The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Best cap and ball pistol for cowboy action.

wittzo · June 23, 2010, 04:15 PM

I would still recommend a Stainless Remington. Target model or not, you'll learn how it shoots either way. Quick reload by swapping cylinders, really easy to clean. I wiped mine off with baby wipes last night after shooting two cylinders. I've shot more than 9 cap and ball cylinders and two conversion cylinders through it since the last time I did a deep cleaning and it's just as clean as if I soaked it. I use a combo of a dry felt wad and a greased felt wad behind the ball, but no grease pills or Crisco in front of the ball with Goex Pinnacle. (I'm going to shoot it soon with a dry wad next time to see how dirty it gets without a greasewad.)

I didn't even bother taking the grips off last time I used my kitchen sink. I just immersed the bore and the front of the frame in hot soapy water and ran a bore brush and mop through it and wiped it down with a paper towel and after it dried, I put a drop of oil on the bolt, which is rust prone. That's sort of how they did it during the Civil War, taking out the cylinders and swishing the pistol barrel and frame in boiling water with lye soap.

The cylinders got more attention, I took the nipples out and brushed them and mopped the chambers and applied anti-seize on the threads before I put the nipples back in. The baby wipes even got the hammer groove (slot?) shiny.

The Ruger Old Army is nearly perfect. The only thing I don't care for is the captivated load lever release that requires a screwdriver to remove so you can remove the cylinder. I like being able to replace a cylinder without tools. It might not be a problem with CAS, since the way I shoot in my backyard isn't PC and violates half of their rules.

June 23, 2010, 04:15 PM	#7
wittzo Member Join Date: February 10, 2010 Posts: 95	I would still recommend a Stainless Remington. Target model or not, you'll learn how it shoots either way. Quick reload by swapping cylinders, really easy to clean. I wiped mine off with baby wipes last night after shooting two cylinders. I've shot more than 9 cap and ball cylinders and two conversion cylinders through it since the last time I did a deep cleaning and it's just as clean as if I soaked it. I use a combo of a dry felt wad and a greased felt wad behind the ball, but no grease pills or Crisco in front of the ball with Goex Pinnacle. (I'm going to shoot it soon with a dry wad next time to see how dirty it gets without a greasewad.) I didn't even bother taking the grips off last time I used my kitchen sink. I just immersed the bore and the front of the frame in hot soapy water and ran a bore brush and mop through it and wiped it down with a paper towel and after it dried, I put a drop of oil on the bolt, which is rust prone. That's sort of how they did it during the Civil War, taking out the cylinders and swishing the pistol barrel and frame in boiling water with lye soap. The cylinders got more attention, I took the nipples out and brushed them and mopped the chambers and applied anti-seize on the threads before I put the nipples back in. The baby wipes even got the hammer groove (slot?) shiny. The Ruger Old Army is nearly perfect. The only thing I don't care for is the captivated load lever release that requires a screwdriver to remove so you can remove the cylinder. I like being able to replace a cylinder without tools. It might not be a problem with CAS, since the way I shoot in my backyard isn't PC and violates half of their rules. Last edited by wittzo; June 23, 2010 at 04:20 PM.