effectiveness of screw barrel

[David Y. Snellen]

Gentlemen,
How effective do you think the little hidden trigger screw barrel derringers were in the 1850's-60's?
I realize most incidents are psychological stops rather than actual stops, but do y'all think they were effective---- or would be effective--- with just 10 grains of powder?
David

 

[Bad Karma]

Getting shot sucks. Even if it’s only a small ball at relatively low velocity. People often lose their composure com once they realize they have been hit. So yeah, even if it’s resulting incapacitation si completely psychological in nature, a small low velocity charge would still beat teeth and fingernails.

 

[necchi]

but do y'all think they were effective---- or would be effective--- with just 10 grains of powder?

"effective" for what?
Killing, maiming, aggravating, dissuasion,?

 

[Stykbow]

Sure it was effective. Speaking strictly for myself, the threat of being shot (with any caliber) is going to make me stop what I’m doing.

 

[Okie Hog]

There was the possibility of serious infection of the wound. Some would have survived the wound but died from an infection.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Gentlemen,
How effective do you think the little hidden trigger screw barrel derringers were in the 1850's-60's?
I realize most incidents are psychological stops rather than actual stops, but do y'all think they were effective---- or would be effective--- with just 10 grains of powder?
David

The screw-barrel swaged the ball onto the rifling when the pistol was fired, so that 10 grains or so of powder would build up some pressure, and if you used 10 grains of 4Fg, then one could expect to do some damage. Whether it would stop an attack, I suspect would be more of where you hit the opponent, just as it would be if one was using some of the modern fixed ammo popular for SD at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.

Remember that the distance of such an encounter would be around 7 Feet or closer...

LD

 

[Bad Karma]

"effective" for what?
Killing, maiming, aggravating, dissuasion,?

Yes.

 

[Homesteader]

I have a tiny little flintlock screw-barrel box-lock pistol in .41 caliber. At card table ranges it'll actually put a hole in something. I sure wouldn't want to get shot with it.

On the other side of the room, on the other hand, I'd swat the ball away with my hand. ;-)

 

[cynthialee]

at 10 foot and closer with a good pistol power or 4f....yeah it'll send them to the doctor, might not kill (or it might) but it will take the wind out of the sails of most folk

got shot in the leg once with a .22 (long story, my own stupidity) and I freaked out for about 5 minutes before I realized it was actually a minor wound and went clear through. Make that a shoulder or gut shot with the big boom of a BP pistol behind it I imagine the phycology of the moment would be a moment of complete panic in the target.

 

[Nobade]

And not many people back then smoked PCP and as such really didn't want to be shot.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Apparently a large portion of the "pistol deterrent" was the threat of a prolonged, ugly and painful death by infection even if the ball didn't do damage for an immediate dispatch.

Even into the 21st century, the knife thrust is much more lethal (prior to the administration of medical care) than the vast majority of gunshot wounds (even if one narrows the sample to torso-only wounds for the handguns) .

LD

 

[nkbj]

Reminds me of an episode of Bonanza with Adam explaining to Hoss that a sword was wider than a .45 bullet.

About the screw barrel pistols, if they weren't more effective they would not have had a market share.
Maybe they could have been even more effective with a pointy bullet.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

I have the Pedersoli Leige. I have tried 10 grains with a well seated .454. You might as well throw the pistol at the target. I have found out that if you load it from the front with 20 grains performance is much stronger on target. Of course this is not the intended way to use it but it works. And its fun. If I had the time and skill I would bore out the existing barrel, press in a sleeve in either ,32 or .36 to get the most out of that 10 grains of powder. We have to remember that Booth killed Lincoln from just feet away. The technology of the day. Like in these modern days just the presence of a Weapon negates any continuance of a situation. Still fun to plink with though.....