I was given an older copy of a book that CVA put out on black powder pistols. Well tonight at work I was trying to stay awake so I pulled it out and started reading it. In the small book it talks about loading up your cylinders with shot to use against snakes and the like. Has anyone tried this? What size shot would be good to start with? It also mentioned using the felt wads as an over shot patch. Any ideas on this topic? :hmm:
Loadind shot into a revolver?
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No, I have not tried this in a BP pistol. The loading procedure, though, sounds like what one would expect. Getting the shot into the cylinder, at least if you tried loading it on the gun, could be a challenge.
The general problem with shot in a rifled barrel is that the rifling spins the shot into a donut shape in pretty short order.
Pete
The general problem with shot in a rifled barrel is that the rifling spins the shot into a donut shape in pretty short order.
Pete
Blizzard of '93
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I suppose it would work, but my '58 will blow the head off any snake in these parts at 10-15 ft or so. I've shot squacks and rabbits head shots with it.
Yes it will work. #9 shot worked the best for me.
Load in about 20 grains of powder; push in a wad firmly down against the powder; using some kind of a dipper, fill the chamber leaving just enough room for another wad. Pour out the shot and use it to make a dipper (I made the correct size out of a Lee Powder Dipper set). Get a dowel that just fits in the chamber and roll a cigarette paper around it and glue it to form a tube. Slide the paper off the dowel just enough to twist and close the end of it then slide it all the way off. Put shot in the tube using the dipper you made for the correct volume. Twist the end of it to seal it. Make 8 or 10 of these to carry with you.
Now you have "shot cartridges" and don't have to try to dribble the shot in the chamber.
Put in the powder, put in a wad and push it down, drop in a shot cartridge and push it down, start in another wad and seat the whole mess firmly.
I found the load to work pretty good out to about 15 feet. More than that, you have to walk up a little.
I tried the thin cardboard wad over the shot like you use in a shotgun but sometimes the recoil from one chamber going off will knock out the thin wad in another chamber. That is why I used the thick felt wad over the shot.
Load in about 20 grains of powder; push in a wad firmly down against the powder; using some kind of a dipper, fill the chamber leaving just enough room for another wad. Pour out the shot and use it to make a dipper (I made the correct size out of a Lee Powder Dipper set). Get a dowel that just fits in the chamber and roll a cigarette paper around it and glue it to form a tube. Slide the paper off the dowel just enough to twist and close the end of it then slide it all the way off. Put shot in the tube using the dipper you made for the correct volume. Twist the end of it to seal it. Make 8 or 10 of these to carry with you.
Now you have "shot cartridges" and don't have to try to dribble the shot in the chamber.
Put in the powder, put in a wad and push it down, drop in a shot cartridge and push it down, start in another wad and seat the whole mess firmly.
I found the load to work pretty good out to about 15 feet. More than that, you have to walk up a little.
I tried the thin cardboard wad over the shot like you use in a shotgun but sometimes the recoil from one chamber going off will knock out the thin wad in another chamber. That is why I used the thick felt wad over the shot.
"The general problem with shot in a rifled barrel is that the rifling spins the shot into a donut shape in pretty short order.
Pete
But works at snake ranges, 5 to 6 feet with 8 or 9 shot,Blizzard of 93 is lucky if he gets shots at 15 feet at "MR NO SHOULDERS" water moch,cotten mouth here while fishing from the bank my kid gets 2 to 3 feet with luck (so far)he was made to carry a short round Navy 44 loaded with/or like all the above till the hogs got to get to close so now he's got my MVT HOWDIE 62 twin barrel one for a Ball and the other for shot, but yes you can shoot shot out of most rev's. Fred :hatsoff: (now if he'd just give up on the hogs and keep bring the 5 to 8 lb bass home every day everything would be fine) :rotf: :surrender:
Pete
But works at snake ranges, 5 to 6 feet with 8 or 9 shot,Blizzard of 93 is lucky if he gets shots at 15 feet at "MR NO SHOULDERS" water moch,cotten mouth here while fishing from the bank my kid gets 2 to 3 feet with luck (so far)he was made to carry a short round Navy 44 loaded with/or like all the above till the hogs got to get to close so now he's got my MVT HOWDIE 62 twin barrel one for a Ball and the other for shot, but yes you can shoot shot out of most rev's. Fred :hatsoff: (now if he'd just give up on the hogs and keep bring the 5 to 8 lb bass home every day everything would be fine) :rotf: :surrender:
Blizzard of '93
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we don't haver any poisonous water snakes here in the mountains but we sure got big fat copperheads and rattlers(some of them get REAL big)
Loading shot in a revolver certainly limits the load but I think most of the guns CVA sold (and was talking about in the booklet?) were single shot muzzle loaders. One can get a much more usable load of shot in one of those but, as was mentioned, if it is rifled the useful range will only be 6-8 feet.
zonie
zonie
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Lee3370 has it right. I have done this with my Old Army Ruger. A paper cartridge works pretty well, but 9 shot is the real secret, smaller the better.I have even gone so far as to pour a melted tallow/beezwax mixter into a chamber with nine shot on top of a felt wad. With light loads of 3f it shot it like a 45 cal waxy bullet;NOT the desired effect.
Thanks for the help guys. I may have to go dig up some #9 and try this out. :hatsoff:
It is a very interesting little book (although a few of the photos are a bit dated :wink: ) But it has a lot of very neat facts on the origins of these revolvers. If you stumble upon a copy I think it would be a nice trinket to add to a collection. It's called "An Introduction to Black Powder Revolvers, by Phil Spangenberger" CVA 1989
It is a very interesting little book (although a few of the photos are a bit dated :wink: ) But it has a lot of very neat facts on the origins of these revolvers. If you stumble upon a copy I think it would be a nice trinket to add to a collection. It's called "An Introduction to Black Powder Revolvers, by Phil Spangenberger" CVA 1989
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