Guns of the Darksiders

[The Pathfinder]

Fingers, ya got took! That t'ain't a second gen Colt. Best to send it on to me and I'll hide it for ya'. Really a beautiful find, we should all be so lucky. Do you plan on trying to shoot it or is it just for lookin'?

[Fingers McGee]

Mailman dropped off this 1863 vintage, 6 shot, 4 inch barrel 1849 Pocket Model yesterday.  It's nothing special, just your everyday
pocket model that got the benefit of cased accessories.  It has some bluing showing, along with faded case colors.   It locks up with no over rotation, and has no cylinder turn line. The case is by Bill's Cases, Flask was a modern reproduction, as is the cap tin.  Nipple wrench is 2nd Gen and the mold is a well used original - I think.  I've already swapped the Flask and mold with what I believe are originals.  I need to get my Percussion Accoutrements book out and do some research so I can validate the accessory's pedigree.

[Fingers McGee]

Same set with period correct flask and mold.

[Fingers McGee]

Fingers, ya got took! That t'ain't a second gen Colt. Best to send it on to me and I'll hide it for ya'. Really a beautiful find, we should all be so lucky. Do you plan on trying to shoot it or is it just for lookin'?

Please excuse my belated response.  Not only is it not a 2nd, Gen, it will be (was ) shot.  I was tempted to shoot it in a match; but decide against it.  The 20 or so rounds I did put down range grouped fairly well at 15 yards.  The pistol functioned flawlessly.

[Arizona Trooper]

A shooting buddy has a Walker repro and I have an 1860 vintage 4" pocket. Sometimes at regional N-SSA skirmishes we shoot those side by side on the line. It's a hoot, and we even get hits at 25 yards once in a while.

[DeaconKC]

Gonna have to start down this scary, smoky trail as I just picked up an 1875 marked Springfield Trapdoor. Got all the stuff to load up the Holy Black except the powder and cast boolits.

[HamptonBogs45]

Probably one of my best screen caps I got from one of my videos. Uberti colt walker.

[HamptonBogs45]

Uberti 1860 army. One of my favorites screen caps. Really shows how chain fired can happen. Look at all the sparks and fire. I'd like to get a high quality night photo of one going off.

[Griff]

38 years of shooting cap & ball in SASS and never had a chain fire.  Easily prevented.  In fact, I charge all six chambers and cap five to comply with rules... sixth chamber remains uncapped unless I have a cap malfunction, or need a reload to meet stage requirements.  I use full strength mainsprings, now use SlixShot nipples, .375 balls to shave a slight ring of lead and a lubed wad under the ball.  Reasonable charge of powder to meet the task at hand.  In my .36s it's right around 15 grains by volume to ring steel.  Doesn't need any more to punch holes in paper either!  I haven't had a hammer bounce back, haven't lost a cap off a nipplie in I don't know how long... at least as long as I quit using stock nipples.  I use Remington #10 or RWS 1075 caps, preferably the Remingtons.

But keep using lightened mainsprings, max loads, poor powder control and poor fitting caps & balls and you'll keep having chain fires.  But, please, don't make it about the gun. 

[Crow Choker]

I've 51 years of cap bustin without a chain fire. Have always paid attention in loading and firing process, no 'Cinderella' springs, tight fitting caps and balls, lubed felt wads. I do use good stout loads of black but not excess. Back in'72 when first starting out I had a '51 Navy 44 (Euroarms) that wasn't timed right, the caps didn't fit tight (pinch them to stay on), used a .451 ball that fit tight but didn't shave much lead, and smeared grease over the ball which was messier than greasing an axle. Never a chain fire, but those first years were a learning experience. Saw a chain fire once, a friend had a brasser '51 Navy 36 that did so back in the early days. Always figured maybe loose caps was the culprit. Today use .454 and .380 balls for tight fit, lubed wad over powder, and mostly #10 Remington caps that fit tight over every factory nipple and/or replacement nipple on the eleven cappers I have and have no problem with caps falling into the action. They stay put on the nipples, all they need is a flick to remove.

[Griff]

Back to guns:
My 1851s with a threesome of Patersons: