Little Critter Gitter

[rodwha]

So what small caliber handguns are there for little critter gittin' out to 25 yds or more?
The NAA Mini Earl with it's 4" barrel seems it may do OK.
I hear the Traditions .32 cal Crocket isn't very good.
The various .31 cal revolvers seem barely able at 5 yds.
What else is there? Maybe a .36 cal revolver?

 

[Spots]

I've used my repro 1851 Navy in .36 cal to great effect on rabbits, squirrels and various other small wildlife to be cooked over a campfire. 28 grains of FFFg with a .36 round ball seems to have no issues out to 25-30 yds on small game.

 

[rodwha]

Makes one wish that there was a rifle that used the same sized ball. I'd love to pair them!

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Actually, there have been a few rare 38 caliber muzzleloader rifles, which take .375 balls, same as the C&B revs. A buddy of mine had one that was made from an old unused cartridge rifle barrel blank. The rifling was deep as in back in black powder cartridge days and the twist was about 1:22, which was just right for moderate pistol type loads at 25 yards. The rifle was short and stubby, but Woody could put five in a postage stamp at 25 yds. Just mentioning the possibility of building a similar gun.

The crockett pistol from Traditions has their crappy lock and trigger. The Barrel is actually pretty good for PRB shooting. If you were to buy the kit and get their better lock with the fly in it and then fit a single set trigger, it would be a decent target pistol. The problem is spending $170 for the kit and another 120 for the better lock and set trigger. I have written to them about this and not even a form letter acknowledgement. As far as I am concerned Traditions has their head up..... I needed a part and it took over a week and about 20 attempts before I got a live person. It then took 3 months for the part to arrive. Ardessa could do better by getting another US distributor. Heck Traditions doesn't even offer the nice little underhammer Ardessa makes.

 

[Musketeer]

Since the Crockett uses a drum, I wonder if something like one of L&R's RPL small flintlocks could be used on it (with vent liner in place of drum). I've long imagined a flint crockett pistol, but this solution just occurred to me (gettin' slow in my old age :haha: ). Does this sound feasible?

 

[zimmerstutzen]

You would have to find out how well an L&R fits. Perhaps a small davis or siler.

 

[nkbj]

Reading Elmer Keith got me started with the .36 Colts. Pretty hard to beat.

 

[hanshi]

I'm just a little surprised to hear of your problems with Traditions. I've had dealings with them in the past and always talked with a live person. My experience was great. :hmm:

 

[DanChamberlain]

This one gets critters

 

[rodwha]

I'm mostly interested in a '62 Pocket Navy or Pocket Police, though I keep looking at the '49 .31 cal Pocket Baby Dragoon, especially the ones with longer barrels, and I wouldn't necessarily discount any full size .36.

I kinda like the idea of a .36 cal better in that it has enough oomph to handle bigger tasks as well.

I'm considering trying my Old Army with lighter charges as a few people have suggested. But who wants just one gun? :grin:

I'm curious at to the accuracy potential of these different pistols out to 25 yds. I think the typical .31 cal pistols may have a problem.

 

[aeatwood]

I've fooled around w/ a Remmy .31 a bit, but not the Colts. I was actually going to let my daughter shoot it to see if I could get her interested, but at the time I only had .44s. After getting a Pietta '61, I gave up all thoughts of the .31's as field guns. The full-size .36 kicks like a .22 with 2F, and is much, much easier to shoot well. It was also shooting into less than 1.5" at 20 yds if I held my mouth right.

The Remmy .36's are nice too, but hold a bit more powder, and feel heavier. I would probably double- or triple-wad them to cut down on the powder charge for squirrels or other such small game. They can be loaded a good bit heavier than the Colts for larger varmints due to more cylinder capacity.

 

[rodwha]

I just don't see any of those .31 cal revolvers doing very well past 15 yds unless they have a longer barrel (5"+), and those you just don't find often enough to consider.

I'm still a bit interested in them though. But I think a .36 cal would do better all around.

Not that the weight is a big issue (We love backpacking and I've been converted to the ultralight way of thinking), but I feel I'd prefer a 5 shot "pocket" model of some sort. I'm not too fond (from what I've read) about the safety setup of Colt's and found that I really like the setup that Remington/Ruger used. But I don't suppose it's a big deal to fill in the hammer and leave one chamber empty. Plus it would just add to the fun of trying to figure out which 4 shoot better!

I must say that I like the Colt look much better to the Remington, but after having owned a Ruger it has softened my stance on just how ugly the Remington's are. :grin:

 

[Lpcstrider420]

This puts 4 into 1.5in at 7yds... first try.. should get better as the trigger smooths out.

 

[azmntman]

.36 pietta at 25 yds. Stupid flier. 17 grains pyrodex P and wonder wad. Agree the .31 are NOT a deal. FUN to shoot. Load em up though, I been hit by several return fires from trees. Gonna try 4f and see if they get any more poof. I can hit a can at 15 yds every time but not a tree rat head. The peitta that I shot this target with I would have no issue taking for small game.

 

[Nobade]

If you wanted to spend a lot of money, Pedersoli has several very nice small caliber target pistols.
Personally I have been looking for a Hege Sieber that Beeman imported for years. The only ones I've found happened when I didn't have the money to spend.

 

[CyrusP]

I didn’t know they made the Earl in BP. Learned something new.

 

[nick_1]

Traditions customer service is great even though they do sometimes take a long time to get parts. it was explained to me as the covid shortages... and yes their locks and guns suck

 

[M. De Land]

I'm mostly interested in a '62 Pocket Navy or Pocket Police, though I keep looking at the '49 .31 cal Pocket Baby Dragoon, especially the ones with longer barrels, and I wouldn't necessarily discount any full size .36.

I kinda like the idea of a .36 cal better in that it has enough oomph to handle bigger tasks as well.

I'm considering trying my Old Army with lighter charges as a few people have suggested. But who wants just one gun?

I'm curious at to the accuracy potential of these different pistols out to 25 yds. I think the typical .31 cal pistols may have a problem.

I have a little 62 police with a 6.5 inch barrel and it is just what your looking for in .36 cal . It shoots like a 51 navy with a few grains less chamber capacity but in a much smaller package being a five shooter.
The cylinder length on a 51 is 1-11/16s and 62 is 1-9/16s inches so it give up 1/8th inch of chamber capacity.
They really sound and shoot like a full size gun and are probably 3/4s of the full gun balk.
Click on to expand.

 

[Pete453]

I have a little 62 police with a 6.5 inch barrel and it is just what your looking for in .36 cal . It shoots like a 51 navy with a few grains less chamber capacity but in a much smaller package being a five shooter.
The cylinder length on a 51 is 1-11/16s and 62 is 1-9/16s inches so it give up 1/8th inch of chamber capacity.
They really sound and shoot like a full size gun and are probably 3/4s of the full gun balk.
Click on to expand.

For what you want, the 62 police is hard to beat. 36 power in a kit gun sized revolver. Mine is the same size as a Ruger unmentionable Catbear. That's code talk right there.