Is a precussion revolver waterproof?

Question

Like if you droped it in water and took it ouut, owuld it still work?

Answer 1

Are they water proof? No. However they can be made waterproof by sealing the cap and the ball with bees wax. Grease is better than nothing and helps prevent chain fire, but melted wax allowed to drip on the cap on the nipple seals it better in above freezing temperatures. Below freezing temps causes the wax to be brittle and can shatter and fall off, so in freezing temps grease is the better choice.

Even if you make the loaded cylinder waterproof condensation can build up inside from temperature changes. This is why many old gun fighters changed the load in their guns every morning.

Answer 2

When I carry percussion guns in the rain I drip some wax on the cap and nipple to "waterproof" them.  They stand up to rain pretty well but I don't know about a drop in the pond.

I have also had success dripping wax on the frizzen where it meets the pan on flintlocks.

Answer 3

It is possible that it would fire but highly unlikely.    

Answer 4

Most Likely the gun will still fire granted that you did not get the powder wet if if is black powder. No gun is Waterproof, but will still fire if drop in water and taken out.

You would want to take the gun apart and thourougly clean it and oil it after you are done with your outting or field strip and clean it and oil it, if you cannot get it home for thourough cleaning and oiling as you do not want any parts to rust. Also WD-40 (even though Gunsmiths do not use it, you can coat your gun with WD-40) which means "Water Displacement 40th attempt to get it right) It is not a lubricant, but a water repeller, so WD-40 will take the water out of a gun, or temporalily make it "waterproof"

--L (Certified Master Gunsmith)

Answer 5

water resistant maybe... pointing to shoot in the rain would be one thing...

Actual soaking under water... if your bullet is tight in the chamber and you packed grease on top of the load... and your caps are tight....

yea... you may be able to fire the pistol after a quick soaking.

All being said...back in the black-powder era troopers did their best to keep weapons and powder dry.

I would not bet the farm on a black-powder revolver going bang after a long soaking.

Answer 6

Maybe.

As others have said, tight balls, a grease seal and tight caps are the key.

I once overturned a canoe in the Tallapoosa River.  My old .36 Navy Colt and I were in the water for the biggest part of an hour.

After taking my wife to the ER to get her sprained ankle tended, I decided to try firing away the charges rather than pulling the bullets.

All five chambers fired, but a couple of them were not much moe than :Poofs".  I could watch the flight of the bullet on those.

Jeff is right about the old-time gunmen and soldiers going to great lengths to keep their weapons dry.  

The Army, when in the field routinely fired away their loads in the mornings and reloaded their muskets before starting their day's march.  They did not want to risk their musket loads to have been degraded by the nights dews and damps.

Old time gunfighters like Wild Bill Hickok also had the habit of frequently firing away their loaded pistols, cleaning and reloading them.  In boomtowns, some gunsmith shops had a thriving trade in providing a gallery for gentlemen to fire away old loads as practice and then cleaning and reloading their pistols for a modest fee.  Wild Bill had the habit of firing his pistols and reloading them daily.

Doc

Answer 7

The difference between a cap and ball load and a modern casing shell it that the modern cased ammo may be factory crimped to make a firm seal between brass and bullet and then in some cases the entire loaded round is coated to seal out water. Not all cased ammo is water proof I had a whole brick of .22 ammo submerged in water that went bad.

But cap and ball revolvers are only as water tight as you load them. So if you use a slightly over sized ball such as a .457 diameter ball in a .454 bore, ramming the ball home will shave off a bit of lead and make it tight. The same holds true with a lightly lubed patch that once is wrapped around the correct sized ball will squeeze into the bore for a tight seal. Then a bit of grease or wax is placed over that loaded ball, its quite water resistant. The percussion cap can be loose due to wrong size or the nipple not being wide enough. But once its a good fit the cap will wedge on and slightly flare to fit the nipple making a seal that just a small amount of grease or wax will seal. Some have made a wax/grease mixture for black powder guns that works well and easy to make.

Therefore if loaded correctly a black powder revolver cylinder can be more water resistant than some cheap modern ammo.

Condensation in the BP revolver or rifle is dependent on large fluctuations in ambient temperature. A good sealed loaded cylinder is not that different than a sealed modern bullet other than components. And both have to be kept dry.

So condensation of water is not much of an issue.

Black powder differs from modern smokeless powder as if BP powder gets wet then dries out it will still go boom, smokeless powder will either not burn at the right rate (dangerous) or not burn at all.

There have been black powder guns, civil war cannons, etc that fired off after being loaded for many decades. Matchlock guns from the 16th century have been found loaded with BP powder that burned just fine hundreds of years later.

I have in fact loaded a CVA BP revolver cylinder, sealed it and left it over night in a bucket of water. The next day I pulled it out wiped it off with a towel and shot all 6 shots with no misfire.

Answer 8

Are you referring to a black powder pistol?  If so the answer is yes, provided there is a tight seal.  If your percussion cap is tight on the nipple, and your ball is seated firmly on a wad, over the powder, then it should work.  If you left it in the water for a longer period of time, then it probably would not work.