frustrated pistol shooter!

[F.G. Ford]

On any new gun, your first shots should be taken at 13' from the muzzle.
That will most likely put you on target.
At that distance you are mostly interested in your bullet impact to be good on center, left or right ( adjust your sight if necessary )
Then try again for elevation, it should be close.
That distance is the approximate distance of which your bore and sights intersect.
Once you are hitting consistently, back off to 10-25 yds. as you wish, then fine tune your gun.
It will save powder and frustration..
Good luck!
Fred

 

[Bill Bryan]

I had to replace the rear sight on my Pedersoli .50 cal Kentucky to raise it and get a more modern sight picture. Filing the front does the same thing. I definitely would reduce the powder and shoot at a closer target to find out where it's really hitting consistently. If your just getting started with flint pistols it will take you years to feel comfortable. :wink:

 

[FishDFly]

"One of the first things I would change is the patch material."

Not one thing wrong with Teflon patching, it is not the problem. Teflon is preferred by lot of national shooters. Patch material is not the cause of the below with shots hitting the ground at 10 yards , it is the shooter.

"18” low and left (shooting left is “normal” for me with any gun or sight)"

You are jerking the trigger if you are shooting low and left, that is the honest truth.

Goggle, "Wheel Of Misfortune" for pistol shooters.

 

[Drago]

A problem I found with two Pedersoli's I bought used was that the frizzen and main springs were too wide and too thick. Actually it was pointed out to me. The action was very stiff and the frizzen did'nt open well. It could be the motion and sudden impact is pushing the muzzle down. This is all speculation on my part, I am far less experienced than most of the others here but if you are hitting the dirt ten yards in front of you something is wrong. Hopefully you can get a experienced person to check it out with you.

 

[oneoldboot]

Many thanks to all that responded to my post. I did meet a pistol shooter at the ML club this weekend and learned a lot!

Just to clarify, was am using pillow ticking, 0.018", which is teflon coated. It loads "just right" with a .530 ball.

I dropped down to 35 grains. The shooter helping me shot the gun about a dozen times and was also shooting low. He recommended some filing of the front sight.

With some instruction, I was able to start hitting paper at 25 yards, although inconsistently. He also told me the trigger was atleast an 8 pound pull, probably more, and that also a contributor to my issues.

Thanks to all and I appreciate the "honest" opinions.

oneoldboot