Gixxus Christ! Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 I recently inherited a beautiful Italian made replica of a colt army .44 revolver (I think). It's definitely colt design (no safety notches on cyl between nipples). I know absolutely dick about black powder, especially revolvers. Guessing fff grain powder.Guessing oversized balls (tee hee)Guessing colt caps will be pretty much standard.Educate me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vf1000ride Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 What brand, Uberti or Pietta, other? Caliber? any date markings? Check under the loading lever for possible extra info. Most reproduction black powder manufacturer put info under there. It looks more like a Spiller&Burr style gun than Colt or Remington. 3f powder would more than likely be correct. Oversized balls yes but it depends on brand of the pistol as to how much oversized. Most .44 cal guns can use a .451-.454 caliber ball but my Uberti made Colt Walker need a .457 ball to work correctly. Caps run into the same problem, some guns will need a #10 cap and others #11 caps. It depends on the size of the nipple installed in it. Again, most guns run the #10 cap but my Walker runs a #11 just to make my life hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gixxus Christ! Posted December 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Top of barrel is stamped 'euroarms of america' top strap is marked 'Rogers and spencer, Utica n-y'Nothing but a makers mark under the ram. Various other maker marks on barrel and frame. .44 cal black powder only on side of barrel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vf1000ride Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Euroarms is who made it. Rogers and Spencer was the original version that came out in the 1800's. They still list it on the Euroarms website. Says it takes a .451 diameter ball and #11 caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vf1000ride Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Most forum posts I can find people are saying between 28-30 grains of 3f black powder and the .454 diameter ball as they stay in better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gixxus Christ! Posted December 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Sweet thanks. Anything special I need to know about cleaning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vf1000ride Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Hot soapy water as with any other blackpowder gun. Followed by a good gun oil. Read up on a couple of the online articles on loading. I like to put bore butter on top of the ball after it is seated in the cylinder. It prevents flashover and helps to keep barrel deposits soft enough to clean out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gixxus Christ! Posted December 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Looks like my mission, if I choose to accept it, is to get powder, caps, balls and patches tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) #11 caps might be easier to find than the #10. Both are when ever/where ever you can find them lately. I see them off and on at Gander and Cabelas. Never did find any at Vances. #10 caps aren't all the same size and fit across brands, so I suspect the #11 might be also. I use Remington #10s, but CCI #11 is close to the same size, but a bit loose. So I suspect CCI #11 would be tight or too tight for yours. Trial and error. fffg is correct. Some brands of powder are cleaner. Check the powder label carefully, I've seen the "color code" (purple or blue) of the label get scrambled up between ffg and fffg. A proper fitting lead ball will shave a little ring of lead when pushed into the cylinder. You need to put a wad between the powder and ball, to remove the air gap and position the lead ball correctly. But more important, something has to block the cylinder on top of the lead round. To prevent a crossfire in the cylinder, which would be bad (understatement). Grease is what is used, but there are options and opinions. Feinwerkbau model starts out with 15 grains (round ball). The Navy Arms model starts out with 22 grains. A pure lead cast bullet uses a bit less since it's heavier. People load more than that, but I resist saying what. It will vary with brand, model, and strength of firearm. Can't find a manual for a Euroarms 44....Here's a copy of a Rogers and Spencer manual from the German Feinwerkbau:http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-571046.htmlhttp://www.feinwerkbau.de/ceasy/modules/core/resources/main.php5?id=341-0Here's a copy of a Rogers and Spencer manual from Navy Arms:http://www.navyarms.com/files/bp_revolver.pdf Cleaning instructions:http://www.euroarms.net/ML/ASSISTANCE/R&S/R&S_ENGL_01.htm edit: some newer models have a safety notch between cylinder bores, the old ones do not. Those must not be carried with a load under the hammer. Load only 5 instead of 6 (unless firing now), so the hammer sits on an empty cylinder. It's so important the manuals even say not to ever load the caps till you fire. Including a spare cylinder, since if it's fully loaded, it's capable of firing. Edited December 13, 2014 by ReconRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gixxus Christ! Posted December 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Thanks, lots of great info. Will research your links tomorrow as I'm wrist deep in liberty ale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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