leaving BP revolvers loaded

dalegribble · September 3, 2007, 06:16 PM

How long can you leave a BP revoler loaded? I loaded my 1851 Navy and 1858 Remington this weekend but I probably won't get to shoot them till next weekend. Powder, wad and ball, no caps. I got to thinking that back in the day "most" people rarely fired their handguns but dust, dirt, humidity and other factors must have made these guns unreliable at some point. I am sure they were fully loaded and capped also. So how long would you leave yours loaded and rely on it to save your life in some unexpected shootout?

mykeal · September 3, 2007, 08:12 PM

Depends on how you store them, but in general, forever.

The issue is humidity; real black powder will absorb water. Keep them in a case and out of a high humidity area and they theoretically last several years.

There are anecdotal cases of civil war era guns that had been loaded since the 1860's that fired successfully.

Raider2000 · September 3, 2007, 09:08 PM

Untill I've gotten a modern firearm "20 odd years ago" that was sutible for home defence, I used my 1860 Army loaded with 3 chanbers Ball, & 2 with BB's & kept them capped & ready for as long as a month or two & had no issues with reliability, keep grease infront of the ball, & the caps tight on the nipples & you should be fine....

Ofcorse don't cap but 5 chambers though to be safe...

Jamie C. · September 4, 2007, 01:30 AM

I keep my 1858 replica loaded with 28 grains of APP and a 200 gr. Lee conical for a month or two at a time. All chambers are loaded and capped.

The only time I've ever had a misfire was when I tried the "candle wax over/around the nipples" trick.... It didn't work for me since the wax managed to somehow kill the primers. ( Must've wicked up into the priming compound while it was still liquid.) The loads all fired with fresh caps, however.

Anyway, I think the American Pioneer Powder would probably last a decade or two if the gun has caps that fit right and don't allow any moisture to seep in. #11 caps on a nipple that fits #10s probably won't be good for more than a few weeks, even if they're pinched to stay in place.

(I don't use any grease or lube, btw. APP doesn't need it. )

I believe the same is probably true for real black as well.

Just my observations so far. Somebody else may get entirely different results.

( I should mention that I carry this gun around with me whenever it's possible. Out around the yard, etc. It's seen some pretty foul conditions and isn't "babied". It hasn't let me down yet. )

J.C.

plom · September 4, 2007, 05:51 AM

I have a Remington with 3 cylinders, loaded with 35 grs of FFFg swiss powder and 44 lead round ball.
two of them are shot every 2 weeks, they never fired, and the third is fired every 2 or 3 months without any problem.
Just make sure your revolver is stored in a dry area and you should be fine.
Make also sure the chambers of the cylinder were dry of any oil or solvent before you load the revolver.
I load my 1851 with 22grs of BP and a .380 lead round ball, I shoot it once a month, it never failed too

MacGille · September 5, 2007, 08:05 PM

I was with a friend of mine once who had just purchased a Musketoon. About 1800 or so. We were in his living room and he capped the piece(percussion modification) and fired it. Nothing happened, but I noticed no smoke from the muzzle. He recapped and fired, still nothing. The third time he fired a cap the piece went off and blew a hole in the front door of his house. We don't know how long the piece had been loaded, but a quick check with the former owner revealed that he had never checked the loading or tried to fire it. It may have been loaded for over a hundred years.(or not)

If the powder was not wetted, it may last for a looooong time.

Chris_B · September 5, 2007, 08:44 PM

That's an incredibly apt story to illustrate how a firearm should always be regarded as loaded!

September 3, 2007, 06:16 PM	#1
dalegribble Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2007 Posts: 861	leaving BP revolvers loaded How long can you leave a BP revoler loaded? I loaded my 1851 Navy and 1858 Remington this weekend but I probably won't get to shoot them till next weekend. Powder, wad and ball, no caps. I got to thinking that back in the day "most" people rarely fired their handguns but dust, dirt, humidity and other factors must have made these guns unreliable at some point. I am sure they were fully loaded and capped also. So how long would you leave yours loaded and rely on it to save your life in some unexpected shootout?

September 3, 2007, 08:12 PM	#2
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	Depends on how you store them, but in general, forever. The issue is humidity; real black powder will absorb water. Keep them in a case and out of a high humidity area and they theoretically last several years. There are anecdotal cases of civil war era guns that had been loaded since the 1860's that fired successfully.

September 3, 2007, 09:08 PM	#3
Raider2000 Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 719	Untill I've gotten a modern firearm "20 odd years ago" that was sutible for home defence, I used my 1860 Army loaded with 3 chanbers Ball, & 2 with BB's & kept them capped & ready for as long as a month or two & had no issues with reliability, keep grease infront of the ball, & the caps tight on the nipples & you should be fine.... Ofcorse don't cap but 5 chambers though to be safe...

September 4, 2007, 01:30 AM	#4
Jamie C. Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 46	I keep my 1858 replica loaded with 28 grains of APP and a 200 gr. Lee conical for a month or two at a time. All chambers are loaded and capped. The only time I've ever had a misfire was when I tried the "candle wax over/around the nipples" trick.... It didn't work for me since the wax managed to somehow kill the primers. ( Must've wicked up into the priming compound while it was still liquid.) The loads all fired with fresh caps, however. Anyway, I think the American Pioneer Powder would probably last a decade or two if the gun has caps that fit right and don't allow any moisture to seep in. #11 caps on a nipple that fits #10s probably won't be good for more than a few weeks, even if they're pinched to stay in place. (I don't use any grease or lube, btw. APP doesn't need it. ) I believe the same is probably true for real black as well. Just my observations so far. Somebody else may get entirely different results. ( I should mention that I carry this gun around with me whenever it's possible. Out around the yard, etc. It's seen some pretty foul conditions and isn't "babied". It hasn't let me down yet. ) J.C.

September 4, 2007, 05:51 AM	#5
plom Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Posts: 582	I have a Remington with 3 cylinders, loaded with 35 grs of FFFg swiss powder and 44 lead round ball. two of them are shot every 2 weeks, they never fired, and the third is fired every 2 or 3 months without any problem. Just make sure your revolver is stored in a dry area and you should be fine. Make also sure the chambers of the cylinder were dry of any oil or solvent before you load the revolver. I load my 1851 with 22grs of BP and a .380 lead round ball, I shoot it once a month, it never failed too

September 5, 2007, 08:05 PM	#6
MacGille Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2006 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 976	I was with a friend of mine once who had just purchased a Musketoon. About 1800 or so. We were in his living room and he capped the piece(percussion modification) and fired it. Nothing happened, but I noticed no smoke from the muzzle. He recapped and fired, still nothing. The third time he fired a cap the piece went off and blew a hole in the front door of his house. We don't know how long the piece had been loaded, but a quick check with the former owner revealed that he had never checked the loading or tried to fire it. It may have been loaded for over a hundred years.(or not) If the powder was not wetted, it may last for a looooong time.

September 5, 2007, 08:44 PM	#7
Chris_B Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2007 Posts: 3,101	That's an incredibly apt story to illustrate how a firearm should always be regarded as loaded!