An old journalism professor, lecturing would-be photojournalists a long time ago, said the most elaborate studio lighting setup-- soft boxes, hair lights, reflector sheets, backgrounds, you name it -- are essentially trying to emulate open shade in the morning or early evening. 

Zebulon said
Rick, 
Congratulations on a very nice acquisition. Handsomely kept and early in the life of the model. I have only seen a few flatsides. Inside gun photography is a real chore without a fair amount of equipment.  I struggle with it. When you get a nice but overcast day, could you take it outside and show us some more? 
A great catch.
  

Thanks Bill and will do. It’s been pretty warm and sunny here the last few days and not a cloud in the sky. I just couldn’t get my phone to adjust to all the lighting outside that was showing so took them inside.  

Congratulations on a very nice acquisition. Handsomely kept and early in the life of the model. I have only seen a few flatsides. Inside gun photography is a real chore without a fair amount of equipment.  I struggle with it. When you get a nice but overcast day, could you take it outside and show us some more? 

A great catch.

There is one other BP mini-project I'm going to try, replicating what Luke Short used over in Fort Worth (according to some, albeit questionable, accounts.) I have a decent 5" Colt Army Special in .41 Colt.  While not the alleged birdshead Lightning, its lockwork is far more reliable. I've got dies and a bag of Starline brass. What I lack are some hollow-based .388 slugs or some "footed" outside lubed bullets of original diameter, depending on how the barrel slugs out. I've located a source of cast bullets of both types.  At some point, Colt started using the same barrels for .38 WCF and .41 Colt. 

Particularly in the case of the skirted slugs, BP would be authentic but also ideal to obturate the bore. And the report and sulfurous smoke would add verisimilitude. 

If I can find a suitable torso image of City Marshall/Extortionist Courtwright to superimpose on a 25 yard target, I might allow you the honor of memorializing the end of Longhaired Jim's career. 

Years ago, I picked up a blue and yellow box of Western 200 grain "inside jubricated" smokeless .41 Long cartridges. Likely from the Nineteen Sixties. Not being a cartridge collector and curious to shoot the Colt,  I fired a cylinder's worth at a 10 yard target. I recall the gun recoiled manageably but vigorously and the report was a heavy boom, not a bang. All six rounds stayed on the target, some in the black part, and left holes not hard to see.  Across a bar room floor, it would have been all a skillful man needed to defend his honor and hand of cards. 

Zebulon said
Mike,  I have read the primer from cover to cover, several times.  What I do not see is any discussion about cleaning repeating rifles after shooting black powder cartridges. Venturino, in his book on shooting lever actions, describes his fondness for the Winchester 1873 clones and for shooting black powder in them in Cowboy Action competition.  What strikes me about that is the 1873 has removable sideplates. 
I'm sure the barrel of an 1886 can be saved from corrosion by promptly cleaning it, using the methods and agents you describe.  However, my experience with lever action guns is even smokeless powder residues eventually find their way into the lockwork. It is relatively simple to sluice it out with Ballistol and I need not be meticulous in getting out every last grain. 
On the other hand, I've seen enough pre-smokeless repeaters with corroded lockwork to wonder what one does to prevent it.
  

My mistake, may have been something he wrote in another book or magazine article, possibly in person or all of the above. In any case it works and most shooters who use Holy Black regularly use the same methods I employ. I've been shooting (and cleaning!) BP firearms for over 30 years. I think Venturino was pretty firmly in the Windex camp, I learned about Moose Milk from members of the Cast Boolit forum. I certainly didn't figure it out on my own! Powder residue in the action is a concern but cleaning a lever gun upside down will greatly reduce the amount of residue in the action. Use any method you're comfortable with but if you won't let yourself experience BP shooting because you think it's too much trouble to clean it's your own fault, not Holy Black's. 

Mike

I'm sure the barrel of an 1886 can be saved from corrosion by promptly cleaning it, using the methods and agents you describe.  However, my experience with lever action guns is even smokeless powder residues eventually find their way into the lockwork. It is relatively simple to sluice it out with Ballistol and I need not be meticulous in getting out every last grain. 

On the other hand, I've seen enough pre-smokeless repeaters with corroded lockwork to wonder what one does to prevent it.

Buck1967 said

helidriver72 said

kevindpm61 said
I like the look of that rifle. I don't know what would have been involved in converting a musket to its current configuration. It looks like it could have been in sporting configuration from the beginning. Do serial numbers on the rifle and the Cody letter match?
  

Thanks for your post. Even with glasses I saw 9804 not the actual 9304. I’ll post what Cody Museum sends. 
  

Don’t feel bad! The seller posted 9804 as well 😁. I am surprised at that price. Big congrats on a great rifle and a great deal!
  

That raises the question if maybe the seller did an inquiry of the wrong serial number and concluded it was a modified musket instead of an original sporting rifle and priced accordingly. Easy mistake, I sometimes find similar errors during annual inventories. Always check the number on the firearm before looking at the inventory record. We sometimes see what we're looking for.

Mike

Zebulon said
I understand SPG is the lube of choice for black powder cartridges, for the reason you say. I did buy a copy of Venturino and Garbe's black powder manual and learned the letters of the name of the lube are Garbe's initials.
I will get to BP but it is several projects down right now, due to my recent inability to resist several nameless rifles the original of which was introduced in 1899. Which requires me to auction several others from which the magic has leaked out.
  

Zeb-

If you'll read Garbe and Venturino's Primer I believe you'll learn the cleaning method involving hot water is not necessary. Sometimes I think it's a myth some folks trot out to scare the tourists. Moose Milk or Windex with vinegar have been working just fine for decades and in most cases takes far less time than removing smokeless powder and copper fouling from "modern" cartridges.  Prober lube and bullet fit eliminate lead fouling in almost every case. BP and SPG fouling are easily removed. Garbe sold his lube company years ago but I doubt the formulation or quality have changed. 

Mike

I will get to BP but it is several projects down right now, due to my recent inability to resist several nameless rifles the original of which was introduced in 1899. Which requires me to auction several others from which the magic has leaked out.