Taylor & Co Schofields

[Driftwood Johnson]

Cowboy shooters I know using Uberti Schofields and shooting blackpowder, in 44-40, using the Big Lube Mav-Dutchman bullet, can shoot 7 - 10 stages, 35 - 50 rounds, without binding. The extra lube keeps the fouling soft and it just wipes off as the cylinder turns. I wipe the soot off between stages, but you can shoot all day without binding. Again, I'm specifying 44 WCF, I have no experience with this model in 45 Colt, but you can get Big Lubes in 45 too.

Some cowboy shooters shooting original S&W Top Break revolvers also use the Big Lube family of bullets in their Black Powder cartridges. This is a photo of the cartridges I load with Black Powder using the Big Lube bullet series. All except the 45-70 on the right; I use a conventional Black Powder bullet in it. Left to right in the photo the other cartridges are 44 Russian, 45 Schofield, 38-40, 44-40, and 45 Colt.

These are the bullets I use. Left to right the 180 grain 38-40, 200 grain Mav-Dutchman - I use it in both 44-40 and 44 Russian, the J/P 45-200 200 grain bullet developed by a couple of guys named Johnson and Peterson - I use it in my 45 Schofield ammo, and the 250 grain PRS that I use in my 45 Colt ammo. The 405 grain bullet is a traditional design that I use in 45-70, and on the far right is one of my old pan lubed, hard cast 250 grain bullets that I used to use in 45 Colt before I discovered the Big Lube series.

This photo illustrates the huge lube grooves of the Big Lube series of bullets. On the left is a 44-40, on the right is a 45 Colt. Next to each cartridge is the appropriate Big Lube bullet, one showing the lube stripped out of the lube groove, the other showing the lube groove filled with lube.

I can attest the Big Lube bullets allow me to shoot all day long without my revolvers binding. I shoot the 45 Colts in my Colts, the 44 Russians in my New Model Number Threes, the 44-40s in my rifles and an antique Merwin Hulbert, and 38-40 in rifles. The beauty of these bullets is they will even keep the barrel of a rifle coated with soft BP compatible lube for its entire length, so no swabbing is necessary as is sometimes necessary with bullets that do not carry enough lube. I have often gone to a two day match, shooting a total of ten stages of 10 pistol rounds and 10 rifle rounds over the two days, without cleaning my guns at the end of the first day. My guns keep right on functioning, no binding in the revolvers and no loss of accuracy in the rifles until I get around to cleaning them at the end of the second day.

Contrary to popular belief, if one uses the proper lubricants inside one's guns, it is not necessary to clean them immediately after shooting them with Black Powder for fear they will turn into a pile of rust.

 

[stinkeypete]

Thank you, Professor Driftwood for pictures and text about revolver history worth paying for. Beautiful way to help preserve history.

In these days of powder coated lead bullets being all the rage, it’s good to remember that .44 Russian was, as I understand it, the technological breakthrough of the lube going inside the lube ring vs painted on the lead like alox or .22 Lr bullets. Around we go, making a grand circle in history.

 

[Jim Watson]

Always looking for something better, like the Self Lubricating Bullet.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2011/06/20/smith-wessons-self-lubricating-bullets/

 

[slimchancepistolero]

i shoot CAS and for the last 5 yrs i have shot Schofields .. my first set (2) were imported by Stoger, were nickle, 38 spcl, 5" brls ... out of the box they were VERY rough and after one match they looked like blued guns with all the burned on soot, got them slicked up by a very good smith which made them NICE .. then ordered a set (2) of blued, 38 spcl, 5' brls from Cimmeron ... WOW, out of the box they were VERY smooth, got the same smith to lighten the hammer/triggers and am very happy with these guns ... do not and have not cleaned these guns since i own them, about 5 yrs, every now and then just spray the parts i can get to with Balistol ... beside practice, i shoot matches about 20 days a year ... just an average 30 second shooter and 72 yrs old, the grip is different than my Rugers but seems to fit me better .. one note, i am still using my Mernickle holsters made for the Rugers

 

[Mike Irwin]

"Now whether they actually have any outside the catalog is another question I can't answer. "

The answer to that is a general no across the board.