My first BP Pistol Questions

[fredrader]

Ok,I found this unfired .45 percussion pistol at a local show so I bought it yesterday for $120..Now I want to shoot it but I don't want to guess at how much charge to start with..It has a 9.5" Brl so how much Pyro FFFG should I start with? I also would like to know the MFG but The only markings on the Brl are Ardesa Spain Black Powder Only and the Ser#350165..The brl sticks out from the stock 4 5/8" if that helps..Any help would be greatly appreciated..Thanks

 

[fredrader]

I took a couple pics so maby someone can tell me what it is..Thanks

 

[bwhoffman]

looks like it is a Traditions trapper model.
In .45, that tells me it is a european model, as that is what they market everywhere other than here in the US.
In .45, I would love to own one!
The gun itself is a shooter bar none! figure out the grip and you are good to go.
In .45, for target work, I would try 15gr of 3F real black for a start!

Nice find!

 

[Zonie]

I agree with brett sr that it was probably marketed for the European market.

Ardesa has made guns for years that were imported directly to the United States but they are almost always marked with the importers name.
CVA and Traditions are two American companies that have imported thousands of Ardesa made guns that range from the CVA Derringer thru 12 guage double barrel shotguns.

Your pistol can shoot real black powder or any of the modern synthetic powders like Pyrodex or 777.
Powder loads ranging from 12-40 grains will work but the best accuracy will be in the 15-25 grain range.

It should be loaded with a .440 diameter lead ball patched with a .010-.012 thick cotton patch.
Lube the patch with a commercial patch lube or a vegetable oil or Crisco. Spit can also be used if the gun is going to be shot within a minute or so of loading.

You will read about folks using fairly thick patches like .018. While these work very well with rifles their thickness makes loading a pistol very hard and with the light powder loads commonly used in pistols the extra thickness is not needed for good accuracy.

You will probably need a "short starter" to get the patched ball started into the barrel.
These look like a wooden ball with a short 3/8 diameter dowel (1/4 long) and a longer 3/8 dowel (2-3 inches long) sticking out of it.
The shorter dowel is for making the initial start while the longer one gets the ball down the bore far enough for the regular ramrod to be used to seat the ball on the powder load.

Have fun with your new gun. :thumbsup:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Congrats on the new pistol! It should use #11 caps. Most folks with .45 single shots use 20-30 grains of real black, going with ball & patch combo recommended by Zonie. I'd steer clear of 40 grains for a charge, due to a potential problem with the stock cracking. I haven't seen this model crack, but almost every Patriot pistol I've seen being used has had the stock cracked by too many hot loads. The design of your stock may be different enough so as to prevent the problem from occurring, but why take the chance!

Enjoy making smoke!

Dave

 

[fredrader]

Thanks guys,I will take your all advice and start with 15-20g..I have a ball starter and .440 balls and pillow ticking patches and a tube of bore butter so looks like I'm good to go..I only shoot 40g in my rifles so the light loads sounds great..I will let ya all know how she shoots next week when I get back home..Thanks for all the help. :bow:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Just make sure that the pillow-ticking patch material IS NOT .018 thickness, or you might have a really rough time beating the ball in with a hammer!

 

[fredrader]

My Pillow ticking I bought at walmart measures .016 but I have some pre cut ticking that is .014..I measured the bore and it is .447 on the lands and .458 in the grooves..I may have to find some thinner patches but I hope not..Thanks

 

[fredrader]

Well it finally got warm enough for me to shoot a few rounds thru it today and it seemed to shoot good..I used .440 balls .020patch bore butter lube and 20g Pyrotex FFFG I wiped between every shot with 2 alchohol and 2 dry patches..It loaded easy enough especially after my grand son suggested (Strongly) that we go out in the garage and build a loading rack for it before we shot it..It worked great so I am glad he made me build it..
We set up a target @ 25yds and fired 3 shots..All hit high and left..We adjusted the sights one time and shot 3 more and it was dead on 3 shot 2" center to center group so we quit while we were ahead..
I like it real well and so does my grandson :thumbsup:
Here are some pics..

 

[kmolett]

Here is my 2 cents. First let me say nice looking pistol. I would go with a thinner patch. Also while I am at the range I spit lube my patches. Meaning I put a patch in my mouth to moisten it. Then load powder and use the patch and then the ball and ram it all down. The only time that I use patch lube is when I am hunting and the patch and ball are going to be in the barrel for a bit. I would agree with earlier posters that if you do use spit lubed patches you should shoot them within a few minutes so that the lube doesn't dry out. If you spit lube your patches you should be able to get 10-15 shots without cleaning.
Another thought is that the lube you use to patch your ball seasons the barrel like a dutch oven. I agree to some extent. When you use rubbing alcohol in the barrel it strips out any lubrication you may have had in the barrel that would help. I would only use water to clean my pistol. When I have used rubbing alcohol in my gun it has left a thin film of rust in the barrel.
Well for what its worth I hope this info helps.

 

[fredrader]

I just run the alcohol patch between shots to get a clean bore for grouping/Sighting..I clean it after I am done with soap and water and then dry it and oil it before I put it up..I run another alcohol patch to remove the oil before I load it again..Thanks

 

[kmolett]

I think that the alcohol strips the lube off of the barrel. Like cleaning a dutch oven with soap. It takes all the buildup that goes in all the pores of the barrel/dutch oven out. So that you are back to bare metal instead of a seasoned barrel if that makes sense.

 

[fredrader]

Yep,That makes since to me.. :thumbsup:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Nice group! What's the range to target? Or did I miss it cause I'm reading this post with my first cup of coffee on a Sunday morning :idunno: :rotf: .

Are you hammering the PRB down the barrel? That .020 sounds pretty thick, but if you can start it with your short starter, stay with this load and increase the range and she what she does.

Have a great time with that thing and Happy Holidays!

Dave

 

[fredrader]

The range was 25yd from a rest..
I don't have to hammer it in I just used a starter and it started a little tight but worked fine..I will move it out to 50yd next and see what it does..

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Sounds good to me! Remember to use the same rest, so the test has the same parameters :thumbsup: .

Dave