i recently purchased a Pedersoli Liegi (screw barrel) pistol from dixiegunworks to play around with since the idea of the screw pistol seems amusing. while the visual quallity of the Liegi pistol is low it seems to work well mechanically.
after lots of net surfing it appears that not many people seem to understand these types of pistols. if you look it up on youtube you will find most people dont even know how to properly load the pistol!
here is what ive learned from a combination of research and playing around with the pdersoli screw barrel pistol:
1. loading: the screw barrel pistol is NOT to be loaded like a traditional single shot pistol. the loading process is as such:
A: unscrew the barrel
B: fill the powder chamber till it reaches the bottom of the "ball cup" (roughly 12 grains in the liegi).
C: place a ball in the "ball cup" (there is no patch or wad involved)
D: thread the barrel back on the gun over the ball. (this should take some effort)
2. selecting a proper ball size: from my research and understanding of these pistols they are more closely related to the civil war era revolvers then they are to the single shot pistols they share a likeness too. you need to select a ball size that creates an interference fit similer to the way a ball fits in a revolver. most pistols come with a key for the barrel, a proper ball size will require the key to be used to easily seat the barrel after the ball is placed in the cup. you should not be able to fit the ball in from the muzzle! my Pedersoli Liegi pistol seems to like the .457 ball, this requires the key to turn the barrel down.
3. how power is generated in such a short barrel?: many people claim these little screw pistols are underpowered or weak. i suspect they come to this conclusion due to improper loading. the way i understand it, these pistols work by pressure building up behind the tightly fitted ball before the ball begins to move. an example is a cork in a bottle of champagne, loosen the cork just a small amount. then shake up the bottle, after a few seconds of shaking the cork will launch out of the bottle with impressive speed. this is caused by pressure building up against the resistance of the tight fitting cork. so, in theory if you use a tight fitting ball in the screw pistol the pressure build up will be much greater due to the resistance caused by the very tight fitting ball. this should allow a screw pistol to fire a ball at greater speed then a similer sized traditional patch and ball pistol.
disclaimer: im no expert, this is just some conclusions ive come up with threw research and testing the pistol. further tests need to be made with a chronograph but im BROKE. so unless someone wants to loan me one, those tests are going to have to wait.
after lots of net surfing it appears that not many people seem to understand these types of pistols. if you look it up on youtube you will find most people dont even know how to properly load the pistol!
here is what ive learned from a combination of research and playing around with the pdersoli screw barrel pistol:
1. loading: the screw barrel pistol is NOT to be loaded like a traditional single shot pistol. the loading process is as such:
A: unscrew the barrel
B: fill the powder chamber till it reaches the bottom of the "ball cup" (roughly 12 grains in the liegi).
C: place a ball in the "ball cup" (there is no patch or wad involved)
D: thread the barrel back on the gun over the ball. (this should take some effort)
2. selecting a proper ball size: from my research and understanding of these pistols they are more closely related to the civil war era revolvers then they are to the single shot pistols they share a likeness too. you need to select a ball size that creates an interference fit similer to the way a ball fits in a revolver. most pistols come with a key for the barrel, a proper ball size will require the key to be used to easily seat the barrel after the ball is placed in the cup. you should not be able to fit the ball in from the muzzle! my Pedersoli Liegi pistol seems to like the .457 ball, this requires the key to turn the barrel down.
3. how power is generated in such a short barrel?: many people claim these little screw pistols are underpowered or weak. i suspect they come to this conclusion due to improper loading. the way i understand it, these pistols work by pressure building up behind the tightly fitted ball before the ball begins to move. an example is a cork in a bottle of champagne, loosen the cork just a small amount. then shake up the bottle, after a few seconds of shaking the cork will launch out of the bottle with impressive speed. this is caused by pressure building up against the resistance of the tight fitting cork. so, in theory if you use a tight fitting ball in the screw pistol the pressure build up will be much greater due to the resistance caused by the very tight fitting ball. this should allow a screw pistol to fire a ball at greater speed then a similer sized traditional patch and ball pistol.
disclaimer: im no expert, this is just some conclusions ive come up with threw research and testing the pistol. further tests need to be made with a chronograph but im BROKE. so unless someone wants to loan me one, those tests are going to have to wait.
:haha: I've wondered how well a larger version of one of these would work. Say a beefed up frame with a 30 grain powder chamber and a 6 or 8" barrel. :hmm:
