Shooting The Most Hated Revolver Of The Civil War

[@kbjerke]

That was a very unsucking video, Jake. I love the "non-standard" old pistolas of the War Between the States! Thanks!!

[@BWhite-77]

Kel tec's great grandfather where it all started

[@bubbajones5905]

Before the civil war the Ordinance Dept. had only bought Colt revolvers. Once the war started, they desperately bought revolvers from where ever they could. The cap sizes, and bullet sizes were different and it was a logistics nightmare for Ordinance. One reason other brands got a bad rap was problems with wrong sized bullets and caps.

[@Thousand_yard_King]

It's Ordnance, Not Ordinance! The first one has to do with an armory, the second one has to do with a law😂

[@NCPAengineer]

I think its interesting Clint used one in Unforgiven.

[@GoatSimpulator]

As well as Kevin Costner at the beginning of Wyatt Earp... *He didn't use it though, he elected to chunk a cueball at the guy's throat* 😅

[@Rukas6116]

I thought it was him being old as to why he missed those bottles. Now i see what he had to deal with, the shotgun was a way better choice

[@oregonoutback7779]

So many thoughts ....... first, it was always easy to spot someone at a Civil War survivor gathering that had carried a Star. His trigger finger was three times larger and much more muscular than any other finger. Second .... I can see the anti-gunners only allowing us one pistol .... the Star. Point it up, the caps fall off. Point it down and the bullets fall out. Third ..... the historical record does not show any data of anyone actually being shot by one of these contraptions, at least anyone the thing was being pointed towards. Good video, I'm surprised it did as well as it did. Think I'll stick with my '51 Navy.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

😂

[@elettib7982]

Great video, as all others you do :) . I have a double action revolver Starr and never had any chainfire. But i have changed the old nipples. I use 462 round bullets and 15 gr of swiss powder n°1. A lot off grease on the bullets and rws 1075 caps. Double action is just for fun, but single action is pretty good at 25 meters ( i'm french ;) ), 91/100 on a c50 pistol target and one hand. A really good revolver, but for competition i prefer my original remington new army. Make again a lot of old guns videos, you're great! ;)

[@elettib7982]

if one day you can shoot a Beaumont-Adams revolver, it was the better double action revolver on these days. Fixed sights, 454 caliber, smooth double and single actions, simple and robust design, great! :)

[@George_Lewis]

Thank you for the show. It makes a good wall hangar.

[@mantistobogganmd6580]

I am pretty sure the Savage was more hated, bushwackers wouldn’t even loot them off of corpses.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yeah. The Savage operates much like the Starr.

[@mantistobogganmd6580]

@ If I had a choice in the matter I would want an 1860 Colt, if forced to have a Starr or a Savage I would opt for the Starr. Meanwhile the British were manufacturing proper double action revolvers, some of which were being used in the war between the states in limited numbers.

[@ranger-pd5gc]

I think the Starr was simply better than most of it''s operators.

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

The single-action only variant I think is the best cap and ball revolver ever designed.

[@pilgrimm23]

@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine agreed (provisio: of the Civil War). I nominate the Rogers and Spencer as the best cap and ball revolver ever designed.

[@Miningpastpresentfuture]

Having owned an original single action version, I can state it is the least ergonomic of the civil war except for the savage. The Single action also has a horrible trigger pull.

[@kevinroberts781]

I came here to say the same thing

[@pilgrimm23]

@@Miningpastpresentfuture I respectfully disagree. I own a SA Starr and it has a reasonable trigger pull. its all perspective. I own many weapons with far worse triggers. My Starr has a clean, granted harder pull. but works fine. btw my Starr is an original 1863

[@tomfochtman6510]

Glad you had fun with it! I used Remington #10 on it and they are loose also! They are the original nipples! Thanks for the video

[@Master...deBater]

Thanks Tom for making it available for us clowns to see! 😊

[@bluescatreimer]

Really looking forward to this video coming up. The Starr is one of my favorite black powder revolvers.

[@jesscobb2279]

Did NOT Suck! Interesting revolver. BTW I just picked up a 1000 CCI #10's from either Natchez Shooting Supply or it was Brownells. 1 of the 2 has them in stock but you have to buy 1000. Great video. God Bless

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@matthowell1633]

Another case of “They don’t make them like they used to! …. And that’s a good thing!”

[@Everythingblackpowder]

😂

[@ChetJang]

I had an original for several years. They weren't even blued. They were painted, and mine had a Bubba take a wire brush to it. I had a house fire, and just overnight, guns were caked with rust. I refinished it to take all the rust off. I ended up polishing the wire brush marks off. They are made out of some weird steel alloy or maybe iron. Bluing turned the metal to a plumb brown color, which looked appropriate. I never fired mine because of its age and fragile build. It had some good ideas that were done very oddly. I suspect they were factory-painted because they couldn't be blued.

[@JETHO321]

High nickel content steel will do that.

[@JFSmith-nb8hf]

Looks like a good one for the display case.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

😂

[@dlh1947us]

Another great video.🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠 I can see why single actions were preferred they can be fired as fast as 1911 with just a little practice.

[@omf2007]

Awesome video! No "suck" in it. Interesting pistol and it shows some of the variance and complexity of the times. No running to the local "mart" and grabbing some standard ammo for your standard gun back then.

[@1boortzfan]

Nothing an 1858 Remington won't do. I think they were trying to make advancements in arms technology. Great video.

[@brianr555]

I really dont know what to think about the double-action Starr. To the inventor, my first and last thoughts are as follows… “what in hades were you thinking” and “keep it simple stupid”…however, i have not even held a Starr dbl-action revolver. So, i can only go by this awesome and fun shooting video! Thanks guys!

[@Turkeysandwich42]

Bet the second generation of these could have been pretty handy guns.

[@vaquerojoel2026]

Outstanding. I think the Starr is one of the more interesting of the CW revolvers.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

It certainly is interesting

[@krockpotbroccoli65]

That's certainly one of the... Guns of all time.

[@Rjmjr1966]

I live in PA and most gun shop’s around me have Remington #10 caps for about 13 dollars a tin. Also Bass Pro and Cabelas have them also for around the same price

[@justinholoviak5357]

I just noticed caps actually being in stores and online again without needing to buy ten at a time. Very recent. Still can’t find #10 near me. only 11. I’m in Franklin County. Real primers are nice compared to my homemade ones that have a 50% failure rate I need to check out cabelas. thanks!!

[@woodrowbrimm2805]

Looks like a Civil War Era Case Study in how NOT to design a Revolver.

[@Grundag]

I enjoy shooting my reproduction Starr DA. No chainfires as of yet. Fun seeing this original beauty in one of your great vids.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it.

[@bobrees4363]

The Starr revolvers both single and double action have always looked awkward to me, but I have not held one, so I don't really know. Also, I seem to remember Remington used to make #9 percussion caps back in the 1970's.

[@Rjmjr1966]

@@bobrees4363 The #9 caps are the same size as # 10 caps. I bought a tin at a yarn sale that were still sealed for 5 bucks several years ago they all fired but the cones were almost plugged up.

[@chapiit08]

Many original Starr revolvers can still be found in very good shape, very often with remnants of the original finish perhaps a testament to the little use they were given. For the sake of originality Pietta made a mistake by sticking to the 1860's internals, imo they could have designed a much better mechanism without altering the external appearance.

[@DH-xw6jp]

Redesigning the internal mechanism would have made a reproduction pointless.

[@doranmaxwell1755]

LOL... yeah.. but 'most' is an abstract concept. ANY revolver or rifle that shot more than once before a lengthy/time consuming loading process was considered a godsend. The revolver works... For my reproductions of Colts ... I have the chambers bored to bore size (yeah they are not stock) so what I use is .457

[@Squib1911]

Great video. I have wanted to get one of these; either an original or a reproduction. I think Snapper will have to be there to convince me to spend my money on one when it happens.

[@WilliamMcmanus-dh2rs]

Having the sights on the hammer with a double action is crazy

[@JETHO321]

Someone on Bezos store sells a diy percussion cap kit. Theyre 3d printed and work better than real caps. You have to use primeall but its easy (and fun too.) They also self clear. I havent had a cap jam since.

[@papercartridges6705]

Ohhh I see how it is. You’ll use paper cartridges for these finicky awful revolvers but not for the rifle-musket. Heresy!

[@TubeRadiosRule]

My guess in regards to the sights is, if you need to use DA fire, you're using the gun for fast and close-in work where you don't have time to aim anyway, but if you have time to actually aim you use SA mode and the sights.

[@INeverMetAGunIDidntLike]

Twinkle twinkle little Starr, I can't shoot you very far.....

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@INeverMetAGunIDidntLike 😂

[@pierrepergaud1190]

Bonjours Merci beaucoup pour votre réponse, dernière question , avec quoi broyez vous votre charbon de bois car on ne le voit jamais un blender , moulin à cfé … marque référence … car j’en suit au troisième !!! Et si vous retrouvez les références des résistance et programmateur … Merci d’avance Laurent

[@Everythingblackpowder]

We use a blender

[@exothermal.sprocket]

"Ladies and gentlemen, the action of this pistol is so hard, it would take the strength of a mule to pull the trigger." "Try it!" "I'm no mule!"

[@leonardlehrman6220]

Would like to see more of your charcoal BP tests :) maybe try Hickory since its a very hardwood also like the Osage orange. And Sumac if you have it in your area would be interesting. Just my two cents...

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Will have one out this coming Friday

[@Thousand_yard_King]

i owned one of these i purchased at a flea market in the 70's, and I HATED it. Nothing worked as it should. I finally gave it away to a surplus store for a decoration

[@kbjerke]

Up nort 'ere in Canada, we haven't seen #10s ever. *EVER!* I've always had to squeeze caps.

[@Diogenes425]

An exercise in overdoing it to prevent a patent infringement.

[@JoeJoeMetzler]

I noticed that there is a difference or change in the shape and design of the nipples for all of the new BP guns. Even the replacements suck. I had to buy some recently and had the same problem. All of the ones I bought prior to the pandemic and what came with my BP arms. Would use and hold either one 10s and 11s. The original designe nipples are precious if you got them. The flame channels are smaller now also. Traditions BP nipples today suck too and changed drastically. In the same way. Thank you for the demo. No I don't want it either😂 keep'em smoke'n.

[@pauldogon2578]

I briefly had a Pietta Starr, very briefly I must say the repo ran about as badly as the original. Regarding chain fire, I only use .457" ball, and have NEVER had a chain fire on my Remington or any other .44 repo, not with Uberti or Pietta. Best caps ever Hirtenberg No10

[@xzkt]

I never heard of the Starr. After watching your video I understand why I never heard of it. Pulling the trigger to free the cylinder seems counter intuitive. Thanks for showing us why it was hated. lol Phil

[@Everythingblackpowder]

You bet

[@kirkboswell2575]

Chainfire can occur from either end of the cylinder. The only chainfire I've had was when I pinched #12 caps on standard nipples (they were all I could find). The process is similar to flintlock ignition. Flame from the fired chamber ignites the cap on an adjacent chamber. A bare nipple won't ignight. The flame can't get through the "touch hole" of the nipple. With the unshielded nipples of the Star, I can imagine that the chainfire risk is greater than average. Thanks for making this video. I've wondered about the Star for a while now.

[@ATruckCampbell]

The fire cant get through a nipple? Interesting.

[@kirkboswell2575]

@ATruckCampbell - ........ Yes, "in the same manner as a flintlock" was the important part of my comment. Don't nitpick, please.

[@ATruckCampbell]

@ Easy now, I was not nitpicking. I was saying that because I always thought the fire went around the cap and lit the powder and caused chainfire, not the cap itself detonating from the fire and causing it.

[@kirkboswell2575]

@ATruckCampbell - 👍

[@kr6dr]

The video sucked so hard that it slammed the cover closed on my IPad and I had to wait for an advertisement to come up so I could open it and watch the rest of the video. No, really, I think you did a great job with the video and catching a serendipitous unintentional chain-fire made it excellent. Well done!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@wreck-creationandengine-nuity]

I got some Remington 10s a couple months ago from midsouth shooters supply. I looked today and they are out of stock again. They did have the cci ones though.

[@hiltonian_1260]

I bought an original 1863 target rifle and the nipple on it was like the tip of a ball point pen. I had to pinch Remington #10s to get them to stay on. The problem with replacing the nipple is that they used 1/4 x 26 threads.

[@mikef7698]

The cap and ball community would absolutely eat up a good double action reproduction. I've recently heard of the Cooper DA revolver, which pretty much just looks like a Colt. That would probably be the best seller, if not, something british 😅

[@rockmclaughlin3199]

Powder valley had Remington #10s a couple days ago and RWS1075s.

[@rockmclaughlin3199]

The RWS1075S are constantly available and I use them with almost zero failure. If you go on their mailing list, they have a free hazmat shipping for over 100bucks once a month. I have seen you use the hammer press to seat primers before and that works well with pietta and uberti cones once you figure proper pressure. They need less than Rem10s in my experience and no pinch like the cci. Not looking for a gun with two springs for everything but interesting video again again...

[@jamie236-j5q]

I’ve been watching your videos for the past year and I’ve always wondered what plain baking flour would be like for black powder it’s already flammable and is very fine good idea to test

[@josephcormier5974]

Excellent video sir thank you for sharing this with us six stars brother

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@franksmodels29]

Very cool vid of a very interesting pistol. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@MemorialRifleRange]

Thank-You!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@doodieman2574]

Anyone knows what would happen if you loaded ungranulated mill powder in a cap and ball?

[@johntremblay704]

Powder Vally has Remington No. 10 caps in stock for $15.99 per 100 as of 10 min ago.

[@mattparker9726]

this was a cool video. Thanks!

[@mark-wn5ek]

My dad had the remains of a Starr that was found in a field In Florida moons ago. It was mostly there but inoperable. Unfortunately, I didn’t wind up with it. Interesting relic.

[@cowtipper6705]

Very cool to see an original owner letting you go "plinking" with his revolver, Tom is a very cool dude.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

He sure is

[@JOSHUA-zy6cu]

I'm waiting for the 72 hours osage orange, I'm very curious. another thing I wanted to ask you is whether 12 mm cylinders cut to the same length as the diameter, perhaps in brass or bronze, could work in the ball mill as well as the brass media.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I don’t know, I’ve never tried it. I would guess that it works well

[@radekm.7654]

Can you try making tracer bullets for cap and ball? I think it should be interesting

[@douglaseuritt3919]

My youngest brother snagged one of these out of our grandparents house a few years ago. One of the drawbacks of living out of state….

[@ThisOldChris]

Any plans to do your own caps in the future?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

We have made our own caps in the past but we haven’t had to use them lately

[@hekpacobctac616]

During the Mexican war, some rangers loaded bullet into barrel itself, and chamber they loaded with BP fully. So, when they pushed bullet in chamber through barrel, they got extra hot load. Maybe wanna try it?

[@maxatrillionfatstacks]

I know nothing about this pistol but for aome reason the fact that it was an early DA design and it was hated immediately made me think "it probably eother doesn't have an SA option and the trigger is crazy heavy or going from DA to SA is super clunky" and immediately my suspicions were confirmed 😂

[@Pigness7]

I have a photo of my great great great ect grandfather during the civil war with one of these tucked into his belt.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@Pigness7 interesting

[@jamessell4490]

Neat piece but with major arthritis in my hands no way it be finding a home with me.

[@doranmaxwell1755]

I make paper cartridges for .31... .36 and .44 using zig zag papers.... They are fragile so I generally 'shake' em out of the plastic boxes. Soooo round ball vs conical. generally the advantage conicals have with larger bearing surface is lost cause they never enter the forcing cone dead on. so if you use an oversize ball in the right size chamber you get a great bearing surface as the ball is seated... think.... capsule... more than ball shape. I believe that in the civil war the soldiers preferred the ball over the conical for accuracy and stopping power. I really don't even mess with conicals.

[@drivesideways6550]

Interesting video! Always thought about getting a Starr. Just a thought for video content, I load black powder .45 Colt. I do it by hand with the simple Lee hand loader kit about $45. It works, though I was tentative seating the bullet with a mallet. With this kit you crimp by hand, again tapping the top of the loaded case with a mallet. I was wondering how much effect the crimp has on fps/pressure. Doing it by hand you try to stay consistent, but you'll never be as consistent as a press. It'd be interesting to see the difference between giving it a hard whack as opposed to a soft tap. And by the way, I'm not going to make my own damn video.

[@samirish6696]

I load with the same rig. It is as much art as science. Makes my SASS runs more exciting when my Vaquero has a different recoil every time I shoot!

[@nzxt1234]

Can you guys Do a review on a Orginal Rogers and spencers .44there are repros but they are not as great quilty and mainsping ect is diffrent

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I would love too but I don’t own one or know anyone that does

[@nzxt1234]

@@Everythingblackpowder I hope it can be done in the future sometime ! Great videos as always ! I love real orignal arms reviews but also the modern stuff on BP good blend ! Someone shuld loan these guys an R&S ! also i like orginal CW carbines ! cant wait to see what you guys will post next !

[@michaelg4931]

That wasn't a chain fire, that was 'The Starr double tap'. 😉

[@Everythingblackpowder]

😂

[@Stefang-g9x]

I made a little hand die and made caps out of brass tube that can be reloaded. Its a bit of work but if necessary...

[@matthewtmarfield7861]

Probably the biggest fault of this revolver is that it's counter-intuitive. The hammer shouldn't have a spur. I wouldn't mind having a Starr DA to experiment with, but would prefer one of the British SA/.DA or DAO revolvers...

[@ianxtreem]

Cool video, thanks! Natchez has 10s. Bought some last week.

[@johntremblay704]

At Natchez No. 10s are sold out as of 0925 18 JAN. No. 11s are in stock and "on sale" for 9.99 per 100.

[@ianxtreem]

@@johntremblay704 2000 Arrived at my door today.

[@chrisgibson6960]

Jake, Powder Valley was showing Rem #10 in stock.

[@criscross6591]

Very cool!

[@greywuuf]

I persoanally want a savage or repro really badly. Also inwas under the impression that caps of old were significantly LESS beefy as i have heard to refered to as Foil Caps.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Maybe I got it backwards

[@deandeann1541]

The question at hand is -if you had a couple weeks to get used to the Star - which would you rather have, a Star or a Colt 1860, if there were two Confederate soldiers at twenty yards running at you with bayonets? Does the answer change if it were 4 Confederate soldiers?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

For close quarter combat, I would say it’s totally viable. But I would still prefer the 60 Army.

[@deandeann1541]

@@Everythingblackpowder Same here. The Star is a whole lot better than nothing though.

[@TubeRadiosRule]

Ebenezer T. Starr was my 5th cousin, 6 times removed. I have a Pietta replica of one of his revolvers, but I'd love to have an original, along with one of his breechloading carbines. Maybe with a future tax refund...

[@corwinhyatt519]

Fiddly operating mechanism meets proprietary diet?

[@r.awilliams9815]

Dixie Gun Works has #10s in stock. They are limited to 2 tins per order, however.

[@elberttanner6189]

You could always sit down at the Draftsman Table and improve it.

[@thecount5558]

Such a shame about it's rather unorthodox and somewhat confusing action... a decent looking revolver too. Thank goodness for the 1863 version, though I do prefer the 1858's shorter barrel. I'd probably place it 6th or 7th on my own subjective list of my preferred revolvers of the Civil War, behind the Lefaucheux, Adams/Tranter, Kerr, Remington, Rogers & Spencer, Colt, and perhaps on par with the Lemat (yes, I do have a preference for European revolvers). The 1863 version I might consider as somewhat on the same level as the Colts, at most.

[@roddecker5481]

Amusing gun thnx jake

[@Everythingblackpowder]

You bet

[@binio213]

Hey, I really enjoy watching your videos about making black powder, could you try to make black powder with coal? In polish coal and carbon share the same name, and thats why i wondered about this

[@natjonestower3035]

I've been using patched hornady .32 (.310) ball in my 1849 pocket because I couldn't find OObuck at the time. Same thing, they fall right in. Been packing them tight with home-made grease though, I know what'll happen.

[@SaberFox-xo5jf]

Man, it seems like the revolver was meant as a DA only gun but the gunsmith who made it got pressure into making a DASA gun at the last moment. so he put the SA part as a badly designed double set trigger.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Agreed

[@JoeyP322]

Imagine using that in the heat of battle…

[@AlexUnitedKingdom]

You can make a sizer for caps just drilling a hole with required sise in a still blank

[@hekpacobctac616]

Hiya mate. I was writing before, but I don't know if you got a message. French company H&C collections make reusable caps and kit for reloading them with safety matches powder. Maybe you wanna to try their caps. There is also Polish channel Black Powder. And guy makes his own caps from silicone 4 mm caps and toy guy caps. Just few ideas to try

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I’ve heard of that

[@FallenAnvilForge]

Where are you finding caps for your cap and ball revolvers? Trying to find a place that don't charge an arm and leg for 100 #10s

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@FallenAnvilForge we bought a few thousand last year when they were available. They’re not cheap anymore

[@FallenAnvilForge]

@@Everythingblackpowder Thanks

[@diporifle1047]

4:54 its look like an airgun rifle

[@ChuckiechuckCSA]

Instead of pinching caps I take my fingernail and make just a little dimple on the edge works live a charm never had a chain fire doing this save fits super tight I've had a chain fire with pinching

[@M.M.83-U]

Very interesting, very not suck video. Now I have an idea... Take a repro, bob the hammer, delete the SA, polish the trigger, see if it work better.

[@alanwilliamson2259]

Well....um...I don't think I'll have one.

[@tomlubas1512]

I have a tin of rem#10 I got 5yrs ago, ain't seen one since. Friend of mine had an original Starr aloooong time ago, it was definitely different.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

They definitely are unique

[@chasebh89]

This thing is the definition of "great idea, terrible execution" The hammer also being the sight BUT you cant see it till it just about fires is the goofiest part

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Agreed

[@exmcairgunner]

I made zigzag rolling paper, paper cartridges with ball ammo. Worked fine in the Colt Navy .36

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Excellent

[@stepheneddington1667]

It almost seems as if they intentionally designed the 'trigger and lever' so that they wouldn't get sued by other firearm makers of the day.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

The savage operates the same way

[@NatesGameCalls]

I pinch caps on my 1851 .36 navy arms centennial, that hasn’t cap jammed once yet, and I carry it small game hunting. Got it for thirty bucks ha ha. No chain fires. But the nipples are shielded unlike that. The star is interesting, but I wouldn’t want to own one. When I can find #10 Remington caps, I’ll get some. But I’ll keep pinching #11 rem, cci, and dynamite Nobel caps for now.

[@thomasherndon7410]

Hey man, Great vidio, could you another vidio of shooting black powder .410 magtech brass Ihave some for my little hammer gun, and I would be honored if you would make another/ loner vidio with the brass shells andyour .410.