Don't ever shoot a cap and ball revolver without lube! You are tempting fate by not using lube, either over the balls or by use of a grease soaked felt wad between the ball and powder to prevent a chainfire. I've witnessed a chain fire first hand, and it's something I don't want to experience again. On my first experience with black powder shooting, a friend got lazy and neglected to use lube to speed the loading process. He damaged his father's original Colt 1860 when all 6 chambers let go on the first shot. That left a lasting impression on me. You can't just go by an assumption that tight fitting balls (as evidenced by shaving lead on loading) will prevent a chainfire. This gun shaved off lead when the balls were loaded too. Yeah, it may have been 30 years ago, but it can always happen again. Why take the chance?
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