago I tried to be a smarta$$ and thought, no petroleum based, eh?...let's try 0/40 Full synthetic, as it works like a charm on my semis and other revolvers. It didn't turn to tar, wether with Pyrodex or schuetzen powder,cleans off easily But after about 8 shots it gumms so bad,you have to take the hand to help the cylinder turn when cocking. After that I shot mostly dry. Lasts longer...but lasts even twice longer with canola, and that stuff is only $6 for 3 liters at co-op.

CG
 
Just spreadin' the love guys, justs spreadin' the love...... :) I've gotten lots of early help for my BP shooting from folks that post here. So I'm happy that I'm able to give a little something back.

Don't miss putting that drop of oil onto the base pin or arbor right at the front of the cylinder. That's a key spot to oil every time you load up so it blasts in and frees up the fouling and keeps the cylinder spinning easily.

Just about the only thing it can't do is keep the darn cap shards from falling down between my palm and the grips... :)
 
So I did my first shoot yesterday. It was some of the most fun I've had at the range! It was also the most tedious :(
Shot a cylinder of 24gr first. Very mild. Next i upped it to 30gr. Probably felt like 38sp. The last two cylinders were 35gr. That was more like it! Flash, BOOM, and smoke :).

I just wish it was quicker to reload. Probably took me 10 minutes per haha.

I had treated the gun with froglube only, and she started to bind midway through the third cylinder. A drop of canola oil here and there fixed things right up. A spray with moosemilk before heading home, and a little water at home and she's good as new.

I think I like the holy black, but cap and ball just can't put lead downrange very fast. I guess I save money that way though!
 
It'll get faster. With a little practice you can get it reloaded, capped and ready to go in around 3 minutes. 4 tops.

A simple stand to hold the gun pointed up while you load helps a heap. If you don't have one yet make one up. Ideally one that breaks down quickly to aid with transporting it.
 
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