First Black Powder Questions: Colt Dragoon

Sapper33

Sapper33

Regular
Rating - 96.8%
30   1   0
Location
Okotoks
So we were at Wholesale Sports and the girlfriend fell in love with a Colt 1860 Dragoon revolver...and after holding it decided it must come home (under my name). I agreed:D

I think I've figured out what I should be getting to be geared up to use it. Pistol is a .44, but seems they actually take .451-.457 round balls, so how do I know what size to actually use?

Capacity on the cylinders in 50grains, so I'll need a measurer and FFFG powder? Missing anything here? I know there is the debate between pyrodex and BP, but I'm going to ignore that for now.

What about patches? I've seen them used, but do they have to be a certain size/material, or can I use just about anything?

Primer caps: CCI #34 has come up a few times, does this make a huge difference, or is it the difference between standard and magnum rifle primers, depends on the powder being used?

Lube: I haven't really found much on this. A website suggested that "natural" lubricants work best for sealing the cylinders (and suggested crisco if its warm enough). How does this actually work though? Is it applying "grease" to the outside of the ball before it goes down the cylinder, or do you dam the "grease" in front of the ball?

Thanks for any advise, I'm really getting anxious to bring it home.
 
The ball must be large enough that a slight ring of lead is cut off when the ball is seated. Buy a box of .457 balls, and try them. Don't ram one into an empty chamber.
You mention a Colt 1860 Dragoon revolver. An 1860 Colt is one revolver, a Dragoon is another. Which is it? It makes a difference. The Dragoon's cylinder is longer than an 1860's. Make a scoop measure to hold the powder charge. No point in using absolute maximum loads. Fired cartridge cases can be used. Little handles can be attached. The chamber capacity may be 50gr, I would be inclined to start with less, 25gr or so, if it is an 1860. When the ball is seated, it should be on the powder. Pyrodex can be substituted for black, by volume. 2 or 3FFG could be used. Do not use patches. A lubricated wad can be placed under the ball. #11 caps will likely fit the nipples. You can slather Crisco, Bore Butter, or other lube over the balls. You will notice that after the first shot there is a lot less lube over the balls that before you fired.
 
You need a powder flask and a measure. You don't want to be on the range pouring loose powder out of a 1 pound container. My vote is for FFFg Goex which is all I shoot in mine.

As said use balls sized to shed a ring of lead. Bigger = more loading effort if you have small chambers but its better than a chain fire. I agree start with .457 and adjust later as necessary.

You can put lubricated wads between the powder and balls or you can just smear lube over top of the seated balls. Crisco works fine when its not too hot, which will make it melt. Messy but keeps the fouling soft and the revolver keeps going. For shooting at the range its easier just to lube over the balls IMO. If I could carry my revolver around in a holster, I would use wads under the balls and carry with the hammer down on an empty chamber.

You're either going to need #11 or #10 percussion caps. It depends on the type of nipples your gun has and even the brand of caps. I've settled on #10 Remingtons, with #11 Remingtons as a 2nd choice. CCI caps are longer and do not work well on my revolver. Experiment.

A loading stand is also quite handy. It acts as a 3rd hand for dealing with seating balls over chambers filled with loose powder. You don't need anything fancy, just something that will hold the muzzle up while you load.

Clean up is fun. I use hot, soapy water and although it might be overkill, I take the revolver apart for thorough cleaning.
 
tiriaq has you on the right track.

If the ball doesn't seat all the way down onto the powder with a reduced load it might be a good idea to top it up with a bit of corn meal or cream of wheat to make sure that you don't ahve a seperated load. My Old Army likes one 25gr scoop of powder and then use the same scoop for cream of wheat.

Either using a wad under the bullet or grease over top reduces the chance of a chain firing. Very Very rarely the flame from the chamber you fire can ignite others. Grease and wads help prevent this and lube the bore for you.

If you find that #11 caps don't stay on try #10's or give each cap a little squeeze before you put it on to help tighten it up.

PM me if you like. I don't live far from Calgary.
 
tiriaq said:
You mention a Colt 1860 Dragoon revolver. An 1860 Colt is one revolver, a Dragoon is another. Which is it?
Click to expand...
I'm honestly not sure, it was labeled with 4 parts: "Colt" "1860" "Dragoon" and either "1st" or "2nd". From the pictures I've found, I think it's the Dragoon rather than the 1860.

Those links did really help(the second more so), I wasn't really sure what was meant by greasing, that cleared it up nicely.

As for ball size, I can understand starting at the big end and working down. But is there any risk of running TOO big a ball? If I have too big a ball, is there any risk of my not being able to get into the cylinder, or would the lead be soft enough to give the few thou. Or getting stuck down the barrel? Or would that only be an issue with extremely light loads?
 
Last edited:
Seating the ball in the chamber sizes it. The balls should be pure lead. If it takes a lot of effort to seat them, and a serious ring of lead is sheared off, a smaller diameter could be tried. A Dragoon is a very large revolver, over 3 pounds. An 1860 Army is much smaller, about two pounds, and is rather streamlined looking. It has a creeping lever for ramming the balls, rather than one that pivots on a screw.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom