Custom deer pistol

[FishDFly]

Cutting a rifle barrel to a pistol barrel length from my readings here will not work.

Rifle barrels are normally from 1 in 48 to 1 in 72.

Pistol barrels are around 1 in 32.

Accuracy may or could be a major problem.

 

[BrownBear]

Pistol barrels are around 1 in 32.

So are the barrels on Lyman Great Plains Hunters like my bud's. If anything, it's more accurate as a handgun than most GPH rifles I've been around. Single example, but it sure has me scratching my head.

Recoil? Meh..... Lots of modern handguns recoil a whole lot more, and the guys are proud of the recoil.

 

[FishDFly]

Pistol barrels are around 1 in 32.

So are the barrels on Lyman Great Plains Hunters like my bud's. If anything, it's more accurate as a handgun than most GPH rifles I've been around. Single example, but it sure has me scratching my head.

Recoil? Meh..... Lots of modern handguns recoil a whole lot more, and the guys are proud of the recoil.

There are rifles which have a 1` in 32 twist which are accurate.

From my reading here, taking a slow twist rifle barrel and making a pistol barrel out of it does not work.

Maybe M.D. will clarify things, he seems to have the best grasp on pistols and working on pistols.

"Lots of modern handguns recoil a whole lot more, and the guys are proud of the recoil."

I am not a fan of pain and suffering, much less than removing pistol hammers from my back. I have shot some very large center fire pistols and do not find them much fun.

 

[FishDFly]

Recoil? Meh..... Lots of modern handguns recoil a whole lot more, and the guys are proud of the recoil.


When I was in Phoenix at the WNS 2 years ago a fellow let me shoot his .69 caliber smooth bore in the smoothbore Pedersoli match. I watched him shoot it and noticed that it had substantial recoil.

I entered the match at his request. He loaded the pistol and would hand it to me. I asked him what is the recoil like, he said about a heavy loaded 44 Mag and shot one handed. He suggested that I put on a glove to shoot it.

First shot was enlightening. I shot 13 shots in the match and finished second, not bad.

Another fellow came along and he was offered to enter the match and shoot the pistol. The fellow pulled the trigger and the pistol flew over his shoulder and landed on the cement shooting range floor.

Later I asked the owner of the pistol, why did you make it, answer was to enter smooth bore matches and kill stuff and he said it did.

 

[longcruise]

From my reading here, taking a slow twist rifle barrel and ...

Probably your first mistake is drawing conclusions from what you read here. :haha:

My own thoughts are that it probably does not take much to "stabilize" any ball. That said, I own one ML pistol and have no idea what the twist rate is. So, heed the advice given in the first paragraph :shocked2:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Pistols generally have a faster twist to stabilize a slower moving ball. More velocity less twist reqired. One of the most accurate pistols I had was made from a stub of a slow twist rifle barrel. It was a 45 and shot well with 35 grains.

 

[sc45-70]

I used a 12 inch Green Mountain pistol barrel 54 caliber 15/16" AF.
It has a 1 in 20 twist.
Recoil don't get to bad until I load above 60 grains of 3f but 50 seem to shoot the best.

Using an underhammer action also adds several inches to the sight radius.

SC45-70

 

[don hepler]

You are right on. I was thinking somewhere around 1 in 18 to 1 in 25. I have done some research on this myself. I have shot the big modern handguns, and recoil is not a problem. I can see where a traditional shaped pistol could change, how the recoil would be felt. I agree, that staying below 60 grains, as even that would be a lot to handle, and at short range be sufficient. I appreciate you opinion, based on real world experience.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

sc45-70 My suspicion is that a 110 degree angle (angle between bore and grip) saw handle type grip is probably better angled to handle recoil than a 90 degree or traditional "plow handle" grip, like that on the kentucky models. What does your underhammer grip look like? The H&A underhammer pistol I had was pretty much a 110 degree angle.

 

[sc45-70]

The grip angle is about 105 degrees.
It has a large grip about the same as a 1911. I made it to comfortably fit my hand.

SC45-70

 

[theoldredneck]

Finally had time to get the barrel finished at 18" and sights on it. Got it on paper at 35 yards. Cleaned it and put it up. Too hot to do anything else. Did not chrony it for velocity but with 50 and 60 grains of ff powder I'm satisfied. The ball was eating up 2" hedge bushes behind the target and taking chunks of wood and bark from trees. Will chrony it with different loads and check groups at 50/75/ and 100 yards before cutting again. The deer handgun concept is looking good.

 

[don hepler]

Hoping to here more about the gun. I've hunted with handguns since I was very young. Virginia, has not allowed handguns, for muzzle loading season, until last year. However, they must meet certain requirements and I feel like I need as much power as I can comfortably handle and shoot well. One thing that I have going for me, I hunt from elevated stands, in heavy cover. My best stand is in a crossroads of trails, and deer come in from all directions, so I find myself moving all around in the stand, which makes my long rifle, a real pain, to get in position. I think the ball needs to turn at least 1/2 to 3/4 of a revolution before existing the barrel. A typical pistol barrel with a one twist in 25 inches, would be sold as a 12 inch barrel. The ball leaving that barrel would make about a half turn rotation. Just as in a long rifle, with a 1 in 66, the barrel being 42 inches, the ball would make a little more than a half turn, before leaving the barrel. Just my guess.

 

[theoldredneck]

This is a 50 caliber rifle I got cheap. Barrel was full of rust and it had been left loaded. I bought it to clean then ream the barrel to a smooth bore. When I got it back to bare metal with evapo rust the bottom half of the barrel didn't look too bad. At 35 yards when working on the sights was often putting the two shots touching. Cutting the barrel has helped. After testing instead of using something else to build from, may see if I can figure a way to add a pistol grip to this stock. Sure would have been nice if it had one. I like the thoughts of just building from a rifle. I'm more into how it shoots than looks.

 

[Tinker2]

“My purpose for this discussion, was to see if anyone had went beyond the normal Kentucy pistol, to a pistol more suited for close range deer hunting, but still have the traditional look.”

I didn’t make or have made but something like this might work for you.

:cursing: I am not having any luck posting pictures right now, :cursing: I will try later or PM me

Anyways I would make something like mine
I have three pistols that would work for deer.
One, a 28 gage smooth bore with an 11 inch barrel.
it would be suitable at hand gun ranges for deer.

I also have a pair of rifled .66 caliber horse pistols
Overall length is 17.5” Barrel is 11” Hooked breach.

The rifled bore mikes out at .665
Locks are marked Crause in Herzberg, heavy cavalry percussion pistols
Made so they can be used with shoulder stocks

Horse pistols are a blast

William Alexander

 

[zimmerstutzen]

For those interested in using a rifle to make a pistol, I believe this is a stock from a "Mountain stalker" and another pistol gripped side lock stock is the "Sharpshooter"

 

[don hepler]

I guess the Tradition name for a cut down rifle was a blanket gun. Kind of like the modern version of the "Mare's leg".

I think a White Mountain Carbine could be cut down to look like one.

I was in small shop, in a small town in, WVa., and a guy had built(from scratch), a blanket gun, or in his words, "truck gun".

 

[FishDFly]

For those interested in using a rifle to make a pistol, I believe this is a stock from a "Mountain stalker" and another pistol gripped side lock stock is the "Sharpshooter"

That is as close to a pistol as is a derringer pistol is to a Hawken rifle.....................

 

[don hepler]

I think he is saying with the pistol grip, the stock could be cut leaving the pistol grip and removing the butt stock.

 

[BillinOregon]

ROLF: WOW! Wonderful worksmanship. I am hoping you have a separate thread on these pistols somewhere. Really hoping to see the finished product in detail.

 

[theoldredneck]

Hot here and shooting is when I feel like dealing with it. Satisfied with the 18" barrel length results. Next cut at 16" and may stop there. Also looking at ways to cut a straight grip stock and add a pistol grip? Would rather the project be flint than percussion so may just wait till I find something in flint? I really like the rifle conversion option and it would be easy to do. I'm getting to old and lazy to want to build anything from scratch or kit.