Cap and Ball loads

[Eric Johanen]

Good on you!! They are really fine handguns. For your .36 cal. Navy use Hornady or Speer swaged .375 or cast .380 dia. balls The 44 Colt's use .457 either swaged or cast. I usually use 3 fg but 2 fg will work also. 15 to 20 grains for the Navy and 25 to 30 grains for the Army. I use 35 to 40 grains for the Dragoon. You can very well use a lubed felt wad between the powder and ball or if you are doing a bunch of shooting on a range day use bullet lube over the ball seated in the chamber. Chain firing is usually a result of a cap falling off a charged chamber or I believe due to harmonic detonation. It can happen but is rare in a well built revolver. I only take the gun down once a year for internal cleaning and well oil the parts. That way any powder fouling that ends up in the action falls on the oil and not on unprotected metal. In over 40 years of shooting these I have never had rust on internal parts. Once a year pull the nipples and give the seats a good gleaning and re-lube. Do not over tighten but just snug them up. I use Slip 2000 in the bore and chambers and on the arbor with a drop on the hand. I find the best fit on these is Remington #10's for the Navy and Army and CCI # 11's with the Dragoon. I give the caps a little pinch when seating to help them stay put. When firing, turn the pistol to the side when cocking for the following shot as this allows cap debris to drop free rather then into the action via the hammer opening. Enjoy your 2'nd Generation Colts... they are really the best of the breed!