Period Revolver Cleaning help

[Curt Schmidt]

Hallo!

Being infantry, I have detailed sources for longarm cleaning, but in going through my limited cavalry resources, I am not finding any period "how to" materials or references for cleaning revolvers?

Can anyone be of help please?

Thanks!

Curt

[1st Maine Trooper]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

When I clean my revolver in the field, I drop the cylinder of my Colt into a can of boiling water and allowing the boiling action to cleanse the chambers then pour the remaining boiling water through the bore until clean. Then oil using sweet oil.
I have not seen any period cleaning implements such as the brush issued to clean muzzle loading carbines. I also do not know of any reference in any of the manuals. I tried carrying a dowel to "swab" the bore but more often then not it ended up broken after a day in the saddle.
Dave Myrick

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Hallo!

THANKS Dave lad! (Replies have been slow in coming... ;) :)

I was/am REALLY suprised, after going through my references and books, that I have not found ANYTHING "Period" (no pun intended).

But like I said, I am infantry... Sigh.

C'mon lads???!!!!!!!!!!!! "Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie? "

Curt "Cowboy Curtis" Schmidt

[rogue]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

If they would have had Ballistol, they would have used it, period!
I have owned several pistols with very tracable provenance (I loves that word) that evidenced an almost total disregard for cleaning. Perhaps many of the mint revolvers now on the market spent The War in a warehouse or depot, but the three Colts and two Remingtons that had come into my possession all evidenced poor bore maintenance, and pitting about the cones.
I do still have a Pond revolver used by an Illinois cavalryman that is very clean, but it was also plated sometime during its life.
Steve Sullivan
person of even lessor consequence, and one prone to silly replies.

[PvtSmythe]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Kurt,

Find a pard with a broken rammer, saving the tulip end if you can for one end. cut it off an inch or 2 longer than the barrel of the pistol your going to clean. Whala! cleaning jag for your pistol that wont break in your haversack. Use daves hot water cleaning method and some small patches.

Peter Smith

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Hallo!

Thanks, Peter lad! I appreciate the reply!!

My Holy Grail Quest is for "manual" or "Period accounts" rather than what we modern lads might be doing.

Some hot water in a cup. A length of cord or twine, or leather thong, with a strip of cloth tied to one end can be passed through the barrel for cleaning- and repeatedly stuffed into the cylinder chamber with the loading rod or a stick...

But... my search is for a Period instruction!

C' mon you Yellow-legs!!!
Aren't there any "Authentic Campaigner" cavalrymen??? ;) :) :D :D

Curt

[1st Maine Trooper]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Curt,
Poinsett's, Cooke's nor Congdon's offers any reference to cleaning and maintenance of arms, be it saber, revolver or carbine that I have ever seen and a quick look doesn't reveal any either. Perhaps someone else might know of some period anecdotal account.
Dave Myrick

[John E. Tobey]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

I have an original pistol pistol ammunition pouch that contained, among other things, some gear that the trooper used to clean his pistol. The first item is a length of string with a loop tied on one end, and the other clamped into what looks like a hammered pistol bullet. I think this device was used as a "pull through" to clean the barrel -- a piece of cloth (of which there are several still in the pouch) is stuck through the loop, and the weighted end is dropped through the bore. The second item is a small piece of thin wood that may have been used to clean the chambers, again in combination with a piece of cloth. The third item is the standard "L" shaped Colt's combination tool.

John Tobey

[M.Latham]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Curt,

In the private purchase arena, each revolver came with instructions from the manufacturer. Below are thumbnails of examples. I found these online, and the website of Peter Dyson has the Colt instructions in the "gun labels" section.

Mark Latham

[2ndNHDOC]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Would not the wooden rod work for the pistol(though would have to be thinner then for the rifle)? Though I admit carrying that around would be a pain.

[sam.p]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Hot soapy water is an exceptionally good solvent for black powder residue. I have cleaned my black powder rifle for years by swishing out the barrel with soapy water followed with grease or oil, with no rust or buildup problems.
The book Foxfire 5 states that "old-timers" cleaned their guns with hot soapy water. The Foxfire series was written to record interviews with "old-timers" in the Southern Appalachians to preserve history.

Cordially,
Sam Patterson

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Hallo!

Thanks, I appreciate the reply.. but I was after recorded Civil War era methods.

I apologize for not updating this thread, as I had posted this elsewhere.


The following is taken from the Colt cased set box label for their cap and ball revolver line:

Directions for Cleaning

Set the cock at half-cock, drive out the key that holds the barrel and cylinder to the lock frame, then draw off the barrel and cylinder, by bringing down the lever and forcing the rammer on the partition between the chambers. Take out the nipples. Wash the cylinder and barrel in warm water, dry and oil them thoroughly; oil freely the base pin on which the cylinder revolves.

It also appears on a Colt factory broadsheet dated January 1, 1858.

Thanks again for the post!

Curt

[DaveGink]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

From Congdon's (not too useful as to exactly 'how' but still interesting)...


Page 35:

Care of Arms.

A soldier should take the best possible care of his arms; his usefulness in battle depends upon it, and his life may depend on their reliability.


THE SABRE.

The sabre should be kept clean and bright; the edges sharp as possible. It is the trooper's and most trusty weapon. If the sabre is rusty or dull, observers will justly think that its owner will never have the courage to wield it.

The scabbard should be kept clean and free from rust but not polished.
Sperm or sweet oil and flour of emery should be used in cleaning the sabre and scabbard. Beef marrow is good to keep them from rusting.


Page 36:

THE CARBINE.

The carbine should be kept in the condition in which it was received from the armory. It should never be taken apart to clean, except when absolutely necessary, and with express permission of the company commander. The barrel should never be polished. The lock should never be taken apart except by an armorer. After firing, the carbine should be cleaned with warm water, dried, and slightly oiled. Any infringement of these instructions should be severely punished; because the rendering of a fire-arm unfit for use is one of the gravest offenses an enlisted man can commit.


Page 37:


THE REVOLVER.

The revolver is cleaned in the same manner as the carbine. The trooper should always know the number of his revolver. When ordered on any detached duty (without arms), he should place his arms in charge of the orderly sergeant, who is obliged to take charge of them and give the owner a receipt for the same.
At night, near the enemy, it is advisable to sleep with the arms under the head, unless otherwise ordered.
If compelled to surrender in battle, always render your arms useless before giving them up, if possible.
Belts, cartridge-boxes, &c. must be kept in the condition in which they were issued from the arsenal, due allowance being made for actual wear. Belts must never be cut without express permission of the company commander.

[Benedict]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Thanks for the enlightening discussion! It is interesting that the Army did not have its own detailed cleaning instructions for revolving pistols--unlike for its (rifle-)muskets. The official Colt instructions seem very basic as well. Did Colt supply its cap-and-ball revolvers with any kind of tool--viz., how and with what was one to remove the nipples? And how were you supposed to dry the inside of the barrel and the cylinder?

Thanks!

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Period Revolver Cleaning help

Hallo!

I went to look for my book of contracts, but it is missing in the Messes & Piles.

NUG when historians and writers talk about arms contracts they NUG always talk about numbers and costs. However, if one can see the actual contracts, many times there will be wording along the lines of "stands of arms" for long arms which refer to more than just the "gun," and more particularly some wording about "appendages" such as "with appendages" or "with standard appendages.'

But that gets tricky with firms getting repeat contracts because "appendages" become assumed and not always mentioned by name.

For example, Remington wrote to Ripley on June 17, 1861 asking for clarification of what "usual appendages" actually meant for them:

"Will you also inform us as to the appendages for our Revolvers? Our Contract calls for the 'usual appendages.' We have heretofor furnished wityh our Revolvers one Bullet mould and one Wiper for each. Please mention the number of kind of appendages to be furnished."

Remington had a "standard" appendages per box of 50 pistols:

Fifty Screwdrivers & Cone wrenches
Fifty extra cones
Twenty five bullet molds casting 2 balls each (bullet and ball)

The Ordnance Department also sent out number sets of replacement parts for field repairs.

IIRC, Colt did the same or similar, but missing my contract book I don't have any samples handy. . Here is a one though from a July 1860 letter written to Colt by "Confederate" Benjamin McCulloch to buy 300 revolvers:

“I am authorised by the Gov of Ala to purchase 300 pistols. Please send me your prices for the Navy and new model Army size with appendages & when the latter can be delivered. I will be some days at the St. Nicholas Hotel N. York & will return the last of this week or the first of next. I am sorry you were not at home, please let me hear from you soon.”

Colt either had a "L' shaped screw driver, or a "J" shaped screwdriver/cone wrench tool.

IMHO, I have always been somewhat puzzled about the two cavity bullet moulds as 'appendages" as ammunition was NUG a government issue thing other than for civilians who could buy factory ammunition or "roll the own." Bulet moulds fall off of later contracts (Colt got nailed in 1863 for charging prices that included moulds when he had not included them...)

IMHO still, there are no standard issuances of wipers or jags, or cleaning rods, it would APPEAR as though soldiers were left to improvise such as using the string pull method to pull a "patch" or piece of tow thorugh the bore. That creates a larger discussion as it does not work for the cylinder chambers. It might be possible to do an okay cleaning with a patch uisng the "L" or "J" tool, but I never never encountered a Period account that talks about the details of revolver cleaning . (But am fond of the short rod/stick and string pull in the Tobey Collection which may be CW but could be later as there is no hardcore or definitive provenance.

But the lack of knowledge is tricky. How and when did a trooper replace worn or damaged cones/nipples if his only tool was a screwdriver? Or more basic such as how and when did they have a supply or oil, rags for patches, or tow... or how far were they form teh artillery whose shells came packed in tow...

;) :)

At any rate, lots of holes in our understanding.

Curt