How to Load a Percussion Revolver

Percussion or cap-and-ball revolvers are fun to shoot, but they require care be taken to load and to clean than modern revolvers. These firearms are great for target shooting and are an excellent choice for various forms of reenactment and cowboy action shooting. But, they should not be used for hunting or personal defense, as they are less reliable and are usually less accurate than modern firearms.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Percussion revolver such as a Colt 1851 Navy or a Remington New Army
• Percussion revolver loading stand
• Black power or a black powder substitute in a powder flask with a loading spout that measures a charge in the appropriate size for your revolver
• Wads of appropriate size
• Bullets of appropriate size
• Gun grease
• Percussion caps

1. Clean your revolver thoroughly before shooting it the first time. This serves to instruct you in the parts of the revolver as well as getting it ready to shoot. New revolvers are usually packed in a gummy shipping oil that you need to get off prior to shooting. If you bought your revolver used, it will give you a chance to go over it in detail, checking all the nipples on the cylinders to make sure that they do not need replacement. Reassemble your revolver, carefully lubricating all parts with a high quality black powder lubricant. Make sure that all parts fit securely and that the cylinder cycles smoothly and locks up when the hammer is fully cocked.

2. With the hammer in the half-cock position, place the revolver, muzzle up, in the loading stand. You will notice that the loading lever lines up with the chamber directly opposite the one under the hammer.

3. Place your index finger over the tip of the loading spout on the powder flask and press the release lever on the flask. Turn the flask upside down and release the release lever. Return the flask to the upright position. You now have a charge of powder held in the spout of the flask.

4. Carefully pour the powder into the chamber to the immediate left of the loading lever. Manually turn the cylinder one position and charge the second chamber in the same way. Repeat the charging process with the third through fifth chambers.

5. Place a wad over each of the five charged chambers and gently compress each wad with a downward stroke of the loading lever.

6. Place a bullet over the first charged chamber and lever it down firmly into position, gently compressing it against the powder. A correctly-sized bullet will shave a small lead sprue off as you lever it into position. You want to be very careful to make sure that there is no air space in the chamber. Secure the loading lever.

7. Fill the mouth of the five loaded chambers with the grease.

8. When you are ready to shoot, place a cap on the nipple of each of the loaded chambers. If the caps are slightly loose for your revolver you can pinch them slightly to make them fit.

Tips & Warnings

• When shooting at reenactments or at Cowboy Action Shooting events, we only charge five chambers of a six-chamber revolver, leaving an empty chamber under the hammer. Historically, this is the way these revolvers were carried as a safety precaution.
• Like all shooting activities, utmost care and attention must be paid to all safety considerations when shooting percussion revolvers. If you snap a cap that does not fire a chamber that you believe to be charged, keep the revolver pointed down-range for a full two minutes before moving the revolver to a table for unloading – you may be experiencing a “hang-fire” which is a slow burn in the cap, and may fire the chamber late. This is archaic technology that was improved over the years, so your experience with modern revolvers may not apply in all circumstances.
• Only use black powder or black powder substitutes in revolvers intended for black powder. Modern smokeless powders and so-called “duplex” powders are far too powerful for these revolvers and will cause a catastrophic failure if they are used. Even in small quantities these powders must not be used.
• While shooting replica percussion revolvers is a fun and safe pastime, as long as proper care is taken, under no circumstances should actual antique percussion revolvers be fired. The metals used in the mid-nineteenth century were not as strong as modern metals to start with, and they will have degraded in the hundred and fifty years since they were forged. Do not shoot antique revolvers of this age.
• Be sure that your revolver has cooled before re-loading. A single hot ember remaining in a chamber has the potential to cause a catastrophic accident and injury.
• Make sure that the grease you use is a product intended for use with black powder shooting, such as Thompson’s Bore Butter. Synthetic lubricants can become very troublesome from a cleaning perspective in the presence of heat and black powder residue.

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