A day of "firsts" shooting BP.

[wiksmo]

Yesterday I went to a local BP shoot, and learned how to handle (load) my Trapper .50 CAL pistol, and finally got to first-time shoot it! I had a really great time, and discovered I really like shooting this fun pistol. Here are some photos that tell the story better than I do.

Ft. Osage Muzzlerloaders range entrance --- a shooting club east of KCMO.



A very hot day in the making with temps gaining to +90*. Found a shady spot to park and headed to the shooting line.



First time I've seen BP smoke hanging in the air. Very quickly after this fellow shot his rifle, I saw a smoke ring jump in front of the "smoke cloud" and floated downrange for 5-6 yards before disappearing. Another first, and it was a sight.



My pistol at my first-time loading bench.




The target and my first 10 shots....total for the morning. I really wasn't concerned with group accuracy. My goal was to learn how to load/handle the pistol. Connected with an RO, went through the range safety rules, and he spent time getting me started .

I shot standing, off hand, one-hand only. This is definitely my favorite stance for shooting handguns. The target I got was a 25-yard muzzleloader P-2 pistol target. Aimed at the black, of course. The black rings and bull measured 3" diameter.



I shot .490 Hornady round balls with 20 grains powder (Triple 7, 3F). Shot 10 rounds. My first round ball landed lower left in 7-ring, my last one was to the right, just above the black 9-ring. First time totals were 7 rounds inside target, one outside low left, and two left somewhere in the MO dirt berm! And that's okay, because all I had was a fun-gun shoot! That's what I was after. I'm definitely ready for my next range time.

And to the MLF folk who help me with advice and suggestions to get started in BP shooting.

Bob aka wiksmo

 

[BullRunBear]

Bob, So glad you had fun. The Trapper is a good deal. And it is accurate even with me shooting it. As you experiment with loads, try going to 25 to 30 grains. (I use Goex 3F.) Don't have my notes handy but I'm pretty sure that was the load that gave me best results.

Jeff

 

[Louisk]

Fun! I still need to get mine dialed in. Last time I shot it I was using 30g of 3F Goex and it seemed to be hitting where it was pointed but I was shooting at gallon milk jugs and not bullseyes so don't know exactly how well I was doing.

I'm VERY jealous of your beautiful muzzleloader range.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Beautiful range, and great looking pistol. Once you settle on a load, try shooting from a sandbag to see how accurate the load and pistol are. That would eliminate a lot of the human error stuff. It looks like you could be in for a good time.

 

[flntlokr]

Yesterday I went to a local BP shoot, and learned how to handle (load) my Trapper .50 CAL pistol, and finally got to first-time shoot it! I had a really great time, and discovered I really like shooting this fun pistol. Here are some photos that tell the story better than I do.

Ft. Osage Muzzlerloaders range entrance --- a shooting club east of KCMO.

View attachment 12805

A very hot day in the making with temps gaining to +90*. Found a shady spot to park and headed to the shooting line.

View attachment 12806

First time I've seen BP smoke hanging in the air. Very quickly after this fellow shot his rifle, I saw a smoke ring jump in front of the "smoke cloud" and floated downrange for 5-6 yards before disappearing. Another first, and it was a sight.

View attachment 12807

My pistol at my first-time loading bench.

View attachment 12808


The target and my first 10 shots....total for the morning. I really wasn't concerned with group accuracy. My goal was to learn how to load/handle the pistol. Connected with an RO, went through the range safety rules, and he spent time getting me started .

I shot standing, off hand, one-hand only. This is definitely my favorite stance for shooting handguns. The target I got was a 25-yard muzzleloader P-2 pistol target. Aimed at the black, of course. The black rings and bull measured 3" diameter.

View attachment 12809

I shot .490 Hornady round balls with 20 grains powder (Triple 7, 3F). Shot 10 rounds. My first round ball landed lower left in 7-ring, my last one was to the right, just above the black 9-ring. First time totals were 7 rounds inside target, one outside low left, and two left somewhere in the MO dirt berm! And that's okay, because all I had was a fun-gun shoot! That's what I was after. I'm definitely ready for my next range time.

And to the MLF folk who help me with advice and suggestions to get started in BP shooting.

Bob aka wiksmo

May I humbly suggest that you make another pistol stand that is shaped so that the entire outside arc of the grip is supported. A lot of pistols break about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way around that curve when folks load them in the rack and pound on a tightly patched ball. I use a stand only for cleaning, and always load the pistol in my hands; with a bit of practise, it becomes second nature, and you will never break the gun, or drop it, for that matter. Those pistols were designed to be shot one-handed, and they do it very well. It always appears awkward seeing someone trying to get a good grip on one of them two-handed.

 

[wiksmo]

all for your compliments and comments.

Jeff, easy even today to still "feel" the fun. Yes, I do plan to increase my powder load. My instruct manual states "BP Charge, most accurate 20-25 grains," and "Max 45 grains." I thought going with this Traditions baseline was a good start. The one comment on powder made by the LGS fellow who sold me the Triple 7 was that it burned pretty clean. I'm always for clean. BTW, my pistol was not excessively dirty, and pretty easy to make it shine. Yeah, one other "first."

Bob, So glad you had fun. The Trapper is a good deal. And it is accurate even with me shooting it. As you experiment with loads, try going to 25 to 30 grains. (I use Goex 3F.) Don't have my notes handy but I'm pretty sure that was the load that gave me best results.

Jeff

Louis, never difficult to agree on the "fun" part of shooting.

For me, paper targets are not as much fun to shoot at as "things." Somehow that bull makes it just a tad less relaxing. But I think you're spot-on...it is good to know how a person is doing. At yet another range there (no pics), the FOML has animal-shaped steel targets set up. Would love to echo some "clangs" through the forest. I will definitely try to get at those next time out!

Fun! I still need to get mine dialed in. Last time I shot it I was using 30g of 3F Goex and it seemed to be hitting where it was pointed but I was shooting at gallon milk jugs and not bullseyes so don't know exactly how well I was doing.

I'm VERY jealous of your beautiful muzzleloader range.

I love the appearance of this Trapper pistol. Yes, the sandbag day will be part of it at some point, Doubledeuce. Although off hand shooting is what I really enjoy, that barrel does wave in the wind.

Beautiful range, and great looking pistol. Once you settle on a load, try shooting from a sandbag to see how accurate the load and pistol are. That would eliminate a lot of the human error stuff. It looks like you could be in for a good time.

Point is well taken, Flntlokr. At this first range visit, I showed up without a pistol stand because I don't have one. The one in the photo is part of the available-for-use range equipment. And believe me, it was problematic. I had to angle the pistol to one side, because the hammer hit the stand's back wall and "pushed" it toward me. I was constantly afeared it would not stay in the stand.

Interesting that you load with pistol in your hands....sounds kind of appealing to try that. Of course, as a newbie BP shooter working with the RO, he made sure my hands were free to load. If I do make my own stand, the pistol will definitely be cradled securely.

Lastly, before I ever shot it, I tried holding the pistol with a two-hand hold. You would have seen me looking mega awkward, I'm sure, because that's what it was. One-hand shooting is done so easily.

May I humbly suggest that you make another pistol stand that is shaped so that the entire outside arc of the grip is supported. A lot of pistols break about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way around that curve when folks load them in the rack and pound on a tightly patched ball. I use a stand only for cleaning, and always load the pistol in my hands; with a bit of practise, it becomes second nature, and you will never break the gun, or drop it, for that matter. Those pistols were designed to be shot one-handed, and they do it very well. It always appears awkward seeing someone trying to get a good grip on one of them two-handed.

 

[Desperate Lee]

Nice range. Would be nice to have one like that close to me.