beginners guide to bp part two... calibre??

[jax13]

looking at a few dealers prices on second hand pistols to try and determine a budget for myself and i noticed something that should have been more obvious to me at the time.

calibre.

stupidly, i didn't think there would be quite as many calibres!

for occasional use (once every couple of weeks) shooting informally at 25yds indoors what realistically do i need?

am i right in thinking there will be a trend with running costs being higher for bigger calibres? for example, are the running costs of a .31 a lot lower than a .44 due to less powder & lead and how much per shot would each work out to (as a rough guide)

what benefits / drawbacks are there with each specific calibre?

what would be a good calibre to start with & what pistols should i look at as a beginner?

[Scimmy]

Is the .44 the most popular calibre, widest range to choose from?
Forget the costs per shot by the time you've bought all the bits and bobs to run and clean them let alone the ammuniton and club/ range fees its cheaper to roll pound coins down a drain!

[jax13]

club membership and range fee's would be paid regardless for rifle use! i am hoping i can set myself up for about £200 all in as looking at prices on second hand pistols i think its a reasonable budget to work to.

as for price per shot, it was merely curiosity rather than a deciding factor! hell, it can't work out much more than shooting 250 clays every month can it!

[lilguy43uk]

There's not much difference in the cost of buying powder, wads and shot for .36 and .44.

Don't forget the wads or grease for over the balls though as I believe we had a chain fire incident at the club the other week. No-one injured but a gun destroyed and a bad case of the runs.

[tim56]

As above. Dont worry about the running costs where pistols are concearned.
Most people i know shoot .44/.45 as apposed to anything else, theres more choice of guns in the larger calibers and if you have to rely on buying your balls they seem to be more available. Best to try as many guns as you can, make your decision as to what you want then look at whats available in that model. Hold a .44/.45 ball in one hand and a .31/.36 in the other then decide Anyway at my age i need the bigger hole in the target to see where the balls gone!
Have fun. Tim

[Smokeless Coal]

44=more bang, more smoke=bigger grin.

Go for one with a top strap like a ROA remmington or Rogers for target shooting, rater than the colt with its open frame and sighting through a groove in the hammer.

[lilguy43uk]

44=more bang, more smoke=bigger grin.

Pietta make a good Remmy copy although they can be a little rough around the edges.

[jax13]

44=more bang, more smoke=bigger grin.

Go for one with a top strap like a ROA remmington or Rogers for target shooting, rater than the colt with its open frame and sighting through a groove in the hammer.

was given this advice at the club last night. i know i need to do a lot more reading, feeling and talking before i part with any cash so i know i am not making a mistake with what i buy!

[Smokeless Coal]

Stainless will be easier to clean and have a longer life, but it wll cost a lot more.

I've seen blue revolvers change hands for £30, mine cost me £60. At that sort of price getting a replacement is not too painful on the pocket.

£30 for a bottle of powder that will last months is not a critical expence so should not dictate caliber.

[tacfoley]

One ever-lasting niggle over here is the utterly unbelievable cost of the average pack of 100 cast ball - around £10-12 per hundred.

I cast my own, and have done since the late 1960's, and reckon that the average cost to me of casting scrap lead from our old plumbing is around 17P per thousand.

IF you get into BP handgun shooting, get a suitable mould just as fast as you can - a propane gas-burner and an old pan will do to melt the stuff, and a ladle to decant it into the mould.

I have no idea how much it costs me to shoot my .44s, but by the time you've bought either caps, black powder or one of the substitutes and the stuff to seal over the end of the chambers - I use Boots E45 handcream - it can't be much more than a few pennies.

And BTW - it has been shown over in the USA by careful experimentation that multiple discharges are NOT initiated from the open end of the chamber, but by poorly fitted percussion caps. And I would very much like to see the gun that was 'destroyed' by such a multiple discharge.

tac - BP shooter since 1964

[Simon G]

And BTW - it has been shown over in the USA by careful experimentation that multiple discharges are NOT initiated from the open end of the chamber, but by poorly fitted percussion caps.

Something which I have believed for years!

The one I saw involved a fella at the club using an Uberti Colt. Action was getting a bit "sticky" so he squirted a load of WD40 in the mech, via the slot for the hand, in the breech face. Loaded up as per usual, applied whatever mixture to the front of the chambers and had three go off at the same time! His gunsmith told him that the nipples were worn and vapour collected round the rear of the cylinder and igned three chambers with one cap!

As for calibre, I have three .44's and three .36's and I've also owned .45's. I've found my .36's have always been more accurate.

[Jim McArthur]

As for calibre, I have three .44's and three .36's and I've also owned .45's. I've found my .36's have always been more accurate.

Do you think that is inherent on the pistols, or just that it's generally easier to more acurately shoot a gun that kicks and blasts less?

Jim

[Simon G]

Difficult to say Jim, but I know I'm not overly bothered by recoil and blast. Back in the cartridge handguns days, my favourite wheelgun was a S&W 627 Horton Spl in .44 mag with a three inch barrel!

One of my .36's, an Uberti 1861 Navy, is cut for a shoulder stock. I also have a stock. With this stock fitted, it will put all six rounds in about inch at 25 yards. A two handed hold, I can't duplicate this, but it certainly shows the accuracy potential. And the .36's always post better scores than with the .44's......

[lilguy43uk]

And BTW - it has been shown over in the USA by careful experimentation that multiple discharges are NOT initiated from the open end of the chamber, but by poorly fitted percussion caps. And I would very much like to see the gun that was 'destroyed' by such a multiple discharge.

tac - BP shooter since 1964

I've not seen it Tac. The only reason that I found out about it was when somebody came to assess the damage caused to the side panels of the firing booth, as I was shooting. There's about a 1.5 x 1 inch hole in the plywood panels on one side and a smaller one on the other so something went right through them.

I now believe that there was some (very) slight injury to someone standing behind the shooter.

[lilguy43uk]

And BTW - it has been shown over in the USA by careful experimentation that multiple discharges are NOT initiated from the open end of the chamber, but by poorly fitted percussion caps.

Logic would dictate that, using the correct projectiles, in a gun with chambers in good condition, there's no way that I can think off that a spark could get into the powder from the front end. Mine shaves a small ring of lead off when seating the bullet, so there's an interference fit there.

Using an undersized bullet might make a difference but I can see where you're coming from Tac.

However, I'm a belt and braces man (I use spring washers AND locktite on threads ) so the addition of a semi greased felt wad can't do any harm and spaces the bullet out a little.

I've not been using black powder for as long as you have Tac but I must be doing summat reet as I've been at it (on and off) since the mid seventies and I still have all my fingers.

Cheers