What grease to use to prevent flashover?

[tesco.com]

My lad has just bought his first BP revolver but he's not sure what kind of grease to seal the chambers with and I've no idea!
Can anyone give me an idea what he needs to use please?

[tacfoley]

My lad has just bought his first BP revolver but he's not sure what kind of grease to seal the chambers with and I've no idea!
Can anyone give me an idea what he needs to use please?

If you MUST use grease - and many these days do not - please DON'T use any automotive grease like the stuff you put in bearings. It will make a nigh-on immoveable hard crud on every surface of the gun.
Some use water-pump grease, same deal, it's hydrocarbon based, and therefore very messy to clean up post shoot. Over in the real world, Crisco shortening is THE stuff- makes the air around you smell like a chip van, though. I have no idea what the UK equivalent is, I suspect something like TREX [?]

Anyhwo, here's MY tip, and I've been shooting BP since 1968, so you can bet that if it can be done, I've probably done it. Go into Boots and buy a plastic container of E45 hand cream, and use that.

There are a few reasons why this is a good idea -

1. It is totally water-soluble, and therefore, when you wash off the gun you wash away all the goop with it.

2. It it totally non-allergic [it's a skin cream, right?] - some greases are definitely NOT.

3. It works.

Others may differ- there are, of course, as many answers to this as fleas on a dog.

Keep your automotive grease for the cylinder arbour.

tac

[anfukf]

Trex would be the UK equivalent,I mix that with beeswax for black powder bullets,but crisco is available from Tesco, online if not at a local store.

[tesco.com]

Thanks gents, that's just what I needed to know. I've got a tub of automotive grease in the garage which was in danger of being used, but not any more!
Thanks again
Steve

[enfield2band]

Flashover does not come from the front of the cylinder it happens at the back when hot gases flash from one cap hole to the next. Good fitting caps will reduce the risk of this happening. For example-If you have No11 caps and your nipples are intended for No10 they will be loose on the nipple and there is a possibility that hot gases from one chamber can flashover to the next.
I have witnessed a chain reaction of flashover where all six chambers fired simultaneously. Like an idiot I watched it instead of diving for cover.(Well, it was fun to watch). Thankfully the gun did not burst but it bent the cylinder pin and frame.
If the balls fit the gun adequately there should be a thin metal ring of lead left when the ball is squeezed into the cylinder, so in effect. the ball is not completely round, and the point where the lead has been shaved off is the gas seal.
If you want proof of this grease all six chambers and only cap one chamber and then fire the gun. The grease on the chambers either side of the one you have just fired will be devoid of most of the grease, the pressure that escapes from between the cylinder and the barrel blows it out.

Some indoor ranges I know of have banned using grease because of the mess it makes on the floor. It does not matter on an outdoor range, and if you feel safer using grease it will not do any harm and should not affect the accuracy of your gun.

Atb

[tesco.com]

Thanks for that enfield2band, good to know.
How do we find out what the correct size cap is?! looking at the instructions that came with the pistol (Uberti Remington 1858 new army), they only cover ball size and powder weight..

[enfield2band]

Thanks for that enfield2band, good to know.
How do we find out what the correct size cap is?! looking at the instructions that came with the pistol (Uberti Remington 1858 new army), they only cover ball size and powder weight..

If it is a new pistol I would expect it to be No.11 caps. This size is the most commonly used.

I have an older Uberti Police with the fluted cylinder and it takes No.10 caps.

The only sure way is to try one on the gun. If it is a snug fit is will be the right size.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[tacfoley]

Ditto advice on caps These days #11 are the to-go size on a full-size revolver like the Remington. The best of all here in Europe are RWS, next Remington, and after that, no idea.

You don't mention what form of propellant you intend to use, so, assuming that you are using the Holy Black, note that in order to comply with the Italian H&S rules, the recommended loads in the instructions are WAAAAAAY lower than those commonly used by everybody else, me included.

The average load for a .44cal BP revolver, using 3Fg BP and a .451" diameter ball, is around 30gr or so.

The average load for a .44cal revolver using Pyrodex P [P stands for pistol, BTW] and .451" diameter ball, is 25gr or so.

Obviously, the idea is that you start low and work up to the 'sweet spot' where you get all the shots in about the same place with some degree of consistency.

Don't you have anybody in your club who shoots BP that you can cozy up to for advice?

tac

[Livefast123]

I use Sellior and Belliot No11 caps on my Uberti 1858 and they fit like a glove. I have never had a misfire with these caps (touches nearest wood!)

I also use Triple 7 and don't use any grease over the end of the cylinder, just a pre lubricated wad. I find that this keeps things much cleaner and is easier to load. As long as your balls fit good and your nipples are pert then I wouldn't worry about flashovers

[DJS]

I've found the best over ball lubricant to be deer tallow closely followed lamb tallow. my wife picks up fat from the local butchers and renders it down for me. This tallow is very firm and can be used as is but I usually add a little castor oil (Castrol R) to soften it. It doesn't get blown out of the adjacent chambers and you get no hard deposits in the barrel, one patch pulled through the barrel has it shining inside.
For the cylinder arbour of my Remington NMA I use a grease made from tallow with more Castrol R added.
Daz

[tacfoley]

I recommended the caps that are readily available where I live - S&B caps are not. As I said, there are as many answers as fleas on a dog, and most are right. The price of lubed wads here in UK and the cost of ready-made ball makes shooting a 'cheap' BP revolver a lot like firing up five pound notes. If anybody here has any doubts about either home-casting or making your own wads, remember that a pound of good lead will produce around 50 .44cal balls. Wads are another subject altogether, and since I neither make them nor use them, I'll leave that subject to those who do.

tac

[tesco.com]

Thanks again gents, your help here is much appreciated. I've seen people use various greases and also a home made beeswax compound that was cut into wads, so I wanted to take a wider view and get it as right as possible (though it looks like there is no one way to do this).

Some valuable info here, I like the sound of E45 or the lubbed wads, think I'll get my lad to try one or both of these (not at the same time though..!)

[spartan]

Castrol water pump grease is what you need.

[lostcat]

I use T7 with CCI #11 magnum.
I use a wad made from 3mm thick cork,bought off the bay in sheets,the cutter is home made though,spun in a mill/drill I can make 5000 for £5. maybe takes 10 mins to make 100 or so.pop in a baggy with a few drops of olive oil but not sure if that makes any difference.reason for the wads is to reduce the charge for targets with 1-2mm of compression with the lever bottomed out.
Can't guess at volumes it has to be measured to start out.I make the spouts also to required volumes but reducing a standard spout should be easy enough.

[Livefast123]

Does anybody make .45 wad cutters for the budget minded shooter, as all the ones I have seen have been expensive. But as Tac says, 100 lubed wads costs £6 from my local so I really want to start making my own.