great day in the polar weather

[armymedic.2]

Had a great day going after critters today with the flintlock .45 pistol. I made some great shots, and i made some not so great shots but overall i was pleased.

I missed a rabbit which really upset me. It was blowing so hard today (15-25 mph) all day. with some snow coming down too. The first time i tried to shoot the rabbit the gun sparked well but the wind killed ignition. the second shot i just didn't focus properly and let the barrel dip. that was one fast bunny! too bad, i had my heart set on rabbit stew.

then i missed a squirrel's head poking around a tree by an inch or so, but given that it was thirty yards away i was quite pleased i bid him farewell, and reloaded hastily as another came down the tree 10 yards away to see what the loud noise was. i got reloaded with him still in that tree, but he was about 15 feet up and i didn't feel comfortable letting a ball loose that high. but luck was on my side big time. he went over a few trees and came down the side of one about 25 yards away, pausing as i squeaked my lips at him. ch-pow!

the squirrel got thrown from the bark and i noticed a blaze on the tree right where he was. upon further inspection i saw this



the ball hit the frozen tree and bounced right into him. beautiful! it slowed the ball enough it was on the far side of him just under the hide



a 100 yards or so away i saw a couple more moving around. i made a good stalk, and followed it with a good shot, taking one through the neck at about 30 yards. i was standing and had my left arm against a tree. he hung on for a few seconds to the limb he was on. a short stalk later i took a shot at one chewing a nut on a limb with a safe backdrop. can you guess where he was sitting?



little further than i thought i guess, but i was very pleased my wind was spot on.

then i missed a few more, some by a lot, some by a little. But i was a happy camper. two squirrels with the pistola in 20 degree, 20 mph wind, with snow mixed in. eating well

 

[MDK_WV]

:thumbsup: congratulations! Thanks for bringing us along on the hunt. :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

Sounds like a fun outing...except for the cold and blowing snow part, LOL

 

[coloradoclyde]

Excellent job, photos and story.I have shot squirrels with my cap-n-ball revolver but not my kentucky pistol. :thumbsup: :hatsoff:
Thanks for posting.

 

[Spikebuck]

Great story and pics. Pretty darned good pistol shooting to! :thumbsup: Sounds like you have a bumper crop of squirrels!

 

[Wes/Tex]

Dang, med, you're one ring-tailed tooter with that flintlock handgun! :bow: Good job! One look at the hole in the tree told me exactly where he was sitting! Been there, done that, cussed like a sailor! :haha: Had to get rid of my flintlock pistol a year or so back when my wife's health was so bad. Your post is inspiring me to get back in the game again! :hatsoff:

 

[Silex]

:hatsoff: Good shooting!

Thank you for taking us along your hunt!


Silex

 

[smo]

Thanks for sharing a great hunt and some fine shootin' :thumbsup:

 

[Tony Logan]

great shooting, sounds like a fun hunt

 

[house]

Awesome! Looks like a ton of fun.

 

[Carl Fowler III]

Now that sounds like a great day afield...congrats on your shoot'n and enjoy the stew! Fried is just as good! :v

 

[ny griz]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Great hunt,great pics.Griz

 

[Britsmoothy]

Outstanding :hatsoff:

How you loading that varmint rig?

Brits.

 

[armymedic.2]

thanks gents! i'll be frying them, or trading them for bourbon to folks in the city. They like to eat like a country bumpkin every now and again too. haven't bought liquor in three years!

im loading it with a .440 pure lead ball and .012 patch lubed with equal parts hydro peroxide, alcohol, and murphy's soap. shoot all day without swabbing.
and im using 28 grains of 3f goex. tiny bit of 4f goex in the pan.

this load is much nicer to the meat than my .36 rifle with 30 grains.

and it shoots perty good too :}



offhand at 18 yards aiming at rust spot


offhand at 102 yards

i sure like this pistol now

 

[Britsmoothy]

:shocked2: :shocked2:

B :shocked2:

 

[TinStar]

Grrrrrrrrreat hunt and nice pics!! Brrrrrrr! Isn't upstate wonderful at this time of year? NOT!! I'll take autumn any day!!!

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[larry wv]

Darn! Now you have me wanting to go Squirrel hunting with a Black powder pistol. Problem is Squirrel season goes out in 3 days and its -10 right now. That is some good shootin. :thumbsup: . Larry

 

[BillinOregon]

Medic: Can we have some more deets on your fine pistol? Is it a Pedersoli? I am very, very impressed!

 

[armymedic.2]

Thanks bill.
It is a pederoli, with a trigger i put in the move the pivot point, mainspring , sear spring , and frizzen spring all reduced by about a third so it functions more like a custom, sear deburred, tumbler angle smoothed and greatened slightly
Drilled out the patebt breech to .3 something from the factory .18
Drilled out touchhole so it self primes a bit with 3f. A downer but man is it fast now

It has taken two deer and some squirrel and another citter so far. All with 28 grains of powder. Which dropped one deer (high shoulder) and the other ran about thirty yards (a follow up shot to my 62 smoothbore =heart shot as it kept from its bed). Great gun so long as your not afraid to file move the trigger

 

[Britsmoothy]

Cool. Got to do my Pedersoli trade guns trigger myself and drll the flash hole a little.
Done the frizzen and bent the cock a little....much faster
:hatsoff: