Back up pistol in same caliber?

extra weight to carry. Not a bad Idea otherwise. Some folks carry a pistol heavy enough for elephant loads. If the deer is down and you need a second shot, you don't need such a powerful heavy pistol. I have seen a CVA Kentucky in 50 caliber that was turned to a taper on a lathe and a under rib added. the gun looked much better, balanced better and lost about 6 oz of weight between the shaving off the barrel and the loss of the heavy brass nose cap. Some more could have been taken off the barrel to slim it down in my opinion, maybe another 3 or 4 ounces.

I have a Pedersoli Kentucky flint in .50, lots of fun to shoot. Fits in nicely with my .50 rifles.

If you have time to fumble around and get a decent shot with your pistol you could be for better done reloading your rifle.

After I shoot a deer, I stand up and reload, doesn't take more than 30 seconds...Typically, I wait a few minutes anyway if the deer runs off...No need to disturb or push them...Now, if they are down, within sight, instead of walking up close enough to shoot with a pistol, why not reload and dispatch from a little further away?? Anyway, I've hunted deer since 1975 with muzzleloaders, have had to shoot one deer a second time, he was down, probably not going anywhere but I put another round in him..

I carry a 45 under my arm when ever I go out to the woods. One of them new fangled types)
Next year it will be the 1860 revolver, it will hold 45gr but Im never going over 30.
What they gonna do, make you pull the balls?

I think if you want to carry a single-shot pistol, one that uses the same ball and patch and the same granulation of powder as your rifle makes the most sense. I recall there was a passage in Parkman's book, The Oregon Trail, about the author running buffalo with his rifle, and finding that he only had pistol balls in his bullet pouch. This also implicitly confirms that old-time plainsmen did at least sometimes carry pistols. Ruxton and Wootton also mention the trappers carrying pistols on their persons.

However, as soon as the mountain men and plainsmen could get revolvers, those are what they carried. There are first person accounts of people killing buffalo with their Army revolvers, and Theodore Davis, in 1869, explicitly stated that they preferred the older style revolvers (dragoons) to the newer, lighter Army models because the older style guns held more powder. The point being that you might consider carrying a percussion revolver instead of a single-shot pistol, if it is legal to do so where you are hunting. Holsters that fit the gun and carry well would be easier to find for a revolver. The caliber would probably not be the same as your rifle, but if you load the sixgun in camp and leave the extra balls there, you won't get them mixed up with your rifle balls out in the field. I would think that the five or six rounds in your revolver should be adequate if it is just a back-up gun.

Anyway, in response to the original question, if you carry a single-shot pistol afield as a secondary or back-up gun, I do think having one that uses the same components as your rifle would be a good idea.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

I was definitely considering a finding a Great Plains pistol in .54 for the same “things didn’t go exactly to plan” reasons. I have dispatched a deer once with a knife after a wild shot that broke her spine, and I would much rather have just had the option to place a ball into the base of her skull quickly.

If I was in a situation where my life was in danger I would carry a couple xtra pistols but I’m not in that situation. I own a number of flint pistols but I leave them at home. Personally I like to travel light. Pistols seem to always be in my way and a pain in the butt. I can reload my rifle fast if I need a follow up shot. I have a small 54 cal coat pistol (reduced size to carry in your coat) that’s a flintlock. If you carry INSIDE your coat your body heat messes up your pan powder. Pain in the butt. If I do carry it I just slip it in my coat pocket.
I don’t know much about percussion guns but if you carry a flint pistol please use a frizzen stall as a safety.

Arkansas law states that a hunter may carry a muzzleloading handgun of any caliber as backup to a muzzleloading rifle.

Plus, stalking game with a belt hook pistol hanging off gets you major mountain man points.

stank said:

I don’t know much about percussion guns but if you carry a flint pistol please use a frizzen stall as a safety.

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What is this "frizzen stall" of which you speak?

Ah, nice idea. I only have one flintlock and I seldom shoot it. It's an old T/C Renegade that is factory drilled and tapped for a tang-mounted sight. Condition of it is so good, I feel guilty every time I take it down from the wall.

When i first hunted deer, at 15, I carried as many guns as I could carry. It took a long while to discover I didn't NEED them.

I have had to shoot a deer more than once with a Musketoon. I was hunting in the Dark and Bloody and the minie hit a sapling altering its poi.

The deer had ran, which is usual, so I quickly reloaded with a pre-measured load. My SOP is to give the deer 10 minutes or so before following up, even with modern arms, so a pistol wouldn't have helped.

If you wanna carry a sidearm go for it. I just found it superfluous to have it with me.

I did buy a 69 caliber Bear pistol, and may try hunting with it.

I plan to build a 58 to carry with a colonial of the same bore. Have collected parts for a 40 and 45 neither of which are legal for deer in PA . Everyone needs new toys .

sportster73hp said:

Everyone needs new toys .

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... and there you have it!

My rifle is a .54 & the Trapper is a .50 cal .

No problem, they shoot the same patch & powder … I carry a small tin with 4-5 extra .50 cal balls in it and the pistol goes in my Haver bag…

Dale Allen Raby said:

Well, you'd probably need a new bag I suppose, one that has a special compartment for the gun. I'm also considering a percussion revolver like perhaps the Uberti 1862 Police which is a small-frame revolver with the chamber part of the cylinder enlarged to .36 caliber and the water table of the frame cut away to allow for the larger cylinder.... kind of like they made the 1851 Navy Colt.

That gun could fit into my possibles bag with all the other stuff. Only issue might be the possible need for a valid concealed carry permit. I've got one, but it wouldn't be valid in most places East of the Mississippi.

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In lots of states, a loaded firearm in a vehicle while hunting/traveling is illegal.

I have used a back up for a second shot on deer. If it’s not too much weight, I think it’s a good idea.

The downside for me is that I always carry my modern daily carry piece, and I don't really want to carry two pistols. I would never dispatch an animal with my EDC while hunting with my flntlock rifle. I'd just load the rifle again. In fact, long rifle hunters back then reloaded their rifle before moving to retrieve the animal they just shot. A safety precaution against human critters that may have heard the shot. Not an issue today, but I like my time in the woods to be realistic to the era. I keep the EDC out of sight so as not to spoil the step back in time. Like my cell phone. Silly, I know. Other than the phone and EDC, I don't carry modern contrivance like plastic or wrist watches, try to avoid baggies, use only wool, brass, iron, wood. That is not really doable. I like elastic in my undies.

FishDFly said:

In lots of states, a loaded firearm in a vehicle while hunting/traveling is illegal.

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Yup. One of the great issues facing all of us. Wouldn't normally be carrying a loaded muzzleloader in a car, though I have carried a concealed percussion revolver. If you have a valid permit for the locale you are in it is perfectly legal. This does not prevent cops from hasseling you if they think that they "should" be doing this... and they often look for out of state licenses to pull over. Most cops just want to do their jobs and go home to wife and kids... some became cops because they were bullies in high school and wanted to keep on bullying people as adults. Those are the ones that need to find other professions.