First BP pistol advice

[tacfoley]

Nipple squeezing and rubbing in lard?! (Or something, i was too squeamish to read the details)
What am i getting into?

I like the idea of a .44, its a manly-mans calibre and the caps not jamming up the works is an advantage. I've just been doing some reading on loads and power levels, i think keeping the powder down and a nice low output of 150ft/lb will be perfect for knocking holes in the surrounding countryside. Roll on January!

Don't be tempted by a basic misunderstanding of what is required to get the ball out of the chamber and into the barrel via the forcing cone. You really do not want to be loading much less than 20gr in ANY .44cal revolver.

Getting a ball stuck halfway down the barrel will end you up in a world of woe when you fire the next shot and bulge that nice new barrel.

tac

[Rickenbacker]

Nipple squeezing and rubbing in lard?!

I've skimmed this thread, and the whole thing sounds frankly aweful and terribly dangerous.

[tinbum]

I've skimmed this thread, and the whole thing sounds frankly aweful and terribly dangerous.

But in a manly way!

As you know, i do love a pistol. Its mainly something to tinker and fiddle with, it keeps you from smoking, eating crap etc. The fact that these replicas also look good on the wall is a bonus, and being able to blast shots off on the odd occasion is amazing!

[loiner1965]

Don't be tempted by a basic misunderstanding of what is required to get the ball out of the chamber and into the barrel via the forcing cone. You really do not want to be loading much less than 20gr in ANY .44cal revolver.

Getting a ball stuck halfway down the barrel will end you up in a world of woe when you fire the next shot and bulge that nice new barrel.

tac

Use to shoot my remmy with 12gns of 777 and never had any issues

[helidave1]

Hi,
Reading through the thread I gather you intend to shoot BP in France. I have had a place over there for the last 10 years and am quite interested in getting more information regarding black powder and French law - where did you get your info from?
Cheers
D

[tinbum]

Spoilt for choice!

I've been researching different pizzles available locally to my new place. A .44 would be great! The .31 Colt and Remington pocket models are both georgeous and more suitable for smaller areas.
I've also seen that little brass Vest Derringer in .31, how lovely is that?! Trouble is its a smoothbore, but I'm considering the possibility of sleaving it down to a rifled .22 for mousehunting!

I dont want to go too mad on it, as after six months attendance at the local club i can get a proper pistol. In fact, if i want i can buy a tank! There are even ranges where you can fire them, but when not in use part of the firing mech has to be stored with the local gendarmes for safety.
Bloody Nanny state!

[tacfoley]

Spoilt for choice!

I've been researching different pizzles available locally to my new place. A .44 would be great! The .31 Colt and Remington pocket models are both georgeous and more suitable for smaller areas.
I've also seen that little brass Vest Derringer in .31, how lovely is that?! Trouble is its a smoothbore, but I'm considering the possibility of sleaving it down to a rifled .22 for mousehunting!

I dont want to go too mad on it, as after six months attendance at the local club i can get a proper pistol. In fact, if i want i can buy a tank! There are even ranges where you can fire them, but when not in use part of the firing mech has to be stored with the local gendarmes for safety.
Bloody Nanny state!

A BP .22calibre BP pistol would indeed be novel. 3.5 - 5gr of 4Fg - priming powder for a small flintlock - would be ideal. Keeping it clean, however, would be a PITA.

tac

[airgunnut]

Don't be tempted by a basic misunderstanding of what is required to get the ball out of the chamber and into the barrel via the forcing cone. You really do not want to be loading much less than 20gr in ANY .44cal revolver.

Getting a ball stuck halfway down the barrel will end you up in a world of woe when you fire the next shot and bulge that nice new barrel.

tac

I use 20 grains of black in my .44, in my old club they were a bit funny about black powder and the noise as well as the foot pound limit of just over 200 ft lb, 20 grns is a nice load (I think) a bang a bit of recoil and as I'm only shooting it at 25m it's pointless loading it to the hilt.(my .32 zylab patriot pistol (nitro muzzle loader) only uses a primer and 1 (one) grain of bullseye and I'm hitting clays on a stand at 50m not every time though

[tinbum]

A BP .22calibre BP pistol would indeed be novel. 3.5 - 5gr of 4Fg - priming powder for a small flintlock - would be ideal. Keeping it clean, however, would be a PITA.

tac

This is the one Tac: http://www.armurerie-douillet.com/pi...-f0-p4299.html

10grn of powder and a .32 ball seems to go well.

[tacfoley]

I use 20 grains of black in my .44, in my old club they were a bit funny about black powder and the noise as well as the foot pound limit of just over 200 ft lb, 20 grns is a nice load (I think) a bang a bit of recoil and as I'm only shooting it at 25m it's pointless loading it to the hilt.(my .32 zylab patriot pistol (nitro muzzle loader) only uses a primer and 1 (one) grain of bullseye and I'm hitting clays on a stand at 50m not every time though

Most of what I read in this part of the forum deals with people who are unpopular in their club because they shoot BP firearms. WTF is the matter with these protesters? They don't like the bang. They don't like the smoke. They don't like the smell. They don't like their little empire being invaded by people who think that shooting is FUN.

What DO they like?

In this sport - SHOOTING sport, that is - there really IS room for everybody, at least, there is on our club. Boom away with a Baker rifle? Go for it. KAboom away with a double rifle? Again, go for it. Shot pifters? Yup.

Time, I think, for the BP shooters in these clubs to speak out - after all, it's not as though the committees of these miserable clubs are paying the shooter to go there, but it sure as heck is the other way around.

If it's a gun club, then it's a freakin' GUN club, no matter what kind of bullet you shoot, and no matter what propels it to the target.

Sure, I realise that there are some places with restrictions due to structure or location - so join a club that doesn't have such strictures.

Jeez.

tac

[CapnBall]

Bloody well said. Speaks for me.

[Graysmoke]

If you like taking things apart and wondering 'If I file down this part, will it make it better?' then BP pistols are for you!

[tinbum]

If you like taking things apart and wondering 'If I file down this part, will it make it better?' then BP pistols are for you!

That has been known to happen.

[airgunnut]

Most of what I read in this part of the forum deals with people who are unpopular in their club because they shoot BP firearms. WTF is the matter with these protesters? They don't like the bang. They don't like the smoke. They don't like the smell. They don't like their little empire being invaded by people who think that shooting is FUN.

What DO they like?

In this sport - SHOOTING sport, that is - there really IS room for everybody, at least, there is on our club. Boom away with a Baker rifle? Go for it. KAboom away with a double rifle? Again, go for it. Shot pifters? Yup.

Time, I think, for the BP shooters in these clubs to speak out - after all, it's not as though the committees of these miserable clubs are paying the shooter to go there, but it sure as heck is the other way around.

If it's a gun club, then it's a freakin' GUN club, no matter what kind of bullet you shoot, and no matter what propels it to the target.

Sure, I realise that there are some places with restrictions due to structure or location - so join a club that doesn't have such strictures.

Jeez.

tac

It was more to do with the noise, but the funny thing is to one side of that club there is a truck yard and they were saying that the bang from the bp guns was rattling the windows (the club is in a quarry and the yard office is 10 meters up and 200 m away) but when we did a test using my gun with the load they were complaining about they missed the first shot as they were talking. When we were shooting we had to stop as we couldnt think due to the noise from the truck yard! The noise from the shot gunners on the fields was more but as the owner of the yard was a shot gunner so that wasn't mentioned
I joined another club where big bangs (were talking roof rattling bangs) are part of every day shooting as well as the dreaded black powder fog

[tacfoley]

It was more to do with the noise, but the funny thing is to one side of that club there is a truck yard and they were saying that the bang from the bp guns was rattling the windows (the club is in a quarry and the yard office is 10 meters up and 200 m away) but when we did a test using my gun with the load they were complaining about they missed the first shot as they were talking. When we were shooting we had to stop as we couldnt think due to the noise from the truck yard! The noise from the shot gunners on the fields was more but as the owner of the yard was a shot gunner so that wasn't mentioned
I joined another club where big bangs (were talking roof rattling bangs) are part of every day shooting as well as the dreaded black powder fog

And still there is talk about why some clubs just don't seem to prosper, for reasons totally over the heads of the committees of those clubs. We have one club member who is a H&S Executive examiner/assessor - he occasionally goes around the locale measuring the sounds that come from our club, bearing in mind that the outside ranges are about half a mile from the adjacent village. His sound level plot was used to design the sound buffering of the construction of both our new range facilities. We even stop shooting when horses go horsing past, and have had no complaints from anybody, let alone club members.

It is in the nature of guns to go bang - some bangier than others - that, to my mind, is part of the appeal.

tac