How do I know when its time to stop shooting and clean

ras_oscar · May 26, 2016

Had my first BP revolver delivered yesterday. Uberti 1860 army. Hope to get out to the range this weekend and make some smoke.

What should I look for to determine that it's time to stop shooting and set the firearm aside for cleaning? Cylinder wont turn? Carbon fouling on the nipples? I've never used BP before so I don't know what's normal. How many reloadings should I expect to get before it needs to be cleaned?

ken792 · May 26, 2016

Wipe down the cylinder face and the arbor rod, slather some more grease on it, and keep shooting.

jimbobborg · May 26, 2016

ken792 said:
Wipe down the cylinder face and the arbor rod, slather some more grease on it, and keep shooting.

This. I shoot mine when I decide to drive the 45 minutes to get to an outdoor range. I can get about 10 cylinders through before my hour is up. I need a loader to speed things along.

ken792 · May 26, 2016

I think the most I've ever done is 150 rounds in one sitting with my Pietta 1851 that has a really tight flash gap. Also, the hammer starts to bind from all the powder fouling, so you want to wipe that down and slather grease on that too.

Mike OTDP · May 27, 2016

A word of advice...with my Remington, I remove the cylinder and put a patch soaked with Ballistol through the bore every 10-15 shots.

ras_oscar · May 27, 2016

Mike OTDP said:
A word of advice...with my Remington, I remove the cylinder and put a patch soaked with Ballistol through the bore every 10-15 shots.

is that to reduce lead fouling?

ken792 · May 27, 2016

ras_oscar said:
is that to reduce lead fouling?

Reduces black powder fouling, which builds up very quick. For best accuracy, people wipe muzzleloaders and black powder cartridge rifles every shot. It's not practical and probably overkill to do that with a revolver.

kalister1 · May 27, 2016

If you use Pyrodex instead of Real "Black Powder" you can get more shots between cleaning.

Threeband · May 27, 2016

You really don't need to overthink this. Cap and Ball revolvers are basically simple. As Ken said, slather some grease on the cylinder pin ("arbor") of your Colt repro. It has grease grooves milled in it for that purpose. I use ordinary wheel bearing grease. Remingtons are said to be a bit more sensitive to fouling build up than are Colts.

Just shoot and shoot and shoot some more. The gun will get pretty filthy pretty quickly. You will get fouling on your hands. If you shoot a lot, the revolver may eventually get sluggish or bind, especially on a humid or misty day. If that happens, que sera, sera.

Mike's practice of swabbing the bore every two or three cylinders is good for serious bullseye shooting, but you don't have to do it. Just experiment with your gun, get a feel for it. Soon you'll be the expert answering questions for other new shooters.

When shooting any black powder gun, you want to take a cleaning kit with you to the range. A rod, a jag, some patches, and a small bottle of solvent. If you decide to give the gun a quick cleaning or swab the bore, you'll have the stuff.

Most importantly, take a clean rag or small kitchen towel with you! Use it to wipe your hands and wipe the gun. A range rag is one of the most important and useful black powder accessories.

linkstate · May 28, 2016

I've only ever used real black powder for my muzzleloaders/revolvers so my comments are based on that.

Lots of good replies. One thing that wasn't specifically mentioned is the most important ingredient in your cleaning solution is plain old water.

A mix of 1 part Ballistol and 10 parts water is a good place to start. I think my last batch was a 1/7 mixture.

I've also used isopropyl alcohol. Some guys like Windex Vinegar. Some use water with a little dawn dish soap.

Get a spray or squeeze bottle and squirt a little of the solution on a patch or rag depending on what part you're cleaning. You want it damp but not dripping wet. If you decide you need or want to wipe out the cylinders, make sure you follow with enough dry patches to get all the moisture out. I don't think I've ever swabbed out the cylinders while at the range unless I'm done for the day though.

Before you load for the day, fire a cap on all cylinders to clear out any oil or moisture.

If you get binding, it could be fouling or a cap fragment somewhere. Go slow and you'll be fine.

Threeband · May 28, 2016

ken792 said:
...slather some more grease on it...

And don't forget to lube your balls.

Biggfoot44 · May 28, 2016

You'll know it when you see it. If you're still wondering about it, keep shooting.

ras_oscar · May 28, 2016

ok, thanks guys. Seems like a lot of products are recommended for a lot of different purposes. Based on the input above, I attached a table listing products and their intended purpose. Please review and verify I haven't made any mistakes, particularly the items I have listed with a ?.

Threeband · May 28, 2016

OCD much?

Just load and shoot!

BeoBill · May 28, 2016

For nipple grease, get a small tube of anti-seize at any auto supply store. It will last longer than you with normal use.

ken792 · May 28, 2016

Don't forget that when these guns were first invented, people still largely used animal fat products ranging from lard trimmed or rendered off the meat they ate to whale oil. You can use Crisco (it's just hydrogenated vegetable oil) for everything on that gun.

linkstate · May 28, 2016

I agree on anti-seize for the nipple.

Bore Butter on the Arbor. I use this because it is easy to find and a tube lasts a long time.

I use wads between the powder and ball, no grease on top.

For BP shooting, Ballistol is effective when mixed with water. By itself, not so much. The water is what really loosens the fouling and when it dries a light coating of oil is left. Just wanted to clarify that based on your list.

Got some time? Checkout this link for a ton of info on BP revolvers:
http://www.geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps1.html

Threeband · May 28, 2016

A lot of skirmishers use Crisco mixed with beeswax to lube their balls. If it gets too soft in the summer heat, they add more beeswax. If it gets too hard in the winter, they add more Crisco.

I have never greased my nipples. I only rarely remove the nipples at all.

I found that Crisco will liquefy pretty much instantly in the Texas heat, so about the second time I ever shot my '51 Navy, I used wheel bearing grease both on the arbor and to seal the chamber mouths. Just remember, "Slather grease on both the shaft and balls." That wheel bearing grease worked so well, it became my main lube for revolvers. It works great on a Garand, too.

Uberti Navy at Garland Public Shooting Range, Texas. Note loading stand (folded) and towel draped over small tackle box full of accessories. The towel is extremely important.

How do I know when its time to stop shooting and clean

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