BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews

Traditions Black Powder .44 Revolver Redi-Pak
15 October 2007

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I have a brother who has been a black powder shooting enthusiast for decades. I’ve never been interested. On the other hand, I’ve always been a fan of westerns set in the mid to late 1800s and have, therefore, seen my share of scenes involving black powder revolvers. When Traditions sent me their .44 Caliber Redi-Pak I had mixed emotions about taking the weapon to the range. I never realized how much fun such a revolver could be. Let me tell you about it...

As I said, I'd never before fooled with a black powder anything. I knew the basic information: there was a projectile (usually lead) that was loaded into the weapon on top of a wad of some time (usually cloth) that was on top of a powder charge that was in front of some type of igniting device usually referred to as a cap. There were a ton of things I didn't know:

1) How much of what type of powder? I didn't know if there were different types of black powder and where did I find out how much per charge?

2) What size wad? What kind of wad? Did it have to be round?

3) What size cap? Were there even different sizes? Were they held in place by gravity? by friction?

So many questions...

Thankfully, the Traditions Performance Firearms Blackpowder Revolver Redi-Pak (which is trademarked by the way) had a user manual with it that answered many of the questions and gave all the appropriate warnings. Included in the Redi-Pak are:

- the revolver. This is probably an important thing to have if you're going to shoot.
- Cleaning patches and cleaning solvent. Important to have AFTER you've been shooting. Blackpowder guns don't like to function dirty anymore than your other revolvers or pistols do.
- Ammo: .44 caliber lead balls. I never thought something that looked so rough could fly straight - or some semblance thereof.
- Flask (more on that in a minute)
- Nipple wrench (huh? I had to learn about that one)
- Capper (see note about nipple wrench)
- Cleaning kit
- Wonderlube 1000 plus (no clue until I got into the manual

What I realized, first and foremost as I sat down to learn about the revolver and then again as I sat down to type this, is that you'd BETTER read the directions before trying to shoot this weapon. If you're as clueless as I was you're going to hurt yourself unless you get properly educated before trying to fire a blackpowder weapon. They ARE weapons that fire a potentially lethal projectile after all.

Okay, so a few safety rules had to be learned first:

Rule #1: Treat all weapons as if they are loaded at all times.

Rule #2: Always wear shatterproof glasses and appropriate ear protection.

Rule #3: Use black powder or Pyrodex only. Not all powders that are black in color are "black powder". Modern smokeless powders are also black in color and are unsafe to use in a black powder weapon.

Rule #4: Treat a misfire or failure to fire as though the revolver can fire at any time.

Rule #5: Just like with modern revolvers, keep your hands BEHIND the cylinder when firing. Debris such as unburned powder, cap bits and other stuff can come flying out of the space between the cylinder and the barrel. It comes out at high velocity and can cause injuries.

Rule #6: (this was a new one for me) Make sure that all loaded chambers are sealed with WonderLube or Revolver Wonder Wads. Otherwise chain-fires can occur. I didn't know what that was, but it sounded bad.

Rule #7: Never exceed the recommended powder charge for your given caliber of weapon.

Of course, there are other rules - 20 in all - but those seven above seemed the most important.

In the photo shown to the right you can see the safety notch cut into the cylinder head between nipples... and the nipples.

Since the Redi-Pak quite wisely doesn't include blackpowder or caps, I had to acquire those separately. Once I had all the component parts I could head down to the range. Before trying to load or fire the revolver I cleaned it to make sure all shipping oils or grease had been removed. Then I had to refer to the manual to learn proper loading sequence, powder charge, etc. Don't be in a hurry. Having someone else who has fired blackpowder weapons before is helpful.

The revolver in my Redi-Pak was a reproduction of the 1858 New Model Army .44 caliber revolver. When I was looking through the manual I realized that Traditions makes ten different kinds of reproduction black powder weapons. One of them, the LeMat, really caught my eye. It is quite the unique weapon and I encourage you to check it out. Versatility is the name of the game.

The manual includes exploded parts diagrams of each weapon as well as information on:
- Safety Precautions & Warnings (read them. As listed above, some of them are unique to black powder weapons)
- Safety Procedures
- Loading
- Handling
- Decocking (uncocking)
- Care and cleaning
- Storage
- Lead Exposure
- State Warnings

Once I felt I had educated myself properly I very carefully loaded the weapon. The first thing I noticed when firing was that ignition and firing are not as instantaneous as they are with modern weapons. FOLLOW THROUGH becomes very important. Flinching means you can miss - by a good piece. The benefit of modern firearms is how fast the primer ignites the charge which expands as it burns to push the bullet down and out of the barrel. If you're flinching when you're firing at about fifteen yards, you're aim can be pushed off by several inches. With a black powder revolver, because of how much slower things happen, you can be off by a couple of feet. Missing is MUCH easier with a black powder weapon - as a result of failure to pay attention to basic marksmanship skills.

If you DO pay attention, it's kind of neat to shoot. It was much more accurate than I anticipated and because it's so heavy, recoil is nowhere near as sharp as compared to modern weapons. A heavy steel black powder .44 revolver is far different to shoot than a mid-size Glock 9mm. But it was FUN. The only downside - and this appeals to many people - is that it takes time to reload every cylinder after you shoot. With most of the revolvers listed in the Traditions manual it's recommended that you keep a cylinder unloaded so you have a safe place for the hammer to sit when you're not firing. With the New Model Army there are slots cut in the cylinder between the nipples / caps so that you can load all six chambers and still have the hammer sitting someplace safe.

With a little practice and discipline I got to the point where I could keep all six shots inside of about a four inch area from the 15 yard line. I learned what all the various tools are for (you'll have to buy one to educate yourself on the nipple wrench and capper). To be honest, when I agreed to review the black powder revolver I didn't think I'd ever end up wanting to keep it. But after a couple hours on the range with it I'm looking forward to coming back with it again. I certainly understand why black powder shoots and competitions are so popular.

For more information about Traditions Performance Firearms, check them out online at www.traditionsmuzzle.com.

BE SAFE!

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Don't forget to check out our Tactical Equipment Review of the Brigade Quartermaster 5.11 Tactical Holster Pants.

This week's Training Article discussing the necessity of evolving our Active Shooter / Immediate Response training as we move into a harsh future.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

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