Range Report, Heavy loads, GPP

[Rat]

Read with CAUTION! DANGER! DANGER!

O.k., went out back with the Hornady .50 calibre 240 grain slugs.

Shoots right to point of aim at 20 yards with 60 grains of fffg Goex and a Wonder Wad. Displayed extreme accuracy, sometimes shooting into the same hole as the last shot.

:applause:

I figure 20 yards or closer is where I will take my shot at something that can claw, kill and/or bite me, if it seems inclined to do that!



Very tight fit (.512") in the bore, but does not require a short starter, but it does require a rap on the RR to start it. Not a problem as I plan to neither plink or target practice with this load. I can't imagine it creeping forward off the powder, but again I will keep a careful eye on that. Heck anytime I sit down under a tree I usually take my pistol out to admire it anyhow.

:youcrazy:

I started at 50 grains, which felt very mild. 60 grains took it right to where I would not want to increase recoil further.

:shake:

Consistantly penetrated the 8X8" block that I had my targets stapled to. (and consistantly knocked it over!)

YEAH BABY!

Allright, now back to the round ball! (with kinder, gentler powder charges!)

:RO:

Rat

 

[mec]

It sounds like you have done it! Amazing how friendly those Plains Pistols are to a variety of bullets.

 

[Rat]

I hearby proclaim them to be MOST EXCELLENT pistolas.

:applause: :thumbsup:

Rat

 

[BillinOregon]

Nooooooooooo! I can't afford another gun right now. Nooooooo!

 

[mec]

Yeh. Money doesn't grow on trees. At least you can look at pictures of it until you are tired of it

 

[Rat]

Wow great one handed shooting!

Or is it possible to shoot a Plains Pistol badly?

:blah: :sorry:

Have you tried shooting it like a rifle, elbows bent, left hand forward of the trigger guard, kind of like there's an "imaginary" shoulder stock?

Talk about STEADY!

Good shooting. Nice colors on the lock.

Rat

 

[mec]

The closest Ive come to that has been sitting on the ground with my back rested at 50 yards. It'll put rb or R.E.A.L bullets into about 4" like that.
Ps: I don't always get all ten in such a nice group.

This one was two handed standing but looks a lot like the groups sitting down. A significant amount of luck involved

 

[mec]

Heres 50 bench and 50 yard seated with the conicals. The last time I went out and shot it, my accuracy had fallen off quite a bit. Not the gun but my eyesight was the cause

Balls and bullets hit several inches low at 50 yards when sighted about on for 25.
The pyrodex load is equal or just a little bit better in the velocity department to the .45 colt and, in the usual course of events, swiss fffg would probably be about the same or better.

 

[Rat]

Ha ha luck my butt! I think you know how to shoot the pistol!

Love those clean holes the REAL cuts when the target has a good backing behind it. Sometimes my .58 leaves them looking like someone cut them out with a razor. That's got to indicate excellent whompability.

What would your guestimate on velocity be with 60 grains of fffg goex under a 240 grain bullet? Looks like you've done enough chronographing to make a pretty good guess.

Rat

 

[mec]

Black powders are different however, I'd guess some very substantial velocities. This is just a guess and I wouldn't bet the house on it but, I bet maybe a minimum of 1,000 fps with goex fffg and up in the 1100s with swiss fffg and/or pyrodex.

 

[Rat]

Anything over 1000fps meets my whompability requirements for this pistol and it's intended role. That's what I was kind of figuring, must be cracking 1000, plus a few extra. I usually, or one of the reasons I carry a sidearm is so that I can take small game in a survival situation, heck, with the Plains Pistol I can take a deer and live off the back-straps, and use the hide for a blanket! Forget about squirrels and chip-monks!

On the other hand, I don't see any reason that it won't throw a shot load any better or worse than a cartridge revolver, (probably better as I can get a LOT more shot down the bore, than I can in a cartridge case or shot-capsul) and I've eaten a lot of grouse that came from the barrel of my .44 mag.

Hmmmm...I may be onto something here, with this-here Plains Pistol.

:hmm:

Rat

 

[mec]

I guess maybe an Aston Johnson Dragoon might be happier with a shot charge- smooth bore and all but you don't see very many of those.

I've played with the Lemat and it's 60+ inch shot barrel. With #8 shot, it throws a good small game pattern to 40 feet and will got 3/8" into a pine board at 20 feet. Ignition is not reliable though- two short a hammer throw with the shot firing pin down and it may be that our stipenate primers are harder to detonate than the fulminates they used in 1860.

 

[pappydean]

Rat,
Just love that word use use "whompability" :RO:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

My 20 bore flintlock also throws a decent pattern ot to 15 or 20 yards. It has a 12" smoothbore barrel and works nicely with 1 or 1 and 1/8 ounces of ffg. As a bunny or squirrel gun, it's fine and would make a good snake gun, too. I'm not sure about its power with a p.r.b., but in a tight spot I would trust it at close ranges.

 

[Rat]

Well the GPP won't throw shot like any of them guns, but what I'm getting at is that I've killed a lot of grouse with shot loads in .44 and .357 revolvers, and I'm thinking that a good dose of shot from the .50" bore should do great, within the limitations of shooting shot from a rifled bore, and better than a .44 or .357 cartridge gun.

It will certainly hold a greater amount of shot, guess I better start doing some experiments!

Believe it or don't, but rifled pistol barrels will actually throw better patterns than rifle barrels, less time to swirl around or something...not sure why but that's been my experience.

Rat

Rat

 

[BillinOregon]

Rat: What about making up some paper cartridges for the REAL bullet loads? A small pouch of six nose-down in an appropriately drilled holding block and I think you would be prepared for a number of eventualities ...

 

[Rat]

Hey! Great minds think alike.

:applause:

I will be making paper cartridges for the slug loads, for in the field use, and I have a small belt pouch that I use with whatever pistol I am carrying. A straight line capper goes in the pouch with the ammo too.

:RO: :thanks:

When packing the GPP, I'll carry "X" many slug loads, and then some loose ball and patch...that way if I want to shoot/use a ball load for whatever reason, I can just use powder out of a main-charge paper cartridge for the rifle. Somewhere in my possibles will be a powder measure. I'm sure my most accurate load will be some kind of light ball and patch load, and I'll want that option in case I want to bark a squirrel or two, or pop a wabbit in the head. Some nice show-shoes where I usually hunt. (never have shot one...saving them for survival)

And then of course a few paper shot-cartridges in the possibles too, for birdies like grouse.

Is it hunting season yet?

::

Hey Bill I just thought of someting...Plains Pistols are very AFFORDABLE. Most excellent AND inexpensive.

Rat.

 

[JackAubrey]

Greetings,salutations,ect.,ect., ad infinitum.Gentlemen,those are some fine pictures!I am most taken w/ the colours of the lock,fine case hardening.I noticed the newer GPP have a hexagonal cleanout screw as opposed to the old slotted style on mine.Well Rat,you did it up right!I have been using 60 grains 3f for a while but w/ a PRB.Too unsure on the maxi ball,but no more!Say,What I wanted to post you about was your mentioning shot from the GPP.I have killed several snakes using 7 1/2 shot from the pistol.I use 60 gr.3f Goex,a couple felt wads over the powder.I make a paper tube, and pour the shot into it,twisting the ends closed,a paper shot cup,if you will,then downbore it goes followed by another felt wad on top.I have only loaded this kill a few snakes,always carrying it muzzle up.I don't know if the overshot wad would be sufficient to keep everything in place should I carry the pistol muzzle down.Well Best Regards,Jack.

 

[mec]

yes they replaced the slot screw with a gay communist allen head and they also added a lot of reading material to the left side of the barrel. Still a serenely excellent pistol though.

The loading recommendations with ball and bullet vary considerably with the Lyman book stoping at 40 grains with either. Some of the load recommendations have dropped down from 50 with the 54 cal to 40 and from 40 down to 30 with the .50 caliber. Some shooters have loaded them heaving enough that recoil takes it right out of their hands with no damage to the pistol and others have cracked stocks with lesser loads.

It sounds like you guys are onto something with the shot charges.

 

[Rat]

Yes, a paper shot "cartridge" is the route I'll be taking. It works perfectly in my Brown Bess, so I imagine the rifling will shread the paper even quicker, if that's possible. (can't even FIND the paper after shooting BESS) As I'm sure you know, if you make the paper "cartridge" the right size, it will be a tight fit in the bore. Another trick, to keep it tight in the bore is to put a couple hard cardboard wads in the bottom of the paper cup/cartridge, before adding the shot, and that will hold it in the bore. Still check it often if carrying in a holster.

In Bess I've never had one come off the powder, and I check it often in the field.

Well on the heavy powder charges, especially compared to the light charges listed by the factory, I've come to a couple of conclusions.

The factory recommended loads have NOTHING at all to do with safety, although I imagine that if you short-seat a ball or bullet, the less powder the better. As it IS the same barrel and breech as the rifles, it's going to take a lot to convince me that cutting the barrel back to 8" increases breech pressure, and that a light rifle load becomes a high pressure pipe bomb when that same barrel and breech is cut to 8". It becomes EXTREMELY inefficient compared to the rifle barrel, but that's about it.

I think it is solely on the grounds that "most" people are better off using the lighter loads to really enjoy the gun. I don't dissagree with that. .44 magnum ammo was lightened up years ago, because most people just could not handle the full 1400fps/240 grain load, and it hurt sales.

And, purely recreational pistol shooters, which is probably how the factory sees all it's customers, certainly don't "need" heavy loads. They probably don't imagine there are people that would seriously consider a single shot BP pistol for defense against hostile bears or cougers. And of course any company today has to be EXTREMELY liability concious. Again, I'm sure they figure the pistol will be enjoyed more, and more will be sold when it is more enjoyable to shoot, fouling is kept to a minimum and the stock don't break!!

I believe there might be a valid concern on stock breakage, but I believe that a good, tight-grained stock with no flaws will take the punishment. I would bet that the stocks that did break were flawed wood...and of course they would not have cracked with 30 grain loads!! Hard for a factory to put a 100% sound stock on every pistol.

Ok Jack, no, judging from the recoil, 60 grains under a 240 grain bullet is not THAT much of a step up from the PRB. I mean, there is an increase, and recoil is getting up there, but the 240 grain weight is still a very light slug, realitively speaking, for the bore size. I will say that I don't think it would be "worth it" to go beyond 60 grains with the slug, or 70 grains with the PRB. I think those are good heavy, maximum loads for the GPP.

Now if MEC would just chronograph them for us...ha!

Rat