Flintlock pistol

[GA Ranger]

I am thinking about buying a flintlock pistol and not sure which caliber, 45, 50 or 54, to go with.
Are there any opinions or experience related thoughts about which caliber might have an advantage over another?
I am thinking about cost of operation (powder used per load, lead needed per round, weight when carried in the field etc.) Or are the differences so small as to not matter which caliber is chosen?
Your advice is appreciated.
GA Ranger

 

[Grenadier1758]

Answers will depend on what you intend to use the pistol for.

Accuracy wise, no real difference.
Economy of ball and powder use. Small ball, less powder more economical. Large ball more powder, more knockdown power.

 

[FishDFly]

"Answers will depend on what you intend to use the pistol for."

As above, not until you can let folks what your intention for the pistol is, they can not help. Kind of like asking, I need to buy a car, what do I buy?

Cost per shot is really mute when you factor in the cost of the pistol.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I would also add, if you have a rifle and can get a pistol in the same caliber it makes things easier. You don't have to carry two different size balls etc. to shoot the pistol. I have a couple of 45 caliber pistols and they shoot fine, but all my rifles that I hunt with and shoot regularly are 50 caliber. I sure wish the pistols were 50 also.

 

[FishDFly]

Only problem with matching pistol caliber to rifle caliber is recoil when going to 50 or 54.

There is no difference in accuracy when comparing round balls, weight and balance are more important.

 

[GA Ranger]

Only problem with matching pistol caliber to rifle caliber is recoil when going to 50 or 54.

There is no difference in accuracy when comparing round balls, weight and balance are more important.

I am thinking about buying a flintlock pistol and not sure which caliber, 45, 50 or 54, to go with.
Are there any opinions or experience related thoughts about which caliber might have an advantage over another?
I am thinking about cost of operation (powder used per load, lead needed per round, weight when carried in the field etc.) Or are the differences so small as to not matter which caliber is chosen?
Your advice is appreciated.
GA Ranger

Target shooting or attending reenactments. Not sure I would use it for hunting.

 

[Kansas Jake]

True on the recoil, but with the reduced load in a pistol one can adjust to what is comfortable if the accuracy doesn't fall off a lot. If one was going to only shot paper and at shorter distances then the smaller caliber is an advantage within reason. I would then go with 45 of the calibers listed.

 

[GA Ranger]

True on the recoil, but with the reduced load in a pistol one can adjust to what is comfortable if the accuracy doesn't fall off a lot. If one was going to only shot paper and at shorter distances then the smaller caliber is an advantage within reason. I would then go with 45 of the calibers listed.

Of the three calibers which would have been a common caliber for the period 1750-1800?

 

[FishDFly]

You might look at "The Gun Works" at their "English Flint Lock" in 36 Cal, it is a nice pistol. I have the pair.

"Of the three calibers which would have been a common caliber for the period 1750-1800?" There I cannot help.

 

[cullen1780]

You might look at "The Gun Works" at their "English Flint Lock" in 36 Cal, it is a nice pistol. I have the pair.

"Of the three calibers which would have been a common caliber for the period 1750-1800?" There I cannot help.

.65 caliber or larger would be common for martial pistols; a rifled pistol would be rare.

 

[hanshi]

I got a pistol in .50 to match my rifle. Even the striped stock matched.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I would also add, if you have a rifle and can get a pistol in the same caliber it makes things easier. You don't have to carry two different size balls etc. to shoot the pistol. I have a couple of 45 caliber pistols and they shoot fine, but all my rifles that I hunt with and shoot regularly are 50 caliber. I sure wish the pistols were 50 also.

Its not always so simple. I have a 50 caliber rifle. Best accuracy is using a 0.495 diameter ball. My 50 caliber pistol needs a 0.490 ball as the 0.495 is too big.

I have a couple of 45 caliber pistols. Two should be marked 44 as they shoot best with a 0.433 ball and my 45 caliber rifle likes 0.445 balls.

 

[Zonie]

Its not always so simple. I have a 50 caliber rifle. Best accuracy is using a 0.495 diameter ball. My 50 caliber pistol needs a 0.490 ball as the 0.495 is too big.

I have a couple of 45 caliber pistols. Two should be marked 44 as they shoot best with a 0.433 ball and my 45 caliber rifle likes 0.445 balls.

Have you tried using thinner patches with the .495 diameter ball in your pistol.

Because of the smaller powder loads pistols use, a much thinner patch often works just fine and an added bonus is, it allows much easier loading which is handy.
Even going with a .010 thick patch for the pistol will produce accurate shots in the pistol where that thin patch wouldn't work well at all in a rifle.

Another benefit of using a different patch with the same diameter ball as the rifle uses is, if the rifle patches are striped or a different color than the thinner pistol patches are you can tell at a glance which patch to load either gun with.
It's nearly impossible to eyeball the difference between a .490 and a .495 diameter ball.

 

[Le Loup]

May I suggest GA Ranger that you get a pistol in a caliber to match your longarm. If you are carrying, this will save having two lots of ammo & two ball moulds.
Personally I prefer a smoothbore, I use a 20 gauge fusil, so I purchased a close match in a smooth pistol, which is a .70 caliber flintlock. I like the versatility of the smoothbore being able to digest round ball, bird shot, buckshot or any two of these in one load.

Keith.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Have you tried using thinner patches with the .495 diameter ball in your pistol.

Because of the smaller powder loads pistols use, a much thinner patch often works just fine and an added bonus is, it allows much easier loading which is handy.
Even going with a .010 thick patch for the pistol will produce accurate shots in the pistol where that thin patch wouldn't work well at all in a rifle.

Another benefit of using a different patch with the same diameter ball as the rifle uses is, if the rifle patches are striped or a different color than the thinner pistol patches are you can tell at a glance which patch to load either gun with.
It's nearly impossible to eyeball the difference between a .490 and a .495 diameter ball.

I was going for best accuracy and not using the pistol as a companion to my rifle. I do have to sort balls by size occasionally by micrometer or caliper and I try to keep measured balls in a marked container. My patch material is marked for the measured thickness so I don't get the patch material confused.

I did go the very thin patch material and was not happy with the accuracy.

Zonie is correct that using the thinner patch material will allow the ball patch combination that is accurate in the rifle may allow acceptable accuracy with the same ball and thinner patch in a hunting situation. Means you have to keep track of two thicknesses of patches. Its not much of a problem when I am shooting for accuracy at the target range. I mark Each end of the strip with the thickness so when I cut patches at the muzzle I still have a record of the thickness. Sometimes it is difficult to find different colors of striping in the ticking withn100% cotton and tight weave.

 

[GA Ranger]

I am thinking about buying a flintlock pistol and not sure which caliber, 45, 50 or 54, to go with.
Are there any opinions or experience related thoughts about which caliber might have an advantage over another?
I am thinking about cost of operation (powder used per load, lead needed per round, weight when carried in the field etc.) Or are the differences so small as to not matter which caliber is chosen?
Your advice is appreciated.
GA Ranger

 

[GA Ranger]

Thank you to all who have taken time to answer my questions.
Your advise is appreciated.
Thank you.