[psfal]

Hi, I just got an Uberti Remington New Army 1858 percussion pistol, got my supplies together and fired it for the first time yesterday morning. The primer cap debris got in between the cylinder and frame and made the action really stiff where it was smooth before I shot it. Is this normal? I thought the pistol had broken at first, how can I avoid this?
I'm using Remington #10 primer caps

 

[RetiredSeabee]

Welcome to the forum, I personally know diddly squat about cap and ball revolvers. But I am sure one of our other members will be along shortly.

 

[Machinist]

I think this is why people point percussion revolvers up when cocking, so the debris falls out, but I don't have personal experience. If range conditions make this unwise then possibly turning it sideways when cocking would work.

Texas Gunrunner, TGR, has extensive experience with cap and ball revolvers and can give you the real story. I think he even has experience with the Remington models.

 

[tx gun runner]

Welcome .................The caps are not the right ones for the nipples . I shoot only real black powder and the other powders can make problems with higher pressures . I use instant cream of wheat for filler to bring the ball to the top for reduced loads and keep barrel clean . My 1858 Uberti Remy in 44 , I used 22 of real 3F then 18 IC of W then a round ball with grease over ball . I don't like or use those wads either .



This tool make loading a cylinder snap and cost under $20

 

[psfal]

The manual didn't say which primer caps to use, so I talked to a couple of people who were supposed to know, they told me #10 Remington, I guess they were wrong. I can't see the people who had to depend on these pistols every day putting up with this sort of performance issue. So what are the right primer caps to use?

 

[Dennis H]

Check midway usa or uberti site and download the owners manual for your specific firearm. I would have provided you with a link but only YOU know exactly which pistol you own. I would have guessed they were too "hot" a cap but the best thing to do is get the manual. You might also pick up some other nuggets of knowledge in reading it as well that may prove beneficial! Follow up and tell us what you learn. Good luck!

 

[tx gun runner]

The manual didn't say which primer caps to use, so I talked to a couple of people who were supposed to know, they told me #10 Remington, I guess they were wrong. I can't see the people who had to depend on these pistols every day putting up with this sort of performance issue. So what are the right primer caps to use?

Try different brands in 10's and 11 's . I use RWS 1075 and have all my nipples sized all my guns for them . I got 1000 CCI #10 I got when I could not find the RWS and I had a lot of problem because they didn't fit my gun nipples correctly . If your caps are jamming your gun up try different loads or caps . Now 1 or 2 jams in 50 round is normal . Mark you nipple and see if it is the same nipple everytime . I redrill all my nipple flash hole to make them uniform .

The guns below made by Uberti had only a 22 gr chambers and was designed to where the cap won't jam the cyliinder . DGW in Tn was the last place to find them in Uberti . There another company made them but the metal is too soft and wearout fast

 

[psfal]

What size drill bit for the holes?
Also, with Cabela's being an hour away, there is no place near me (Waxahachie Texas) who sells black powder supplies. I ordered my ball and wadding from Dixie Gun Works, and got the powder and primers from Cabela's. There's a $28 hazmat surcharge having primers shipped and they won't ship black powder at all (according to the folks at Dixie Gun Works)
What I'm saying is that it is highly impractical for me to experiment with different primers. If I can narrow the list of things to try as much as possible that would be much more cost effective

The Uberti manual is very basic and very vague in places. Here's the link if you'd like to see how vague http://www.uberti.com/sites/default/files/originals/product-manuals/black_powder_revolvers.pdf

If anyone has a link for a more complete manual on the Remington 1858 New Army I would love to check it out, I was born with two hands and I'd like to keep them both.

 

[Dennis H]

You're right that is vague! Did see there is an 1858 forum.

 

[Dennis H]

http://1858remington.com/discuss/

 

[tx gun runner]

I only drill them .0001 larger then the largest hole . I only shoot real black powder and NEVER use wads . I've NEVER try them in 50 Yrs of shooting . It has been yrs since I order black powder on line . I order my Primers and caps in 5,000 and 10,000 lots and most gun shops ship ground freight there powder and primers NO HAZMAT fee on trucking company . My BP revolvers

.

 

[psfal]

Thanks Dennis, I'm waiting for an admin to approve me there now

 

[psfal]

Thanks Tx Gun runner,Is there a specific size drill bit you use? I have no way of measuring the holes. Also, if you don't use wads, what do you use to seal the chambers to avoid crossover?
I finally got an email back from Uberti, they said to use #10 primers. I tried it again with the same stiffness, the 6th round I had to use both thumbs to ear back the hammer, but when I took it apart I found no debris behind the cylinder. Is it possible there's something wrong with the cylinder?

 

[tx gun runner]

How far are you from Ft Hood Tx . You need someone to show you the correct way to load and shoot . My BP gun will out shoot most modern guns . Try this video will tell why I use grease and not wads .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l4alj6RRkM

 

[psfal]

I'm almost 2 hours North of Ft Hood, well worth a drive for me to learn how to do it right. There just isn't anyone I know around here that knows first-hand about these things so I pick up my info piece-meal and trust to my common sense not to do anything stupid

 

[DvlHownd]

A lot of the Cowboy Action Shooter that use cap and ball revolvers have switched out their nipples to the SliXshot nipples manufactured by SliXprings in Oregon. These things are really great for positive ignition and they don't blow the caps off after firing. Transitioning to these nipples will greatly reduce the occurence of nipple jams.

https://www.slixprings.com/proddetail.php?prod=SliXshot-Black-Powder-Nipples

 

[RidgeRunner]

Has anyone heard from tx gun runner?