What do you guys load in your .36 cal Navy Colts?

I have a consecutive serial no. set of the signature series and am looking for starting loads (Yes, I know the signature series were made from Italian parts under lisc. from colt).

Do you use ball or bullet and what dia.?

Do you use 4f, 3f or pyrodex P or something else?

Do you seal the chamber mouths?

And finally, how do you clean them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ok, I suggest you get some books on BP revolvers and read them.
There are no "loads" for bp revolvers; you fill the chambers up with powder, leaving enough room to seat the ball, or bullet if you use one. The actual weight doesn't matter. There is no recoil anyway even with a full chamber of powder so forget "starting" loads. The powder will be compressed a bit for good burning. Use 3f black powder. NOT 4f ever. I only use balls; bullets are hard to load and they don't hold as much powder.
You can use pyrodex P powder but it is actually very corrosive. Black powder is not very corrosive; it is the corrosive caps that cause problems, so use non corrosive caps.
I put crisco over the chamber mouths; to keep the fouling soft. Your chambers should shave a ring of lead off the balls if they are big enough; .380 or so. Crisco also prevents chain fires, but tight balls do that. I had one chain fire, in about 1970, with a 36 Navy; they don't hurt anything. But you get a big fire ball. The balls were too small and I didn't grease over the chambers.
Clean with water; forget about all the fancy stuff. hot water, maybe some Dawn, and oil after; I use WD40, and CLP for actual lubrication.
I have fired thousands of rounds in these and started in 1968.
PM me if you want to hear more.

There are other BP substitutes now, like 777 and others, I have never used those in revolvers so I can't comment on them.

3f, Goex

3f as well,using my own cast ball.My only difference from dpcd's recommendations is that I use Lard instead of Crisco.Real cheap down here due to the Mexican cooking.

Lard will smell better when you shoot too, and make you want Enchiladas and Patron afterwards.

Ain't it the truth!

What I would post would be a duplicate of what dpcd wrote. He's got a lot more experience than me. I didn't get started until .'71. Ain't gonna improve on it.

Not much more.
I started shooting cap and ball revolvers as I could buy them before I turned 21, and they were cheaper than cartridge ones too.
More on that chain fire; it was actually my girlfriend who was firing it; I loaded it up one last time and said, don't need no grease this time. Wow, it was a big fireball and I thought it must have blown up (Hawes 36 Navy). My girlfriend didn't notice anything. The only thing that happened was that the barrel was sooty, as bullets had come out the barrel, and from both chambers beside it. She is the one who lived across from Douglas Barrels so we spend a lot of "dates" there. Didn't marry her.

Ha!!! Same reasons I bought my C&B revolvers!!!!! I too have a Hawes except that it's an 1860 Army. Superb revolver. I've never had a chain fire I'm certain because I always used Crisco on the chambers. 'Course I've read speculation that some might come from the rear of the cylinder....but with tight caps I don't see how.