Using conicals in Le Page .44

[Sdeve999]

Anyone tried it? I have the Pedersoli Le Page .44 percussion pistol. I have discovered I'm truly rubbish at pistol shooting, but I'm not letting that put me off. Like the English with music, I don't know much about it, but I like the noise it makes.

I have been wondering if a minie bullet, or some other conical, perhaps a Lee REAL bullet, might perform well out of this pistol but before investing in a mould I thought I might find someone here who's tried it.
TIA.

 

[CKeshen]

I've never tried shooting anything but .433 round balls out of my Pedersoli Le Page .44. I am very happy with the way I shoot the gun.

What makes you think that shooting a conical projectile out of the gun will make you a better shooter? I'll go out on a limb here and say that type of pistol is made to shoot RB - but who knows it might do well with a minie.

 

[Sdeve999]

I'm not suggesting that conicals might make me a better shot. But I'm interested in all aspects of shooting.I have seen videos that suggest some black powder revolvers will shoot conicals more accurately than round balls. Others say different, including people who have never tried but are content to assume they know the answer.

In similar vein, I would never have thought of placing semolina between ball and powder in a single shot pistol. There seemed to me to be no reason to do so. In a revolver you are looking to move the ball as close to the top of the cylinder as possible, but in a single shot? Then I read that a world class shooter does just this. If it's good enough for him, then it's worth investigation. The same applies to using conicals in the Le Page. The reason for asking is that with the Le Page the bullet has to travel the length of the rifling, which is not the case with a revolver.

Hopefully, someone will come along who can speak from experience.

 

[pargent]

YOUR PISTOL WAS DESIGNED TO SHOOT ROUND BALL IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES ,it does that extremely well ,my I suggest with respect that you stop looking for magic bullets and learn to shoot it you will be well rewarded . :wink:

 

[nkbj]

What's the rate of twist and the rifling geometry look like in those rascals?

 

[FishDFly]

YOUR PISTOL WAS DESIGNED TO SHOOT ROUND BALL IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES ,it does that extremely well ,my I suggest with respect that you stop looking for magic bullets and learn to shoot it you will be well rewarded . :wink:

Sage advice. none better.

 

[Sdeve999]

Well, I've heard of horse pistols, but until now I hadn't heard of high horse pistols. I am merely seeking the advice of others that have tried conical bullets, because I'm sure someone has. It's a way of gathering knowledge from experience rather than 'because it says so in this book'. I have sufficient experience with pistols to realise that a change from round balls to conicals will not be likely to improve my doubtful pistol marksmanship, but as opinions differ significantly on using conicals in muzzle loading revolvers, I thought to enquire.

I eagerly await informed opinion.

 

[pargent]

You just got two .

 

[TFoley]

Like the English with music, I don't know much about it, but I like the noise it makes.

Although I'm not English, I live here, and I'm quite put out - as they say here - to read your comment.

I suggest that you take a minute or so of your time to check out the number of English composers who did and still do, know something about music.

I'm lucky enough to live almost surrounded by a bunch of mighty cathedrals - Peterborough, Ely, Lincoln, and Norwich, all of which have massive choirs with world fame. Check out Elgar [heard of him?] Vaughan Williams, Michael Tippett and many others to see how iggerunt the English are about music...

tac

 

[zimmerstutzen]

May as well ask if any one has an informed opinion about shooting a spear from a lever action 30-30. Or whether a chinese motor scooter would do well at the Daytona 500.

The Le Page is a specialized gun, well made for a single type of shooting, which it does very well. Even finding a conical that would seal the round ball rifling is likely impossible. A Lee REAL can be extremely difficult to load, likely resulting in a broken stock.

There are many guns, including pistols, which have rifling more suitable for conical projectiles. Far cheaper too. Even a smoothbore pistol would be more suited to conicals.

What you are asking borders on blasphemy and sacrilege, both from people's respect for the LePage, as well as technically and mechanically for the special round ball rifling.

 

[btech]

I don't know about the LePage, but digs at several Civil War battle sites gave turned up 44 caliber conicals used in their Colts and Remingtons as shown in this pic on the right. I doubt they would use them if they were less accurate than RB. I bought a mold and plan on trying them.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

A colt or remington etc are revolvers. The LePAge is a world class target model single shot muzzle loader with very specific round ball rifling. The two different styles of firearms share in common only that they are handguns.

 

[Sdeve999]

Like the English with music, I don't know much about it, but I like the noise it makes.

Although I'm not English, I live here, and I'm quite put out - as they say here - to read your comment.

I suggest that you take a minute or so of your time to check out the number of English composers who did and still do, know something about music.

I'm lucky enough to live almost surrounded by a bunch of mighty cathedrals - Peterborough, Ely, Lincoln, and Norwich, all of which have massive choirs with world fame. Check out Elgar [heard of him?] Vaughan Williams, Michael Tippett and many others to see how iggerunt the English are about music...

tac

Oh my word, but there are some sensitive souls hereabouts. My statement was actually a quote (ish) from Sir Thomas Beecham, a man of note in British music. You do, however, illustrate the difference between US and UK humour, and in particular the complete failure of Americans in general to understand Irony. :grin:

The English may not like music but they absolutely love the noise it makes.
”” Sir Thomas Beecham Quoted in L Ayre The Wit of Music (1930).


P.S. I'm English and have been for over 64 years, and intend remaining so for many more.

 

[azmntman]

Since its a single shot and since its yours and since every gun (BP) shoots a different favorite load I guess you can just load it up, try a few different powders n wads and see what it does with a conical or two. My wouldn't it be Irony if it shot better than round ball? Well it "could" :idunno: . I never had one or saw one though.

AND NO MUSIC DURING SHOOTING (after this string it may be bad jojo)

 

[FishDFly]

You just got two .



And two (2) more.

"minie bullet, or some other conical", might try bird shot to see if that helps your targets.

 

[Sdeve999]

Since its a single shot and since its yours and since every gun (BP) shoots a different favorite load I guess you can just load it up, try a few different powders n wads and see what it does with a conical or two. My wouldn't it be Irony if it shot better than round ball? Well it "could" :idunno: . I never had one or saw one though.

AND NO MUSIC DURING SHOOTING (after this string it may be bad jojo)

I dunno. I'm beginning to hear the vague strains of Duelling Banjos In the background to this thread. :shocked2:

I ask a civil question in a civil manner. I might expect comments about the suitability of the rifling, or the difference between the rifling on a revolver and a single shot. Someone could have just said that REAL bullets are difficult to load, that's a useful piece of information. Even a gentle query about why I might want to perform such an experiment. Instead I get bitchy remarks, notably it would seem from people who have never tried such an experiment and know of nobody that has, unless they fear being mocked for doing so.

I realise that a conical is likely to be difficult to load, which is why I mentioned the minie bullet, but I'm not sure what calibres are available, so to avoid expense I thought to ask.

Well, if I haven't learned much about shooting conicals from a Le Page, I've learned a bit about some people.

 

[TFoley]

Like the English with music, I don't know much about it, but I like the noise it makes.

Although I'm not English, I live here, and I'm quite put out - as they say here - to read your comment.

I suggest that you take a minute or so of your time to check out the number of English composers who did and still do, know something about music.

I'm lucky enough to live almost surrounded by a bunch of mighty cathedrals - Peterborough, Ely, Lincoln, and Norwich, all of which have massive choirs with world fame. Check out Elgar [heard of him?] Vaughan Williams, Michael Tippett and many others to see how iggerunt the English are about music...

tac

Oh my word, but there are some sensitive souls hereabouts. My statement was actually a quote (ish) from Sir Thomas Beecham, a man of note in British music. You do, however, illustrate the difference between US and UK humour, and in particular the complete failure of Americans in general to understand Irony. :grin:

The English may not like music but they absolutely love the noise it makes.
”” Sir Thomas Beecham Quoted in L Ayre The Wit of Music (1930).


P.S. I'm English and have been for over 64 years, and intend remaining so for many more.

I'm not American either, Sir, but I was born here, married to an Welsh wife, and served in the British Army for thirty-three years. I went to an extremely 'churchy' public school here in England, too, but having a voice like a piece of rope being pulled under a door prevented my joining the choir school. The fact that I'm also Jewish had a lot to do with it, too. :grin:

Sir Thomas Beecham was indeed a noteworthy wit, but was also renowned for being acerbic with it, too.

As for irony, well, I understand it as much as any Englishman, you can bet your boots, and perhaps the most ironic part of it is that you, an Englishman, are happy to come on a furrin forum like this and take the pee out of your fellow-countrymen.

Meanwhile, I'll go back to banging my two rocks together on the banks of the stream that runs past our mud hut in deepest Cambridgeshire - full of appreciation of the nice sharp 'clunks' they make.

It will take my mind off having to transcribe the rest of this page of Ottaviano Petrucci's 14th century Venetian notation into modern sol-fah...

tac

PS - I've never seen teeny Minié bullets, especially as they were designed from the onset to be around .58cal for the French, British and Americans who used them. The nearest thing would be a R.E.A.L bullet I guess, but I've never seen one in the calibre you seek in the UK. Guess your on your own here, after all, eh?

 

[Sdeve999]

PS - I've never seen teeny Minié bullets, especially as they were designed from the onset to be around .58cal for the French, British and Americans who used them. The nearest thing would be a R.E.A.L bullet I guess, but I've never seen one in the calibre you seek in the UK. Guess your on your own here, after all, eh?

I had in mind the following advertised mould,.450 diameter, that is supposed to be a minie, but didn't want to spend the money without some opinions.
http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=164_181_183_511&products_id=1887

 

[FishDFly]

In all honesty, a Le Page does very well for what it is designed for, it is a winner.

It is a premier line pistol at the top of the game for side locks.

Some of the answers you did not like come from asking somewhat a dumb question to folks who have knowledge about pistols.

Seems lately folks are seeking the silver bullet to shooting pistols, it is not the bullet, there are no secrets in pistol shooting, it's all mental.

 

[azmntman]

Instead I get bitchy remarks

Just go around em, I finally learned from whom to expect grief and ridicule. They are small i stature and make t up here perhaps?

Go get some conicals, powder(s) and shoot em and post! I never had one or seen one in person but I would be interested. As I said all guns have best different loads and yers just might do fine. Wont cost much to find out!