Questions about BP revolvers...

[mustang_steve]

Hey folks, new BP shooter here.

Long story, as a belated birthday gift, my father decided to send me a replica Navy Colt revolver.  I don't know the specifics on it yet, nor what's included....It'll be in my hands this saturday.

I am interested in knowing what would be "period correct" for this firearm though...as far as bullets, powder (or what's the most PC stuff I can buy?), how these were loaded "back then", and I'm interested in the almighty "paper cartridge"

Any advice on where to start?  I have no intent on making any powder either...I'm klutzy enough, no need to tempt fate. :p

[jbullard1]

We need to know a few things first, Caliber of revolver and is it a steel or Brass frame. You will need fffg "real" black powder and #10 caps. Roundballs are always correct but we must know the caliber to help more

[Bigsmoke]

A few thoughts.
First, welcome here, I think you will enjoy your time talking with all the different folks here.  It is a good group.
Some things to keep in mind.  First, the maximum load the revolver will hold is not necessarily the most accurate.  The most fun, maybe, but not the straightest shooting.  A good rule of thumb is to start developing an accurate load for it, halve the caliber and start there for powder charge.  So, if you have a .36 cal revolver, start at about 18 grains, a .44 caliber start at 22 grains.  Use Fffg black powder.  If you cannot get it locally, there are a number of places you can order it from.  Powder Inc will ship in less than case quantities.  I think there might be a few other places that will also.
Keep an eye on what is happening with the revolver as you shoot it.  If you happen to see one of the percussion caps has been shaken loose and dropped off due to recoil, stop what you are doing and replace it.  No cap on a loaded cylinder is an open door for fire to get into a chamber and ignite a round that you are not intending to shoot.  Especially a problem if that chamber happens to line up with the frame of the pistol.
Another thing you will want to do is provide some lubrication.  This can be in the form of a pre-lubed wonder wad placed between the powder charge and the ball, or some grease placed over the ball.  Some say this will help prevent chain fire, others say is merely keeps fouling soft.  The jury is out on that as it's still an ongoing arguement.
Your most accurate load is going to happen when the ball is seated firmly on the powder charge and it is at the mouth of the chamber.  For shooting a light powder charge, you are going to need a filler of some sort between the powder and the ball.  Corn meal and Creme of Wheat are two things that work well.
More things will come to mind later.

[FG1]

Another addition to the above be sure there is no air gap between powder and ball ! Black powder MUST be compressd or terrible things start to happen such as split or bulged cylinder or perhaps worse.
Just be sure theres enough powder in chamber so when ball is seated it is firmly seated on powder charge or wad and ball is firm on charge . No Air Gap !

Hate to see ya soured and possibly injured  

[R.M.]

Steve, get back to us when you receive it. Give us ALL the particulars on it, and we'll get you makin smoke in no time.  

[mustang_steve]

OK Here we go, with huge pictures, since we all love seeing things

It's made by Excam, and according to the barrel inscription is a "Cal .44 Navy Model".   So it looks like I'll be using .44cal lead balls in this puppy.  I already know this is an oddball replica, since the Army was the 44cal revolver...but hey, it's still going to be a blast.

Here's the pics, it is pretty fancy:

[R.M.]

OK, never heard of that maker. You have a brass frame, so light loads are the order. With light loads, you'll probably need a filler or something to help the loading lever push the ball down on the load. Felt wads work, as does corn meal/cream of wheat. As far as ball size goes, it depends on the chamber diameter. .451 might work, or .454. You want a ring of lead shaved off of the ball when you push it in. Too big of ball will stress the lever pin.
#10 caps are probably what you need. Make sure they don't fall off. If one does, it can cause a nearby chamber to go off at the same time. Not a good thing.
As far as powder charge, you can start in the 15 grain area, and work up to 20 or 25. Remember, the brass frame guns can't handle a steady diet of hot loads.
You need some kind of lube, whether it be in the felt wads or over the balls. Crisco shortening works, as does many other type of greases. I find the lubed Wonder-Wads work well. Less of a mess.
Good luck, and let us know how you make out.

[Three Hawks]

I had an Excam .36 (Navy Caliber) revolver.  It shot loose in about 150 rounds even though I used light loads in it.  Brass frames suck.  

If you have to shoot it, use only 1/2-2/3 of a standard load, be G-d awful sure the ball is firmly set on the BLACK POWDER only loads.  

I don't know what the standard .44 load is, but I am sure  using it will shoot that revolver loose in short order.  Did I mention how badly brass frames suck?  My gun went bad quickly on a steady diet of standard, not hot, loads.

Good Luck, you're going to need it.

Three Hawks

[mustang_steve]

I found out more on it.

Excam is a defunct importer/renamer of Italian arms.  They went defunct in the early 90s.

It seems Excam was re-badging Pietta back powder revolvers.  I found an old "for sale" page from some collector's site with a Pietta branded revolver which is cosmetically identical, engravings and all.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but now we know where these Excam black powders come from.

[Wyoming Mike]

I have an old Excam brass framed .44 that I got at a gun show in the late 70s.  It was my first revolver and was used heavily.

I have to use a .445 ball in the one I have.  Trying to push a .451 into the cylinder would break the loading lever.  A .445 will cut a ring as it goes in so the fit is good.

I managed to shoot mine loose but I was experimenting with heavy loads and using 4F powder for a little while  (after all the Lyman manual had load information for 4F).   I used to use it a lot rabbit hunting.

Keep your loads light and it should last for a good long while.

[mustang_steve]

Thanks for all the helpful responses thus far, you guys rock.

OK, so what's the rule for picking what size ball to use?  Is there a figure of (cylinder bore + X), or is it simply trial and error?

If it's the bore, I'll just take my caliper to it to make sure what size is needed.  I'm not a fan of hot loads, so that's not too much of an issue.

For lube, what's typically used?  I figure some traditionalists will say lard....but there's probably some other options out there too.

If there's some online references I can look up for what period correct materials for this is, that would be awesome.  It sadly seems many online muzzleloading sites are more about "modern" muzzleloading, or as I think of it "let's see how hard I can get this thing to hit".  I'm more of the "how accurate and predictable can I get this" type.

[R.M.]

Steve, I think about all you need to know has been covered. Try going back over the posts again, and I will too to see if anything's been missed.

[Bigsmoke]

OK, so what's the rule for picking what size ball to use? Is there a figure of (cylinder bore + X), or is it simply trial and error?

You want the ball to be a few 1/1000" larger than the chamber mouth, or, enough larger that it will shave a lead ring when compressing it into the chamber

For lube, what's typically used? I figure some traditionalists will say lard....but there's probably some other options out there too.

Lot of people use Crisco, but I think it is a bit too thin.  Wonder Lube is OK, Lube 103, Just Good Lube, or really, any of the commercial maxi ball lubes on the market.  I still prefer Wonder Wads for my revolver shooting.  They are a lot less muss and fuss.