New pistol

[Musketeer]

Finally got around to ordering a pistol from MVTC. A British Dragoon, 12" .62 cal. smoothbore barrel.

Does anyone else have experience w/ this type or a similar gun? What kind of accuracy can you get outta something like this (no sights! :shocking? This is my first smoothbore flint pistol, so I'm not sure what to expect. Thanks. :thumbsup:

P.S. Hasn't arrived yet. The pic is from MVTC's site.

 

[Rebel]

Musketeer, Sounds like it ought to be a lot of fun to shoot. Should make a good close range shotgun, loaded with shot. Maybe use for close range rabbits and squirrels. Maybe even grouse if legal.

 

[Musketeer]

Should make a good close range shotgun, loaded with shot.

I've been thinking the same thing. Great minds truly do think alike! :thumbsup:

 

[Doc Arroyo]

A few of us in an old club got ahold of Northstar West .62 Trade pistols. So we added smooth pistol to our list of targets to compete with. Started out with shooting the same as our rifled pistol matches - patched round ball at 25 yards and 50 yards! Well the scores were pitiful. Like zero for forever at 50 yards!

So we moved the smooth pistol to a 12 1/2 yard and a 25 yard target. And over the years the few of us that shot both smooth and rifled pistols seemed to have a very similar average. 12 1/2 yard smooth scores equaled the 25 yard rifled pistol, and the 25 yard smooth equaled the 50 rifled pistol!

:thumbsup::results:

 

[musketman]

The pistol was designed for close support, within 25 feet...

It's a heafty big bore that will put a big ol' grin on your face every time you pull the trigger, wish I had one as well...

As for shooting shot through it while hunting, please check with local laws, it could be concidered a sawed-off shotgun because of it's short barrel length...

Don't want to risk getting in trouble with the game warden...

 

[Musketeer]

It's a heafty big bore that will put a big ol' grin on your face every time you pull the trigger,

That's the main reason I'm buying this gun! I really like the idea of a big ol' honkin' smoothbore flint pistol. It'll mainly be just a "fun gun". I'm also gonna carry it as a backup when I'm huntin' w/ my 20 ga. fowler. Being a .62 cal., I can use all the same balls, patches, wads, bore brushes, etc. that I use for the fowler. :thumbsup:

 

[Wes/Tex]

Got one of the new Osprey issues on Wellington's troops in the Napoleonic Wars, this one on the Light Infantry. One illustrates an officer who carried a pair of those in a haversack and is shown shooting one by laying it over the off bent elbow. Wee doggies! Boom!! "Hey! Someboey put me out!" :crackup:

 

[musketman]

I'm also gonna carry it as a backup when I'm huntin' w/ my 20 ga. fowler. Being a .62 cal., I can use all the same balls, patches, wads, bore brushes, etc. that I use for the fowler. :thumbsup:

That is one of the fine points of having a pistol the same caliber as your main firearm...

It can also be used to apply that final shot if the animal is not killed outright...

I would love to have a .75 caliber pistol or two, oh the fun I could have...

 

[Musketeer]

Now don't go jumpin' to conclusions! Maybe the dude was wearing an asbestos coat! :shocking: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

With the long barrel, you can just sight down it's length for a ball park shot placement, the long barrel at arms length will place the muzzle about 3 feet away from your eye...

You should expect a heavy hammer fall as well, not as much as a full size musket, but enough to be noticable...

 

[Musketeer]

I would love to have a .75 caliber pistol or two, oh the fun I could have...

Well, you could always cut down a bess... :shocking: :shocking: :shocking: :sorry: :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

Well, you could always cut down a bess...

And loose my hide in the process...

Mrs. Musketman would skin me alive...

 

A couple of the guys in the Whitewater group, down at Ft Tallouse, carry cut down Charlivilles. I'm talking 8" barrels and the stock gone at the end of the trigger guard! Dandy belt gun.

I suspect that this was not uncommon in the days when Besses and Charlivilles were "surplus" and sold cheap as dirt. I remember buying Mauser, Enfield and Jap Arisaki rifles for $15 back in the '60s and abusing the manure out of them. Baretta pistols for $12, .45 Colts for $25. No one would believe that now! You have to show them the coppies of the old American Rifleman Mags befor they believe you.

Now if you could find an old Bess for $10, and a good hacksaw.....
::

 

[madstone]

Amen Ghost,
I remember when arisaki rifles were obtained by the ton, or cwt?! No shells either. I regret badly ruining all those Krags and 0'3's! I suspect(Even a blind hog will root up an acorn occasionally) a conspiracy where the same guys who "gouged" me on the "sporterizing parts" back then are now reaming me on the restoration parts! Bannerman's ghost? I remember hearing he used musket barrels for rebar in his musty old castle! This, of course, doesn't apply to replica's.
:results:

 

[musketman]

Finally got around to ordering a pistol from MVTC. A British Dragoon, 12" .62 cal. smoothbore barrel.

Musketeer:
Give any thought to what powder charge you'll be shooting in that cannon... oops, I mean pistol? :winking:

 

[Musketeer]

Give any thought to what powder charge you'll be shooting in that cannon... oops, I mean pistol?

Well, Musketman, Pete at MVTC suggests between 25-35 gr. of FFg. Some of the other guys here seem to agree, so I'm gonna start playin' around within this range. I'll probably try a bit heftier load too. I suspect any more than 40 gr. and recoil might become pretty stout with those heavy .600 RB's! :shocking: I'll definitely report my results once I've had the chance to fiddle around with it some. I'm also definitely gonna try out some shot loads too! :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

I'll definitely report my results once I've had the chance to fiddle around with it some.

Good, I suspect that any more that 35-40 grains will be blowing unburnt powder out the end of the short barrel, you may want to concider a faster burning powder, like FFFg for this reason...

 

[Musketeer]

Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember you making the same comment when I posted the thread on pistol loads. I've got plenty of FFFg, so I'll play around with some of it too.
Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

I've got plenty of FFFg, so I'll play around with some of it too.
Thanks. :thumbsup:

That's half the fun of muzzleloading, trying different loads and seeing what works...

This is a fantastic hobby that spans hundreds of years...

 

[Musketeer]

Any idea how much a #4 (.24) buck pellet weighs? Now that would be a killer close-range combo: this gun loaded w/ #4 buck! :shocking: :thumbsup: