...to carry my 1860 afield? What way to carry reloads? I have a cheap holster, but not much else. What do you guys recommend, (assuming I can get that Guns of the West paper cartridge maker), to carry a BP revolver afield for a day of small game hunting?
If you're going to make cartridges, I would suggest a belt, and depending on how many rounds you want to carry, a leather cartridge box. I believe the regulation box for revolver held 12 rounds, was small and worn on the belt. For more ammo a carbine cartridge box worn on the belt isn't too big and would probably hold 30-40(?) cartridges. A tooth brush, rag, maybe a capper, knife with a screw driver blade, and a snuff tin for grease. You'll probably already be carrying some water, possibly a rod and bore brush if it's an all day outing.
The leather goods can be had from S&S Firearms www.ssfirearms.com
I use a empty tooth past tube to carry Crisco as grease to seal the chambers . Blow in to the tube to open it up rinse it with hot water when it is clean melt Crisco and use a funnel to more it in till full then stand it up till it cools .
Many years ago when I was a kid and used my '51 Navy to hunt small game, I carried a leather hunting pouch that held my flask, a deerskin ball bag and I have always poured my homemade lube into an empty 500 count musket cap tin. I also rolled up an old washcloth in the pouch to use for wiping the gun down outin the field if needed I had a best that I carried the holstered pistol on as well as a standard civil war cap pouch. If you or your better half sew, it's pretty easy to make a pouch and shoulder strap out of canvas, pillow ticking or similar heavy material to carry things in. I still use a tarred civil war haversack no to carry the necessities in.
If you are going the cartridge route - and don't need a lot of cartridges for the day, the suggestion for the belt pistol cartridge box is a good one . . or . . . if you are going to be doing a lot of shooting, a civil war carbine cartridge box would work well too - you could make a wood block for the box insert and instead of drilling it like would be for carbine cartridges, get a forester bit the correct size for you cartridges and drill as many holes as you can get deep enough to set the cartridges in but yet make i easy to pull them out as needed.
Or, depending on the finished size of your cartridges - since a conical and a round ball cartridge could vary in OAL - you might see how many would fit side by side in something like an empty Altoid tin It would protect the cartridges from damage, easy to open and carry as many as you need.
A couple of hikes out here in the desert will act as a shake down for you and you'll figure out just what you need and what you don't. I'm assuming that you'll have a canteen or water bottle of some type with you so you'll have water and a cloth of some kind to wipe the pistol down. If you find the need to be able to clean it because fo the amount of shooting you do . . . you can carry patches in an Altoi tin or old cap tin and one of those compact pistol cleaning kits with the correct jag, etc. and if necessary, a small plastic bottle with a screw top like you can buy in a drugstore to carry a water based cleaning solution.
If you're going to roll your own, I would think that they would be just the huckleberry for hikes and hunts as you wouldn't need a flask or a bag of balls/conicals. Easy to reload the pistol - if you can use a capper on your pistol, elimination of a belt cap pouch or fumbling with a tin of caps every time you reload. Sounds like fu)n and watch out for the rattlers!
Ok so now you've done it. Rattlers.
Has anyone tried loading the .45 Colt Speer shot capsules in a C&B revolver? Or the .357 size?
No, but what an idea...
Last edited by armoredman; 11-21-2021 at 01:22 AM.
Sorry rattle rattle rattle . . .
Interesting thought on the shot .. . . I have used them in my 38 cartridge revolvers but never though about i a cap and ball . . so , , , just food for thought . . .
I don't use felt wonder wads and haven't for years. I do some leatherwork and I take my scraps of leather - approx 1/8" thick . . . and punch my wads for overpower in C & B where you would use a wider wad. I melt my homemade lube in a plastic dish in the microwave - dip and pat with paper towel. They are stiffer than a wonder wad and work very well. I mention what I do das they are "stiffer" than a wonder wad. So I'm sundering if you couldn't use a stiffer over he powder card to push the shot charge - seat it firmly on the powder - or use stiff cardboard material like over the powder cards are made form - then put in you shot charge and put either a wonder wad or a punched over he shot card over the shot and then apply lube over it. You would have to figure your powder and shot stacking height to correspond with your chamber depth. Have no idea how it would pattern but it would be worth a try just for curiosity sake.
I don't know how the plastic shot capsules would work as I have found that in seating in a cartridge case I have had to have the expansion of the mouth just right as they can be somewhat fragile when seating.
Or . . . depending on your power/wad/shot column height and chamber depth - you might be able to make a male/female jig . . . similar to what you use for your cartridge making - and make a paper wrapped shot charge that would just drop in on top of the over the powder card and then once inserted put an over the shot card or wonder wad in and thumb seat/lube.
charlie . . you could always carry some of those great hot peppers from over your way and just toss 'em at the snakes . . . . . they'll be too busy looking for a glass of water to put the fire out to want to bother anybody!
When I was a teen and hiked a lot I used to carry my 1858 in a flap holster with wads in one front pocket,balls in the other,cap tin in the watch pocket, and the flask in my hip pocket.
LOL, yeah, but I'd have to ask the rattler if he wanted green or red
Shot capsules are a bit fragile. Would probably have to limit them to the first round fired. Or maybe a .410ga shot cup and a overshot wad pushed in on top. Would probably still need to be the first round fired.
Originally Posted by Ithaca Gunner
Is this the cartridge box that you had in mind? https://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=L11
When you care enough to send the very best, send an ounce of lead.
I saw someone try to shoot a rabbit with two loads of Snake Shot.
He didn't hit Jack.
I wonder who that was...but the bunny heard whistling through his ears...
This box looked interesting, with the attached cap box included.
https://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=L42
I have deer hunted with an 1860 sucsessfully. I didn't carry anything with me other than the loaded gun. I figure if I can't kill one in five shots I better stay home.
That's the pistol box, I believe it only holds 12 rounds. The carbine box looks very much like it, but bigger for 20 (?) rounds of carbine ammo which would probably hold 30+ revolver cartridges. I believe the price is about the same.
Here's the carbine box https://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=L19
Last edited by Ithaca Gunner; 11-24-2021 at 06:50 PM.
I can't imagine deer hunting, even our scrawny Arizona deer, with an 1860! But our bunnies are fast and wily, and can bag up to a nice meal if you can get enough of them.
There are always the Javalena out here in the desert and lots of Coyotes
, That is if you can sneek up on them.
I have never tried cartridges in either of the ones I had. I just loaded from scratch. I do have a leather "belt box" similar to that posted by armoredman. It carries ball just fine so it should work for cartridges.
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.
carry some fresh liver on ya, and some rabbit lure. Coyote wont stay far away at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbjiKIKzY3c
@ogre.
That wasn't a joke.
It really happened.
Right Armoredman
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