Custom deer pistol

[don hepler]

I agree with everything you said. My purpose for this discussion, was to see if anyone had went beyond the normal Kentucy pistol, to a pistol more suited for close range deer hunting, but still have the traditional look. I think I read somewhere that the Davide-Petersoli Bounty Hunter, would be more than enough to take deer, at close range. I'm 65 and I have been shooting handguns since the age 17. For years I hunted almost exclusively with handguns. Just like my interest in flintlock rifles, which I have been doing for just a few years, now, I've had the itch to take it one step farther, and include some pistol hunting. Early on, I did a lot of gun smithing work, and went thru gun smithing courses, however I made my living doing machining work. I'm not as comfortable, building traditional guns, as I was working with modern guns. A lot of patients required to build traditional firearms, unless you are building from a kit.

 

[crockett]

When you say "more suitable", in what regard? More power? If so, then maybe think about one of the old 69 caliber jobs? Only drawback is I think most were smoothbore.
There is a Florida Percussion pistol group that uses ROAs and a .44 Caddo (sic?) 240 grain conical for hog hunting and do one shot kills. Reports on small hogs is this conical going all the way from snout to hams. I'm not sure how much powder you can get into a ROA but less than 50 grains. Short range shooting.
So...a 50 caliber with 50 grains in a single shot. Seems up to most deer.
I routinely use 37 grains for target because it is accurate. Bumping up to 50 doesn't seem too problematic. Conicals increase pressure, probably stick with a PRB.

 

[don hepler]

Yes, more power, but not overloading a pistol, as mentioned. Don't want to create anything dangerous. The VA. laws are written such, as to eliminate the ROA, Dragoon, Walker, and etc. due to single shot, is all that's allowed. I have a ROA, Patriot pistol and the "custom" shown in the picture, but I won't use them on deer. I"ll keep them for target practice. I think I'll start looking for the wood and components to put something together. I'm slow, so hope I can get it together before season opens.

 

[hanshi]

I didn't build it but this nice pistol is .50 and would be a good choice for deer. No, it has never been hunting and likely never will. It has been along as a "coup de grace" pistol but never got fired in that role. It is accurate and powerful and with 30 grains of 3F it makes a very nice target pistol.

 

[don hepler]

Very nice. That grip looks like it would be a little more shooter friendly that the tight curve often seen on the Kentucky pistols.

Really nice wood too.

 

[Rolfkt]

I'm working on on a pair of pistols that should do the job. The barrels are are made of a 20mm (caliber 80) vulcan cannon barrel. Barrel length 12.5". Estimated load 60 -70 grains. Locks are chambers round faced virgina, Stock blanks are curly english walnut from Dunlap.








Best regards
Rolf

 

[Spikebuck]

Haven't built one myself but Jim Chambers has a kit made just for hunting. http://flintlocks.com/pistols.htm

I have one of these in .54, but waiting to be next in line to be built. While my main intent is not to deer hunt with it, I think I would like to give it a go sometime at an appropriate short range. Would be a lot like traditional bowhunting.

 

[FishDFly]

Can see the challenge and do understand it, but until a person is an accomplished pistol shooter why bother the deer, kind of like flinging arrows through the woods and hoping to kill a deer.

 

[G.smith]

I picked up a Pedersoli .54 last year to carry while hunting. Shot it once with a prb over 60gr goex 3f. never again. ouch. It shoots ok/fine at 25 yd with prb and 50gr 3f. http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll259/majsnuff/IMG_20141012_165630_766.jpg

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I suspect that grip shape has an effect on felt recoil. Just as some rifle stocks slap harder with the same load and other designs not so much. The tower pistol with its slightly straighter grip shot a huge ball . I don't know what charges were used but I suspect the recoil was felt less.

 

[Snow on the Roof]

If one does not start shooting how can they acquire the skill to hunt with the pistol...as an archer I agree you just can't go slinging arrows in the woods but if you acquire a well built longbow and start shooting one may reach the level of skill necessary to cleanly take game.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Same is true with a pistol. Although, my experience with a long bow was that it can be picked up again after years and with an hour or so, short range deer accuracy is once again achieved. Takes longer for longer ranges or more certain shots. A pistol, especially a muzzle loader tends to be front heavy by nature and requires different muscles and hand control that a rifle or bow. Trying to grip the gun firmly but not too tightly, and still maintain separate muscle control over the trigger finger takes more physical training of the hand than other hunting disciplines. Add the easily fatigued shoulder and arm muscles to the task of aiming and it is a much different ball game. With a rifle, or bow, there is not two separate muscle groups of the same hand coming into play like in shooting a pistol. It has been months since I shot a pistol for score. It will take a few hours or more practice to get back to any kind of deer accuracy with one hand shooting. There was a time I consistently could put 5 shots in a grapefruit at 50 yds with a pistol. (What I would consider deer accuracy to use a front loader pistol as the primary weapon.) It will take quite some doing to get back to being close.

 

[FishDFly]

If one does not start shooting how can they acquire the skill to hunt with the pistol

One gets a stack of targets and starts shooting, he reads, he dry fires, he shoots, he reads , he dry fires.

Holes in targets do not lie when a person is crummy pistol shooter.

You need to be able to shoot a 95 at 25 yards and a 85 at 50 yards on targets, then you are ready to hunt.

 

[FishDFly]

Very nice explanation.

 

[theoldredneck]

Over the years hunted and killed more deer with a modern handgun than rifle. I shot handguns almost everyday at ranges well past 100 yards. Not hard with modern scoped handguns. When I got into the traditional black powder guns my love for handguns didn't change. Percussion cap single shots wasn't much of an adjustment. Flintlocks took some major getting use to. In the beginning I was a flinching fool at times. The fall of the hammer, shower of sparks ignition of powder in pan and gun finally going off. After burning a lot of powder I am totally of the belief that deer with a black powder handgun is doable. Like with any gun that is powerful enough to take deer the shooter is responsible for the results. Every year hunters with modern weapons miss and wound deer, they are to blame, not the weapon. Black powder and the weapons that burn it delivers the required energy. In time I will put a 50 caliber or larger flint lock together and take a deer. Have been looking for a used rifle that could be cut down as was suggested. Would like around 13 to 15 inches of barrel for a long sight radius. A rate of twist for patched ball. This thread has my interest.

 

[sc45-70]

I built an underhammer 54 caliber 12 inch barrel. I killed a deer with it using 50 grains of 3f and a .530 patched round ball. 40 yard broad side shot the to chest, ball passed through, deer only went about 50 yards.

SC45-70

 

[BrownBear]

I built an underhammer 54 caliber 12 inch barrel. I killed a deer with it using 50 grains of 3f and a .530 patched round ball. 40 yard broad side shot the to chest, ball passed through, deer only went about 50 yards.

SC45-70

That lines up zackly with my bud's experience.

 

[don hepler]

Rolf,..
Those are impressive Pistols, indeed. Beautiful work. I'm looking for that kind of inspiration, but that's out of the realm of my building experience.

 

[don hepler]

Finally, got the handgun guys responding. I'm kind of like "oldredneck", in that, I've spent more time shooting handguns, than I have rifles. I can not shoot a shotgun worth a darn. I shoot the Patriot pistol very well, but it's just too fragile, for standing up to the energy, that I want. I'm starting to picture the pistol that I want, but it will have to be built.

 

[theoldredneck]

Sir, I like the suggestion about using a rifle to build a handgun. It would be built heavy enough for any handgun load. I bought a rifle with a rusty bore that I have cleaned. I want to cut the barrel an inch at a time. Between cuts shoot groups at different ranges from 25 to 100 yards and check velocities with different loads. Want to start at 18 inches and go to 10 inches. With understanding that 2 barrels that are alike can shoot different I know the results will not be 100% reliable. It will give me some better understanding about black powder in 2f and 3f in the shorter barrels. When cutting a good gun it will be with better understanding of velocity and trajectory difference. I'm older and shoot handguns from a rest or shooting sticks when hunting. I'm not recoil sensitive but have also learned shot placement can't be adjusted for by bigger bullets at higher velocities. I would like a 54 caliber but feel comfortable a 50 within reasonable ranges will do. A 10 inch barrel 32 caliber smooth bore using paper patch bullets taught me black powder can give penetration and accuracy. A 50 smooth bore without sights or bead stays in a 6" paper plate at 25 yards with patched ball. It is not unusual to take deer here at 25 to 35 yards.