Colt 1851 Navy In .40 Cal

[Wes/Tex]

We'll never know I suppose. Other eye witnesses disagree with good 'Colonel's" account, including the city newspaper. Tutt actually ran to the porch of the courthouse and back into the street before falling from wound of left side between 5th and 7th rib, and though they admitted Wild Bill was a brave man, took serious issue with much of the stories in the Harper's article. I've read accounts of those who measured it out and got everything from 40 to 70 meters as the correct distance. Since the square has changed, I have no idea who actually knows where they stood. Quen sabe! :wink:

 

[Wes/Tex]

I would point you to a wonderful article in the February 1998 "Handguns" magazine by Ed Sanow of a meticulously researched account of test run with black powder percussion revolvers vs. modern revolvers to compare their actual 'stopping power' as compared to one another. Chuck Taylor and a forensic expert searched police shoot out records and military handgun casualty reports plus checking results against those given by legendary handgun experts like Elmer Keith.

Their results startled them all. Not that the .44 loads compared to >.44 Special and .45 Colt cartridges or the .36 only equaled modern .380 ACP loads with HP bullets, but that in every case a round ball was a minimum of 16% more effective in transmitting shock energy. They compared hydrostatic shock, penetration, stretch cavity size & length to determine actual "One shot stop" capabilities...not just paper ballistics. These results were compared to modern police shootout results to determine actual street performance. In the .36 cap and ball revolvers, the ball was 14% more likely to create the ideal 'one shot stop' but penetrated 3 inches less than the conical. The results puzzled them enough to run repeats of the tests to verify accuracy.

They more or less confirmed stories Keith had heard from two old Civil War cavalry vets who both stated the ball dropped enemy solders but the conical often left them still in the saddle.

Another interesting find was how much barrel length increased lethality. The 7" barrels of Colt and Remingtons delivered results like modern .44 and .45 cartridge rounds but the so called "Sheriff's Model" with pulled it back down to equal the .36 Navy. The .44 ball might be preferred even if near the same but it was a result they hadn't counted on. There are other accounts of these tests but this is the best with charts and photos.

The .36 results so surprised Sanow he actually wrote, "Like it or not, ol' Wild Bill was packin' a .380 Auto!" That, in itself, only shows what a master shot Hickock really was!

 

[rodwha]

Part of the issue, in my opinion, with conicals then were that they were very pointy. What we know is that pointy, in this configuration and speed, will allow the flesh to stretch leaving a wound channel smaller than caliber whereas a ball, being much more blunt, will not do so like that.

This is why I like the Keith style WFN design and incorporate them into my custom pistol conical designs.

I have seen those results and appreciated what they represented. However the powder used makes a tremendous difference. More typical powders compared to others are worlds apart taking a .44 from what's been said is no more powerful than a standard .38 Spl to well over what we see in standard non cowboy/non Ruger only .45 Colt stuff (450-500 ft/lb and more).

Comparing what I see with similar powders and similar weight projectiles I figure my Remington NMA is getting standard .45 ACP performance with 30 grns measured (~33 grns weighed) Olde E charges. And a bit above typical standard .45 Colt loadings with a measured 35 grns of 3F Olde E (~38 grns weighed) in my ROA.

With a Keith style bullet penetration should be just south of a FMJ with a wound channel between that and a HP.