Shooting black powder revolvers

[Gundogblue]

I’m gonna be out with the smoke wagons this week end, normally I snap a cap on each cylinder before actually loading and shootin the gun. But percussion caps being so hard to find these days, I’m wondering if I clean the cylinders real good and blow dry them if that would be enough to avoid waiting 6 percussion caps, what do Ya’ll think?
Paul

[Wayne Smith]

Do you use paper cartridges or just powder? If you left oil in the cylinder it might interfere with powder. That would be the only caveat I would have. I assume you have a pick to open flash holes.

[Outpost75]

Use a straightened paperclip to clear each nipple before loading. Hold the gun up to the sky and look through the nipples, rotating each chamber in turn to be sure you can see daylight through the nipple. If chambers are clean and dry and nipples clear you are GTG.

[Win94ae]

I've never used caps with an empty chamber to clean the holes out, I simply cleaned the holes out with a needle or whatnot, and made sure the chambers were free of excessive oil.

When I look through the chambers to see the flash hole, I don't just look for light, but for a perfectly round hole.

I only ever had problems when using black powder substitute.

Good luck!

[onelight]

I would clean my chambers with brake cleaner you can also see it blow through the nipple with the tube attached to the can , oil the outside of the cylinder being careful not to get any in the nipples or chamber after cleaning. that was my method during deer season when I might go a week without firing it and I did not want to pop caps on it.
Before loading I would also let a drip of wax fall on each nipple with my thumb over the end of the nipple so the cap would be sealed. I carried for a week or more in off and on rain several times , and it always fired when I pulled the trigger.
So aerosol degreasers like brake cleaner will do it and verify the nipples are clear . Not the only way to do it but a way to do it.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Dry the cylinder , give it a shot of air and it will be good , I used to pop caps before loading , but find no need if dry patches are used and air compressor just assures the deal .

[hawkenhunter50]

I do like Onelight and remove the cylinder and hit it with a shot of brake cleaner, and I'll run a pipe cleaner thru the nipples.

[RogerDat]

Seems like one can check a revolver much easier than a rifle. I would think getting a load in a rifle with blocked nipple/passage would be bad enough to waste a cap in order to avoid it happening.

[megasupermagnum]

Snapping caps is a waste of time and money. If you can see light through the holes, it will fire. Just don't get the cylinder dripping wet with oil. A few passes with a dry patch will mop up any excess if you think you need it.

[charlie b]

I use some alcohol to clean out my rifle before shooting. Just squirt it through to make sure there is no oil left in the flash channel or patent breech.

When I had a revolver I'd just clean the oil out before I left the house.

[hondo1892]

You can use rubbing alcohol also to clean the oil out. I use it to clean my flintlocks before shooting and it works great. Only time I've really ever had problems with oil causing problems is when I loaded a rifle for hunting and the load sat several hours before firing. The load didn't want to go off the first couple tries. I've loaded flint rifles up without running a dry patch down the barrel and they fired first time. However they were fired right after loading.

[sharps4590]

I'm with megasupermagnum. If it's been more than a couple weeks since you shot and cleaned your revolver, if you can see through the nipples, it will go bang, unless you slathered a petroleum based oil in the cylinders. Never saw any purpose to that either. I quit snapping caps on empty cylinders 30 years ago. As others have mentioned, I play a different game with rifles.

[bedbugbilly]

The only thing I ever snap a cap on is a rifle or shotgun. I always clean my cylinders before I go shooting - make sure chambers are dry from any oil and the same as the nipples. An inspection before loading of the nipples looking down the chambers will show if the cone hole is round and clear and open. Even before percussion caps got expensive . . . I was "cheap". :-)

[Tar Heel]

Carry a pipe cleaner in your range kit.

[M-Tecs]

Stopped snapping caps in the late 70's with the exception of when I load for hunting rifles. I use alcohol followed by a couple of caps before I load it. The rifle may stay loaded for a couple of weeks. Never had an issue.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

After a Q-tip with alcohol then a dry one through each cylinder hole, I pick the flashhole/nipple with a thin wire/ paper clip/ nipple pick before capping. I pick the nipple before and after loading for the first cylinder full, then after loading for subsequent shooting, though probably not needed after first firing.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I swab my rifle barrel , and swab again I give it a shot of air and another swab , if last swab shows no oil , or other contaminates I load , I have left it loaded for several years , no problems first cap lights it off .

I oil my bores when done cleaning to prevent rust , and as long as I run dry patches down till it shows dry I have had no problems , flintlocks are the same routine , as how do you pop a cap on them .

I do not carry a nipple pick or wire with me , I do carry a nipple wrench and if needed I would pull nipple . Works for me , maybe not you .

[onelight]

Carry a pipe cleaner in your range kit.
I did that with my revolvers too.

[Good Cheer]

Yeah, what they said.
My favorite method is to twist a twisted up paper towel into each chamber to make it squeegee clean and check the nipples (inside and out) for oil. If the piece is going to be loaded for longer than immediate shooting I pull the nipples for that paper towel routine to avoid seepage from oiled nipple threads.

[dtknowles]

Snapping caps is a waste of time and money. If you can see light through the holes, it will fire. Just don't get the cylinder dripping wet with oil. A few passes with a dry patch will mop up any excess if you think you need it.

I don't think you need to snap a cap but it is quicker than all the extra precautions people are recommending. Does not take a minute to put on and snap the caps and even if they cost you 10 cents each that is 60 cents, I don't call that money.

Tim

[Tar Heel]

If you are having to sop up oil like gravy on a biscuit, you are over-oiling. I'm sure that is not what you are doing but I have seen folks at the range pull out their C&B revolvers and it looked like the factory machine oil was all over it. With proper cleaning and oiling, I have never had to bust a cap to dry the flash channel. I carry the pipe cleaners to ensure nothing is in the nipple and just run the pipe cleaner into them to ensure nothing got in there. I use the same 2" cleaner all the time. If it ever came out wet or oily, I would be very interested to discover what had happened. No need to waste caps and/or clog up the flash channel with cap crap.