If you are a percussion revolver enthusiast i think you will find this book very useful, and really ought to procure a copy for your collection. The remington is a singleaction, sixshot, percussion revolver produced by e. The late gun writer elmer keith 1898 1984 wrote a book, sixguns in the mid 1950s. Shooting these types of handguns is a whole different shooting experience, and this book makes understanding the history, principles, and methods simple.
Pistol grip rests securely in wooden base while feltlined wooden upright support back strap securely. Cooper pocket double action fiveshot percussion revolver. When you pack a ball you want a fine shaving of lead to come off the ball, that shows you have a good tight fit. This is a list of single and doubleaction revolvers, listed alphabetically by. Its based on the 1858 army capandball revolver that fires a soft, round lead ball of. The 1851 navy, produced from 18511872 was the most famous of the capandball era. Proper use of cap and ball revolver revised shooters forum. Historical firearms adams revolvers the revolvers of. Ive been shooting cap and ball revolvers for 35 years. Most percussion caps now use noncorrosive compounds such as lead styphnate. Ruger cap ball revolver local deals, national for sale. As a singleaction system, the revolver required the. The 1975 lyman black powder book shows someone capping a revolver with three fingers in front of the cylinder. I hope the foregoing does not give a negative impression of this treatise.
First, we can divide cap and ball pistols into, well, pistols single shot or multiple barrel and revolvers. This was the first of many revolvers, and many other gun companies, such as remington, also started creating cap and ball revolvers during the 1850s. Shooting a capandball sixgun is feeling history in your hand. The revolver used a doubleaction only system in which the external hammer could not be cocked by thumbing it back, like most other pistols of the era, but instead cocked itself when the trigger was pulled. The 1858 buffalo became very popular with shooters, hunters and soldiers due to its rugged frame construction and excellent accuracy. It wasnt until 1861 that the company was able to roll out its first largecaliber cartridge revolverthe. Century trade names, while blue book of gun values tends to focus more on mid20th. I was very excited to order this book, as i am fascinated by the history of firearms. This conversion cylinder assembly will convert your 1858 remington asm, uberti or pietta steel or brass. So, without further ado, my list of best reproduction originals are, well, prohibitively exp. Wild bill hickoks proficiency with a pistol is well known, but there remains some confusion concerning how he used his weapons and which ones he actually used. The remington army revolver is largeframed revolver in. Before and during hickoks lifetime 18371876, the most. Colt 1851 navy revolver replica pistol prop gun nonfiring display w stand 4.
In it, he included a chapter on cap and ball revolvers. However, by the late 1860s they had evolved to use the new selfcontained metallic cartridge. This is why colt historical letters for 2nd generation percussion revolvers contain exactly. If youve reloaded centerfire cartridges and loaded a cap and ball revolver youve undoubtedly recognized the processes have numerous similarities. Designed to be the future of long range revolvers, its top strap and full steel frame design made this revolver one of the strongest and most sought after available. The cylinder and plate fit together without screws or threads, so conversion is simple. Not important, but it would seem to fit well with the subject matter of the book and i did like the font used with the captions. Some of the most popular capandball revolvers were the colt model 1851. The accuracy of the little gun is quite good for its size and the 1849 is the cheapest to feed, using loads of only 1015 grains of fffg black powder or a substitute. At collectors firearms, we have an assortment of highly collectable percussion cap revolvers for sale. Samuel colt created the first practical percussion cap revolver in 1836. While old capandball firearms can still be found, many should not be fired because of their historical value or deterioration due to age and the effects of corrosive. Cap and ball pistols, cap and ball supplies the possible shop. This was the first of many revolvers, and many other gun companies, such as remington.
Keith learned how to load and shoot these revolvers from civil war veterans when he grew up in helena, montana. How simple it is after all traditional american history series book 15 ebook. A copy should be included with every new cap and ball revolver sold, and every history buff, whether interested in firearms or not, should own a copy. Kindle store common sense would suggest that the numbers related to caliber have something to do w. Discover traditional black powder revolvers from cabelas at competitive prices. Revolver, typically, a repeating pistol that utilizes a multichambered revolving cylinder behind one barrel. Although the origin of the firm dates from 1790, the object of this work is to describe the evolution of the webley revolver, which began in 1853, when the brothers james and philip webley produced a single action, percussion cap and ball revolver, the first of a long line of weapons culminating in the well known webley revolver pistol mark vi. It took me that long to learn or stumble across the above. Basic black powder revolver gunsmithing this is the 5th of 8 articles link to article 1. History, performance and practical use 9780595357963. Get the 74th edition of the worlds greatest gun book. History, now reaching more than 98 million homes, is the leading destination for awardwinning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and.
The first pistols used cap and ball with a hand loaded cylinder which were ignited by percussion caps. On the other hand, if you just picked up a new cap and ball revolver from cabellas and you want to figure out how to shoot and care for it without hurting the revolver or yourself, this is an excellent book to pick up and read. Since it is almost as slow to reload as a capandball revolver using paper cartridges, you dont want to take this gun into a gunfight where you have more than five opponents. The lost art of shooting capandball revolvers gun digest. Colt cap and ball grips, colt cap and ball cylinders, colt pistol grips. Most widely used single action revolver of the civil war. The interesting history of remington revolvers from the 1850s1870s remington entered the revolver market in 1857 with. The caplock revolvers took on a separate evolution and remained state of the art. Even hallowed black powder sources can get things wrong. The cap and ball loading method is one of the first practical methods of loading a revolver.
The moral of the story is that, even though you are more likely to get into a. This crucial invention gave rise to the caplock or percussion lock system. Pietta 1858 new army cap and ball revolver it all started when my boss gave me a 400 dollar gift certificate to cabelas for christmas. The cap and ball revolver by joe bilby despite his later triumphs, samuel colts early efforts in the gun business were not successful.
Early english cap and ball revs were available in up to 54 or 58 caliber. This 1861 navy revolver has a 7 12 barrel and features a steel backstrap and trigger guard. However, it is so fast and sure with those five shots that you will find it an excellent choice for five or fewer enemies. Even today, these steel frame models are rare and hard to find. Flint and other early pattern gun have been made in these regions for sale to tourists. Percussion pistols and revolvers is a great asset towards the understanding of how these guns work. It provides a pleasing overview of percussion pistols and revolvers that is quite informative, and i particularly enjoyed the authors information on their modernday testing of reproduction black powder pieces. Easily removable, replaceable cylinders made reloading extremely fast. Now you can switch back and forth from black powder to centerfire by changing the cylinder. The interesting history of remington revolvers from the. Some early versions of the revolver, known as pepperboxes, featured multiple barrels in a single cylindrical unit that revolved around a central spindle. At its core, the colt model 1851 navy was a singleaction, percussion cap revolver with a rotating cylinder containing six rounds of. Loading a centerfire cartridge involves preparing a case, seating a primer, throwing a powder charge, seating a bullet and applying a crimp.
The patent firearms company of paterson, new jersey, established to manufacture and market the inventors repeating rifles and revolvers, failed in 1840. Whats more, the cartridge cases had a tendency to swell or split, jamming the revolver. Sell your cap and ball revolver for free today on gunsamerica. How to make cap and ball revolver cartridges and packets. I have one, and it is fun to shoot, but the short hammer is not easy to reach for fast shooting. There is a lot of lead savings also with the tiny 50 grain round ball used in these pocket revolvers. The percussion system, developed in 1807, used a small copper cap filled with charge.
A good looking and convenient way to display and load your cap and ball revolver. For those who are thinking about getting their first cap and ball revolver, this will be the best money that you could ever spend. A guide to their history, performance, and use mike. Percussion revolvers and millions of other books are available for amazon.
The percussion cap, introduced circa 1820, is a type of singleuse ignition device used on muzzleloader firearms that enabled them to fire reliably in any weather condition. In this video we will take a look at the historic loading of a colt cap and ball revolver as instructed by colt manufacturing. If youre going hunting with a cap and ball i would recommend the 1858 remington. I think there would be a fair demand for a hunting power cap and ball revolver designed for the extra oomph. The gun digest book of combat handgunnery iola, wisconsin ed.
This page details the development and operational history of the cooper pocket double action fiveshot percussion revolver including technical specifications and pictures. Cowboy pistol parts, obsolete cap and ball hammer springs, cap and ball pistodl grips. Dixie gun works was formally founded in 1954, but it could be said that dixie gun works actually began. I ordered a stainless pietta 1858 new army cap and ball revolver with an 8 inch barrel in early february and it arrived mid may. Historical loading of colt cap and ball revolvers youtube. A cylinder change converts cap and ball revolvers from percussion to cartridge. In the early transition from the longlived flintlock system, handgun development closely paralleled that of the long arms. A revolver is a repeating handgun that has a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers. Percussion cap revolvers for sale collectors firearms. Colt first called this revolver the ranger model, but the designation navy quickly took over. Dixie gun works muzzleloading, blackpowder and rare antique gun. The american revolution was foughtand wonwith guns, and the weapons have become ingrained in u.
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