Reply With QuoteWelcome to the Dark Side, where Men are Men and smell of cow fartz. Here in UK we are more or less limited to what the big sellers, like Henry Krank, actually offer for sale - many gun dealers either know little or absolutely nothing about BP firearms of any kind, or have very little choice in the various models that they DO have for sale. It would be VERY unusual to find a gun store here in UK, apart from Kranks, where such knowledge and expertise is there behind the counter.Originally Posted by tinbum
8 years and over 9k posts on this forum and i never saw this section before!I have sent Tac a pm, but I'll throw this open to all.
I'm after a BP pistol, it must be pre 1900 in design, and it will be for plinking/display. I quite like the look of the Pietta and Uberti 1858 5.5" models, but thats mainly as they most closely resemble the Peacemaker!
What should i look out for! Are there other makes to consider? And any other advice you think i need.
Thanks in advance
Your choice of a version of the Model of 1858 - the Remington New Model Army - is sound. It has a very robust solid frame, and is easy to dismantle for cleaning - something that you will be getting expert in doing every time you shoot. Both Pietta [who have gotten very good in recent times] and Uberti make them, but so do Pedersoli and, if you are rich, Hege/Feinwerkbau.
You CAN actually get what appears at first glance to be a real 'Peacemaker' but it's a cap and ball version that has to be dismantled to load it. But it otherwise closely resembles The Colt SAA.
Now, a word. Plinking with your new C&B is what we all do, unless we get into it seriously enough to compete, but displaying it in UK is a no-no. It is a Section 1 handgun, and must be kept in a secure accommodation when not in use.
Aside from that, BP handgun shooting is a blast. Noisy, smelly, dirty - what's not to like? You are going to need a bunch of stuff to enable you to shoot it anyhow - in no particular order -
1. A BP license to acquire and possess the BP - you'll need 3Fg grade for the .44 calibre revolver.
2. the correct wooden storage container for your BP - buy one [ca. £70-80] or make one from downloaded plans off the internet.
3. #10 or #11 percussion caps - trial and error will be your teacher here. Or do what many of us do, and buy a set of Slix nipples - lightyears ahead of the factory stuff.
4. Powder flask and a set of glass phials for loading. In Europe we do not load directly into the chamber of the gun, but via a phial, thus removing the chance of a stray spark flashing back into half a pound of powder in that copper bomb that you are holding.
5. Unless you are rich, a Lee electric lead melter and a suitable bullet mould for ball. Most .44cal are .451 - .454 - the best way to find out is bu jonesing some off a couple of pals who also shoot a .44 C&B revolver like yours. Some folks like to use a wad between the powder and the ball - others put a dob of some kind of grease over the end of the chamber, but there is no mention of either in the original instructions for using either the Colt or Remington revolving pistols - s'up to you.
6. SAFETY GLASSES! Those percussion caps fragment on firing, and can go EVERYWHERE! It's bad enough getting them embedded in your face, but catching some of it in an eyeball can cause serious grief. These little bits of copper, infused with all kinds of explosive aftermath as well as grease and other crud, make injuries that refuse to heal. I'm still carrying around two bits of somebody else's caps - one in each hand, that have been there for years, so getting either of these bits in an unsafeguarded eyeball would undoubtedly have had a serious effect on my sight.
No doubt you'll have more questions - so ask.
tac
PS - NO PM, sorry. Please resend.
) Display appears to be fine as does shooting tin cans in your garden.
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