Re: Multiple Ignition
I have experienced multiple ignition or "chain fire" three times. It was long ago, in the 1970s, with a cheaply made Italian copy of the 1851 Navy in .44 caliber.
Yeah, I know, the Navy was never made in .44 caliber.
In those days, I followed the instructions of Lyman: Use FFFG black powder (as I recall, it was around 30 grains), a .451 ball and put Crisco over the ball when seated.
There was no mention of using greased felt wads from Lyman, nor of pinching caps into an oval so they'd cling to the nipple better.
In the second incident, a ball was fired into the rammer. In the third incident, a ball was again fired into the rammer, this time ruining it. I gave the gun to Bill Falk, whom my father knew from work (Bonneville Power Administration). Bill was quite the black powder enthusiast back in those days.
I picked up my next black powder revolver about 1983: a Colt 2nd generation 1851 Navy in the correct .36 caliber.
I used greased felt wads, per Elmer Keith's instructions. Also pinched the caps into an oval, so they clung to the nipple.
Funny thing: When you pinch the caps into an oval, then seat them on the nipple, they return to their typical round shape. There is NO gap twixt the nipple and cap, but the "memory" of the copper being oval gives them enough spring to clutch the nipple tightly.
For many years, I've disbelieved the claim that grease over the ball will prevent chain fires. Frankly, I just don't see how a tight ball can let flame past. It is agreed that "tight" is a relative term but let's assume that the ball is so tight that it is not loosened by recoil.
My Colt 1851 Navy reissue has rather large chambers. A .375 inch ball is nearly a slip fit in them. On occasion, years ago when I first started shooting it, I noticed balls moving forward under recoil.
So, I bought a .380 inch mould and started casting the larger ball.
Interestingly, the instructions Colt included with it specified using a .378 inch ball. A ball of .375 was not mentioned. Ever try finding .378 balls at your local gun store? I found a Lyman .380 mould and have used that with complete satisfaction.
I think it's rather telling that since those multiple iginitions with that one revolver, nearly 35 years ago, I have not had a recurrence --- in any cap and ball revolver.
Re: ball size
I use balls of .454 or .457 inch in my .44s and .380 in my .36 calibers. This makes a good, tight seal. The books almost always recommend .375 or .451 inch but I feel this is poor advice. A slightly larger ball will grip the chamber walls tighter, discouraging shift from recoil, and also provide a wider bearing band for the rifling to grip.
How I load
Loads are assembled with FFFG or FFG black powder (once in a while, with Pyrodex of Hodgdon 777), a greased wad made of 100 percent wool felt, and the wad lubricated with an old bullet lubricant recipe of 1 part canning paraffin, 1 part mutton tallow and 1/2 part beeswax (all parts by weight, not volume).
I seat the greased wad on the ball first, quite firm, then seat the ball firmly on the wad.
If a No. 11 cap is loose, I try a No. 10 cap. If the No. 10 cap bottoms out on the nipple, I pinch it into an oval shape. If it doesn't bottom out, I return to the No. 11 and pinch it into an oval.
Re: Lubricant
Years ago I tried firing without a lubricant. I noticed that the black powder fouling tended to cake and burn itself to the steel. It left a hard, caked-on fouling. With lubricant the black powder fouling is more easily wiped off.
Re: Lubricant use long ago
The earliest source I can find for the use of greased felt wads is Elmer Keith. However, he said he was taught how to properly load his original 1851 Navy Colt by Civil War veterans in the Helena, Montana area. This was about 1912. He started carrying that fine, old Navy when he was 13, as I recall.
In his book "Sixguns" Keith also notes that Colt offered combustible cartridges for all their revolvers. He speaks of the conical bullet attached to a tube of nitrated paper, containing the powder charge and --- this is the interesting part --- the bullet dipped in melted beeswax or tallow at the factory before being placed in those little boxes containing six cartridges.
I've never been able to view an original cartridge up close. However, all of those I've seen have bullets that are badly oxidized? Could this be because of the moistness of the lubricant, over time?
I have a box of Remington .32 Short Colt cartridges, which used an outside lubricated bullet, and every bullet is badly corroded.
Conversely, I have a couple of paper cartridges dating at least to the 1860s whose bullets are still free of oxidation. There is no stain on the paper to indicate the bullet was ever lubricated.
I tend to believe Keith when he says that the factory paper cartridges had a little lubricant on the bullet. I recall him writing somewhere that he fired some original cartridges once and they worked just fine. Keith was a keen observer, so I think he would have noted the absence of lubricant, especially since it was a common occurence in his day.
Using a vintage photograph to indicate the use of lubricant has its perils. By and large, conical bullets were used in paper cartridges during the Civil War. If there were any paper cartridges with a round ball, I'd strongly suspect they were homemade.
Also, I'm certain that the pistoleros of yore didn't slather in a lot of lubricant, as we do today. The factories probably used a very thin coat of lubricant on their bullets, which would not appear in a photo.
Sadly, it appears that no soldier or pistolero took the time years ago to write down the specifics of loading his revolver. At most, we may read, "I loaded my revolver and returned to the battle" or whatever.
I wish I could find the source but within the past few years I read of a Union officer who dripped melted beeswax over the revolver balls and caps, before going into battle. This was the memoir of a fellow soldier.
This turned out to be a wise precaution, as he and his troops were overwhelmed during a battle and had to swim a river to a small island, where they hid from Rebel troops until nightfall, when they could swim back across the river to their own lines.
Later, behind Union lines, the captain was curious how well the waterproofing worked. He reported to the chronicler that all chambers fired just fine, apparently with full strength.
Now, that beeswax over the balls was intended for waterproofing but it surely helped lubricate the projectile as well.
We know that from the early days of gunpowder, some kind of lubricant was used on balls and patches. I don't think it's a stretch to believe that when the revolver came along, people put some kind of lubricant over the seated ball too, if only for waterproofing.
Commonly available lubricants would have been spermwhale oil, various tallows, wagon axle grease, olive oil (usually known as "sweet oil"), bear fat, deer fat, candle wax and even plain ol' spit.
Colt may not have mentioned the use of any lubricant because Col. Colt was a terrific salesman. Had he mentioned lubricant, it would have meant one more step --- and potential buyers would have believed that his revolvers would not function without the aforementioned lubricant.
Contemporary testimonies about Colt revolvers speak of seating all balls and placing caps on the nipples --- without any lubricant whatsoever --- then soaking the revolver in a bucket of water for a few hours. After which, the revolver was pulled from the bucket and fired without failure.
This may be true, or it may be advertising license (read "damnable lie").
In my gut, I believe that if the pistolero had time, he used some kind of lubricant over the projectile. Or, in the case of factory loads, the projectile had a thin coat of beeswax or tallow over it.
Can I prove it? Nope.
Sadly, this mystery will almost certainly never be solved.
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