The pleasures of black powder

Using a muzzle-loader marries sport, heritage – and the satisfaction of customising one’s experience

- DAVID SPITTLES 

Ever since the first gun was made, man tried over the centuries to make it into a multi-shot weapon. Many ingenious methods were tried but it was not until the Colt Paterson revolver was patented in 1836 that a practical and easily manufactured solution was found: the muzzle-loading revolver.

The operation of muzzle-loading revolvers made in the USA (where they are known as cap and ball) is simple. Powder and ball are loaded into the chambers and then the percussion cap put in place. To fire takes two actions: the first is to pull the hammer fully back, which rotates the chamber, bringing the charge into line with the barrel; the second is to pull the trigger to release the hammer and fire the cap. This is why they are known as single-action revolvers.

This system of firing continued to be used by Colt even when cartridge revolvers superseded muzzle-loaders. In the UK and Europe, muzzle-loading revolvers made by Webley and Tranter, to name but two, used what we call double action, whereby pulling the trigger the hammer is pulled back, the chamber is rotated and the hammer is released, detonating the cap. This was a more complicated mechanical operation and was not as reliable as the single action.