flintlock pistol

i have enough irons in the fire but i'd like to know more about the flintlock pistol hunting. i used to do a ruger srh(7.5" barrel) in 44 mag. i did a 2-3" at 100 yards(5 shots and a hoe handle, it was many years before primos bipod came out). i shot 6 or 7 deer out to 125+/- yards, most were shot at 35 yards and under.

anyway, the PA game comm. say 50 cal or larger for a fl pistol. and thats about all i know. i've been using you tube and 25 yards is maximum distance to the deer.

i would like to know what caliber, range, rb or maxi balls.....to use.

the floor is yours to teach me.

Not a pistol hunter but I had a .50 CVA mountin pistol. It would hit a quarter at 25 yds EVERY shot. So if you get one that shoots like mine you could choose which eye to shoot out :haha:

Oh yea....mine was cap lock, I do believe they made it in flint too though? Might have a harder time with that grouping but maybe not. Anyway .50 is certainly all ya need for a deer at 25 yards.

I practice at 50 yards.....velocity and energy doesn't drop much at that distance....beyond that though is a different story.

My flint pistol is a .50 and I'd consider around 50 yds to be a good max distance.

Keep in mind that even with rifles in PA, most deer are shot at 35 yds or less. There is a video floating around the net of a PA hunter with a "bounty hunter" pistol shooting a doe. Forget the distance. I think Pedersoli makes that model. But you don't need a 14 inch barrel to get the necessary velocity.

You do need to be able to put the shot in the right place. For pistol hunters that is the most difficult part of the equation. My only flintlock pistol deer was several decades ago, before PA limited the season to rifles. They recently opened it back up to pistols. Maybe ten years ago. The Traditions and Pedersoli "kentucky style" pistols are ok, but suffer hit and miss lock quality. One may shoot great out of the box and the next is terrible, with a heavy trigger pull or other problem. The older CVA pistols may fit the bill. They also had the hit or miss trigger problem. Some times they can be adjusted and polished to be better. You can build a custom pistol. Parts will run several hundred dollars.

:surrender: :surrender: :surrender:

ok, now i know. i was just wondering. i won't be having a fl pistol iron in the fire for some time.

my stand is a double tree stand only goes 5 or 6' has steps. if i sit down and look to right, i see 100 yards of forest. look left i'll see, if i'm am lucky, 50 yards of brush. then if i look ahead, i see a mixture of two about 60-70 yards. i'm set on a thicket. i had a stroke several years ago and the right side of my body is about kaput. i'll take my polaris utv that has a wooden seat, bipod and tripod and i'll set up anywhere i can on the trail. it will be 50 and minus yards off the trail, but i'm there sucking up noises the forest. :yakyak:

the 35 yard thingy is about right for me. i've killed deer at or about 35 yards for so long as i remember (PA and WV).

Thanks for your posts.
Geez, your a young guy for a stroke, :shocked2: :redface: Good on ya for dealing and moving forward.
You sound like a conscientious hunter,, someone that's at least based in reality.
That said,, Todays off the shelf pistols with 8" barrels and 1-20 twists are dismal at best for hunting no matter what "projectile" is used. Those things where made for and used as personal protection or close range battle back in the day and modern replicas only copy that as a fun item to own, rendezvous shooting with like firearms,, and/or close range personal protection.
(there are better modern options for that)

zimmerstutzen mentioned a custom build,, and if you really want reliable ignition and reasonable hunting accuracy that would be the best bet. Longer barrel, maybe a better twist, good quality lock and vent,, a stock that's actually made to grip and steady a hunting shot instead of 'quick draw" or "pirate boat boarding" action,,
Hat's off to ya for wanting to do it,, but a Traditions Trapper isn't reliable for anything but a wounded animal Coup De Grace`,,
:idunno:

I have not hunted any thing larger than rabbits with black powder and ball but I would be comfortable using a .54 percussion gun I built out to bow range for deer, which is about 30-40 yards max, from a tree stand or blind.

Truth be told, most of my deer went down at 35 yards or less. I'd have no hesitation taking on a deer at 50 yds or under with mine; velocity isn't the whole story, just a part of it.

Pretty flint pistol there.
I believe most of us underestimate the power of most fired projectiles. A .50 cal. ball coming out of an 8" barrel with a 40-50 gr. charge behind it will do a lot of damage to an animal. Having shot modern pistol competitively for many years, I believe the challenge with an ml pistol is #1 knowing the gun and it's capabilities; #2 keeping ranges reasonable; and #3 practice, practice and then practice some more.

necchi said:

Thanks for your posts.
Geez, your a young guy for a stroke, :shocked2: :redface: Good on ya for dealing and moving forward.

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you and me both!!!! :grin: :grin: :grin: i gave up on the smokin and drinkin right away :hatsoff: although i have a craving for beer(straub) now and then. but i don't do it. instead i like my coffee!!! summer winter, fall and spring. i drink coffee all day!!!

We have a similar law in Va. Close as I can remember, without looking it up, it must be at least 50 cal. loaded from the muzzle, with at least 50 grains of powder.

Not a lot of production pistols, fall into that category, in the traditional style.

I cut down a TC WMC, and made a mare's leg pistol. It has 1 in 20 twist. With 50 grains of powder, it shoots really good. I haven't hunted with it, yet.

My original intentions, was to use the barrel, lock and trigger, into a custom pistol. But I got lazy and settled for the mare's leg. It might also be called a blanket gun.