New to cap and ball revolvers!!!!!

[Greg Austin]

I have a .44 cal. revolver, My only problem is I've never shot one or seen anyone load one. I ordered a starter kit from Cabela's ,but it never came with directions. I was woundering what kind of powder, what caps, and what I should do to kleen it?
     
               Thanks,
                      Greg Austin,

[ButlerFord45]

 Howdy Greg!  Powder: There are places in the world that you just can't find real black powder, but the black powder substitutes are generally pretty easy to find, even here in my little backwater town, our local Wal-mart has both pyrodex and 777.  There are other substitutes as well.  Look for the one that is "pistol" or FF or FFF.  I'm unsure of your experience with black powder, so:  The F's are a measure of granule size, the more F's the smaller the granule. you will want FF or FFF in black powder.  I like to keep things as simple as possible, so I do one step at a time.  An easy way to start is to fill the chambers to within 1/2 ball width of the top of the chamber.  This amount of powder will allow some compression of the powder and still allow the ball to be seated properly.  Many folks recommend  a wad between powder and ball, so do I, but it's not necessary to shoot the pistol.  Place a ball over the chamber and use the loading lever to push the ball down onto the powder.  There will be a slight change in the "feel" as the powder compresses some and the ball is seated. It will feel snug. That'll be the place to quit applying pressure.  As you seat the ball, you should see a small ring of lead around the cylinder, this is not a bad thing, infact its necessary.  It indicates that youve got a good seal between ball and chamber.  Next be sure to brush or wipe off all the spilled powder from the chamber face and fill the remaining portion of the chamber with lube. Crisco is fine. Place a cap on the nipples and seat them firmly, not hard just firm, with a wooden dowel, you can use a wooden pencil.  Were done. go shoot it!  Be Safe Have Fun!

You'r gonna like that 44!!

[Flint]

Read Gatofeo's post in this section, it's pretty complete.  You can buy Lyman's Black Powder User's Guide at many gunshops, it has photographs and step by step instructions on loading, suggested loads and other information.

[Gatofeo]

For your .44 revolver, buy .454 or .457 inch balls.
I know ... I know ... the loading manuals tell you to buy .451 inch balls but best accuracy will be found with the slightly larger balls.
The larger ball will ensure a tight fit in the chamber. With the .44s and their heavier recoil, this will ensure that the ball doesn't move under the heavier recoil.
But most of all a slightly larger ball, when swaged down in the chamber, will create a longer bearing surface for the rifling to grip. With more of an area for the rifling to grip, accuracy is improved.
Speer sells .454 and .457 inch balls. Once in a while I buy Hornady balls but I always seem to find four or five out-of-round balls in each Hornady box. Therefore, I suggest you buy Speer balls.
An out-of-round ball may not affect accuracy but it irks me. When I buy a box of "round balls" (as opposed to square or rectangular balls?) I expect to have them ROUND.
When they're not, I lapse into "Grumpy ol' desert cat" mode.  :evil:

[Greg Austin]

Thanks alot guys this realy helps me out alot. I'm going to my local sportinggood's store this week to pick up my powder, balls, nipples, ext...
   
         Thanks,
           G, Austin