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black powder revolver storage/drying question

chuckg7442

Aluminum
Joined
Apr 9, 2018
I have a repop 1851 Navy revolver that has some rust forming since the last time I shot it. I know black powder is corrosive, and I cleaned the pistol last time I shot it. Not sure if I got all the moisture out of the cylinder or sufficiently cleaned the black powder residue. Just wondering if there was a trick for drying the pistol/ cleaning tips I can pick up. Thanks.
 
Once you remove the BP residue you can dry it with a nitrogen purge.

Just put it in a plastic bag, small vent hole at opposite end of Nitrogen purge line

Once the nitrogen displaces the other gases it will suck the water out of everywhere in the revolver very quickly

Use some LPS 3 to keep out the rust, never use WD 40 as it will suck water out of the air and rust steel to dust
 
More likely some BP residue is remaining.....anyhoo,wash the parts in boiling (very hot) water ,and the hot metal will deal with any water in the crevices.......then oil the gun thoroughly with a good gun oil........also be aware that BP sub Pyrodex is highly corrosive and will"eat your gun" if not correctly dealt with.
 
Use a lot of water, perhaps with a little bit of dish soap, for cleaning. I generally remove the water by spraying some acetone or carburetor cleaner.
The best protective oil seems to be Mobil 1, or other high quality true synthetic oils.

Paolo
 
I can vouch for the acetone. It isn't very expensive and is readily available for painters in the hardware department of chain stores.

Water will be absorbed by the acetone, and it will evaporate from the pistol very quickly without hurting the surface finish. I buy it by the gallon for use on my coin collection. And it works well to degrease metal before cold bluing.

There are several cautions however. One, the fumes are not good for you, so use ventilation. Two, it is flammable (inflammable) so be careful with sparks and flames. And three, it will melt some plastics, so be careful of grips, sight inserts and anything on the workbench that might get splashed. Use safety glasses.

And I never return the used fluid to the original container, but store it in a second container where it will be used several more times before being used to remove bumper stickers. The last gallon I bought from Walmart was about $15.
 
Thanks for the responses. As fun as it is to shoot the pistol, it seems to be more of a pain to clean. :rolleyes5:

Access Denied

This is the link to the exact gun I have. I am hoping to get a second and possibly find replica grips for a Wild Bill look. Is there a smokeless powder that could be used instead of black powder?
 
For my BP revolvers I clean them and then oil them with Marvel Air Tool oil, which has some moisture displacing ability as well as mild rust penetration ability. I discovered this by accident after using it to oil a friend's neglected air tool. This is also my go-to cleaner/oil for some garage sale tool finds. It loosens accumulated gunk and minor rust as well as lubricating and protecting the finish.

Before shooting these BP revolvers I give the cylinders a quick swab with iso alcohol at the range to prevent the oil from fouling the powder.

PS: I do an initial cleaning of my BP guns with alcohol based automotive windshield washer fluid with a wash booster (P21S) added. I then use the air tool oil to prevent rust and stabilize any BP residue in crevices.
 
Outside the box thought here. I heard about a guy who cleaned his glock, then to dry it put it in the oven. He admitted that 475F and taking a nap was a horrible idea because he came back to a solid chunk of plastic with some glock parts sprinkled in. What about using a lower temp or the warming feature on an oven to dry the gun parts? I wouldn't go hot enough to melt a glock, but at least warm enough to evaporate the water. Thoughts?
 
Hot soapy water in an ultrasonic cleaner great for getting all the little nooks and crannys
Clean then a quick dip in acetone that will get rid of the water, a little dry compressed air then oil
It.
Some people like Ballistol and water mix for cleaning.
One guy who I shoot with uses water and isopropyl alcohol.

The revolvers are a pain to clean but the winchester 73 in 44 40 is a breeze to clean.
 
Stop thinking about smokeless powder for the gun NOW.

I understand that smokeless powder is more powerful that black powder. I'm not willing to risk my hands or life to save a little cleaning. I've been thinking about how an old cap and ball pistol could be converted to shoot cartridges and now I'm wondering how that works. Cylinder swap? I don't think a magnum round could be used due to the pressures.
 
Yes, there are several places you can buy cylinders which allow you to load cartridges. I've never figured out if the guys who do that reload with black powder or us Pioneer etc.
Conversion Cylinders - Hand Guns

Interesting idea a friend of mine who has had mental treatments which makes him flag out the gun purchase forms, he said he could load that up and get around the prohibition.

I wonder about that, now IF the BATF said black powder is OK without a form does that mean such a gun can be carried for personal protection? Then question #2 becomes "Is it the black powder or the pistol type that allows it?"
If the pistol type and the conversions are copies from that era it would seem legal scholarship might be needed, especially if loaded with smokeless.
 
I know in my state, the possession of the pistol itself, without all the components to make it go bang, is legal. I believe they could even be sent to the individual by mail, though I am not sure of the unsafe act has changed that.

I should have made my question more clear though. I remember that when the self contained cartridge was just starting out, so late 1800s ish, one could get the gun converted to use cartridges. I am wondering about the safety back then. Though I would assume that they would've still used black powder to charge the cartridges?
 
I believe that the cylinder conversions for black powder pistols were designed only for black powder cartridges, not smokeless. Jim
 
I believe that the cylinder conversions for black powder pistols were designed only for black powder cartridges, not smokeless. Jim

That most likely is the answer, since according to all knowing google, smokeless powder was invented in 1884.
 








 
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