Pedersoli Screw Barrel Pistol

[PreserveFreedom]

This is commonly called a muff gun, belly gun, or boot pistol. I bought a kt to build it, but it was hardly a kit. All I had to do was some sanding on the stock and then I stained, oiled, and waxed it.

The trigger is hidden until you cock the pistol. This means the hammer is the only thing you have to worry about catching on clothes and junk. Once you cock the hammer the trigger drops down.

If you look real close you will see some grooves on the nipple wrench, right above where the wrench grips the nipple. These grooves line up with the rifling so that the barrel can be tightened and loosened. My only worry about the pistol is that the rifling or wrench would get stripped or worn. I do not know if a replacement wrench or barrel is available anywhere.

Notice there is no ramrod. For those not familiar with the screw barrel pistol, here is how it works. You unscrew the barrel from the frame. You fill the powder chamber with powder. I have been told they tend to hold 7 - 10 grains of 3F. Next you stick a .451 diameter lead ball on top of the powder. Finally you reinstall and tighten the barrel over the ball. Doing so begins swaging the ball down to the barrel diameter, which is .44 cal. Because of this process, additional pressure is built up during firing which is said to increase pressure and velocity.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

What is your overall opinion of the pistol, and how much did you pay for it... Was it worth the price? :idunno:

 

[shortbow]

Pretty cool how much it looks like originals of its type.

 

[Trench]

I wish they made this in Flintlock.

 

[PreserveFreedom]

I got the kit at Dixie Gun Works for $150. It is a nice size and, if nothing else, a good conversation piece. I love the unique so without even firing it yet I think I can say it was worth the $150. They also sell them completed for a little bit more, but with only having to do minor work on the grip and install two small screws, I would recommend the kit to anyone here.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I'll have to give that kit some thought. A friend of mine has a flintlock turn barrel about that size. It was bought in England during WWII and brought home. That pistol has a lug on the outside of the barrel that a wrench fits over to unscrew the barrel. It looks exactly like the Tinder Lighter, except with the barrel. I like the wrench your pistol has.

 

[ericb]

Screw Barrels have a reputation for being hard hitting and packing a punch, but I've never seen any actual tests, velocities, etc. Sounds like a good project for someone...

Eric

 

[Cascade Pete]

I have a 3 barrel "Ducks Foot" That looks much the same. Has a brass body, same grip, and 3 .36 smooth bore barrels. Have never fired it, but it loads much the same...

 

[PreserveFreedom]

Negative Range Report

I fired three rounds through this today. The first two felt weak so I decided to do a simple penetration test. At the range someone had thrown out a cardboard box full of cardboard. I expected the ball to go through at least all of that, but I was wrong. The ball went through two pieces of corrugated cardboard and got lodged in the third. As you can see by the pic below, the ball barely engaged the rifling. This gun is supposed to get an acceptable (yet still a tad low) velocity through the increased pressure caused by the ball being swaged down to fit the barrel when fired. I used a .451 ball and the barrel is supposed to be .44 cal. I may have to give it another chance with a larger ball though. The ring you see on the top right of the ball is where it seated against the powder chamber. For the record, the powder chamber held 10 grains of powder.

 

[Rob Dinwiddie]

A couple of things you might consider here. First, the screw barrel is supposed to be harder hitting than a similarly calibered pistol of the same barrel length loaded through the muzzle. Which doesn't mean it hits really hard, just harder than similar muzzle loaded firearms. Second, in a very short barrel there is often little difference in a 6 grain and a 10 grain charge since a good bit of the powder is frequently blown unburned from the muzzle. I'd certainly be sure if the gun calls for 3f that you don't use 2f in this case. These require fast burning. Third, if the ball was loaded down the muzzle with a patch, the windage between the grooves of the rifling and the ball would be sealed. But with no patch if the ball is not a truly "almost too tight" fit, a good bit of the power will bleed out around the ball through the windage. And finally, cardboard in a box is generally a flexible target. If the target gives when hit there is less penetration because the energy is expended on moving the pasteboard sheets. If the pasteboard was taped against a solid surface it might tell you more. I frequently use a couple of old Atlanta phone books duct taped together to test penetration. I also sometimes use 15 or 20 layers of 1/4" ply wood that I have cut into a 1' square pieces and taped together. But I set these items firmly against a non-moveable backstop like a stump or the vise on one of my work benches. I remember a friend of mine in the 70's shooting at a piece of galvanized roofing steel and disgusted that his .41 colt would not penetrate it. It was leaned vertically against a branch. When we moved it against the side of an old outbuilding and took away its ability to flex the rounds penetrated numerous layers.

Even in their day, the little screw barrel pistols were generally considered useful at less than 10 feet. A gentleman used one to defend against a knife, swordcane or similarly armed thief. Mainly they were intimidating. If you read primary sources you will find that people feared little guns like this because they lacked power, gave the target a dirty and shallow wound that always required probing for a big bullet and in a time without antibiotics were usually deadly an a slow and painful way. Elmer Keith mentions in his book "Sixguns" a .41 Remington derringer bullet bouncing off a belt buckle. But people rightly feared the slow and unpleasant death that those weak little guns promised.

Best,
Capn D

 

[Don]

Have two of these little numbers and they shoot much better with the .454 diameter ball. Loaded with a full chamber of pyrodex P I got a high velocity of 479fps for 71 ft/lbs of pressure. Loaded with a full chamber of 777 average velocity was 515fps for 82 ft/lbs of pressure. Either load penetrated a 3/4 inch pine board every time. Pyrodex ignited reliably but the 777 could be quirky though more powerful. These pistols were definitely last ditch stick it your ear or face type guns. Deadly but not reliable stoppers.

Don

 

[Rob Dinwiddie]

You know, the whole virgin lead round ball penetration thing is sort of frustrating anyway. I was emptying a little Remington .31 revolver today at a target inside my shop. The thing shot very high and two of the rounds missed the phone book back stop and struck a sheet of 5/8" plywood behind it. At thirty feet, neither penetrated that plywood sheet which had nothing behind it to give it support. They both flattened on one side and dented it but dropped leaving no more than substantial dents. All those layers of clothes that folks wore in the 19th century may well have often prevented death or injury.

Capn D