Cap n Ball Epiphany

[The Goose]

Over the last year or so I have become interested in shooting black powder firearms, especially cap and ball revolvers. At first the loading and capping process was somewhat awkward, but like most things it got better with practice. However, what I noticed right off was that it ain’t like in the movies. They do not just go bang every time. Sometimes the percussion caps get dislodged during firing, or a fired cap jams up the cylinder turning or the cap goes bang, but not the charge. Certainly when they do go bang, which is most of the time, they are accurate enough especially at self defense distances.

I was at the range yesterday shooting my repro 1860 Army Colt and 1858 Remington and I really got to thinking about it. The multiple shot percussion revolver may have been a big step up from a single shot pistol, but it sure is not a magazine fed semi auto. Most especially if one was in a business that required real use of a firearm (i.e. soldier, LEO, bad guy etc.) there must have been some really hairy moments. We hear so much nowadays about the loss of fine motor skills in stressful situations, I just can’t imagine trying to cap a percussion revolver while some fellow is bearing down on me with a large edged weapon! Now add extreme heat or cold or rain or snow, OMG! I have to think that if I was around back then and in a profession such as LEO or bad guy that I would have carried 2 or 3 or 4 of these things (and a rifle and a big knife). Come to think of it that’s not such a bad idea today.

 

[Arioch]

Pinch the caps after they are on the nipples. Another thing that was very common in the 1800s was to carry one or two loaded extra cylinders. Swapping out a cylinder is a LOT quicker than trying to load one.

 

[Bob P]

Over the last year or so I have become interested in shooting black powder firearms, especially cap and ball revolvers. At first the loading and capping process was somewhat awkward, but like most things it got better with practice. However, what I noticed right off was that it ain’t like in the movies. They do not just go bang every time. Sometimes the percussion caps get dislodged during firing, or a fired cap jams up the cylinder turning or the cap goes bang, but not the charge. Certainly when they do go bang, which is most of the time, they are accurate enough especially at self defense distances.

I was at the range yesterday shooting my repro 1860 Army Colt and 1858 Remington and I really got to thinking about it. The multiple shot percussion revolver may have been a big step up from a single shot pistol, but it sure is not a magazine fed semi auto. Most especially if one was in a business that required real use of a firearm (i.e. soldier, LEO, bad guy etc.) there must have been some really hairy moments. We hear so much nowadays about the loss of fine motor skills in stressful situations, I just can’t imagine trying to cap a percussion revolver while some fellow is bearing down on me with a large edged weapon! Now add extreme heat or cold or rain or snow, OMG! I have to think that if I was around back then and in a profession such as LEO or bad guy that I would have carried 2 or 3 or 4 of these things (and a rifle and a big knife). Come to think of it that’s not such a bad idea today.

Take a look at a typical officer's belt layout from that period. Pistol on the right reversed with sword on the left. In close combat, the officer was expected to fire his pistol with his off hand while using his sword with his dominant. That right there says a lot about which was the more effective weapon for the time

 

[Chris Custodiet]

Bob P is right about the arrangment of sword & revolver in Civil War times, but that arrangement was per regulations.

In reality revolvers had become the more effective weapon by the 1860's. Swords didn't have much value for officers in the Civil War, since they didn't have time for the training needed to wield a sword effectively. West Pointers carried swords, maybe, but for the vast civilian armies a Colt or Remington revolver was a better battlefield weapon.