Pony Pistol in the Desert

Shot my little nay nay pony pistol today out in the desert: 🏜

My original M1842 Aston cavalry pistol in .54 caliber! Been a while since I shot it so figured now was the time. Love this gun, shoots as good as the day it was made (173 years old). The bore was pitted so I had Hoyt reline it for me and it shoots great. The lock is awesome and despite the patina on the outside, looks virtually brand new on the inside with all of the original fire bluing still present. This is an unmolested one and the stock was never sanded or refinished, the cartouches are super crisp and clean.

A tough, reliable military pistol. I wouldn’t feel unarmed with one even today. Thanks all!

-Smokey

Wow! Sweet Smokey!!

Holy smokes a 54 Cal and small pistol at that. It must have one hell-of-a-kick? How much powder?


Cobra 6

Cobra6 said:

Holy smokes a 54 Cal and small pistol at that. It must have one hell-of-a-kick? How much powder?


Cobra 6

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I shoot up to 50 grs of 2Fg but 35 shoots real sweet with less recoil. It’s a beast!

D.Summers said:

Wow! Sweet Smokey!!

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Thanks, D!

I'd like to find one in decent condition, yours looks nice to me. Pretty is as pretty does, so my old gunsmith says. They were intended to be carried in pairs on a horse holster, correct ? So size wasn't a big issue, you only held it when you needed it .

Eterry said:

I'd like to find one in decent condition, yours looks nice to me. Pretty is as pretty does, so my old gunsmith says. They were intended to be carried in pairs on a horse holster, correct ? So size wasn't a big issue, you only held it when you needed it .

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It’s a nearly two-century old, fully functional combat weapon. There exist better specimens. but those wouldn’t be nice to shoot regularly as they are too pristine.

Two were carried in pommel holsters, on each side of the horse. There was stowage for 5 paper cartridges for each pistol built into the holster system. They were used as secondary weapons, the saber still being considered the primary weapon of the cavalryman.

Nothing can replace how cool it is to own and shoot an original. The Italian and Spanish replicas have their place, but they don’t hold a candle to an actual period piece. Buy one!

I plan on it, when I find one I can afford. Actually, I don't see many in these parts. Maybe I don't know where to look.

GiveCollector's Firearms in Houston a call. They have many, many originals and some still shootable. Peices for originals are really not bad! They also have a great website. Give Josh Martinez a call.

Smokey Plainsman said:

Shot my little nay nay pony pistol today out in the desert: 🏜
View attachment 34149
My original M1842 Aston cavalry pistol in .54 caliber! Been a while since I shot it so figured now was the time. Love this gun, shoots as good as the day it was made (173 years old). The bore was pitted so I had Hoyt reline it for me and it shoots great. The lock is awesome and despite the patina on the outside, looks virtually brand new on the inside with all of the original fire bluing still present. This is an unmolested one and the stock was never sanded or refinished, the cartouches are super crisp and clean.

A tough, reliable military pistol. I wouldn’t feel unarmed with one even today. Thanks all!

-Smokey

Click to expand...

Smokey Plainsman said:

Shot my little nay nay pony pistol today out in the desert: 🏜
View attachment 34149
My original M1842 Aston cavalry pistol in .54 caliber! Been a while since I shot it so figured now was the time. Love this gun, shoots as good as the day it was made (173 years old). The bore was pitted so I had Hoyt reline it for me and it shoots great. The lock is awesome and despite the patina on the outside, looks virtually brand new on the inside with all of the original fire bluing still present. This is an unmolested one and the stock was never sanded or refinished, the cartouches are super crisp and clean.

A tough, reliable military pistol. I wouldn’t feel unarmed with one even today. Thanks all!

-Smokey

Click to expand...

Most who shoot black powder firearms are history buffs & shooting firearms of the period provides us direct links to the period. However i make this statement with caution as not all are safe to shoot & unless you are qualified to make that call you should get an inspection of that firearms bore, breech & nipples and what would be a safe load before firing it. Some shooters especially newbies feel that way more powder is better & don't realize how important it is to firmly seat a charge & use the ramrod to measure & verify.
In my 60 years of shooting I've seen some nutty BP & modern firearm disasters take place before I or another shooter could intervene.
NOTE: In my sixty years of shooting original muzzle loaders & BP revolvers I've learned that he bore does not need to be free of pitting in order to be safe & be a tack-driver.
One of my most accurate rifles was a .58 cal English percussion sporting rifle by Stodenmire. Due to poor storage the bore on this rifle was pitted from the breach to the muzzle but deep rifling was in excellent shape. After a few hours of hand lapping the bore became easy to load & was extremely accurate with the correct load, lube & patch & ball combo.. This process would not have worked with the shallow rifling in most of today's modern repros.
Years ago when I squired my original 1858 Remington NM Army it had a nice tight action. Love shooting the originals because of their deep progressive-twist rifling, they are capable of producing exceptional accuracy. It had a pitted bore but the deep rifling was in great shape & after some lapping was much smoother. With .457 round balls, lubed felt wads & a charge of 23 grains of 3F it is capable of serious competition, though probably a shooter with steadier hands would do better
It's faded bluing & numerous nicks & dings indicate a long history of service. I can honestly say that it's like a step back in time every time I fire it. I might add that buying a repro 85 Remington with a progressive twist rifled barrel costs nearly the same as reviving an old original, same goes for original m/l rifles as long as they check-out as safe to fire by someone qualified.

Man, I would love to have a pistol like the one in the original post. I've hesitated a couple of times and missed the opportunity to buy one. Good to know Mr. Hoyt can reline one if needed.

My brother recently bought a bore scope off Amazon (similar to the scope the gastroenterologist shoves up your you-know-what to examine your colon) for about $35.00. He was able to hook it up to his iPhone so the image displayed on the screen. This scope works great for examining the entire bore of a firearm, all the way to the breech face. I think one of these would be a good investment for somebody wanting to shoot an original. We used it a few days ago to check the bore of an original M1841 Mississippi Rifle I bought about two years ago, and found some pitting, but no significant erosion at the breech, and the rifling was still strong. I have everything I need to shoot it except time.

So, thanks for posting, Smokey Plainsman. You are an inspiration. I need to start looking for one of those pistols.

Notchy Bob