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I recently picked up a new-in-the-box Colt's 3rd Model Dragoon, made by Colt's in the early 1980s (spare me the Italian Connection). I'd like to find some authentically styled conical bullets for it, mostly for making paper cartridges to be used as photo props. The conical design must be...

Was out yesterday for the first time with my Parker Hale-made 1858 Enfield. Set up a target at a measured 50 yards and shot from a benchrest. Didn't get a whole lot of shots off, because my buddy is a videographer and wanted to get video of me shooting it. He'd never seen a muzzleloading rifle...

Tired of paying $12 for 100 .25 ACP jacketed bullets for reloading, if you can even find them? Try this cheap, plinking alternative: Resize a case and ensure it does not exceed the maximum length of .610 inch. If it does, carefully use a very fine file to reduce its length. Few case trimmers can...

The February 1975 issue of the American Rifleman has an interesting article on what loads were used in Civil War .36 and .44-caliber paper cartridges for Colt revolvers. No mention is made of Remington or other cap and ball revolver charges but they were likely identical or nearly so. No...

I have a complete set of American Rifleman magazines dating from 1929 to the latest issue, about 900 issues. Reading these old issues often reveals something interesting. The Dope Bag column of the May 1930 issue (p. 41) caught my eye : LOADS FOR A CAP-AND-BALL. A reader, J.F.D., wrote to ask...

Anyone ever seen one of these? I recently purchased a like-new Navy Arms reproduction of the Remington cap and ball revolver in .36 caliber. It has target adjustable sights. I purchased this revolver from a man on the east coast. I've seen plenty of .44-caliber target Remingtons, but never a...

In 1995 I met a man who knew Buffalo Bill Cody, and knew him well. I had the privilege of knowing Ted, whose last name I can't recall, when he lived two doors down from me in an apartment complex in Clarkston, Washington. When I met him, he was 90 years old but still possessed a fine mind and...

So you have a new cap and ball revolver? Here's how to wring the best accuracy from it. You’ll want to print this out, it’s long and will require frequent referral. BORE SMOOTHING Buy some JB Bore Compound or Iosso Bore cleaner. These are pastes, very mildly abrasive, designed to clean bores...

Can't find the right felt for wads? Check out www.durofelt.com The woman who owns the business, Asha, lives in Little Rock, Ark. She runs it from her home. Asha gets her felt from India, where her family has operated a felt factory for decades. I met her in December of 2004, while I was visiting...

For Christmas of 2005 I was given a Winchester Model 1905 rifle in .35 Winchester Self Loading caliber. This is one of the first semi-auto rifles produced commercially. Winchester made more than 29,000 Model 1905s from 1905 to 1920. It was offered only in .32 Winchester Self Loading and .35...

This is part II of my complementary post, "Found! Proper Felt to Make Wads!" LUBRICATE THOSE WADS In most instances, the felt wad should be lubricated if it will be used with black powder. An exception is the use of one dry felt wad over the powder, with a lubricated felt wad over it and the...

In a firearms site a few months ago, a member posted Durofelt as a good source for felt for making your own wads for cap and ball sixguns, cartridge guns and related uses. I can vouch for Durofelt’s excellence. Not only is it perfect, when the right felt is ordered from this Little Rock...

Continued from, "How to Properly Use a Cap & Ball Sixgun." Copyright 2003 by Gatofeo. No use without permission. SIGHTING NOTES Use a standard 25-yard pistol target, at 25 yards, and a benchrest. The backing around the target should be out at least two feet in each direction, to reveal any...

So you have a new cap and ball revolver? Here's how to wring the best accuracy from it. You’ll want to print this out, it’s long and will require frequent referral. BORE SMOOTHING Buy some JB Bore Compound or Iosso Bore cleaner. These are pastes, very mildly abrasive, designed to clean bores...