Found 20-bore officer's pistol

[mhb]

I had been looking very hard for a flint dueller (with no real luck so far), but yesterday, by pure luck, found a pretty good interim substitute.
I went to visit my old friend Lynn Anderson, who is recovering from a stroke (and doing very well). I told him how badly I wanted a flinter and he said 'I've got one you might like to look at'.
Indeed he did. It is a 20-bore officer's pistol with belt clip - built (and signed) by our old neighbor 'over the mountain', 'Pappy' Suffolk.
It was probably built at least 30 years ago, but never fired, apparently. The barrel is 9 1/2", round, and with front and rear sights. It is full-stocked in cherry wood, with 2 keys, without escutcheons or foreend cap. The loading rod is of what appears to be rosewood, beautifully shaped and finished, with a steel butt cap threaded for accessories. Furniture is of iron throughout. The lock is unsigned (Pappy signed the barrel), but very well finished inside and out, and perfectly adjusted. It does not have a set trigger, but the pull-off is very clean and about 3 lbs. The unfired condition won't last out the week. I spent the morning casting .600" balls, and, tomorrow (weather permitting) am off to the range.
I still want a real dueller, but don't feel unprepared for a challenge, anymore.
mhb - Mike

 

[Jumpshot]

hotoSmile:

 

[mhb]

Quite right that it does deserve a photo or two: the only reason(s)I didn't post any are due to my complete lack of suitable equipment and expertise in doing so. Maybe I can talk my techy son into helping me out...
I'll see what can be done.
Also, while the current string title is appropriate, it isn't what I remember writing, originally?
mhb - Mike

 

[ericb]

Please keep us posted on how it goes mhb. Over the last year I have gathered parts for a .69 Flint Horse Pistol, and now I am jealous enough to get started...

Look forward to Pictures when you get it figured out. Sounds like you got a Looker...

Eric

 

[mhb]

I like it very much. I hope it's a shooter, as well as a looker. And I will try to update the board with further developments and, I hope, pics. Gonna shoot it tomorrow, I think.
mhb - Mike

 

[mhb]

As promised, through the good offices of my techy son, herewith the following images (I hope).
mhb - Mike

 

[bowkill]

I WANT ONE.......

 

[Swtodd]

Wow! That is really, really nice. May not be exactly what you wanted, but might be better than what you wanted. The coolest.

steve

 

[mhb]

I sincerely wish it were possible to order another from Pappy (or another type), but you'd have to conduct a seance to place the order, and delivery would be problematic, too.
mhb - Mike

 

[mhb]

It would be a wild understatement to say that I'm happy with this pistol - it isn't exactly what I started out looking for, but it sure is a dandy (though I haven't exactly given up the search for a true dueller, and note, FWIW, that a truly beautiful pair of Tatham & Egg flint duellers were auctioned at Mimbres, NM back in July, Toots).
I did shoot it Tuesday. Fired 15 shots at 15 yards, offhand, with only one misfire on the eighth shot due to my decision not to wipe the frizzen until it missed - wiped the frizzen, and it never missed again. Function was otherwise perfect. Load was 35 gr. of Elephant 2f, 329gr. Lee RB, and patch of .015" Walmart heavy-duty super muslin, with Falkenberry Juice lube.
Was shooting at a 100 yard smallbore rifle target, to determine how the sights were aligned. The front sight is quite prominent (as you can see) but the rear sight is a shallow segment of a circle, apparently intended for snap shooting. With the top of the front blade level with the top of the rear sight, and centered (as best I could estimate), it shot over the paper. I experimented and found that, with the tip of the front blade just visible over the bottom of the shallow notch, it shot about 1 1/2" high of point of aim, and about 2" left of center. Despite the uncertain sight picture, the last 8 shots went into a 3" group centered as stated above. I intend to file a true notch in the bottom of the rear sight to achieve a better, more useable sight picture which will also put point of impact closer to center left-and-right - the elevation then should be just about right.
I might have fired a few more shots Tuesday, but my loading rod came apart (my range rod, not the one on the gun) - I made a new one which will NOT self destruct, and plan to go work on the sights, perhaps Friday.
It certainly is a pleasure to shoot - good function, accurate, and the recoil is relatively mild, though you know you've set 'er off. I'll chronograph it, too, when I can.
And I'll report on the results of the sight correction.
mhb - Mike

 

[ericb]

I am Jealous - time to clear the work bench and find all the parts I've been squirrelin' away...

Eric

 

[F_Thomas]

Beautiful pistol!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Beautiful pistol. Pics not really great. The lock looks large for a pistol but not out of proportion to my eye. You have a very nice gun, indeed. Don't be sad it isn't perzzactly what you had in mind. This is a prize you will have a long time.

 

[50cal.cliff]

That is a beaut! :hatsoff:

I know where there is a set of dueling pistols in the original box, with accessories. But I doubt he would sell them.

He bought them from my wife's Grandmother after her husband died. She sold them before anyone in the family knew about it for .......................wait for it........$25.00. And yes they were the real McCoy. The story goes my wife's Grandfather who was 1/4 Creek Indian had bought them from a man that had bought them from a plantation owner, after the civil war! :shocked2: :shake: She didn't know better but the man that got them did! :cursing:

 

[mhb]

Thanks to those of you who said nice things about my pistol! I agree that the photos were not really very good, but they were the best Junior and I could do with his Blackberry on the kitchen table, and I think they give a fair idea of what the pistol is.
I shot it some more Tuesday, to check out the results of my sight alteration (filed a notch in the rear sight), and to check loads. Fired about 25 shots without a hiccup of any sort. The final load I shot was 36 gr. GOEX 2Fg, the 329 gr. Lee .600" RB, .013" Walmart 'Super Linen' patch and Falkenberry Juice lube. Groups at 15 yards offhand were exactly centered left and right and about an inch above POA, and averaged 2 - 2 1/2" for five shots at 15 yards.
I took the opportunity to chronograph the final load, which gave an average of 575 fps: I may increase the load to 40 grains just to see what it does, but feel that any load in the near vicinity of 600 fps is probably correct for the type, and agrees well with the British preference for heavy bullets in that velocity range.
I also chronographed the 2 Fg Elephant load of the same volume, which I initially tried with what I thought were pretty good results - and was underwhelmed to find that it produced a smoking 435 fps average MV - no more of that stuff, thanks.
And, FWIW, our local monthly MILSURP 'as-issued' match is tomorrow. Rifle course of fire is 20 shots at 100 yards benchrest (4 strings of five shots for score and group), and is followed by a pistol 'fun' match, for which the rules permit any pistol issued or known to have been used by regular military forces, or clones thereof. Last month I shot an 1851 Navy repro (and won): tomorrow I'm taking the flinter...
mhb - Mike

 

[mhb]

In my previous post, I inadvertently wrote 'Super Linen' when I meant 'Super Muslin' - and I waited too long, apparently, to edit and correct my post when I realized the mistake. Apologies for any confusion.
mhb - Mike

 

[Swtodd]

Good luck tomorrow. Don't toss your 2f, might work well with shot loads. Swiss 1&1/2 does great in my 20 gauge howdah, horrible with roundball.

steve

 

[mhb]

Thanks for the good wishes!
I don't intend to throw the Elephant away (I've got too much of it), but may relegate it to shotgun use, or salute firing. It really is worse ballistically than the GOEX, and dirtier, as well.
The Swiss is the best blackpowder available, I've found, but prefer to save it for uses where nothing else will do...
The howdah pistol presents a quite different set of problems: I don't know what sort of sights yours has, but they are often pretty skimpy, or shotgun bead type, and getting a group out of either barrel alone would be an accomplishment - how much harder to get both barrels to group together at some known distance. But I suspect that if you intended to shove it up a tiger's nose and set his whiskers ablaze, target accuracy would be unnecessary.
mhb - Mike

 

[Swtodd]

Hey, just read my post, made sense to me when i wrote it, very choppy. Using 7/8 oz. Bird shot, and 40gr Swiss 1&1/2f, worked fine. Using the same 40gr Swiss 1&1/2f and a patched roundball just kinda went "patooy". 3f with a roundball shoots as good as the bead sight allows. I'll try the Howdah on jacks here someday, it's cheatin' though, cuz it aint a flinter.

steve

 

[mhb]

As a follow-up: I did shoot the flintlock in yesterday's match - I did not win. I had second place, losing by 4 points to a 1911. The wind had come up considerably during the time we were shooting the rifle match (which I did win), and I simply pulled-off a poor shot (I had no problems with function at all). The scores were not up to the usual level: the winner shot an 88, and I had an 84-1X. Better next month.
It was the first time in more than 10 years of these matches that anyone shot a flintlock, and only the third outing for a muzzleloader of any sort. The boys were impressed, I think - with the size of the holes, if nothing else :->

Jackrabbits are tough: they ain't got no juice in 'em at all, and sometimes don't seem to notice having been shot with pistol bullets, at least not right away. I'd expect they'd notice a 20-bore RB, though.
mhb - Mike