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Muzzle loader pistols
catpealer111
Member Posts: 10,695
Anybody shoot a muzzle loader pistol? I'm thinking of getting one of thoes do it your self kits in either 50 or 54 cal. I found alot of kits on Northern Rifleman's website. I think it would be a nice project.
Comments
I know you are USAF, but they don't make a Curtis LeMay model nor an "Old Air Corps" either.
Comes either blues or no muss no fuss Stainless
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FA-Family.jsp?type=Revolver&subtype=Black Powder&famlst=16
I have a replica 36 cal Navy. I like the looks of the single shot and will be in need of a project when winter hits.
Do yourself a favor and get a flintlock, sidelocks are a joke reliability wise. And if you can get good with a flintlock pistol you will never flinch again shooting ANYTHING, personally I wish I wouldent have sold mine was a hell of a lot of fun.
But I got 2 flintlock rifles so I still have some of the fun, nothing like shooting those pistoles thow. Should be able to get the same kits for flintlocks as you can for percussions.
Everyone always says about flintlocks not being reliable in moist conditions, if its pouring out your probably not going to be out hunting anyway, I have shot mine in rain with no problems. And personally I got sick of going threw 3 caps on sidelocks to get them to fire its eather inline or flintlocks for me, and I like traditional so I will stick with the flints.
Oh ya buy quality manufactured flints, the agate ones. They are 1000 times better than regular flint, the reason why old flintlocks were not that reliable is they used found flint not factory made super strong stuff, I have used flint I napped myself you have to adjust it almost every other shot because pieces break off. The agate flints I havent adjusted yet with 15+ shots threw each gun since I changed over.
I had a .36 Navy...couldnt hit a thing with it by aiming...but it was dead on if ya just pointed and shot! (might a been flinchin) Used Crisco to seal the chambers up and it smelled like a cheap restarant after shooting a few rounds. [:D]
Dixie Gun Works has a good supply of parts and blanks if you want to start from scratch.
Allen
1.Do yourself a favor and get a flintlock, sidelocks are a joke reliability wise. And if you can get good with a flintlock pistol you will never flinch again shooting ANYTHING.
2.Everyone always says about flintlocks not being reliable in moist conditions.
3.The agate flints I havent adjusted yet with 15+ shots threw each gun since I changed over.
I agree with most of what you said...
However,
1.A flintlock IS a sidelock. I believe you meant to differentiate between a flintlock and a percussion lock.
2.Either a flint or percussion gun properly built is surprisingly resistant to rain. Most of the unreliability in wet conditions can be traced to poorly fitted locks, frizzens and pans in the rocklocks or poorly fitted caps on the other type.
3.When using the cut flints, be aware that they strike the identical place on the frizzen at every shot with every flint. You might want to stock up on a couple of spare frizzens.
I've owned and shot flint and percussion pistols. I personally prefer the flint version for a single shot. In percussion style, I like the revolvers. Just personal preference.
You're right. The kit guns are nice projects. I'd advise you to take your time and stop working if you hit a snag or get frustrated. Really sharp tools are a must if you have to do any final inletting or carving.
quote:Originally posted by redice
1.Do yourself a favor and get a flintlock, sidelocks are a joke reliability wise. And if you can get good with a flintlock pistol you will never flinch again shooting ANYTHING.
2.Everyone always says about flintlocks not being reliable in moist conditions.
3.The agate flints I havent adjusted yet with 15+ shots threw each gun since I changed over.
I agree with most of what you said...
However,
1.A flintlock IS a sidelock. I believe you meant to differentiate between a flintlock and a percussion lock.
2.Either a flint or percussion gun properly built is surprisingly resistant to rain. Most of the unreliability in wet conditions can be traced to poorly fitted locks, frizzens and pans in the rocklocks or poorly fitted caps on the other type.
3.When using the cut flints, be aware that they strike the identical place on the frizzen at every shot with every flint. You might want to stock up on a couple of spare frizzens.
I've owned and shot flint and percussion pistols. I personally prefer the flint version for a single shot. In percussion style, I like the revolvers. Just personal preference.
You're right. The kit guns are nice projects. I'd advise you to take your time and stop working if you hit a snag or get frustrated. Really sharp tools are a must if you have to do any final inletting or carving.
Actualy I said it that way to diferentiate from a sidelock percussion and an inline percussion, notice I didnt say anything about the flintlock being a sidelock which of course it is. There are also underhammer percussions which arnt really sidelocks and arnt really inlines eather.
I never had a problem with percussions in rain I had a problem with percussions period, the fact is the spark needs to turn a corner on a sidelock percussion where on a flintlock it goes directly into the barrel and into your main charge. I dont know how many times I had to take a nipple off pour powder in put the nipple back on then fire it to get my percussion sidelocks to go off. In my eyes a sidelock percussion was always and always will be a bad design.
I don't know why you have had a problem, but you might want to think about why the military switched to the cap from the flint, and it wasn't because it didn't work.
I don't care what your own experience has been, but the world reality is considerably different than what you are stating here. If the rest of the world can make it work and you can't, guess who is wrong. One should never advocate something that flies in the face of known reality, and never claim something doesn't work that everyone knows does work.
Hey redice, did you ever think it might be something YOU are doing wrong. The percussion cap did not supplant the flint because it didn't work. I have never had a single failure to fire with a percussion cap load, and I have fired several thousand of them in rifles, single shot pistols, and revolvers.
I don't know why you have had a problem, but you might want to think about why the military switched to the cap from the flint, and it wasn't because it didn't work.
I don't care what your own experience has been, but the world reality is considerably different than what you are stating here. If the rest of the world can make it work and you can't, guess who is wrong. One should never advocate something that flies in the face of known reality, and never claim something doesn't work that everyone knows does work.
Don't know why you are so testy on the subject but in my opinion flintlocks in this day and age are alot more reliable than there sidelock percussion counterparts. Maybe its just the guns I have fired but from my experiance I had a lot of problems with sidelock percussions. Probably because they were cva and tradition low price rifles, and didnt have the best components, that still doesnt change the fact that percussion sidelocks are inherantly more prone to failure in the same conditions as flintlocks are.
Eather way its only my opinion and if you feel differently thats fine, no reason to try and tear my head off over it, have you ever shot a flintlock? and you mentioned percusion revolvers, which are inline and do work basically all the time, again I don't see what your problem is but im sure im not the only one who feels that percusion sidelocks are inferior to flintlocks.
Back when they switched over to sidelock percussions, flintlocks were inferior, but with todays technology I would have to say its the other way around because of factory made agate flints and other advancments.
Btw 11b6r thats always been standard practice in my household, also with some rifle powders it has a harder time getting into the drum, the thing is on a flintlock you double your chances first off no drum straight shot to your main charge, secondly you pour your ingnition charge into the frizen hole while filling the pan, as long as your ignition charge ignites your main does to. I have yet to have a misfire in a flintlock. I can't say the same for percussion sidelocks.
I've got to admit ... I haven't shot it in years ... and I'm still thinking of a conversion cylinder to allow metallic cartridges, too!
I used to shoot it a lot and was very impressed with what it could do with it using a 4"x4" as a target at about 20'! [:D]
the only flint i have left is a .67 pistol, which is missing quite a number of peices due to years of being packed up, moved etc. now i gotta go find it and see if it can be revived...