Pouch for extra cylinders for .36 Navy

[Doug.38PR]

One of my fellow SCV members told me that when people would carry ball and cap revolvers, if they didn't carry more than one gun, for extra ammo, they would carry extra cylinders in pouches on their belts.   So if the average planter, frontiersman, farmer, sheriff were riding through the woods, swamps or mountain roads of the Antebellum peroid they would have a ball and cap revolver in a holster and several cylinders on his belt.    Is there anybody that makes such a thing?  I don't find it on El Paso Saddlery

[Fingers McGee]

Cabelas sells spare cylinder pouches;  However, the use and carrying of spare cylinders is an oft repeated canard.

[St. George]

Actually, the average sheriff or planter 'might' be carrying a packet of paper cartridges in a pocket - 'not' a spare cylinder.

The average farmer 'might' be carrying a shotgun and the frontiersman a rifle.

Cartridge packets were in wide use, both during the War, and up until the advent of regularly-produced  conversions.

Scouts Out!

[Doug.38PR]

Sounds like paper cartridges would be more trouble than they're worth.  Because you'd have to carry precussion caps along with them, not to mention bite the ends off before jamming them in.  In short, it sounds like an extra cylinder or two would be a simpler reload

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Sounds like paper cartridges would be more trouble than they're worth.  Because you'd have to carry precussion caps along with them, not to mention bite the ends off before jamming them in.  In short, it sounds like an extra cylinder or two would be a simpler reload

If you are thinking about the primitive arms that came before, the improvement in going to percussion revolvers was quite a breakthrough. The problem of managing your reloads was serious, and explains why the changeover to cartridge weapons was rapid and virtually complete.

[St. George]

They weren't carried loose - the paper cartridges came in a small, 6-round wooden carrier, and the percussion caps in a tin, so how difficult was 'that' to carry?

The reality of it was that unlike SASS scenarios - people didn't wander the West on the prod, loaded for bear and waiting for a reason to engage a target.

They were going about everyday business, rebuilding their lives after the War, and trying to just get by.

Scouts Out!

[Mogorilla]

I believe there were some paper cartridge packs that also came with 7 or 8 caps in a separate tube in the block.  They too were wrapped in paper, just a different color.  Not sure where I read that as it is still early and the coffee has not kicked in yet.  Also, if carrying a loaded cylinder, you still have to carry caps.  Carrying a capped and loaded cylinder is not a good idea in my opinion, not safe at all.
I have experimented with paper cartridges, great way to quickly reload.  I am a chemist in my other life and ended up with a bunch of plastic 1 dram and 1/2 dram vials.  They make great premeasured powder loads and I stick with them when shooting as opposed to paper.  If I were riding into Lawrence Kansas, reins in my teeth and six guns a blazing, after firing off all 10 or 12 pistols, I would definitely opt for paper cartridges.

[Slowhand Bob]

Extra cylinders, whether in a pouch or not, are a great addition to ones shooting at the match.  I think that to some extent one might have benefited from such in the old days also but doubt it was a common practice.  As to the belt style pouches, memory tells me that they were pretty cheap at Cabellas but it might be possible that some of the big 44mag revolver speed loader pouches would work with 36 cylinders?  Not sure of what kinda used junk your local pawn stars might have on hand but might be worth a check??

PS:  I will repeat Mogorillas warning, DO NOT CAP A CYLINDER UNTIL IT IS IN THE REVOLVER!!!  Even then one needs to understand the safety concerns of capping and there are one or two. 

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I live on the WET Coast.  In winter, paper wrapped cartridges get very soggy, unless managed carefully. Rather than plastic vials, I have picked up an idea first posted on TOR by "mongoose" hence the name Mongoose speed loads.

For a 36, obtain a supply of .357 fired cases with fired primers still in the base.  Dump in 22 grains of FFFg.  Press the .36 roundball on top.  Wrap 5 or 6 in a 4" square of aluminum foil, and store in your ammo pouch.  All you need besides that is a capper & some lubed wads and you are GTG. Just pinch off the ball and upend the powder into the chamber, and place the wad & ball on top & ram. Cap when ready to fire.

For a 44, do the same with any .44 case.

[rickk]

I use a double pouch speedloader pouch in 44 Mag size for my 45 Remington spare cylinders.... an absolute perfect fit btw.

I'm not sure what size would work for you, but one size or another would probably do the job.

Rick

[Paladin UK]

Here is my answer...

Drum holds 18 loaded, n ready fer action..

Insert twist,tap remove... five chambers each ready fer big lube boolit

Paladin (what shoots a LOTTA of BP!! ) UK

[Graveyard Jack]

Just tote an extra pistol, pard! 

[Paladin UK]

Fer CraigC

Just tote an extra pistol, pard!   

That little ole drum is equivalent ta 18 pistolas pard, `n I aint tot`n 18 of `em  

Paladin (What aint no cart horse ) UK

[Graveyard Jack]

But an extra pistol on yer belt is ready to jerk `n shoot.  Not really the same thing. 

[Trailrider]

In point of fact, attempting to change cylinders of a Colt's revolver while on horseback was very impracticable. To do so requires tapping out the wedge (could be done by banging on the cantle of your saddle, or on the horn if your saddle had one...as opposed to the McClellan, which doesn't), separating the barrel and the frame, separating the barrel and the frame, removing the cylinder from the arbor, reaching into your pouch or wherever you were packin' the loaded cylinder, pulling it out, while keeping from dropping the empty one, and then reassembling the gun, capping the cones, all the while trying to control your horse!    A Remington would be a bit easier since you didn't have to separate the barrel and the frame.  If you needed a reload that fast, you'd be much better off with a second (or even a third pistol). (Which is why some soldiers bought Smith & Wesson #2 tip-up, cartridge pistols, even though it shot the lower power .32RF rounds.)

[Fox Creek Kid]

...If I were riding into Lawrence Kansas, reins in my teeth and six guns a blazing, after firing off all 10 or 12 pistols, I would definitely opt for paper cartridges.

Agreed, as well a non-winded horse in reserve to get my ass back to MO in one piece ASAP!! 

[Slowhand Bob]

On a full gallop charge I do not think anything short of extra guns would work in the cap and ball era.  With handguns as a primary weapon the range of effective pistol fire would be so close that your first gun, being used within that range, would actually carry you into the midst before being empty.   Very possibly why most carried a sword as the last ditch weapon.  I know that if I were in the midst of heavy cavalry battle, I would always make it a point of doing mano-a-mano with the guy who was trying to do a horseback reload in the crowd!    

[Mogorilla]

This is why famed Missouri Guerilla, Bloody Bill Anderson, had a bag of loaded pistols on his horse.  I have read accounts that he had at least 8 to 9 pistols when fighting.   When the majority of rifles were single shots, and most infantry did not carry pistols, that is superiour fire power.   You ride through shooting, you have 40 to 45 shots they at best have 6, if they have a pistol.  Some accounts say the guerillas would drop pistols as they fought, when the fighting done, return to the field and retrieve weapons.   Not sure on the truth of that, but there was a remmington pistol found on one such battle site.

[Flint]

As mentioned above, speedloader poches might fit your cylinders.  Dixie Gun Works used to sell pouches, may still do.  I used both.  For a CAS match, I have extra cylinders for both Army and Navy Colts, and Remingtons.  I load the spares at home the night before the match and can get through at least half the match before having to reload any cylinders.  This I do in a cylinder loading stand, bought from Dick Dastardly, the "Tower of Power".  Even without the spare cylinders, the cylinder loader is much faster than the gun's loading lever setup, and much less likely to give you a bent lever.  Powder all the (5) chambers, put in a Wonder Wad, set on hte balls and press each on the stand... very quick operation.

Repeat previous warning. DO NOT cap the cylinder until it is installed back in the gun.  Cap at the loading table.

[MJN77]

http://heritageleathercw.com/cart/two-cylinder-pistol-box-p-186.html?zenid=9697f737e387c2f56e636e640d26ed8f