Shooting BirdShot from pistol

Dumb question, but is this ok/legal to do with muzzle loading pistols? I know the ATF does not really regulate muzzle loaders.

If so, what loads are recommended? Similar weight worth of shot as the round ball the pistol would usually shoot? Anybody have any tips to share?

You may have seen my thread about my derringer. I figured since they really arent that accurate, shooting birdshot would be fun. Would be good for taking care of those Dangerous pop-cans laying around my property :haha:

Perfectly legal, smoothbore or not.

I had the same idea for my Walker awhile back.
30gr of fffg and a leather over powder wad then topped it with enough #6 shot t5o fill chamber.
Sealed shot in with melted wax.
Stood back about 20' from barn door and let loose!
I can only describe the pattern as something you would get by hitting a plastic bag of shot with a baseball bat!!!
Two shots convinced me that rifled barrels and shot don't work.
If I ever come across a cheap Walker barrel I can make into a smooth bore I'll give shot another try.

Not all hand guns are the same! A card-table pop gun is one thing, but something like a Howda SxS 20 ga. would have some bite to go with the bark............

Dave

tried it out of my kentucky pistol. load was 20 grains of FFFg and the dipper still set at 20 for #7 shot pattern sucked but it was fun to shoot only hit the coffee can with 10 or so little balls. at 10 yards.

The short barrel is a double whammy, reducing velocity and spreading the pattern but there is no reason you can't try a load or two just for curiosity sake. Actually it's a triple whammy since you won't want to load a pistol as heavily as you might load a similar caliber long gun.

the few 'treks' I've made with period eqpt and guns I carried my CVA .50 capper and a sack of #6 shot and wads also some prb loads.
I had success on squirrels and grouse with the shot to fill my cooking pot/skillet. range was limited to 20' at most for a one-shot put down but I took a few squacks with 2 shots after the first stunned them. the grouse (2) were quite tasty steamed atop the rice I cooked in my pot. the squacks I parboiled then floured and fried - quite tasty with rice.
hereabouts the only real danger from wildlife are bears and snakes I figured the prb loads and my Arkansas 'toothpick' and my staff would deter any black bear - I didn't have any to contend with though they're mostly shy away from humans.

Once knew a machinist in Alabama that had made a percussion revolver in his spare time working oil rigs. It was stainless, patterned after a 1858 Remington with an extra long .41 bore cylinder and 12" barrel. It shot great with round ball or shot.
And yep, sure wish I had one.

Well here's a small shot of me messing around firing birdshot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOX9lxNqvFE

It would sure put the ka-bosh on a copper head.

Nice :thumbsup:

The ability to break a clay bird at six feet doesn't say much about taking small game.
If I were to build a muzzleloading pistol expressly for birdshot, and I have seriously considered it, I'd want at least a .54 caliber if not .58 and of course it would be a smoothbore. I'd want at least a 10" barrel and a stock design and weight enough to comfortably fire 40 grains of powder with 3/4 ounce to a full ounce of shot. Then I'd do alot of pattern and penetration testing. I wouldn't hunt with a load that won't drive pellets through at least one side of a steel Goex can and that will mean a lot of recoil.
Pedersoli recommends only 25 grains for their Howdah .62 and I can tell you that with a .600 ball that will bounce off a pine tree, even 40 grains is pretty weak.
I have a couple of modern .410 pistols which, with a full choke barrel and smokeless powder, are sure death on bunnies out to 20 yards, maybe 25. With a blackpowder smoothbore I wouldn't expect more than 15 yards, with a rifled bore more like 15 feet.

When I lived in Califonia, I use to carry a 1860 Army while deer hunting. The first three chambers had 27 grains of FFFg, a Wonder Wad, some 7 1/2 shot followed by another Wonder Wad. The next two chambers were loaded with a round ball and an empty chamber under the hammer. The shot loads had a good pattern out to about 7 feet. Beyond that, the riflings would throw the shot all over. It made me feel better in rattler country. Then I talked to a game warden while dove hunting. He informed me it was illegal to posses a any muzzle loading pistol or cap and ball revolver while deer hunting. Center fire handguns only. It is legal to use a 4" Phinx .25 ACP with a pellet point bullet, but illegal to use a .44 calibr Walker. Go figure :idunno:

Yes it is good advise to check your local regulations as they can be pretty strange. In Colorado you can hunt deer and elk with a .357 mag revolver but not with the same cartridge in a rifle. :shake:

I actually had pretty good results with a .45 cal Sabot filled level with #6 shot and sealed with hot glue. Sort of a BP Glazer safety slug. The patterns weren't real consistant, but at about 5 yards or so, they were pure death on rattlers and copperheads.

I have a confederate navy .44 I keep for snakes and other pests at the office. I keep 3 cylinders with #8 and 2 with a ball. It's perfect for a snake you're standing over but at anything over about 6' you'd seriously be lucky to hit a full grown horse with it.

m-g willy said:

I had the same idea for my Walker awhile back.
30gr of fffg and a leather over powder wad then topped it with enough #6 shot t5o fill chamber.
Sealed shot in with melted wax.
Stood back about 20' from barn door and let loose!
I can only describe the pattern as something you would get by hitting a plastic bag of shot with a baseball bat!!!
Two shots convinced me that rifled barrels and shot don't work.
If I ever come across a cheap Walker barrel I can make into a smooth bore I'll give shot another try.

Click to expand...

I put in 6 BBs in place of the ball in my 36 cal, wad on top of them, and it actually makes a very deadly close range weapon.

I have some shot cartridges made up for a .45 unmentionable and will use them to impress bystanders by breaking hand thrown clay pigeons. Just for fun.

It works in one of these ....,



LD