BP spiller and burr

[pakmc]

i'm thinking of getting a spiller and Burr BP pistol (NIB) does anyone have any experience with these?and yes, it's in 36 caliber.

[Battis]

I have a very old one. They're brass framed copies of a Whitney. Nice guns, you gotta keep the loads low due to the brass. Who makes the one you're looking at?
Here's my Spiller & Burr above an original Whitney .36.

[arcticap]

I don't have one, but from what I can glean the S&B is different from the Remington in it's breakdown for removing the cylinder.
There is a protruding, flat, "wingnut-like switch" on the side of the frame which has to be turned 180 degrees to unlock the arbor which is a part of the lever arm and bullet ram.
Once unlocked, the lever is dropped down then pulled forward and out. The cylinder can then be removed to the right.

[Walks]

I had one 20yrs ago. I liked it well enough. But in Cowboy Shooting, ya need a matched pair. And I preferred the COLT Navy. So I sold it and bought another COLT Navy.

[toot]

i have had one for a # of yrs. 12 to be exact. stretching of the frame was found out to be caused by forcing very over sized balls into the cylinder using the loading rod under the barrel over the years. what re leaves that problem is to take the cylinder out and load it and put it back in. so load with the rite DIA. RB'S and you should get many years of service. so get it and enjoy.

[Battis]

How does that stretch the frame? It might bend the loading arm. Shooting over powered loads can loosen a brass frame, or damage the recoil shield.

[rodwha]

Would have thought the smaller 20 grn load with a ball was small enough to keep the recoil shield from getting battered.

[Battis]

My Spiller & Burr was damaged before I got it. It's a tough question as to how old this gun really is. "Knowledgeable people" (note the quotation marks) have told me they thought it is an original, but I think it's a great defarb job done by a knowledgeable, skilled, clever person. I should start a thread on this gun and ask opinions about its age.

[bedbugbilly]

I've never owned one but have shot several of them that others owned. They're a decent shttoign revolver with a nice history behind them. The repros aren't 100% detail accurate but the "spirit" is certainly there. Like any brasser, just don't load them up heavy and you'll be just fine. Like any C & B - you'll probably find that it shoots high but the S & B is an easy one to switch the front sight out of and put a taller on in - use a piece of brazing rod - turn the base down in the drill press with a file and soft solder in after you've removed the one that came in the barrel. IIRC, Pietta is the only one making them and supply is sketchy - I'm thinking of adding one myself as I love Navy caliber single actions. As far as ball size - all you need is to measure and find a size the will allow a lead ring when you seat the ball int he chamber - my guess is that a .375 would probably be sufficient on the S & B but measure the chargers to make sure. Trying to cram and oversize ball in to a chamber, reforming it to a conical as you do so and over stressing the loading lever is never a good idea - let common sense prevail.

Good luck and if you get one, I'd love to see you post what you think of it.

[KCSO]

If you stick with 20 grains of fffg and a round ball you should get over 5000 rounds down the tube easy, way more than most people will shoot in a life time. My buddy is still shooting a REB 1851 he bought from Navy Arms in 1969 and it has been shot at least the 5000 rounds, mostly with home made ctg 17 grains and a round ball.

[pakmc]

Hi, Bedbugbilly, I"ve got the spiller and burr shot in now. it really likes 777 fake powder. I tried trippleFg and I'm not impressed with it at all. it seems to take the #10 caps. I had to adjust my powder measure to about 15gr's of 777. I'm getting a pretty impressive crack with it. and right now it's shooting about a foot high at 10 yards. I did run the plate rack twice in a row with it. I beveled the front of the cylinder holes so I['mnot shaving lead when I put the ball in.(remember lube between the wad and the ball.) I never had to clean the barrel but the cylinder pin had to be cleaned several times to keep the cylinder turning ok, its easier to load the cylinder out of the frame the way I'[m having to load the cylinder with a verable measuring gage. so I pour the powder and put a wad in each hole. reload the cylinder back into the frame(there's is a trick to it. very easy after you figure out the trick!) then use the rammer to put the wad hard on the powder, then grease the wad and ram the balls down. I capped it with # 10's and I"m ready to go.
I picked up a as new 1851 navy Thursday with a 7 inch? barrel it shoots great with 28gr's of 777, behind a .44 ball(.454 ball) it was a deal I couldn't let go. I couldn't tell if it had been fired or not , but at $150.00 who cares? it only shoots about 9 inches high at 10 yards. and yes, both of these guns are pietta's.ok, but I still like ubertis.

[45 Dragoon]

Toot is correct, loading oversized balls will in fact bend a brass frame. That is exactly how my Remington came to an end (back in the 1980's). It also perfectly illustrates WHY the perimeter framed revolver isn't stronger than the Colt open top arbor system. You'll shear the leaver screws loading oversized balls in an O.T. before you bend the frame!! I've been posting this for years, the O.T. frame setup is very robust and compact. The perimeter or "top strap" frame is easier/cheaper to manufacture which is why it "won" as THE frame system to use . . . . not because of strength.

Mike