Smooth bore 38cal Kentucky Pistol

[devious Dave]

Hello! I'm new to this site and wasn't sure where would be the best place to ask questions, so I hope this is appropriate.

I'm also somewhat new to muzzleloaders as well. I have just recently won an auction on GunBroker for a smoothbore .38 caliber percussion Kentucky pistol. There are no manufacturer marks on the pistol, so I have no idea who the manufacturer was. It is my understanding that .38 caliber is kind of uncommon for muzzleloaders. I am familiar with .36 caliber being common, but not .38. I am hoping that someone on here might have some advice for some loads I should try.

Right now, I only have access to FFFg Pyrodex for powder.
I got this gun for pretty cheap it's a little corroded but I've been working on cleaning it up if anyone has any advice for cleaning it

 

[Jhightow]

I'd check the barrel diameter to confirm that is is .380.

Assuming it is, that would be perfect for using #000 buckshot as round balls. Buy an 8lb jar for like $45. Use an old t-shirt for patching. You can use almost any kind of patch lube, there are tons of suggestions here.

I think I'd give 25-30 grains a try with a t-shirt patched #000 buckshot pellet. You could use an empty .45 case as a powder measure. It's about 25-28 grains of 2F black. Using Pyrodex, a .38spl case would be about perfect.

Cleaning it, what does the bore look like?

 

[hawkeye2]

That looks quite similar to the "Overcoat Pistol" Dixie Gun Works used to sell for $19.95 but it might not be. Far too many years for me to say for certain.

 

[devious Dave]

I'd check the barrel diameter to confirm that is is .380.

Assuming it is, that would be perfect for using #000 buckshot as round balls. Buy an 8lb jar for like $45. Use an old t-shirt for patching. You can use almost any kind of patch lube, there are tons of suggestions here.

I think I'd give 25-30 grains a try with a t-shirt patched #000 buckshot pellet. You could use an empty .45 case as a powder measure. It's about 25-28 grains of 2F black. Using Pyrodex, a .38spl case would be about perfect.

Cleaning it, what does the bore look like?

Thank you very much for the reply
My initial thoughts were the same about it being 38caliber but I went out and bought a pair of calipers and it measured out to that so the GunBroker listing was correct
I'm not sure if it shows up very well in the picture but the bore is pretty decent after I swabbed it with some balistosl the very back is the most corroded I'm not sure of the correct term but the breech
If you have any recommendations on a solution for removing rust from back there

 

[devious Dave]

That looks quite similar to the "Overcoat Pistol" Dixie Gun Works used to sell for $19.95 but it might not be. Far too many years for me to say for certain.

I think you're right on it being an Overcoat pistol I looked at other examples and looks very similar

I'm kind of new to muzzleloaders my only other experience being an inline with a 209 primer
Do you happen to know if the threading on nipples is universal? I plan on replacing the nipple I'm assuming it's a #11 or #10 but I'm going to try an 11 first

 

[hawkeye2]

I did a little digging and found they were made by Mendi. The ones I remember had engraving and checkering.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I like it but is the hammer hitting the nipple square? Might be the wrong nipple.

 

[devious Dave]

I like it but is the hammer hitting the nipple square? Might be the wrong nipple.

That's a possibility the nipple is very loose I was able to untighten it with my finger after I oiled it I don't have a nipple wrench yet
I'm not sure if this is hitting it at the correct angle or not it's definitely coming in at an angle I haven't had a chance to function test it yet Im picking up some #11 CCI caps today

 

[Britsmoothy]

That's a possibility the nipple is very loose I was able to untighten it with my finger after I oiled it I don't have a nipple wrench yet
I'm not sure if this is hitting it at the correct angle or not it's definitely coming in at an angle

It may of only had a small nipple originally.

 

[devious Dave]

It may of only had a small nipple originally.

I'm new to percussion and sorta muzzleloaders in general do you happen to know if nipples are universal? I understand there's #11 and #10 for the sizes is there any chance I could easily find a replacement
I'm not really sure which size this one is exactly

 

[sheriff john]

We had one of these for many years and yes, they were inexpensive back in the day. Be cautious of the nipple. We didn't shoot ours very much - no particular reason, just didn't. Never found a nipple that really fit the same as the original. Didn't try very hard, either. Surely there are some out there.

 

[azmntman]

I Had to have one machined for my 1849 so thats a possibility. Per the pics I wouldt worry about removing the rust, firing and cleaning a few times should do it. I have used a soilution of 9 parts water and 1 part molasses (like you get for like $8.00 a gallon at a feed store. Pour a lil in and let it set overnight and no more rust. I WILL FADE ANY BLUING SO MAKE SURE IT DOSENT LEAK ETC

 

[Billy-by-gosh]

Liking AzMntman's rust removal suggestion. FWIW - many years ago I got a short 380 smoothbored percussion barrel from Dixie Gun Works and built it into a pisol. That being said, I used .356 or .357 precast balls from Hornady and Speer and they worked perfectly. What did not do well were elongated 357 bullets for unmentionables - long bullets always keyholed and placed wildly on target. Sure had a lot of fun experimenting with various loads and it always drew a crowd at the shooting range.

 

[devious Dave]

It may of only had a small nipple originally.

Yeah I got some #11 caps in today and it doesn't seem to fit hopefully #10s will work

 

[hawkeye2]

That nipple is 2 or 3 times too tall. 10s or 11s won't cure the problem. The hammer should strike flat on top of the nipple.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Something wrong there!
Will it fire it?

 

[devious Dave]

That nipple is 2 or 3 times too tall. 10s or 11s won't cure the problem. The hammer should strike flat on top of the nipple.

Yeah I'm not entirely sure if it's screwed in all the way I don't have a nipple wrench yet and I can only finger tighten it
There's also a possibility it's just a completely different nipple and doesn't belong to the gun at all this is something I found on Google it looks to be the exact same model as mine

 

[hawkeye2]

If it turns freely and you screwed in with your fingers till it stopped than It's 99% of the way home and using a nipple wrench to try to screw it down further will probably damage the threads. Nipples do not have to be installed any more than snug. Yes, it's the wrong nipple. Pull the nipple, identify the threads and search here for one that's proper:

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/807/1

 

[Acorn Mush]

Dave, you might try removing the nipple and then lowering the hammer to check alignment between the hammer face and the nipple seat in the bolster. The two surfaces should be parallel. If they are, it looks as if you need a very short nipple upon which the hammer nose will strike squarely. To determine the correct nipple thread, take the barrel only to a good hardware store and see if one of their metric screws will fit the nipple hole properly. Then you will be able to order the correct thread size from a supplier such as Track of the Wolf. Should you be unsuccessful in finding the proper thread size your only option might be to drill and tap for a more easily obtainable size such as 1/4-28. It appears from your pictures you don't have much headroom to work with however.

Best of luck in your efforts to get the little guy back in business.

 

[Hermit Tim]

I had a .36 rifle made be these folks a few years ago. Dandy little shooter but standard nipples like what you can buy for a CVA or a TC won't fit. The original nipple on your gun is much smaller than the one on it now. I would probably check with Dixie Gun Works over in Union city, since they sold them originally, and see if they might be able to get some. When you find a source go ahead and buy a few as nipples don't last forever. I wish I had seen it on there before you did though