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Just posted on another thread, and got to thinking about “ruined” blackpowder guns.
I’ve heard many horror stories about BP/Pyrodex corrosion, and have seen some badly pitted guns. Still, I think that sometimes people get carried away with “story time” when it comes to corrosion/pitting. I’ve “rescued” several muzzleloaders that were not well cared for, and had been written off as junk. Most of them cleaned up well, to the point that there wasn’t any real damage, beyond cosmetics.
——
The worst I have had was a brass-framed Pietta 1851 Colt Navy replica. I bought it as kind of a favor, from a neighbor who didn’t need it, and needed my $100 bill more than I did. His son had loaded it up, “lost his nerve” about shooting it, and got to where he was scared of it.
On the flip side, as Dirty Harry might say, “A man has got to know his limitations.”
Anyway, an -ahem- “gunsmith” had told the kid to deactivate the charges by pouring water in the nipples. That is probably fine… assuming that the kid then pulled the charges and cleaned/lubed it properly, prior to storage. Not the case!
The revolver was definitely “tight…” A little TOO tight! Cylinder gap was nonexistent, as it was rusted shut. Obviously, the action was locked up. I sprayed Kroil into the nipples that I could reach, as well as “everywhere else.” Judicious use of a non-marring nylon hammer got the wedge out, and the barrel off. I pulled the balls, and emptied the chambers.
I let the whole mess soak in some more Kroil, for another week or two. I got a couple of the (very rusty) nipples out. I let it soak some more, and eventually got a couple more nipples out, tapping with a center punch, right in the nipple opening. (Not gently, either!)
I think I drilled the last two from the rear, I don’t fully remember. Somewhere I picked up the idea that the nipple steel is brittle, so I ended up placing the cylinder on a block in the vise, and whacking the nipples with a center punch until they more or less shattered. I was able to pick the pieces out with a fine pick, and was eventually able to chase all the threads with a tap.
I suppose it doesn’t count as a “rescue” yet, since I haven’t reassembled it and shot it, yet. It’s been sitting (in pieces) in a coffee can, for several years. Periodically I give it a shot of Kroil, and say, “See you next year!”
One of these days, I’m going to “make something happen,“ and put it all together. I’m planning some sort of mild customization/skill-building project, though I’m not sure exactly what. I’m thinking of shortening the barrel, which will necessitate cutting a dovetail in the underside of the barrel, to reposition the retainer for the loading lever.
While I’m at it, I might as well cut a dovetail in the top of the barrel, so I can slide in a meaningful front sight. The tiny brass cone that is considered a front sight would be better used as a conehead on a trout fishing nymph… My middle-aged eyes could use an honest to goodness sight blade, at this point!
What sort of “rescue missions” have others here taken part in?
I’ve heard many horror stories about BP/Pyrodex corrosion, and have seen some badly pitted guns. Still, I think that sometimes people get carried away with “story time” when it comes to corrosion/pitting. I’ve “rescued” several muzzleloaders that were not well cared for, and had been written off as junk. Most of them cleaned up well, to the point that there wasn’t any real damage, beyond cosmetics.
——
The worst I have had was a brass-framed Pietta 1851 Colt Navy replica. I bought it as kind of a favor, from a neighbor who didn’t need it, and needed my $100 bill more than I did. His son had loaded it up, “lost his nerve” about shooting it, and got to where he was scared of it.
On the flip side, as Dirty Harry might say, “A man has got to know his limitations.”
Anyway, an -ahem- “gunsmith” had told the kid to deactivate the charges by pouring water in the nipples. That is probably fine… assuming that the kid then pulled the charges and cleaned/lubed it properly, prior to storage. Not the case!
The revolver was definitely “tight…” A little TOO tight! Cylinder gap was nonexistent, as it was rusted shut. Obviously, the action was locked up. I sprayed Kroil into the nipples that I could reach, as well as “everywhere else.” Judicious use of a non-marring nylon hammer got the wedge out, and the barrel off. I pulled the balls, and emptied the chambers.
I let the whole mess soak in some more Kroil, for another week or two. I got a couple of the (very rusty) nipples out. I let it soak some more, and eventually got a couple more nipples out, tapping with a center punch, right in the nipple opening. (Not gently, either!)
I think I drilled the last two from the rear, I don’t fully remember. Somewhere I picked up the idea that the nipple steel is brittle, so I ended up placing the cylinder on a block in the vise, and whacking the nipples with a center punch until they more or less shattered. I was able to pick the pieces out with a fine pick, and was eventually able to chase all the threads with a tap.
I suppose it doesn’t count as a “rescue” yet, since I haven’t reassembled it and shot it, yet. It’s been sitting (in pieces) in a coffee can, for several years. Periodically I give it a shot of Kroil, and say, “See you next year!”
One of these days, I’m going to “make something happen,“ and put it all together. I’m planning some sort of mild customization/skill-building project, though I’m not sure exactly what. I’m thinking of shortening the barrel, which will necessitate cutting a dovetail in the underside of the barrel, to reposition the retainer for the loading lever.
While I’m at it, I might as well cut a dovetail in the top of the barrel, so I can slide in a meaningful front sight. The tiny brass cone that is considered a front sight would be better used as a conehead on a trout fishing nymph… My middle-aged eyes could use an honest to goodness sight blade, at this point!
What sort of “rescue missions” have others here taken part in?
