beginers guide to BP pistols...... tell me more!

[steve medlock]

Gun, caps, ball, black powder and a means of measuring it plus some trex/beeswax mix.

[jax13]

just to add an inexperienced view on what i was thinking.....

i do not know what pistol it was i was using but i will try to describe it.

it was a 6 shot revolver, hammer action, compression clamp thingy under the barrel (full of technical terms me!!!)


to my memory, to load the pistol a pre-measured quantity of powder was poured in, ground rice (again, pre-measured) on top then compressed - ball pressed in after this. primer type caps added around the base of the revolving magazine (more of these technical terms!!!) then shoot the thing!


I liked the style and the feel of that pistol and if i got something similar, is what i saw the only gear i would need??? e.g. pistol, ball, packer, powder and some powder scales & something to store it in once measured.

the chap who introduced me had a cracking setup with what looked like a fishing tackle box with a load of pre-weighed phials of packer and powder.



also - as a general idea of what it will cost to delve into this intriguing area of the sport, what would i be looking at for a 'basic' setup.

[tim56]

Sounds like a good set up your mates got. You will get lots of advice as to which gun is better than another and wether you should use a wad or lube over the balls or even which caps to use. If you like your mates set up then you have a good starting point to aim for although i would recommend you try more than one make of pistol before buying. Guns such as the remington have quite a small grip were as the Rogers and spencer have a larger grip, again it comes to personal choice. Costs will vary hugely but this is roughly what i payed for my original set up about 8 years ago.
Gun; .44 Rogers and spencer in london grey. £300 new from Henry Kranks.
Scales; RCBS 5-0-5. £35 second hand.
Powder viles; £14 a hundred + £2 for a couple of plastic .44 bullet boxes to keep em in. I did have to cut the viles down by about 6mm to get them in the boxs.
Lee Powder scoops; About £10 for a set of all the sizes you will ever nead.
Balls; Approx £10 a hundred. I cast my own so may be dearer than that now.
Powder; I use swiss black powder which runs at about £40 a kilo. You can use a b/p substitute but cost i think is slightly more depending what type you use.
Caps; Remington no11s. £4.40 a hundred.
Filler; Semolina. 50p a box, ISH.
Lube; Wonder lube. £12 a pot but lasts for ages. Iv also used water pump grease which works ok but is very messy compared to the wonder lube. Some prefer a lubed wad which is probably cleaner still but i like to use w/lube.

Thats about it for a basic get you shooting list but on top you will probably want stuff like a lolly stick to apply the lube, a towel to rest your gun on on the bench, a pot to put your filler in, cleaning jag and rod, wd40 and a box to put it all in plus all sorts of nic nacks you will aquire along the way.

To those who are just starting to shoot b/p it must seem like a lot of messing about and i suppose quite daunting. Its not. Once you get the hang of the basics, especially safety it really is a doddle and totally addictive. As you gain experience you will find out which bits of all the advice work for you and which bits dont. Have fun.

[GrouseShot]

Do you wan't to shoot single-shot MZ' pistols such as the 'Kuchenreuter'?

[tacfoley]

Let's help you out by using advising you of the correct descriptive names we all use...
i do not know what pistol it was i was using but i will try to describe it.

it was a 6 shot revolver, hammer action, compression clamp thingy under the barrel (full of technical terms me!!!)

Single-action revolver, loading lever.

to my memory, to load the pistol a pre-measured quantity of powder was poured in, ground rice (again, pre-measured) on top then compressed - ball pressed in after this. primer type caps added around the base of the revolving magazine (more of these technical terms!!!) then shoot the thing!

percussion caps, cylinder, with[usually] six chambers [some pocket pistols have only five]

I liked the style and the feel of that pistol and if i got something similar, is what i saw the only gear i would need??? e.g. pistol, ball, packer, powder and some powder scales & something to store it in once measured.

'packer' is called filler.

the chap who introduced me had a cracking setup with what looked like a fishing tackle box with a load of pre-weighed phials of packer and powder.

that's about right!

Others have answered you here - all my kit was bought so long ago that the prices would mean nothing.

tac

BTW - for sealing over the ends of the chambers over the ball I have used stuff called E45 for the last near thirty years. It is a dermalogical hand-cream sold by Boots, and is not only an excellent lube and fouling softener, but it also washes away really easy, as it is an emulsion. No smell either.

[steve883]

I got a second hand colt walker reproduction, .44 calibre, powder flask and a half full pot of Hodgdons pyrodex, and 100 primers thrown in for £125 from Crawfords in Scunthorpe.

I bought a ball mold, lead pourer, a cheap stainless pan and one of those small camping gas stoves that comes in a mini suitcase for about £40 all in. I use scrap lead scrounged from workmates (you wouldn't believe how much appears if you ask nicely!)

All in all a quite cheap but extremely enjoyable romp into the days of the outlaw Josey Wales (that's where I first saw the pistol!!)

Just be prepared for the cleanup after the fun!!