Back up pistol in same caliber?

[stank]

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

TDM posted a picture of one. It slides over your frizzen so it can not throw a spark. I have never had an accident with a pistol but if you carry one long enough taking it on and off etc. you will notice that muzzle gets pointed at things you would rather not shoot. A long gun is pretty easy to keep pointed in a safe direction but a pistol is much more difficult. As you walk, step over logs, sit down etc. that muzzle is all over the place. Be safe.

 

[oldwood]

This , strange as it seems , actually happened. Back 15 years ago or so , I was hunting a piece of prime ground in the state forest , about 12 miles from civilization. Each time I went into this ground , I walked in , the same way ,which was down along a 8' high woven wire fence , until I came to where I wanted to begin my hunt. Over squirrel season , went there at least four times , and 3 of the four trips in,there was a small herd of 4 or 5 deer that I would bump into , and they would quickly move away into the woods. Finally the pre-Thanksgiving holiday black bear season came , and that Monday AM I was moving down the same trail , towards a bear crossing 'bout another half mile down along the fence where it turned. Any way , started down the fence line , and the customary small group of deer where in their usual spot. They moved off in the usual direction , except for one. It was a buck with about six points , and was about 20 yds. away from where I stood , along the high fence line. The air was in my face ,so scent moved from him to me. Then he did something totally out of script . He slowly went around me on one side 'til he came to the fence , then retraced his rout 180 degrees the opposite direction , 'til the fence stopped his circuit. When he got back , to mid circle , the hair on the back of my neck stood , my brain went to auto pilot , and I full cocked the hammer on my rifle , and spoke to him, asking him , if he wanted some of this? Fortunately , Mr. Buck , must have weighed his options , and since his girlfriends had left, I was no threat to him , or his love life , and he walked away. I was still in disbelief , of what just happened. I've rethought this occurrence many times , and have no idea why the six point , did this behavior. I'm not an archery deer hunter,and wore no doe in heat , scent , or anything like that. .................However , in hind sight , a good back up pistol , keeps my company , anytime , and every time, I go into the woods for any reason , from that day forward............Watch yer back trail , too.,,,,,,,,,,,,,.....oldwood

 

[morehops52]

Having carried all kinds of ML in the field i would advise to carry speed loaders and if a finishing shot is needed use your rifle. To me weight is critical and adding a pistol to all my "possibles' is just probably not going to happen.

 

[Flintlock]

I've carried a handgun for well over 40 years but decided while deer hunting a large handgun is just one more thing in the way and causing more work when dragging a 200+ field dressed deer out of the woods. The older I get my body agrees more and more.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Good story, @oldwood !

Animals of any given species have certain behavioral characteristics hard-wired within them, yet each animal is just as much an individual as we humans are. Who knows what he was thinking.

Notchy Bob

 

[stikshooter]

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.

EDC during muzzy season would get LE s attention fast in NY

 

[shorthair]

I think in PA we can use a flintlock pistol, but it has to be 50cal. And since my long gun is 45, that rules that out. (same caliber pistol)
I made up some quick reloads if I need a finishing shot (and most likely would be closer to the deer).

Just powder, lubed felt wad, a ball and some lubed tow on top to hold the ball in place.
View attachment 186013

My flinter loads rough after just one shot and I know I can load this easily.

Do they require you to use a ball of correct size or could you use a .440 ball and a much thicker patch?

 

[pacanis]

Do they require you to use a ball of correct size or could you use a .440 ball and a much thicker patch?

My guess is they assume you will match the projectile to the required caliber size, but here ya go: 1-833-PGC-HUNT

 

[shorthair]

My guess is they assume you will match the projectile to the required caliber size, but here ya go: 1-833-PGC-HUNT

You misunderstood, the reason why we ask questions is because we are too lazy to make the effort to find the answer ourselves.

 

[SOLANCO]

View attachment 186014
Never shoot twice!

That could work, but YOU do it. I'll be 20 yards back watching. Having puncture wounds debrided and and ribs taped are on my list of not to be repeated experiences.

 

[SOLANCO]

This , strange as it seems , actually happened. Back 15 years ago or so , I was hunting a piece of prime ground in the state forest , about 12 miles from civilization. Each time I went into this ground , I walked in , the same way ,which was down along a 8' high woven wire fence , until I came to where I wanted to begin my hunt. Over squirrel season , went there at least four times , and 3 of the four trips in,there was a small herd of 4 or 5 deer that I would bump into , and they would quickly move away into the woods. Finally the pre-Thanksgiving holiday black bear season came , and that Monday AM I was moving down the same trail , towards a bear crossing 'bout another half mile down along the fence where it turned. Any way , started down the fence line , and the customary small group of deer where in their usual spot. They moved off in the usual direction , except for one. It was a buck with about six points , and was about 20 yds. away from where I stood , along the high fence line. The air was in my face ,so scent moved from him to me. Then he did something totally out of script . He slowly went around me on one side 'til he came to the fence , then retraced his rout 180 degrees the opposite direction , 'til the fence stopped his circuit. When he got back , to mid circle , the hair on the back of my neck stood , my brain went to auto pilot , and I full cocked the hammer on my rifle , and spoke to him, asking him , if he wanted some of this? Fortunately , Mr. Buck , must have weighed his options , and since his girlfriends had left, I was no threat to him , or his love life , and he walked away. I was still in disbelief , of what just happened. I've rethought this occurrence many times , and have no idea why the six point , did this behavior. I'm not an archery deer hunter,and wore no doe in heat , scent , or anything like that. .................However , in hind sight , a good back up pistol , keeps my company , anytime , and every time, I go into the woods for any reason , from that day forward............Watch yer back trail , too.,,,,,,,,,,,,,.....oldwood

Also in Pennsylvania. If I hunted that crazy opening week after Thanksgiving I would definitely have an unmentionable pistol along with my flintlock. Too many drunks with bad manners and inadequate knowledge that week.
But, as to having a quick second shot, I like a double gun. The weight of the second barrel and lock is not much more than a pistol, if at all. And I am only carrying one gun, not two. I like to hunt the edges of pipe and power line rights of way. They do not go "sidehill" but straight up and down so weight is a big consideration.
As to male deer behavior in rut: Three years ago shortly before dawn I drove up on two bucks fighting in a back road. I inched close and blew my horn (did not want to be late to work). One buck took off. The other hooked one of my headlights out with his antler. He ran after the breaking noise.

 

[GBG]

Some folks carry a pistol heavy enough for elephant loads.

The hillbilly hogs I've hunted like remote, steep terrain and heavy cover. If you miss the CNS for any reason they're not going down.
While certainly not "elephant loads" my backup pistols, whether ML or modern, are loaded heavier than what most ML hunters use in their rifles for whitetail. I hate losing a wounded animal.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Once upon a time, I was hunting in the Alafia River Preserve in western Florida. It was ML season, and I was hunting with my Leman caplock .50 caliber, but state law there at that time didn't allow pistols of any variety for hunting, even as backup. One afternoon I was still hunting and heard a lot of barking. Sounded to me like hounds on a hot scent. Turned out two locals were illegally hunting with dogs. The ruckus got closer.
I had stopped in the shade of an old Live Oak, with a second-
growth thicket ahead of me towards the racket. The saplings in that patch of second-growth were head height, and the whole thicket was enclosed in thick forest. Pretty soon, the barking got louder and then the saplings commenced to rustle and shake. "Hmmm!" says I, "Looks like they're gonna drive a deer right into my lap" and I cocked the Leman quietly. In no time at all, the brush to my right front parted and the driven game stepped into the open about 25-30 yards from me for the first time. It was a Russian Boar, somewhere around 300 pounds of
teeth and bad attitude. He was headed across my front at first, towards an opening in the woods but he saw me at about the same time I saw him and immediately decided I was the author of his miseries. I raised the Leman and fired as he started to turn towards me, aiming for a neck shot.
The next little while is an adrenaline blur. When I was aware of my immediate surroundings again, I was standing on a limb of that old Oak tree about 10 feet off the ground, measuring powder into the muzzle of my rifle --- which had somehow come with me into the tree, although it did not have a sling and weighed over 8 pounds. I could hear voices in the near distance and the brush was shaking again. The hog was still there, laying on his side, apparently in the tracks he was making when I shot. A pack of 4 or 5 big hounds burst out of the thicket of second-growth and started worrying the hog. Two men carrying unmentionable rifles came out into the cleared area and one of them said, "Well, Boy Howdy! Somebody shot our hog!" and commenced peering around into the woods. I made sure the tree trunk was between me and them and then said "That was me!" To which one asked, "Where in .... are you?" "In the tree." "Oh!" We reached agreement that they could have the most of the hog if they'd dress it out, and I'd take one backstrap and the teeth --- which I've always meant to mount on my hunting pouch cover flap but never did. They're still around here somewhere. Bottom line here is: I'd have given a purty for a reliable .50 caliber ML pistol then. Never have needed one for a deer but that hog had me nervous for a little while. As it happened my neck shot didn't work because he was turning too quickly and the ball taken him in the left eye instead. That got the job done, but I'd purely hate to depend on doing it again.

 

[TDM]

Once upon a time, I was hunting in the Alafia River Preserve in western Florida. It was ML season, and I was hunting with my Leman caplock .50 caliber, but state law there at that time didn't allow pistols of any variety for hunting, even as backup. One afternoon I was still hunting and heard a lot of barking. Sounded to me like hounds on a hot scent. Turned out two locals were illegally hunting with dogs. The ruckus got closer.
I had stopped in the shade of an old Live Oak, with a second-
growth thicket ahead of me towards the racket. The saplings in that patch of second-growth were head height, and the whole thicket was enclosed in thick forest. Pretty soon, the barking got louder and then the saplings commenced to rustle and shake. "Hmmm!" says I, "Looks like they're gonna drive a deer right into my lap" and I cocked the Leman quietly. In no time at all, the brush to my right front parted and the driven game stepped into the open about 25-30 yards from me for the first time. It was a Russian Boar, somewhere around 300 pounds of
teeth and bad attitude. He was headed across my front at first, towards an opening in the woods but he saw me at about the same time I saw him and immediately decided I was the author of his miseries. I raised the Leman and fired as he started to turn towards me, aiming for a neck shot.
The next little while is an adrenaline blur. When I was aware of my immediate surroundings again, I was standing on a limb of that old Oak tree about 10 feet off the ground, measuring powder into the muzzle of my rifle --- which had somehow come with me into the tree, although it did not have a sling and weighed over 8 pounds. I could hear voices in the near distance and the brush was shaking again. The hog was still there, laying on his side, apparently in the tracks he was making when I shot. A pack of 4 or 5 big hounds burst out of the thicket of second-growth and started worrying the hog. Two men carrying unmentionable rifles came out into the cleared area and one of them said, "Well, Boy Howdy! Somebody shot our hog!" and commenced peering around into the woods. I made sure the tree trunk was between me and them and then said "That was me!" To which one asked, "Where in .... are you?" "In the tree." "Oh!" We reached agreement that they could have the most of the hog if they'd dress it out, and I'd take one backstrap and the teeth --- which I've always meant to mount on my hunting pouch cover flap but never did. They're still around here somewhere. Bottom line here is: I'd have given a purty for a reliable .50 caliber ML pistol then. Never have needed one for a deer but that hog had me nervous for a little while. As it happened my neck shot didn't work because he was turning too quickly and the ball taken him in the left eye instead. That got the job done, but I'd purely hate to depend on doing it again.

Great story!

 

[Absoroka]

Carry premeasured loads and a loading block and it doesn't take long.

 

[Bigpete]

View attachment 186014
Never shoot twice!

Yep. This. All I've ever carried as back up for pig hunting

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The hillbilly hogs I've hunted like remote, steep terrain and heavy cover. If you miss the CNS for any reason they're not going down.
While certainly not "elephant loads" my backup pistols, whether ML or modern, are loaded heavier than what most ML hunters use in their rifles for whitetail. I hate losing a wounded animal.

certainly not the normal whitetail hunting back up situation most hunters encounter. I think we are far enough north that winters take a toll on them and prevent population explosions of wild pigs. Cold snaps seem to keep the nutria population static in Maryland. too.

 

[Some_Mook]

That could work, but YOU do it. I'll be 20 yards back watching. Having puncture wounds debrided and and ribs taped are on my list of not to be repeated experiences.

Wounds heal. Chicks dig scars.

I have empirical knowledge that if you go into a bar busted up and bleeding, you can get free beer. I also have empirical knowledge that when you finally go to the ER after the bar closes, the nurse will not be amused and will energetically debride your wounds after telling you that it is gonna hurt. She may even bonk you in the cracked ribs a few times for good measure.

but hey! Free beer!

 

[Hood2]

I've wanted to do the same, but our regulations require 12" barrel excluding tangs and any projections. There aren't many pistols that I am aware of that fit into this classification. There are some, but the price goes along with them. I'm still contemplating going that route and purchasing one.

 

[sportster73hp]

I've wanted to do the same, but our regulations require 12" barrel excluding tangs and any projections. There aren't many pistols that I am aware of that fit into this classification. There are some, but the price goes along with them. I'm still contemplating going that route and purchasing one.

Pedersoli sells the bounty hunter.
Rice sells 13 inch barrels if you want to make one.