Breech gas check assembly lubricants of the 1860s?

[Naphtali]

Shiloh Sharps 1863s have a less complex yet more reliable breech gas check plate than original 1859s and 1863s. While I am aware of lubricants currently used and available for the breech gas check plate, what was used circa 1860s?

How effective was it - that is, how many shots were convenient to fire before serious or severe gas blow-by leaks and stiff breech block manipulation forced cleaning or relubrication? Since most of the percussion cap lock Sharps were used during the Civil War, I expect the number of shots was significantly more important then than now.

Any idea what was the composition of generally used check plate assembly lubricant(s)?

[geezmo]

I've got reprints of the 1859 and 1864 pamphlets or manuals put out by Sharps. Here's all they say about cleaning and lubricating these firearms.

"Relieve the lever key from pressure by throwing down the lever guard, and then take out the key, which is replaced with the guard in the same position. Remove the slide, and dissolve the hard substance with water if any has collected in its cavity, taking care not to use any metallic tool in the operation, by which the slide or gas ring might be injured. The bore is easily washed, or cleaned with a wet brush, after which wipe it dry and oil it and the slide with sperm oil, tallow, or other pure oil free from salt and acids."

I've also got a reprint of an 1864 manual for the Merrill rifle and carbines with a similar one short paragraph of directions merely stating, after cleaning it, to wipe it "... with an oily rag."

The few times I've come across directions for things like this, from antiquity, they're always much simpler that we make them out to be today. Of course they didn't have the number of different products available to them that we have today.

Good shooting,
Barry

[George Babits]

Life was definately a lot simpler way back when. Given that many bullets weren't even lubed during the Civil War era, my guess would be that most of the outside primed breech loaders were shot "dry" as far as lubing the breech mechanism.

In the '80s I had a Shiloh 54 caliber military rifle, I lubed the sliding block with lubiplate or maxilube (same thing). That worked OK in warm weather, but one time I was shooting it in the cold (around 20' and the lubriplate really gummed things up. The book that came with that rifle just says to "lightly oil" the breech block. That pretty well agrees with the original instructions quoted previously. Wish I still had that rifle, but it got away from me. Sometime this summer I hope to shoot my original precussion Sharps. Just need to find the time.

George
Salmon, Idaho

[Free_Stater]

Hey Geezmo, what do your reprints say about corrosive fouling from percussion caps of that era? We know now that mercury contamination from fulminates were more damaging than black powder, but was this something that was addressed in manuals of that time?

I've also often wondered about how units cleaned their weapons after a day of battle, especially if they knew they'd go back into the fray come morning. I always imagined them gathered around a barrel of boiling water, sponging out bores and using ramrods as cleaning rods. But there's a good chance I'm wrong on that score.

Just curious about some things.

[geezmo]

Free Stater,

Greetings from the Socialist State of New York. Interestingly the paragraph I posted above is all they say about cleaning them. Nothing about the nipple or cone. You wondered about how the troops in the field cleaned them. Note the info above mentions wiping out the bore with a damp brush. During the Civil War or War of Northern Aggression, depending on your bent, they issued a pull through brush on the end of a leather thong. If you have access to Frank Seller's book on the Sharps you'll see one pictured on P. 347.

One mention that I've seen referencing the cone is in the manual for the Model 1863 Rifle Musket. One method calls for removing the barrel from the stock, plugging the cone with peg of soft wood and pouring a gill of warm water down the barrel then plugging the muzzle with a piece of soft wood. Let it stand to soften the fouling and shake it up and down several times, then pour off the water. Repeat until the water pours off clear. Wipe out and dry the bore with a cloth or piece of tow on the worm on the end of the ramrod. Then, lightly oil the bore. This was recommended if the firearm was wet, allowing the drying of the barrel and inside of the stock.

The second method, if dry, was to clean without disassembly. They placed a piece of cloth or soft leather over the cone and set the hammer down, stopping the vent, then the gill of water and wood plug procedure. After that they wiped the lock and barrel around the cone with a damp cloth, then a dry cloth, then one lightly oiled. I've never read any great detailed cleaning methods or long winded theory with any of this stuff. It seems things were just simpler then, people smart enough to just clean what was dirty and water was usually referenced and available. They didn't have the multitude of cleaning agents and lubricants that are marketed to us today.

I hope this helps. It's just my 2 cents. If anyone else has any more information please share it with us.

Thanks,
Barry

[Free_Stater]

The Sharps rifles had to be easier to clean than the much more common rifle musket, which is what really interests me. I haven't had my hands on many originals, and the ones I have handled had gotten very little use. Just wondering if there was any field manual for gang cleaning rifle muskets after a day of hard use.

[George Babits]

There are lots of nooks and crannies in the breech block that need to be cleaned. I never found any problem with fouling within the block. The barrel and chamber is certainly easier to clean than the muzzle loading rifled musket.

George

[Jay Yuskaitis]

Interesting.

[Todd Birch]

The breech block is the part that really needs attention post-firing. Failure to strip it and clean the flash channel is going to cause problems.

I've tried to imagine a bunch of Sharpshooters post-battle, sitting around fires at night stripping their breech blocks, trying really hard not to lose the gas plate and flash hole screw.