Small game and pistols

[oletymepreacher]

Having hunted small game with cap and ball revolvers for over thirty years, it has occurred to me that there must be an easier way. The revolvers aren't too accurate, and squirrels are mostly off limits because of shooting up into the sky for most shots. The underbarrel of the LeMat has been productive when using shot.

Next project was to get a Queen Ann to be useful for small game hunting. Roundballs with no sights are a challenge, mostly frustration.

Enter using the Queen Ann as a short shotgun. Works beautifully. Load presently used: 30 gr FFFG(GOEX), two over powder wads, half ounce shot, one overpowder wad over the shot. Good pattern out to 15 yards. Check seating of load just before taking shot.

Major advantage of the pistol is weight compared to a smoothbore rifle.

Major disadvantage: limited range.

Effectivity is similar to a .410.

 

[DanChamberlain]

I have a .36 Navy that is easily a squirrel head hitter at 15 steps. Where I hunt, shooting up at an angle isn't a problem either.

Dan

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I like the idea of using a smooth bore pistol with shot. If I were to try using a pistol for small game hunting that is the way I would go.
I have a colt army revolver, but don`t shoot it near good enough to be much of a threat to the squirrel & rabbit population

 

[44-henry]

The good ones are more than accurate enough for anything that you would likely be doing with them, I think it is the sights that you would be referring to which are less than great. If you wanted to make the game easier there are lots of modern guns out there, personally I think hunting is a lot more fun when it's more work.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I have a 20 bore flintlock pistol with a 12" barrel that is a pretty fair small game gun--out to about 20 yards.

 

[kwildey]

I've been going back and forth about buying a traditions crockett pistol with the intentions of using it for small game and targets. Anyone have any expiriance with these?

 

[Lonegun1894]

if it's anything like the .50 Kentucky i have that Traditions made, it'll be great once you find the right load.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I've been pondering the idea of haveing a smoothy pistol for shot charges. Evidently they were common (in pairs many times) with the MM.

 

[longfowler]

I have a smoothbore 12 ga flint pistol, full choke, made from an old shotgun barrel. it throws a decent pattern for close range work with 30 grs of powder and 40 grs of small shot, but I haven't killed anything with it yet. But it sure is fun to shoot!

 

[Many Klatch]

I have a pair of (one each .64 and .69) smoothbore pistols. They are both cheap Japanese Tower pistols that I bought off of trade blankets. They take a lot of work to make into shooters. I find that they both need belthooks to make it easy to carry the pair. They are too big and clunky to fit in a holster that fits on anything but a horse. If you are going to carry one for hunting I highly recommend a belt hook and a big belt.

Many Klatch

 

[silent sniper]

I have a traditions crocket pistol and at 25 yards I can put all the shots in a 2-2 1/2 inch group with 20 grains ff and a patched ball. its loads of fun to shoot and the accuracy of it is plenty for squirrel and rabbit. I'm gonna shoot some groundhogs with it this summer.

 

[Dphar]

I like the idea of using a smooth bore pistol with shot. If I were to try using a pistol for small game hunting that is the way I would go.
I have a colt army revolver, but don`t shoot it near good enough to be much of a threat to the squirrel & rabbit population

I have several grouse, a deer and some other stuff with FL and percussion pistols of 50-54 caliber.
I have shot them through the body and through the head.
With a 50 caliber rifle and 20 gr of powder it just drills a hole in grouse. But its illegal in MT now. But I can use a shotgun if I want and shoot them in a covey. Go figure....
This is 50 cal belt pistol. It was taken many moons ago. No longer look that good.
It was supper.
The problem with using shot is that it limits the pistols utility. It good for large or small with a ball. Shot its a small game gun.

Dan

 

[Bretwalda]

I am in the process of getting ready to field test a 56 cal. 10" barreled original percussion pistol. 28 ga. wads fit nicely in the bore with a .125 card wad over the powder. Has anyone tried using plastic wads and have you seen any improvement in range/performance of pistols with shot? Also does anyone have experience in using nickle or copper plated shot over regular lead shot? What size shot have you found to be most effective for up to 15 yard shots on rabbits/squirrels?

 

[dsuursoo]

i've done small game with a pistol(granted a modern centerfire revolver in .357 for almost a decade now. .38 special is the first round up, then a pair of shotshells, then full power .357 makes up the rest(just in case) of the loadout. generally, it's spot and bag the first one, then catch any runners with shotshells(much harder than it looks, those little guys can haul) if you can. my best is three rounds netting four rabbits.

whistling really loudly when you see them or if they start to move away stops them and makes them pop up(but not always pop up) for a moment, gives you time to make the shot.

i'm switching to using a cap and ball .36 navy this fall, i'll admit i'm going to miss having those shotshells ready.

hm... i wonder if there's a way to be clever and load a blackpowder revolver with shot? i bet there is. probably not worth the trouble.

 

[mykeal]

hm... i wonder if there's a way to be clever and load a blackpowder revolver with shot? i bet there is. probably not worth the trouble.

Yes, there is. Load it the same way you would a shotgun: powder, overpowder card, fiber wad, shot, overshot card. The problem is that the rifling in the barrel will spin the shot column and cause a donut shaped pattern that expands outward as it moves down range. The effective range is 10-15 feet; after that, it's just individual bb's that wound but won't kill.

 

[Poor Private]

Unless you happen to own a Lematt. You can use the shotgun barrel there. But range is problamatical. 25 ft?

 

[mykeal]

I dunno - I would think the LeMat's smoothbore barrel would be good out to as much as maybe 50 yards.

But, I don't own one, or I'd try it.

 

[dsuursoo]

I dunno - I would think the LeMat's smoothbore barrel would be good out to as much as maybe 50 yards.

But, I don't own one, or I'd try it.

probably depends on the charge, load, etc etc. a shot cup and a slightly lower charge would likely extend the range.

did those old lemat pistols come with choke on the shot barrel?

i never had much trouble with the shot getting spun in my .357 magnum. the spread was still pretty reasonable with shotshells... but i think maybe they weren't packed tight.

all things to consider. probably illegal to load the pistol with shot rounds here in washington though...

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

You can't get much velocity out of that short barrel. By the time you get a powder charge and a wad or two and the shot charge and an over wad in there, there isn't much barrel left for the shot to build up any speed before it hits the open air. Possibly the reason the idea never really caught on. :v

 

[dsuursoo]

ah, that would explain it.