.40 Percussion Pistol

[Zonie]

I thought it was done, but I was wrrrrrroooo...wrrrroooo...wrrrrrrooooonn..mistaken.

This is the pistol I've been working on for a few months. Some of you have seen it when it looked more like a big block of wood with a barrel sticking out of it, and many of you have seen later stages of it.

As I said, I finished it dark but the curl shows thru.
This is a .40 caliber Rayl barrel with a small Siler lock on a Curly Maple stock.

I shot the target today with a .395 ball patched with .012 pre lubed patching. The powder charge was 24 grains of Swiss FFFg, the caps were RWS.

After 4 shots at 15 yards, with me squinting at the target the guy next to me says "Dam nice shooting!" I said "where are they hitting?" He said "All in the Black!" I look again and sure enough, 4 shots in the black.
I then admitted I was shooting at the top target.
Yup, it was 11 inches between bulls eyes and it was shooting exactly 11 inches low.
I ended up firing a total of 7 shots, all of them from the bench with my hand resting on a padded block.


I used the rear tang screw slot, which is just visible at the rear of the barrel for a rear sight, figuring that the recoil would bring up the muzzle before the ball had left the barrel. I guess it did some, but obviously not enough.

Oh well, I was looking for something to do.

I was pleased with the trigger pull. Although I don't have a scale, I would guess it is somewhere between 1 and 2 pounds with a very crisp let off.

By the way, it was tearing the hell out of the patches. I think it is because they are "Pre Lubed" patches about 6 years old. I'll have to see about getting some newer ones.
No, I don't want to try my WallyWorld Pillow ticking yet. The .012 thick patches were tight enough with the .395 balls so I am sure the .018 thick material even it I used a .390 diameter ball would be just about impossible to load.

Finding the right combination of balls and patches is part of the game.
I'll let you know how things turn out.

Zonie (Jim)

 

[davy]

Hey Zonie .. beautomous pistole amigo! Is there other pictures eleswhere? Also it looks like a LaPage, Kuchenrueter, or Mang style weapons ... something i am interested in! Did you build this from scratch and, if so ... what was the process? I would really like to know! :bow: As the only ones I have seen modern wise is the Pedersoli versions ... and certsinly no kits ... :grin:

Thanx

Davy

 

[Zonie]

Speaking of Kits, this plastic kit was the inspiration for the gun you see above.

It was a True Life kit, made back when kids could buy and build things like this.

If you use the Forums "search engine, advanced" and put in "pistol" as the search word, "Zonie" as the poster and Builders Bench as the forum site, you will find several posts about building this pistol.
Some of them have photos like this

As I mention in at least one post, I think I have about $170 in parts/wood for the gun. The box would add about $30 more to the cost.

I will post a few other pictures on the Builders Bench after bit. :grin:

 

[davy]

Thanx Zone! Nice work indeed! I will eagerly look forward to more info and photos! :grin: If and when I build a pistol project .. this will most likely be the style of one that I would like to mimick and put together! The slim style and sleek look of this "dueling" weapon stands heads above shoulders in looks to me compared to some of the more chunky looking handguns out there!

Davy :bow:

 

[arcticap]

By the way, it was tearing the hell out of the patches. I think it is because they are "Pre Lubed" patches about 6 years old. I'll have to see about getting some newer ones.

I usually add extra lub to pre-lubed patches even if they are brand new. Any excess lub seems to get squeezed out of the patch at the muzzle.

 

[CrackStock]

Well the good news is that she's accurate. The bad news is that you need a taller rear sight. This should not be a big deal for a guy who could build such a fine pistol.

CS

 

[John Taylor]

looks nice, shoots good. You did good.

 

[Zonie]

After my pistols first trip to the range when the gun was shooting 11 inches low, it was obvious I had to add a rear sight.

Using a little calculating I figured the rear sight needed to be about .200 high so I filed one out of steel, fire blued it and installed it.
You can see the rear sight right next to the 7 on the target.
The sight is a little over .300 wide which seemed about right when I made it because the width of the flats on this 3/4 octagon barrel are about .25 wide. It could have been a little wider to help visually level the gun but maybe I'll do that on my next one.

The results of my efforts are shown in this photo:

Yes, this is the target I was aiming at. The range was 15 yards and it was shot using .395 diameter Hornady balls and the same old pre-lubed patches I used before.

I did polish the entry into the bore to remove some sharp edges because I thought that might be what was tearing the patches the last time.

Today, I loaded the same 24 grains of Swiss FFFg I used the last time and couldn't get a good group. It also was still showing torn patches.

I reduced the load to 20 grains of powder and the target shows the results. The torn patch problem also disappeared.

I suspect that with slightly thicker, newer patches the heavier 24 grain load would work fine but then on the other hand, I can't argue with success.

 

[lanedh]

Zonie:

Nice group, and just where you wanted it, too!!

I recall from earlier posts that you built your pistol on a Rayl barrel. I am also using a .40 cal Rayl barrel and bought some .395 Hornadays. What patch thickness and spit/lubed combination seems to work best for you?

Also, the stock seems to be darker in the latest posting that in earlier picutres. Is that the light, or did you alter the finish?

v/r, Bluejacket

PS: Compliments of the Season.

 

[Zonie]

Bluejacket: I haven't tried to work up a good load for it yet. I was just firing it with what was on hand and taking what I got.

The patches I used are very old Ox-Yoke Pre-lubed for a .45 caliber ball. They are about .012 thick.

The group was shot with my forearm resting on a block of wood on the bench. The gun was not supported by anything except my hand. My reason for saying this is I don't think the openness of the group is due to the load. That's about as well as I can shoot this way.

To develop a better load, I think I would have to use some kind of mechanical rest to see what the load was actually producing.

The darkness of the stock in the last picture is due to the lighting. I really couldn't change it now if I wanted to without sanding the wood back to the raw condition. The gun has about 10 coats of Tru-Oil on it.

 

[lanedh]

Zonie: thanks for the info. I am looking forward to completing my pistol and feeding it. My other pistol is about .43 caliber and seems to like a 20 grain FFFg charge best.

BTW, I really like the color of the stock in the picture. Perhaps over time it will actually darken down to as we see it.
Brgds, Bluejacket.