Post ur pix of ur black powder revolvers

Ruger Old Army, in my opinion the best Black powder revolver u can buy. Owners manual sez u can load it with as much of what ever black powder or subsitute that u can stuff in the cylinder. I found that without compressing the powder prior to loading a ball 40grains of fffg is about all I can put in this camber. I have heard there are substitute powders that produce more energy than goex real black powder and that swiss black powder produces more energy. I have only Pyrodex and Goex but if I can get my grubby paws on some swiss I'd like to try it. Who knows which BP sub is it that produces the most energy, is it the 209 powder? Has anybody used this powder in a revolver or rifle that has percussion caps for an ignition system?

That is the second Ruger I've seen here with a padlock in the box. They come standard with them?

That is a real fine looking pistol by the way

Hawg when I find a camera I'll post a couple of mine. Hawg 777 has more power by volume so you might want to try some of that I do not believe the BH 209 will ignite with a regular 11 cap. However if someone has some BH209 and wants to test it out I aint afraid to use a ball puller...

Guess I'll be sending my latest Ruger Old Army to Ruger for some work... I broke a nipple. And HEY that stainless Old Army looks just like mine!

More BP handguns

tv_racin_fan said:

Hawg when I find a camera I'll post a couple of mine. Hawg 777 has more power by volume so you might want to try some of that I do not believe the BH 209 will ignite with a regular 11 cap. However if someone has some BH209 and wants to test it out I aint afraid to use a ball puller...

Guess I'll be sending my latest Ruger Old Army to Ruger for some work... I broke a nipple. And HEY that stainless Old Army looks just like mine!

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Of course, I think they are the best looking handguns I own. How'd u break a nipple?



These aren't too shabby, just not a Ruger.



Colt replica in 44 cal


Colt replica in 36 cal. This gun nickle plated and pearl handled would look like the twin Colts James Butler Hickok is reputed to have carried daily.

Well, I wanted to give it thorough cleaning and I was intending on replacing the nipples just because. Always a good idea to put something on them so they do not get stuck and lots of people don't. So I grabbed the trusty nipple wrench and gave it a yank and none of them would move but one of them just broke off pretty as ya please. I then soaked the cylinder good in Kroil for a few days and gave it a try again. I have gotten three out and broke the one and the others wont budge and worse thing is I rounded off the last two so my wrench wont get em. Ruger has a very good rep for service so I ain't worried I'll just send it in and let em do what they will with it. Course I am going to give them a call first. I have a blue one with stag grips that the blue is faded on and this stainless one and then I gave my son a Pietta 1858 Remington and I just built this CVA handgun from kit.

I noticed you said you don't like CVA at all, I am curious as to why?

cva junk

tv_racin_fan said:

Well, I wanted to give it thorough cleaning and I was intending on replacing the nipples just because. Always a good idea to put something on them so they do not get stuck and lots of people don't. So I grabbed the trusty nipple wrench and gave it a yank and none of them would move but one of them just broke off pretty as ya please. I then soaked the cylinder good in Kroil for a few days and gave it a try again. I have gotten three out and broke the one and the others wont budge and worse thing is I rounded off the last two so my wrench wont get em. Ruger has a very good rep for service so I ain't worried I'll just send it in and let em do what they will with it. Course I am going to give them a call first. I have a blue one with stag grips that the blue is faded on and this stainless one and then I gave my son a Pietta 1858 Remington and I just built this CVA handgun from kit.

I noticed you said you don't like CVA at all, I am curious as to why?

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I bought my first muzzleloader back when I was young and naive, (1985) thought it was American made because of the name being Conneticutt Valley Arms and they had a store up in Norcross. Then I found out they were not made in America. I shot that little 50 cal Hawken replica less than 50 rounds, then the hammer got so light when it hit it would not bust a percussion cap. I took it to a feller who was a "gunsmith" he said the sear was worn out. It took months to get a part but once he got the part it would shoot again. Just a lemon of a gun and not as large as a Hawken replica should be, just judging by the other Hawken replicas I've seen since. Then I did my homework and found out who actually made muzzleloaders in the USA, put down my money and bought a T/C Renagade. (a Hawken looking gun with out the brass work) Bought that one in 1988 and have put countless rounds through it. Have had no problems out of it in 20+ years.

AH I got ya. The lock on the CVAs isn't very good but to be honest the lock on the TC isn't that much better. I built a rifle from a CVA kit back around that time that I put more than 50 rounds thru before someone stole it. It wasn't quite as nice in some aspects as my brother in laws TC but it didn't cost near as much either.

You wouldn't like either of my little "Hawken" things then as neither of them is a very good rendition. But to be honest a Hawken was a somewhat shorter firearm but larger caliber than was generally found back east. And both of mine would be considered short "Hawkens"...

Hawken replicas

tv_racin_fan said:

AH I got ya. The lock on the CVAs isn't very good but to be honest the lock on the TC isn't that much better. I built a rifle from a CVA kit back around that time that I put more than 50 rounds thru before someone stole it. It wasn't quite as nice in some aspects as my brother in laws TC but it didn't cost near as much either.

You wouldn't like either of my little "Hawken" things then as neither of them is a very good rendition. But to be honest a Hawken was a somewhat shorter firearm but larger caliber than was generally found back east. And both of mine would be considered short "Hawkens"...

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My younger brother has a T/C "Hawken" replica. I like his just fine. My Renegade is the same gun (looks) other than the brass patch box, end cap, and buttplate. I bought mine for hunting and did not want the sun gleaming off that brass right into the deer's eyes. Isn't that Lyman's Plains rifle essencially a "Hawken" replica? R they as small as the CVA ones? I thought for a minute I was gonna be trading for one of those in a flintlock. Feller found a deal he wanted more tough. Just my luck, I been toying with the idea of getting a flinter for years but seeing as I have so many other BP guns I never did. I really want to get one of those real purdy long Pennsylvania or Kentucky flinters, but they cost so much money. I reckon if I ever hit the lottery I'll get two or three built for me with a brace of matching pistols. I figure on one in 36 cal, one in 45 cal and one in 50 cal. Right after i buy that Mountain in N ga or Arkansas.

I have learned that Hawkens is a very over used term and most of them resemble some sort of plains rifle but hardly merit being called a Hawken. Besides that the Hawkens more or less built custom rifles and no two of them are probably the same. The TC Hawken is a 28 inch barreled rifle and what I have are both shorter than that I believe my flintlock is only 22 inch and my sons cap n ball rifle is only 24. Not that big of a deal as far as I am concerned, it will get the job done inside of 75 yards for sure and in my opinion they make for handier carry rifles. The one I built back in the 80's was a short barreled rifle as well I think it was called a Frontier rifle.

I love the looks of a Kentucky of Tennessee or Pennsylvania rifle but I really love the simplicity of cleaning a half stocked Plains style rifle. I tend to clean mine in the bathtub with hot soapy water and I don't relish the idea of getting hot soapy water all over a nice Kentucky rifle seeping down between barrel and stock and all.

The brass looks good but I think a nicely done iron trimmed plains rifle is just as good looking as any brass trimmed rifle without being showy. I intend to build my next one from a kit from Track of the Wolf and while I really like the half stocked version I am thinking seriously about doing a full stocked one. My son has already said his next BP rifle will be a flinter.

The Lymans Great Plains rifle could be looked at as a Hawken but I personally think they have the terminology correct and the ones who are touting their rifles as Hawkens aren't. Were I buying one already built or a more simple kit I would definitely go with a Lyman.

I tend to lump CVA and Traditions in about the same area as far as quality are concerned the Invest Arms are lower quailty to me and the TC a bit higher. Then you have to look at cost. I don't really care for the synthetic stock on my sons rifle but for $65 there was nothing out their that matched at better than twice the price. Interestingly enough twice the price is just about exactly what I paid for my Traditions Deerhunter flintlock. While the qulity on it lacks a lot I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one at that price, it works reliably enough to me and the only real issue I have with it is the quality of the lock and for about $130 I can get a top quality lock from Track of the Wolf that will pretty much just bolt on. The plastic sights aren't authentic but they are adjustable... and if I really want to use them I have some of those fiber optic things.

Incidentally we just hit the range, my flinter had been loaded since deer season in early December and it fired without a hitch, well it is flint so it has a slight hitch built in. LOL.

I really want to get a couple of barrels for these rifles. One in 36 cal and one smoothbore as large as is possible and remain safe. That way I have one rifle that can serve for small game large game and bird, kinda like an Encore. I think the smallest caliber barrel I can get the same size as mine is 40 cal and that would work for me just fine and I believe the largest I can bore it would be 20 guage and that would be fine as well. Only thing is our rifles being short barreled wouldn't work so well as shotguns except there is no reason they have to be that short... just finding the barrels isn't as easy as I had thought it might.

How about the Ruger Old Army in blued? I think your right hawgrider. This is the best black powder revolver you can buy and I've found the same thing, 40gr of 3fg is all I can get under the Hornady round ball.

HotDog that is a fine looking ROA. I have one in blue and one stainless.

I'm thinking pretty seriously about getting some bullets for it. There are a couple of molds out there intended for use in an ROA and you can buy bullets already cast as well.

http://www.whyteleatherworks.com/Accessory page.htm

I'm leaning toward the 200 grain FPRN myself.

Ok, another kindred spirit. I think the blued is probably more authentic looking than the stainless steel. Ii like the stainless because it is less prone to rusting. U know that Bp fouling can b real corrosive.

I saw a link to a ballistics chart today by the hodgeden folks. 30 grains of 777 behind a round ball will make just less than 900 ft per second. They had no numbers for 40 grains of powder. If i can burn it all i think 40 grains might give ya close to 44 mag energy.

Don't have pictures of the revolvers alone but I have these.

My sons hunting arms.



My hunting arms.

Some fine looking weapons, tvracingfan. Is that flinter the CVA u have been talking about?

Hawg actually the sons rifle is the CVA, as you can see it is cap n ball. The flinter is a Traditions and I guess I was wrong on the barrel length they list it as 24". We have been contemplating changing that CVA to a flintlock and getting a wood stock. For $65 that was a heck of a deal and I would buy another in a second for that. He likes the more traditional sights on that one. Honestly if the flinter had the same type of setup I would change the sights to the traditional style but his are dovetailed and mine are screwed on. I am going to change the rear sight on the handgun I built to that style, a semi buckhorn style whereas the handgun just has a flat style.

I'll flat out tell you that CVA is not as nice as any TC I have seen but then the cost is far below any TC I have seen, you get what you pay for but the thing works and that is all that matters.