Learning to shoot a cap & ball revolver requires common sense
and attention to detail, but these guns are effective and
satisfying.  Safety, reliability and accuracy of a black
powder revolver all depend on care exercised in loading. 
Doing this correctly requires 2 or 3 minutes.  It cannot be
done hurriedly.  Think of your cap & ball revolver as being
little different from a modern one, except that it has its
own reloading press attached.  If you give it the combined
attention you do in shooting, plus reloading ammunition, AND
at the same time, you will be OK.
Dry each chamber thoroughly prior to loading and ensure the
nipples are clear of oil or debris.  This is done by
"snapping caps" on each nipple, and observing the disturbance
of a leaf, paper or other light material near the muzzle.  In
a hunting situation when you don't want to risk scaring game,
dry the chambers thoroughly with patches.  Use a straight
copper wire to clear each channel.  Hold the cylinder up to
the light and ensure you can see daylight through each flash
channel, then degrease the chambers with a light volatile
solvent such as Outer's Crud Cutter or Birchwood Casey Gun
Scrubber and dry with patches.  When this is done, the
revolver will be sure-fire.
If despite your best efforts, a chamber has misfired, clear
the flash channel with a wire, re-cap it and try again.  If
this doesn't work, the safest way to clear a misfire in a cap
& ball revolver is to carefully pry caps from all nipples
with a small screwdriver, while wearing safety glasses and
pointing the muzzle in a safe direction.  Then remove the
cylinder.  Unscrew the offending nipple and carefully pick
out the powder with a copper wire or other nonferrous object
until you can freely insert a 5/32" diameter straight punch
into the chamber until it solidly contacts the base of the
ball or bullet.  Then carefully tap out the ball from behind.
Round balls are still the best choice for general use in
either light or heavy loads.  They are extremely easy to
cast, accurate, and effective for small game.  A round ball
attains 900-1000 f.p.s. in a full load and is a better killer
and more accurate than the slower conicals.   I don't use the
conical bullets in cap & ball revolvers, because they offer
no advantage in game killing power or accuracy.  The 200 and
250-gr. Lee R.E.A.L., H&G #130BB or Saeco 131, cast soft, are
better options for heavier bullets in the .44 and .45
revolvers.
A wadcutter bullet like the R.E.A.L. is sized and pre-
lubricated like a conventional bullet, eliminating the need
to apply grease over the ball.  I lubricate REAL bullets for
my Old Army in a .454" sizer, and use a .451" for the
replicas.  You can either use your favorite black powder
lube, or simply tumble the bullets in Lee Liquid Alox.
Firm compression of the charge is necessary for best
accuracy.  With charges less than 20 grains bulk measure in
the replicas or 25 grains in the Ruger Old Army, the stroke
of the loading lever is inadequate to compress the charge
unless a wad or filler is used.  I thumb an Ox Yoke wad over
the powder as I load each chamber.  This also avoids the risk
of an inadvertent double-charge or seating a ball with no
powder under it.  The wad also avoids spilling powder from
adjacent chambers when seating the ball or bullet, keeps the
bore cleaner and improves accuracy too.  If you cannot feel
the charge compress slightly before the end of the rammer
stroke, you may need to also pour a bit of Farina, Cream of
Wheat or corn meal to take up the empty space in the
chambers.  I dispense mine from a catsup bottle.  Cream of
Wheat or Farina do not cake in wet weather, but do not
compress, so the amount needed must be carefully determined,
to leave enough room for seating the ball.  Corn meal
compresses and is more forgiving if you use a bit too much.
Hodgdon Pyrodex is more difficult to ignite than black
powder, so it is doubly essential that the charge be fully
compressed to eliminate all airspace, otherwise hangfires or
misfires may occur.  "Hot" caps such as CCI give the best
results with Pyrodex.  With black powder, failure to compress
the charge results in lower velocities, greater velocity
variation and vertical stringing.
Seating a wad over the powder, combined with a tight fitting
ball or bullet positively prevents "flashovers", but applying
lubricant over round balls is essential to keep the cylinder
from binding due to fouling.  It also aids accuracy, reduces
leading and makes the gun easier to clean afterwards.  I use
either Lee Case Lube or Hodgdon SpitBall, with no particular
preference to either, both work well.
Its OK to load and cap all six chambers when target shooting
at a range, when the revolver will be fired immediately.  In
the field never load more than FIVE chambers.  Always carry
the hammer down on the EMPTY one for safety!  The substantial
hammer notches between the chambers of the Ruger Old Army are
much better than the puny "pins" on original Colts, but
Sturm, Ruger cautions to load 5 only, and I agree with their
advice.
Black powder folklore says pure lead is a must for bullets. 
It is best, if you can get it, but certainly not essential. 
I routinely use backstop scrap from .38 wadcutter and .22
rimfire bullets, 8 BHN, containing 1.5% antimony and 0.3%
tin.  I expect a good load to group 2" at 25 yards.  My best
ones do better.  
With black powder, a consistent bore condition is critical
for accuracy.  Serious black powder competitors dry brush the
bore and chambers when they reload.  An effective lube such
as Hodgdon Spit-Ball combined with Ox-Yoke Wonder Wads also
helps you shoot longer before needing to clean.  Using
Hodgdon Pyrodex rather than black also helps.  I have found
that when using Pyrodex I can fire 60 continuous shots or
more without brushing and the last group is as good as the
first.
The top black powder competitors buy as much of one lot of
powder as they can safely (and legally) store and work up
their most accurate loads with it.  Once they find an
accurate load, they measure velocities, but only to provide a
working baseline.  They emphasize that it does no good
whatever to measure velocities while working up a load unless
groups are concurrently shot on paper, because uniform
velocity does not guarantee accuracy.   Velocity measurement
is most valuable after an accurate load has been found,
because it defines a measurable parameter and gives at least
some chance of being able to approximate the same good
results.
Pyrodex is more consistent from batch to batch than black
powder, and I prefer it for target loads because it seems
more consistently accurate and produces less fouling.  It is
also more readily available in some areas than black powder
because it can be shipped and stored under the same
regulations which apply to smokeless propellant.  Pyrodex 
NOT noncorrosive, and requires the same attention to cleaning
that black powder does.  The cleaning methods and materials
which work with black powder are also effective with Pyrodex,
and vice-versa.
Cleaning a black powder gun isn't the drudgery you have heard
about.  There are plenty of easy-to-use black powder cleaners
for those who shun water.  If you don't want to mix your own
"Ed's Red" and want a store bought product, you can get fine
results cleaning black powder guns with any of the various
"waterless hand cleaners" sold in hardware and auto parts
stores, such as "Go-Jo," "Goop" or "Fast Orange."
These cost about $3 per pound can and have an appearance
and consistency like mayonnaise.  Most are an emulsion of
petroleum distillates, water, soap and lanolin, occasionally
with surfactants or anti-oxidants added.  "Fast Orange"
has a jojoba and aloe base. Never use brands which contain
pumice or other abrasives!  
To clean the revolver, remove the cylinder and unscrew the
nipples.  This enables the wire core of a bore brush to clear
the nipple threads so the bristles will reach clear to the
bottom of the chambers.  Scrub the chambers well with hand
cleaner on the brush.  Then pack each chamber with paper
towel, patches or tissue and use a 2" long, 5/32" punch to
push the packing out.  This leaves the chambers bright,
clean, and lightly lubricated to prevent rust.  Scrub the
bore with a bore brush and hand cleaner and wipe dry with
patches.  Use a toothbrush similarly to scrub the frame
crevices and nipple seats.  Wipe the exterior dry with a rag,
lightly oil the cylinder pin, gas ring and ratchet, place a
drop or two in the hammer pivot and reassemble.  This
cleaning method is effective with both black powder and
Pyrodex and is quick and easy.  Use the waterless hand
cleaner while at the range to clean your hands after a
shooting session.  It also makes a good expedient lubricant
over round balls.
So, who says cap & ball revolvers are too much trouble?  If
you try it my way, you'll be convinced that they do most
sporting jobs as well as a modern cartridge gun!
--- msged 2.05
---------------