"Frontier" category - when nobody else is doing it.

[Todd Hayseed]

For those who shoot in the F category, especially when everyone else is doing cartridge guns, how do you deal with the reloading speed?  I know of three ways to deal with this:

 

1.  Pyrodex pellets - gets expensive

2. Paper cartridges. - very time consuming, but you can do it all at home

3.  Have six cylinders for your gun.  And yes there is a well known shooter who actually does this.

 

Or do they just accept you won't be doing Posse duties because your guns take too long to use?

[Blackwater 53393]

I never used the pellets or paper cartridges. I don’t use BP substitutes.

 

I have a loading stand and a possibles box that holds enough caps, powder, and ball to shoot the stages for the day. I use a powder flask with the chosen charge tube and a snail capper. Both hold enough of their respective components to shoot six or more stages.

 

I keep a hundred or more of the proper size ball projectiles in the box as well as various tools that I might need to handle small issues with my guns.

 

I usually charge my cylinders for the first stage before the day’s shooting begins. I only cap my guns at the loading table which seldom takes more time than stuffing suppositories into a cartridge gun.

 

I shoot my stage and carry my guns to the unloading table and clear them all. Then I relieve the person on the unloading table, inspect my revolvers, and I cover the unloading table duties while I charge my cylinders, still on the guns, just like they were designed to be loaded. 
 

By the time three or four shooters have cleared their guns under my supervision, I’m done and ready for the next stage!!

 

Always did it this way! It gives me a chance to meet most of the folks on my posse, let’s me seriously assist with the chores needed for a smooth day at the range, and I usually have plenty of time to enjoy the day!!

[Buckeye Pete, SASS # 29941]

Years ago I had a pair of ROAs that I would shoot at our monthly matches and I would load the cylinders using a press on my gun cart.  I found that it gave me a chance to wipe down the inside of the frame and the outside of the cylinders before I loaded them.  My ROAs ran very well.  I found that it took about 10 minutes to load the cylinders.  I've always helped in posse duties.

 

Buckeye Pete

[Blackwater 53393]

Todd!

 

Several years ago, I was on a posse at a big two day Black Powder SASS match!

 

Our posse had sixteen shooters and more than half of them were Frontiersmen!

 

There were two other Frontiersmen on another posse and several other posses had no cap ‘n’ ballers on them. All of the groups were similar in size.

 

Our posse finished a half hour or more before any other posse both days of the event.

 

I can think of half a dozen different ways that the individual shooters went about preparing for the next stage.  All of them were able to get their stuff ready and still perform posse chores!!

 

Work out a routine that works efficiently for you and practice and refine it!  There’s NO REASON why a cap ‘n’ baller should hold up a posse or not be able to help with duties!

 

 

Edited September 12 by Blackwater 53393

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

When I shot frontiersman I did exactly what Blackwater described except I sometimes used APP Instead of BP.

[Leroy Luck]

A Frontiersman gave me same pointers on powder and it works out well. 
 

Those little centrifuge tubes that labs use… pre measure out the amount you want into those and put them in a small baggie for each stage. Or they fit really well in a cartridge box. You just pour the charge into the cylinder and don’t need to mess with a flask. Plus they are waterproof. 
 

Edit to add: I’ve only done it with loading the cylinder off the gun and using a loading stand. YMMV if you try it with the cylinder in the gun. 

Edited September 12 by Leroy Luck

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

It takes me 2-3 shooters to recharge my cap guns, while watching the unloading table.
Then, I have plenty of time to run the timer, spot, etc.

When I shoot Josey Wales with 5 cap guns, I still have time to do posse duties.

Read Blackwater's first post -- All true!

Folks who have been shooting cap guns for a while get quite adept at reloading, so not doing any posse duties because you are a Frontiersman is just not true!

--Dawg  

Edited September 12 by Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

39 minutes ago, Leroy Luck said:

A Frontiersman gave me same pointers on powder and it works out well. 
 

Those little centrifuge tubes that labs use… pre measure out the amount you want into those and put them in a small baggie for each stage. Or they fit really well in a cartridge box. You just pour the charge into the cylinder and don’t need to mess with a flask. Plus they are waterproof. 
 

Edit to add: I’ve only done it with loading the cylinder off the gun and using a loading stand. YMMV if you try it with the cylinder in the gun. 

I shot with a cowboy who did this and it worked very well for him.

[La Sombra]

47 minutes ago, Leroy Luck said:

Those little centrifuge tubes that labs use… pre measure out the amount you want into those and put them in a small baggie for each stage. Or they fit really well in a cartridge box. You just pour the charge into the cylinder and don’t need to mess with a flask. Plus they are waterproof. 

While I do not shoot Frontiersman, I use those centrifuge tubes for Plainsman matches. @Tequila Shooter uses them for his Frontiersman pistols. He put me onto them.

Tubes, balls and wads all in a separate baggie in a pouch. Yeehaw!

 

La Sombra

[Eyesa Horg]

10 minutes ago, La Sombra said:

While I do not shoot Frontiersman, I use those centrifuge tubes for Plainsman matches. @Tequila Shooter uses them for his Frontiersman pistols. He put me onto them.

Tubes, balls and wads all in a separate baggie in a pouch. Yeehaw!

 

La Sombra

Are they really faster than a small flask with a premeasured spout? Seems flask would be easier than removing and replacing caps. With the flask, I just tip and pour, tip and pour, repeat 5 times each gun. Plus the spout nozzle is much smaller, thus easier to pour. Just curious as I only use them for Plainsman and it feels like it takes forever!! Haven't timed me yet though.🤠

[Sedalia Dave]

I load on the gun like Blackwater and have no problem reloading both pistols in the time it takes 3 or 4 shooters to shoot a stage. 

 

I prefer to shoot 3rd or 4th on the stage Gives me plenty of time to reload and still do posse chores.

 

BTW Pyrodex will corrode your guns while you are shooting them. 

[Sedalia Dave]

3 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Are they really faster than a small flask with a premeasured spout? Seems flask would be easier than removing and replacing caps. With the flask, I just tip and pour, tip and pour, repeat 5 times each gun. Plus the spout nozzle is much smaller, thus easier to pour. Just curious as I only use them for Plainsman and it feels like it takes forever!! Haven't timed me yet though.🤠

 

If you load off the gun they are pretty quick.

 

With a flask you have to verify that the spout is full every time. Sometimes this is challenging when reloading in a heavily shaded stage. I carry a small light to make sure the spout is full every time.

[Todd Hayseed]

52 minutes ago, Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 said:

It takes me 2-3 shooters to recharge my cap guns, while watching the unloading table.
Then, I have plenty of time to run the timer, spot, etc.

When I shoot Josey Wales with 5 cap guns, I still have time to do posse duties.

Read Blackwater's first post -- All true!

Folks who have been shooting cap guns for a while get quite adept at reloading, so not doing any posse duties because you are a Frontiersman is just not true!

--Dawg  

 

The answer seems to be to carry the powder & ball for the next stage with you and just stay at the unloading table until you have your guns reset.

I already use those plastic test tubes on Rifles.  I suppose I could use them on revolvers too.

 

I should start doing Josey Wales.  I know you only need a Walker for the Shotgun part but I somehow actually have three of them.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

56 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

.... I carry a small light to make sure the spout is full every time.

 

I hope it's not a period correct light!  

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

The trick of charging cap and ball revolvers at an unloading table is to do just one task at a time.  If you are clearing a shooter leave your firearms alone.  Charge the cap and ball revolvers when doing nothing else.  This is not a place for multi-tasking.

[Blackwater 53393]

21 minutes ago, Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 said:

The trick of charging cap and ball revolvers at an unloading table is to do just one task at a time.  If you are clearing a shooter leave your firearms alone.  Charge the cap and ball revolvers when doing nothing else.  This is not a place for multi-tasking.

Easy enough to do. The right answer.

 

I can usually load three powder charges and three balls between shooters at the unloading table without hurrying.  If I don’t drop a wonder wad in the chamber, I can do five.  (I generally use a couple of lubed wonder wads per cylinder to keep the fouling soft. I found that more than three per cylinder made it messy and was wasteful.)

 

 

 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

2 hours ago, Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 said:

It takes me 2-3 shooters to recharge my cap guns, while watching the unloading table.
Then, I have plenty of time to run the timer, spot, etc.

When I shoot Josey Wales with 5 cap guns, I still have time to do posse duties.

Read Blackwater's first post -- All true!

Folks who have been shooting cap guns for a while get quite adept at reloading, so not doing any posse duties because you are a Frontiersman is just not true!

--Dawg  

I shoot with my friend Dawg all the time and I’ve experienced him doing exactly what he’s saying. Before you know it he’s spotting or running the timer. Good guy to shoot with! 

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

What Edward R S Canby said!!

I tried all the variations to improve loading speed.

 

I settled on a Lee Dipper and a tupperware container full of powder, a Powder Inc. Cylinder loader, Lubed wool wads, and a tin of loose balls.
Find what works for you & get comfy with it.
Yule find that pretty soon, yule finish quickly & have plenty of time to do posse chores.

--Dawg

[Tucker McNeely]

Todd,

 

  If you’re coming to Land Run, look for me.  I’ll walk you through the process I use.  Yes, a Frontiersman may not do all of the posse chores. But I haven’t met a Frontiersman that does not come to the firing line when they’re done getting their pistols ready for the next stage. Usually about one to two shooters more than a non-Frontiersman shooter per stage is all it takes if you have a system that is repeatable.  
 

  I load at my cart. Too many distractions at the unloading table at the expense of my chance of a pistol that is 100% ready for the next stage.  Saying that you need to be able to be back at the line at some arbitrary time limit is not the spirit of the game. We don’t have time limits for shooters once they have been called to shoot by the TO, then why would there be a time limit to get ready for the next stage?
 

  All that being said, I have a system that works for me and I tweak it as needed to be able to support my posse and friends. We all want to shoot well, so take the time you need to get your pistols ready for the next stage. You will get more efficient with proficiency.  Please don’t shy away from Frontiersman for the potential stigma that you are shirking posse chores.  

  
  In memory of Noz, Leave Frontiersman alone!

[watab kid]

never had one slow our posse and never noticed one shirking duty , i know a coup[e - one had three sets of revolvers for a six stage shoot and [did a lot of cleaning the night before the second day , multiple rifles and shotguns on his cart , another had six sets of cylinders , 

have been distracted by all the smoke a couple times in the early hours of the morning , 

[Griff]

Inna WayBack machine I shot in the BP category... this was in the days when we only used 3 guns, rifle, shotgun and a pistol... and not every stage used all of 'em.  Now, I mostly shoot Frontiersman at major matches, I have a GI can as my possibles "bag".  I carry it up to the unloading table, it contains my reloading stand (pictured below), my flask with premeasured spout, a snail capper that holds a little over 100 caps and box of balls along with a package of "wonder wads".  I try to shoot early in the order, and recharge my pistols while watching the unloading table.  It's not "Reloading"... it's only "Recharging".  Reloading is when you put caps on, and you only do that at the Loading Table.  I usually take 3-4 shooters to recharge my pistols and then relieve a spotter, TO or scorekeeper.

This is simple 2-piece stand that when taken apart is small light and takes up very little space.

Simply put the tab inta the slot with both blue tags on the same side and Bob's yer uncle!

[Sgt. Hochbauer, SASS #64409]

After having my pistols cleared I head over to my gun cart to reload. I have tried to watch the unloading table and reload at the same time and found it a bit distracting. Using a stand on my cart it takes me about two to three shooters and then can help with posse duties. I use plastic tubes that I pre-charge and top off with a ball then place 10 in a ziplock baggie. This system works well for me. I also carry extra pre-loaded tubes just in case.

 

 

Hochbauer

[T-Square]

These is much wisdom above.  I too, and I reload on a stand at my cart.  My contribustion is this; I can do any of the posse work, if you get your timing right.  Dont get caught in the middle of reloading when the posse moves.  Get started with a enough time, or reload after you move. This is my set-up at War Trace this year.

Edited September 13 by T-Square

[Chantry]

When I shoot cap & ball, I work the unload table.  I have plenty of time to reload both pistols.  Besides no one wants me spotting, my brain tends to wander away.

[Lucky R. K.]

While manning the unloading table, this is the way I do it.

[Rafe Conager SASS #56958]

When I shoot cap guns I like to be 1st shooter or last, takes 2-3 shooters to reload my pistols. I've done the loading table thing but found that my squirrel brain gets to distracted. If I load at my cart I still have plenty of time for posse duties, I like to run the timer and find that even loading pistols I have time to run it.

Rafe

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

On 9/12/2025 at 8:20 PM, Tucker McNeely said:

Todd,

 

  If you’re coming to Land Run, look for me.  I’ll walk you through the process I use.  Yes, a Frontiersman may not do all of the posse chores. But I haven’t met a Frontiersman that does not come to the firing line when they’re done getting their pistols ready for the next stage. Usually about one to two shooters more than a non-Frontiersman shooter per stage is all it takes if you have a system that is repeatable.  
 

  I load at my cart. Too many distractions at the unloading table at the expense of my chance of a pistol that is 100% ready for the next stage.  Saying that you need to be able to be back at the line at some arbitrary time limit is not the spirit of the game. We don’t have time limits for shooters once they have been called to shoot by the TO, then why would there be a time limit to get ready for the next stage?
 

  All that being said, I have a system that works for me and I tweak it as needed to be able to support my posse and friends. We all want to shoot well, so take the time you need to get your pistols ready for the next stage. You will get more efficient with proficiency.  Please don’t shy away from Frontiersman for the potential stigma that you are shirking posse chores.  

  
  In memory of Noz, Leave Frontiersman alone!

@Tucker McNeely Hey, Noz is still here! Actually @J-BAR #18287 and myself are planning on having lunch with him next month.

[Blackwater 53393]

Hey!! DOM!!

Be sure to tell Noz howdy for me!!

[Cemetery]

On 9/12/2025 at 4:43 PM, Sedalia Dave said:

Pyrodex will corrode your guns while you are shooting them. 

 

Careful, Pyrodex will corrode your guns just talking about it!!

[Lucky R. K.]

15 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Hey!! DOM!!

Be sure to tell Noz howdy for me!!

And Me. 

Lucky 

[Ciderbarrel]

For my ROAs, I have 6 sets of cylinders and I pre load them before I show up, and cap at the loading table.

 

I just have to pop in the cylinders when I am ready to load.

 

I have my loading stand, powder, balls, and scooper on hand for any reshoots that might come up.

[Pee Wee #15785]

I started using cap guns around 2000-01.  I had a neighbor when I was in the 5th grade bring out his gramps 1860, he taught me how has gramps taught him.  Gramps went through the Civil War but did not reload like he taught.  He carried 6-8 pistols on his horse and one very big knife.  Get a funnel that drops the charge you want even if you have to grind it to give the charge.  I am right handed so I put the hammer on half cock, take the gun in left hand.  Put your thumb over the funnel, drop the powder in the funnel, tip the funnel back up , remove thumb, poor powder into a chamber of the cylinder, put a lubed felt wad over the powder, place the lead ball over the chamber and using the pistol ram seat the ball hard against the wad and powder.  Repeat 4 more times,  do other pistol then do spotting, loading table, or where ever you are needed.