Cap & Ball Revolvers In the Old West
Continued, Part 3 of 4
When Colt later introduced its famed Single Action Army in 1873,
it copied the Remington's solid frame with top strap and threaded
barrel attachment.  A cylinder pin bushing was added which had a
flange to direct black powder gases away from the cylinder pin. 
The metallic cartridge Colts discarded the big, streamlined frame
of the 1860 Army and returned to the trim Navy grip and retained
the Navy's lock work, grips, trigger guard and grip straps.  Many
parts from the 1851 Navy will interchange with those of early
Colt Single Action Armies.
The cavalry preferred the .44 caliber over the .36, presumably,
because it was more effective in taking an enemy's horse out from
under him.   The 1858 Remington and 1860 Colt .44 caliber, Army
revolvers held 28 to 30 grains of black powder and fired either a
142-grain .454" round ball at 770 to 870 f.p.s. or a 180-grain,
heeled conical bullet at 700-800 f.p.s., depending upon the
quality of the powder.   A velocity variation of ñ 100 f.p.s.
between two different batches of the same brand and granulation
of black powder, using identical volumetric charges, is not at
all unusual.
These are not "powerful" revolvers in the modern sense, having
kinetic energies of about 200 to 250 foot-pounds, which is
comparable to the modern .38 Special.  Here again, we have the
example of a soft, pure lead round ball, launched at subsonic
velocity, which penetrates well, without any appreciable upset or
mushrooming in the target, unless large bones are hit.  Round
balls kill out of proportion to their kinetic energy because
their frontal area is large for their mass and their blunt bullet
shape is effective in destroying tissue in a deep-penetrating
wound.  Tissue damage is increased because of bullet deformation,
which occurs in loading, often produces jagged, sharp edges on
the bullet.
Pocket revolvers were very common and extremely popular because
they could be tucked easily in a belt, coat pocket or holster. 
They were much handier than the big military handguns.  They were
used not only by gamblers and Pinkertons, but by merchants,
travelers, women and others who wished to be unobtrusively armed. 
The Colt pocket models are the best known examples.  These were
generally .31 caliber and were produced starting in 1837 with the
Baby Paterson, and followed by the models 1848 and 1849 "Baby
Dragoons."  These usually had 4-inch or 5-inch barrels, weighed
1-1/2 pounds and were about ten inches long.
The .31 calibers were not powerful enough to incapacitate an
enemy with a single hit unless a central nervous system hit was
placed "just right."   This was because they fired only a 44-
grain lead ball at less than 600 feet per second (f.p.s.), having
only about 35 foot pounds of kinetic energy.  They were more
accurate than the typical single-shot muzzle loading or screw-
barrel pocket pistols of their era, and had the advantage of five
shots, versus one.
Gun fighters sometimes mutilated Army or Navy model, full-sized
revolvers by cutting off the barrels, often removing the loading
levers so they would fit easily and draw more smoothly from a
pocket, without snagging clothing.  This made them more portable,
but less powerful.  Testing of modern reproductions similarly
modified resulted a 36 percent loss of kinetic energy from 240
foot-pounds (.44-caliber round ball at 872 f.p.s. fired in the 8-
inch holster length barrel) to only 154 foot-pounds (697 f.p.s.
when the same gun was cut to the 5-inch barrel length of typical
pocket models).   Colt and Manhattan produced 5-shot .36 caliber
Police models built on the small .31 frame.  The Colt Model 1862
Police was the best of the type, and was used by many Union
officers as well as by the Pinkerton detective agency.  
Remington also produced various pocket revolvers in both .31 and
.36 calibers, with either stub triggers or conventional guarded
ones.
Once loaded, the revolver was almost always carried in a sturdy
leather holster with its hammer lowered into carrying notches (on
the Remingtons) or onto safety pins (on Colts and Manhattans)
which were between the chambers.  These were never fail safe. 
Accidental discharges were sometimes caused by the cylinder
rotating, due to vibration of riding in a holster, so that the
hammer nose could rest against a cap on a loaded chamber.  The
gun might fire if it were struck or dropped.  Knowledgeable users
adopted the practice of carrying the hammer down on an empty
chamber, described by cowboys as "five peas to the pod."  This
prudent safety practice was carried over to cartridge guns and is
still the safest way to carry any single-action revolver.
Even when used by experts, cap & ball revolvers were never
completely dependable.  That's why serious gun fighters often
carried a pair.  Cap jams are inherent in all percussion
revolvers and are caused by fragments of the copper cup jamming
in the frame opening for the hammer nose, or elsewhere in the
cylinder rotating mechanism.  Such jams were a nuisance to clear
and were unavoidable whether firing was slow and deliberate, or
rapid, under duress.
If the caps fit too loosely, the powder blast from firing one
chamber could dislodge one or more caps from adjacent ones,
causing misfires.  Loose caps were commonly "pinched" slightly to
help them stay on, but this expedient wasn't always effective. 
Even when using the best imported caps, such as those made by the
Eley Brothers of London, cap jams probably occurred at least once
in eight shots with the open-top Colts and similar Manhattans and
once in 12 shots with the solid-frame Remingtons or Whitneys. 
This conclusion is based firing modern reproductions under ideal
test conditions, in which the nipples were replaced with larger
ones which fit the caps tightly.  Hacker reported a much higher
probability of jamming, about twice this figure, which is more
indicative of the "worst case" probability of malfunction when
the effects of "tolerance stacking" were combined with powder
fouling and trail dust.
"Chain firing" or multiple discharges in which the flash from one
chamber would sympathetically ignite the adjacent ones, were
another problem.  The use of undersized balls as an expedient to
make loading easier compounded the problem.    A properly sized
ball fitted tightly enough so that a slight ring of lead was
shaved from it in seating.  Any readily available fat, tallow or
grease was smeared over the bullets to help waterproof and seal
them.  Grease was intended to prevent "chain firing," but if the
balls fit tightly enough that they were not dislodged of their
own inertia during recoil, (which would jam the gun), accidental
chain-fires were seldom a problem.   The most important reason
for grease was to keep the powder residues soft.  Otherwise the
barrel would become caked with fouling within a few shots and
become inaccurate, and the mechanism would also become difficult
to operate.  Covering the chambers with grease completely
eliminated risk of multiple discharges, kept the fouling soft to
maintain accuracy and reduced cylinder binding.
The very best revolver grease for this purpose was the U.S. Army
mixture of three parts mutton tallow to one part of beeswax. 
This mixture was also packaged and sold in little tins under
various trade names.    Even when grease was applied over the
ball, the open-top Colt revolvers began to freeze up from black
powder residue after about twenty shots, unless the barrel wedge
was removed, the barrel and cylinder dismounted, the cylinder pin
wiped clean with a damp rag and then greased and reassembled. 
However, for the man who knew his gun, used it and maintained it
well, the cap & ball sixgun served with distinction for more than
a generation.
It is important to realize that these early revolvers lacked what
engineers today would call "design maturity."  Improvements in
firearms and ammunition design which would enable the revolver to
evolve into a fully reliable and effective combat weapon would not be
completed until after five decades of continuous use.   Realizing
this, and appreciating the exploits of our western heroes, there
is probably no better piece of American history you can own than
a cap & ball revolver.
End of Part 3 - YES! There is more, continued next message
'73 de KE4SKY, Regards, Ed
--- msged 2.05
 
 
 
 
It is important to realize that these early revolvers lacked what
engineers today call "design maturity."  Improvements in firearms and
ammunition design which would enable the revolver to evolve into
a fully reliable and effective combat weapon would not be
completed until after five decades of continuous use.   Realizing
this, and appreciating the exploits of our western heroes, there
is probably no better piece of American history you can own than
a cap & ball revolver.
End Part 3 - Continued Next Message
'73 de KE4SKY, Regards, Ed
 
--- msged 2.05
 
 
 
 
It is important to realize that these early revolvers lacked
what engineers today call "design maturity."  Improvements in
firearms and ammunition design which would enable the revolver
to evolve into a fully reliable and effective combat weapon
would not be completed until after five decades of continuous use.
Realizing this simple fact, and appreciating the exploits of
our western heroes, there is probably no better piece of 
American history you can own than a cap & ball revolver.
End Part 3 - Continued Next Message
'73 de KE4SKY, Regards, Ed
 
--- msged 2.05
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
--- Squish v1.01
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