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July 10th, 2018 at 2:37 pm
Technically speaking, all guns, including the ones that take modern metallic cartridges like 38 Smith & Wesson and 45 Colt, were “black powder guns” until the advent of smokeless powder well into the 1890s.
“Percussion revolver” is probably the better distinction, or “cap & ball”. I dislike the latter because it implies a limitation to using round ball. In fact the majority of projectiles used in the by the U.S. Army during the Civil War were the heavier “conical” or “elongated” bullets, wrapped into paper or skin cartridges.
I fire these guns regularly, and almost exclusively with conical bullets. The 44 Army models readily achieve modern 40 S&W or 45 ACP ballistics, and the larger Dragoons and Walker are more powerful yet, approaching the 600 ft lbs muzzle energy mark with the right load and a 220 – 240 grain bullet.
The Colt 1860 Army, I’m my opinion, represents the pinnacle of the pre-metallic-cartridge era in terms of balance between power, portability and handling (and good looks). With some minor modifications it can be as reliable as the more technically “modern” Remingtons of the same period.