The percussion cap blackpowder gun was the most common form of firearm in the 19th century. The increased reliability compared to the earlier flintlock mechanism ensured its widespread use among both military and civilian shooters soon after its development in the early 1800’s. They are still used onstage extensively for period pieces. The instructions and warnings that follow go on for several pages, and after a while you might start to wonder why anyone would go through all of the hassle of dealing with these dangerous props. Two reasons: availability and muzzle flash. Although these are real weapons, there are no federal or state restrictions on selling or shipping them [you’re not going to rob a liquor store with something that takes two minutes to reload]. And having a line of soldiers fire off a volley with percussion muskets produces an astounding show of fire and fury.
The firing principle is very simple. When an explosive compound is ignited in a confined area with only one opening, anything between the explosion and the opening (normally a lead ball or bullet) is going to fly out with a heck of a lot of speed and force. So, you pour some blackpowder down the barrel of the gun, cover a ball with a patch of cloth or paper wadding, and slide the ball down the barrel with a rod until it fits snugly against the powder. The only problem is how to set off that explosive charge exactly when you want to.
The percussion cap is a relatively safe way of doing just that. The cap (usually made of copper or aluminum) is coated on its inside with a quick igniting detonating compound. This is placed over a hollow nipple on the outside of the gun, which is connected to a vent that leads right to the blackpowder in the barrel. On pressing the trigger, the hammer strikes the cap, crushing the compound against the end of the nipple. The resulting flash travels down the nipple to the vent to the blackpowder in the barrel. Then it goes boom.
Since the cap has a detonating charge, some theatres use only that for the sound of gunfire. Simply pull the hammer back to half-cock (one click), place the cap over the nipple, press it in snugly, and then pull the hammer back again as you depress the trigger, then gently lower the hammer down on the cap. To fire the gun, pull the hammer back to full-cock (two clicks), and then squeeze the trigger. Practice once or twice with just a cap until it makes sense. Caps have a low rate of misfire, but it is always prudent to have someone ready offstage with a backup sound.
Percussion caps are very thin, so they crush easily. They can be flattened simply by squeezing them with your fingers. In one way this is good because they can conform to the nipple as you load them. If the cap is too loose on the nipple, you can just give it a little squeeze on the sides to make it snug. The negative is that it also means that they are not very strong. Pieces of the cap can fly off in any direction when fired.
NOTE: With the hammer resting on the cap, any sudden pressure against the hammer can accidentally fire the cap, so the prudent thing to do is to leave the hammer at half cock as a safety. But then there is no pressure against the cap, so it can easily fall off while the actor moves about on stage. Which is worse: risking an accidental discharge or risking no shot at all? Your choice, I’m afraid. And remember that any “safety“ is not foolproof, so the hammer can slip out of half-cock and accidentally fire anyway.
As I said, many theatres go only this far, using only the percussion cap in order to make the gunshot, But that little percussion cap makes a very tiny sound all by itself, something like a very loud snapping of fingers. It is even less sound then those old paper caps on toy cap guns. At least those had a pinch of gunpowder in them. Percussion caps have no powder at all, so the sound is soft, thin, and anemic. If you need more sound and fury, a small amount of blackpowder must be poured into the barrel. However, once you start down this road you are upping the safety concerns, so here is a new checklist:
¨ Check the barrel for obstructions or debris before loading or firing or storing. A loose pebble can become a bullet that goes through someone’s head; a dirt clod can cause the barrel to explode like a hand grenade.
¨ Always have someone standing by with a fire extinguisher.
¨ Only load a barrel which is thoroughly clean and dry.
¨ Blackpowder is sensitive to static electricity, heat, flame and impact, Check your local fire marshal for storing and use restrictions.
¨ Even a gun with powder in the barrel but no percussion cap can still accidentally fire. The muzzle is always dangerous.
¨ Wear safety glasses and hearing protection
¨ Keep spectators behind the gun. Standing to the side of it isn’t safe enough.
Only use blackpowder or Pyrodex, never any form of smokeless or modern gunpowder. These guns simply cannot take the stress of anything but blackpowder, which produces a comparatively low breech pressure. There are four gradations of blackpowder – Fg, FFg, FFFg and FFFFg, which correspond to ever finer granulations of the powder for differing uses. 1F is the most course and is used for very large caliber muskets, 2F is used for 50 caliber muskets, 3F for small muskets and most pistols, and the very fine 4F is used only as the pan primer in flintlock muskets. You don’t have to worry about any of this, for you are using blackpowder to make noise and not to fire a bullet, so just buy the blackpowder you happen to find. The finer the grade the easier it is to ignite, so the preference is to use 3F or 4F for stage. Most sporting good stores will carry only 3F if they carry blackpowder at all.
Pyrodex is a brand name for a special formulation of blackpowder, and the only acceptable powder substitute that is allowable for blackpowder weapons. It is a cleaner powder, causing less fouling within the gun when fired, but by extension doesn’t produce quite the same size cloud of lovely, smelly gray smoke that regular blackpowder will.
Before loading the firearm, pull the hammer back to half-cock and place a percussion cap on the nipple. Then pull the hammer all the way back to full-cock, aim the gun in a safe direction, and pull the trigger to fire the cap. This helps clear away any residual oil or grease which has been in the nipple vent from a prior cleaning. Be sure to clear out the now broken and spent percussion cap, and check the nipple to make sure that no debris from the cap is fouling the nipple opening. Now you are ready to begin loading the weapon with blackpowder. Leave the hammer down on the nipple when loading with powder. This will help restrict free air from entering the barrel and perhaps setting off the charge.
The rule is: powder first, then cap. Never pour powder into the barrel if there is a cap on the nipple.
How much powder do you need? Only enough to create the level of sound required for the scene. Gunpowder is normally measured by weight (specifically “grains”), not volume, since differing manufacturing techniques and even the sifting of the powder during transportation can affect the volume tremendously. So your 30 grains from the top of your new jar of FFg powder might form a pile twice as large as someone else’s 30 grains from the bottom of his old jar of FFFg powder. But, since you probably won’t have access to a grain scale, you’ll have to experiment with volume until you get the sound you need. Start with measuring out one tablespoon and pouring that directly into the barrel. If the powder is left loose in the barrel, it will burn almost silently when ignited, so firmly pack the powder with a ramrod. The verb here is pack, not ram. Finally, slide in a small bit of wadding down the barrel to hold the charge in place.
The best choice for the wad material is magician’s flash paper, for it will create a wonderful flame effect as it leaves the barrel, and then disappear completely. Another acceptable choice is gun cotton, but is harder to store and harder to find, whereas any magic shop and most novelty stores will carry flash paper. If there are no other alternatives, a crumpled sheet of toilet paper will do. But the paper will not burn completely as it leaves the gun, so you must have one person on hand whose one and only job is to track the wad and make sure to stamp out any burning embers before they burn down your theatre. Actually, let that person hold onto the fire extinguisher as well. Because not all of the wad may be visible, make sure that person has no other job for the next three minutes but to stare at the area where the wad went and look for any sign of smoke.
Again, do not “ram-pack” the wad. They do that in the movies, but that could cause an explosion instead of a very fast burn, which is what you want. Instead, push and tap the wad several times. The idea is to make sure that it is snug and to remove any air pockets around the powder. This is crucial, for an air pocket within the powder can actually cause the gun to explode. Scary, yes?
Here’s how it happens. As I mentioned before, gunpowder doesn’t really explode so much as burn really quickly. It happens way too fast for us to appreciate, but when the powder is ignited only the powder nearest the ignition spark begins its burn. This creates expanding hot gases that start to push the wad, and the unburned powder, forward. As the rest of the powder burns it keeps getting accelerated by the expanding gases behind it, until finally the last of the powder pushes the wad out of the gun. This works beautifully because all during this process there is no usable oxygen behind the burn, and the gunpowder itself produces more free oxygen for the burn as it burns.
Ah, but imagine an air bubble inside the powder. The ignition spark starts the burn as normal, and the powder that’s in front of the burn starts to move forward. Then the burn hits the air pocket. The flame jumps the gap and starts burning the next section of powder, creating expanding gases both in front of and behind the air bubble. This double burn now compresses the bubble, putting it under tremendous pressure. Once the pressure reaches a critical level, it causes a true explosion, something like a tiny bomb. The explosion moves both ways down the barrel, sometimes blowing off the nipple, sometimes even bursting the barrel. Even if it only blows off the nipple, notice that it will fly off directly into the head of the shooter. So keep the barrel clean and make sure that you tap down that powder.
The last step is to put the cap on the nipple, give it a little squeeze with your thumb and then you’re ready to go. Make sure that the area in front of and extending 30 degrees from the barrel is clear of all people, animals, and flammable material at all times before, during, and after the shot. Again, if you have used anything besides flash paper as a wad, you’ll need to have someone visually track the trajectory to look for and extinguish any burning embers. All state, federal and local laws concerning the use of blackpowder and explosive devices must be observed, as should all the rules of common sense. Remember that people have died from being hit by “blank” loads.
Suppose you have the gun at full-cock and then change your mind and don’t want to fire. Well, you can step back from the brink. Just point the gun in a safe direction and remove the percussion cap, then draw the hammer back with your thumb even as you pull the trigger. While squeezing the trigger, gently lower the hammer downward until it rests on the nipple, then release the trigger. This is an important skill and should be practiced on an unloaded gun until you can completely control the action with no danger of the hammer slipping. Remember, the live charge inside the barrel will need to be fully unloaded before the gun is put away.
In the event that blackpowder has been loaded, but upon firing there is no discharge, sometimes a second attempt at firing will do the trick. [Of course, on stage you don’t have that option, which is why someone should be standing in wings with a back-up sound.] If the second shot didn’t work, or there wasn’t time to try one, remove the weapon from the stage, barrel pointing up, and leave it in a restricted area for at least three minutes. There exists a slim possibility that embers may still be smoldering within the barrel and can ignite the charge at any time. Only at the end of this cooling down period should the gun be unloaded. I used to suggest flushing the barrel with cold water for safety before attempting to unload, but so many people have fouled their guns this way that I no longer advise it. Instead, unload the gun in the reverse order that you loaded it. First remove the percussion cap. Then, using a patch puller, which is a twisted wire that can snag fabric or paper and fits onto your ramrod, remove the wad and then the blackpowder from the barrel. Don’t have a patch puller? Not to worry, you can make your own just by getting a long stiff wire and twisting one end until it can serve as a hook and scraper to snag the wad and breakup the powder. Straightening an old wire coat hanger works perfectly. After the gun is completely unloaded, you’ll need to troubleshoot to find out why the shot failed before attempting another shot.
Cleaning the percussion firearm
After each performance or rehearsal, first inspect the weapon for any obvious signs of damage as you unload the weapon. “But I didn’t load the gun for this rehearsal”. Always assume that somehow, someone has loaded the gun since the last time you held it. After unloading, take an old stiff toothbrush and scrape away any powder you see, especially around the nipple vent. If you spot any rust, sand it off with some worn emery cloth or fine steel wool.
If blackpowder has been fired, you will need to clean the barrel, which can be removed from the stock, but this is not mandatory and certainly gets you into a lot of disassembly and assembly that is more trouble than its worth. There are many gun cleaning solutions on the market, but soapy water works better than any of them. Use some cloth patches or a bit of sponge or old rag, connect it to a stiff wire or rod, and run it up and down the inside of the barrel with plenty of soapy water. Some water will squirt majestically out of the nipple, which is good because it means that the vent is not plugged and that it is getting cleaned as well. Keep checking the rags or sponge; when it comes out clean, you are ready to lube. If you feel mechanically inclined, remove the side plates and spray the mechanism with WD-40.
Change the wet rag to a dry one and spray it with plenty of WD-40 (or any light machine oil). Run it up and down just as you did with the soapy water. If you think there are any spots that still might have some water on it, go ahead and spray some more WD-40. Spray it everywhere – when in doubt, spray some more: too much is good! It will loosen rust, push away the residue, lubricate the moving parts, displace any hidden water, and generally make life more pleasant. Wipe down the outside, and you are ready for the next performance.
Well, almost. It is still frustratingly possible that the vent is plugged somehow, even if water was spurting from it during the cleaning. I know that it doesn’t make any sense, but it happens. So you need to check the vent by blowing into the barrel. That’s right, I’m asking you to do something ridiculously against all of the rules and put your lips right up to the muzzle of the gun and blow as hard as you can down the barrel. If everything is clear, you should be able to hear the air hissing out of the vent. If you hear nothing, or worse, you can’t get any air flow at all, you’ve got to track down and fix the obstruction. You’ll find information on this in a couple of pages.
Percussion revolvers – loading, firing and cleaning are about the same as they are for single shot pistols and muskets, except of course that the chamber turns 1/6th of a revolution each time that the hammer is pulled back. Also, the internal mechanics of the revolver are a lot more complicated, so that means also more prone to cause problems.
These are still considered muzzle-loaders, although one generally loads the muzzle of the chamber rather than down the barrel itself. When loading, pull the hammer back to half-cock, which will allow the chamber to spin freely. With the muzzle pointed straight up, pour the measured amount of blackpowder into one chamber [traditionally on the right side of the gun], and then rotate the chamber so you can line up the loaded chamber with the loading lever plunger (the integral ramrod underneath the barrel of the revolver) Use the plunger to seat the powder into the chamber, then add the wad or flash paper and repeat the plunging action. Finish by filling the remainder of the chamber with thick grease. Now go on to the next chamber.
“Wait a minute! Thick grease?!? What was that for?” Since they were first invented, one huge danger with blackpowder revolvers was and is that they can chain fire. That’s when you fire one shot but the other chambers also ignite. How? When each chamber is loaded a very fine film of blackpowder gets over everything, especially the front, or muzzle end, of the chamber. When the gun is fired, the flame from the burning powder is supposed to travel down the barrel. Nothing should leak out in the juncture between the chamber and the barrel, but there is a very slight gap between the two. There has to be, or the chamber couldn’t turn. As it turns out, that little gap is just enough to allow some of the flame to escape, which can ignite the powder in the next chamber, and then the next, and so on. It’s very exciting when it happens onstage. Imagine what it was like in the Old West when the gun was loaded with lead bullets flying out and hitting the gun frame. It was like holding a multi-step hand grenade when it explodes. So filling the muzzle of each chamber with thick grease after loading is an excellent countermeasure to the chance of chain firing.
“Wouldn’t all of this loading and whatnot be a lot easier to do by just removing the entire cylinder from the gun frame?” Yes, you’re right, but that means slightly disassembling the gun frame every time, and most people don’t want to go through that much hassle. If you really want to, here’s how:
There is a block wedge on the side of the frame of the revolver, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right. Its purpose is to keep the frame together. Different manufacturers might build them with slight differences, but usually there will be a small locking tab on the thicker part of the exposed wedge. By either pressing or turning that tab, you should then be able to remove the wedge. That sounds straight forward, but it is usually in there pretty tight, so you’ll have to tap it out with a hammer from the other side. With the wedge out, the barrel should slide forward slightly, enough so that the chamber can be easily removed sideways. Then just clean and load the chamber as per the above instructions, except of course that you won’t be able to take advantage of the packing lever that is built into the gun frame. No worries; just make your own ramrod from a short dowel. When returning the chamber to the gun frame, obviously you just reverse the above instructions. But don’t hammer in the wedge too tightly! Each tap on the wedge not only drives it in further, but also tightens up the entire gun frame. If it gets too tight, the chamber won’t turn.
The revolvers share the same danger as the singleshot pistols in that, with the hammer resting on a percussion cap, any strike to the hammer can unintentionally ignite the charge. One way around that is to load every chamber except one, the one upon which the hammer is resting. Normally only five of the six chambers will be loaded, leaving one chamber empty. That way the gun can be carried with the hammer resting on an empty chamber, reducing the chance of an accidental fire.
Operating – As this is a single-action gun, the hammer must be pulled back manually to the second “click” (full cock) each time before you pull the trigger. It is the action of pulling the hammer back that rotates the chamber, so the trigger doesn’t really “operate” the gun, it just releases the hammer. It’s also a good safety habit to always keep your finger outside of the trigger guard while pulling the hammer back. Most people will be able to pull the hammer using the thumb pad while maintaining a normal grip. Others, with weaker hands or shorter thumbs, will have to relax their grip and ease their thumb around, hooking it over the hammer in order to draw it back.
There is actually one other way to fire the gun – fanning the hammer. I’m sure you’ve seen this on westerns. The gunslinger holds the gun in the right hand and with the left palm slaps the hammer back as fast as he can, firing off six shots in a little over a second. [It goes without saying that he kills six of his enemies – one with each bullet.] Is this even possible?
Technically yes. Since the trigger doesn’t do anything except release the hammer after it’s cocked, fanning the hammer simply removes the trigger from the equation. The trigger is squeezed and held throughout, and so that as the hammer is slapped back, the chamber turns, and then the hammer drops down to strike the bullet. As simple as that and as fast as the left hand can fly. But six targets hit with six shots? No, it’s not likely that even one target will be hit, for in fanning the hammer the gun barrel is jumping around all over the place.
Also, this action is extremely abusive to the working parts of the gun. In order for the turning cylinder to lock in place for firing, the hammer has to go back to the full-cock position. But with the trigger held, you can’t tell when that moment is reached. So to be on the safe side, the hammer really has to be slammed back as far as is possible with each slap by the left hand before releasing it so it can fall on the chamber. This stresses not only the hammer but also all of the parts associated with turning and locking the chamber, and those parts are very small and pretty weak. So don’t fan the hammer unless you are rich and want to buy a lot of these guns.
The most common problem you’ll come up against is the percussion caps scraping against the frame of the gun as the chamber turns, jamming the works. This can be obviated somewhat by pressing the caps down firmly against the nipples, but the shaking that happens when a gun is fired loosens the caps, so jamming is always going to be a concern. Then of course all of the other problems that occur with single shot percussion pistols can also occur with the revolvers.
Troubleshooting percussion firearms
There are times when a client calls to say that they have pulled the hammer back but now the gun is frozen and the trigger won’t work. Most times there is nothing wrong with the gun. The client has simply misjudged how strong the mainspring is and has only taken the hammer back to half cock, not full cock. Some people may need to use both hands in order to cock the gun.
Misfires from a percussion firearm can happen at any time. Since these are usually single shot weapons, a good idea is to always have a backup sound ready, but on top of that you need to be able to identify the cause of each misfire.
Losing the cap is the most common mishap. The cap simply gets loose and falls off of the nipple. Pressing the side of the percussion cap when loading it onto the nipple can help it act as its own clamp.
Cap misfires – Duds are rare in percussion caps, so if the hammer is dropping but the cap is not firing, the problem is almost always elsewhere. Usually it is because the cap was not set firmly against the nipple. If there is even a slight gap, the force of the hammer will be only enough to move the cap down to its correct placement (often simply trying to fire again gives you a successful shot.). If it happens more than once, try the following:
a] After loading the cap onto the nipple, press it very firmly using your thumb. If you are leery of pressing down onto an explosive cap with your thumb, you can always gently lower the hammer onto the cap, and then even more gently press the hammer down with your thumb. This should set the cap nicely in place.
b] If you’re still having a problem, check the top of the nipple before a cap is on it. With repeated use it might have flattened just enough so that the cap doesn’t quite fit. The fix is simple. Just unscrew the nipple off [difficult] and use a hand file or even nail file to bring that little cylinder back to having straight sides, screw it back on [easy] and you’re ready to go.
c] There are times when the cap and the nipple are fine but there are cap fragments from prior shots still stuck in the inside of the hollowed hammer well [the inside of the striking surface of the hammer]. These leftover copper fragments can act as a compression cushion preventing a clean strike. Just clean out the hammer well with a fine pick or finish nail.
d] Far more common is a hammer that has slightly bent out of alignment. The hammers are made of relatively soft metal and are only case hardened, and since the hammer is always exposed it can easily be bent during normal jostling and the occasional drop. Slowly lower the hammer onto the nipple and check to see if the nipple is sliding right into the hammer well. If you can see a misalignment, there is your problem. Luckily, it also means that you can fix this using simple shop tools. All you need is a mounted vise and some pliers. Place the entire gun on the vise, clamping right on the hammer screw. Grab the very top of the hammer with the pliers and using one slow, steady movement just pull or twist the hammer into alignment.
Now if the cap is firing but you are not getting any ignition inside the barrel, you have to look deeper. The causes are many, and not easily visible, if at all, so many times it means going through a series of trials until you happen upon a fix. The cause may be:
a] Damp or oiled powder. When a gun is cleaned it is also oiled, but any excess oil left in the barrel will soak into the powder you load and cause it to fail. If oil [which doesn’t evaporate] instead of WD-40 [which mostly does] is used as the final lubricant, it can plug the vent and also saturate the blackpowder. You’ll need to clean out the barrel completely. Next time, before loading, be sure to run several patches up and down the barrel until they come out clean and dry. Then run a patch lightly sprayed with WD-40 only and let it air-dry completely (several hours) before attempting to load.
b] Double loaded barrel. It sometimes happens when a gun had both failed to fire and was insufficiently cleaned out, leaving the powder and wad in the barrel. So the gun accidentally gets a second loading for the next performance, with the original powder still in there getting damp and corroding the barrel. This is extremely dangerous, for just because the first load didn’t fire before doesn’t mean that it can’t dry out enough to fire in the future, and if it has a double load, the barrel can rupture with all of the lethality of a roadside bomb. One way to prevent this from happening is to have a stick or ramrod used as a “dry measure”. Before loading, drop in the stick and mark the first part visible as it sticks out of the barrel. After firing but before cleaning, drop in the stick and see if it goes to the same level. If it sticks out further, you still have a loaded gun that must be completely cleared out before cleaning. Another way to prevent this from happening is by blowing through the barrel to check for blockage.
c] A plugged nipple vent can keep the spark created by the cap from making its way to the powder charge. Unscrew and remove the nipple and hold it up to the light. You should be able to see a pinpoint of light shining through. If you don’t, you’ll need to pick through the opening, and this is tough because the opening is thinner than that made by the average safety pin. Sometimes I find it easier to simply drill through it using a very fine drill bit, but be gentle. I’ve broken many a drill bit this way. On the plus side, it’s a great opportunity to make that tiny opening two or three times the original size, which almost eradicates any future nipple fouling. [WARNING: drilling out the nipple must never be done on a gun that will later be used for firing a ball or bullet. When a barrel is loaded with a lead ball, the back pressure is tremendous and much of the flame can travel back up through the opened vent, towards the shooter’s face. This in turn can cause the hammer to fly back or even fly off.]
d] Of course insufficient powder in the barrel can also cause a misfire. With not enough powder, the wad drops down to a level right at or below the vent, so the spark only strikes the wad but not the powder. Different guns have different barrel lengths, of course, but also different distances between the vent and the very bottom, or breech end. Using your dry measure stick (or ramrod) on the outside and inside should give you an idea of the distance that needs to be filled with powder so that the spark has a good chance to ignite it.
e] One last horrible spot that can give you a problem is the space in between the nipple and barrel, that sideways channel that connects the two. I’ve had guns where I’ve cleaned the barrel, drilled out the nipple, and then I can blow through easily, but when the cap fires the powder will still fail to ignite. Invariably there will be some crud inside that little side vent that lets air through easily enough but prevents the spark from reaching the powder. If your gun has a screw that permits direct access [it will be just below the vent], then no problem. Remove the screw and clean out the gunk. If there is no access, the only thing left to do is seal up the nipple and pour some WD-40 or isopropyl alcohol down the barrel and let the gun stand overnight. If you’re lucky, when you remove the nipple and blow through, the gunk should pop out.