Who's taken game with cap and ball revolver?

[Rhett Griffith]

Over the years, I have taken quite a few animals with cap and ball revolvers. I've shot numerous squirrels and skunks with my 1860 Army and also used this pistol as a trap gun one year. My load was 20 grains of FFFg behind a roundball. This worked splendidly on possums, coons, skunks, etc., but the first time I caught a coyote, I quickly discovered it was too light a load. I shot him twice in the forehead from 5 yards or so and he just kind of shook his head and snarled . I then moved to the side (he was pretty dazed) and put one through his ear, which dropped him. Once home, I skinned him to see what had happened and found both balls flattened and overlapping one another. The skull was fractured mightily and bloodshot all over, but neither ball had penetrated into the brain. I upped my charge to 30 grains and killed the next several coyotes with a single shot between the eyes. I decided maybe Colt had a reason for making such long holes in the cylinder! :redface:

As far as deer-sized game goes, I have killed two with revolvers. The first was a wounded deer that my wife had shot, which I dispatched with a Remington New Army. The shot was taken at less than ten yards, with the ball entering the eye socket, causing instant death. The second was actually an intentional handgun hunt. A few years ago, Santa brought me a Dragoon, and my little boys just insisted that we had to go deer hunting with it! A small doe came in to 12 yards and I shot her using 45 grains of FFFg behind a .454 roundball. The ball entered behind the shoulder and completely penetrated the chest cavity. The deer ran about 25 yards, circling back behind our stand and then stood for a few seconds before collapsing in full sight.

 

[Swede50]

No Deer with a cap & ball it isn't legal in Kansas yet.
I pack a TC 54 Scout pistol with a Lee REAL bullet.
I have taken 2 Deer with revolvers one a S&W 44mag another a Taurus 454mag.
I have shot a lot of rabbits and other stuff with a 44 cap & ball FIE I bought as a kit.
One of the leaf springs broke it sets in the cabinet now.
I had a SS ROA years ago but money got tight and had to sell it to pay bills.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Biggest critter I've taken with my old Replica ARms 1860 was a small 4-point whitetail. He was stupid and stopped about 35 feet away looking the other way and twitching his ears up and then out...not sure what he was locked in on but I was locked in on him. Shot at back point of shoulder which cause him to jump a couple feet straight up and ran about 20 yards before he went down in the front , skidding to a stop and didn't get up. Have taken a couple 'yotes at short range with one shot each. I probably filled a couple pickup beds full of rabbits, armadillos, possums and one Nutria!(sort of a cross between a beaver and a wharf rat!) When I started taking bunnies for Ma Williams' hassenpfeffer, I switched to the 1861 Navy from Navy Arms. .44 balls were kinda tough on cottontails! :wink: Can't tell you the actual load on the 1860 though. Replica Arms guns ran a bit small and a .451" ball shaved a ring of lead. I loaded like we all did then...FFFG till only the ball would fit with a fair bit of push, then a smear of Spitball on top cause it was pink and smelled good! .36 the same way...all she'll hold to keep trajectory flattest. Simple loads with no wads or fancy stuff. Powder flask in one jean pocket, squeeze bottle of Spitball in the other and can of caps in my shirt pocket. Didn't worry about taking it apart cause I never had to.

 

[rodwha]

I'm curious as to the powder type you used, and whether or not it was an Uberti revolver (the only one I know of that may have a cylinder gap issue).

 

[hanshi]

Not game, exactly, but I did once make an amazing shot on a flying buzzard many years back. A friend was with me and he was beyond impressed.

 

[gunner69skmc]

My Remington (Repo) .44 has taken a squirrel, turkey and a rabbit so far. Shot at a doe but no blood and no luck.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Did you squeeze the .451" ball to a pressed fit? The chambers on mine are .453" in diameter, and as far as I know, like that on all.

Maybe it was 0.457"? This was in 1981 or so.

I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday.

 

[rodwha]

I was curious as I had a fellow tell me how he loaded cast .452 SWCs in his ROA and pressing hard enough to swell them enough to fit.

He sent me some to try but they didn't work well for me, but partly because they seemed oversized (less than pure?).

 

[Britsmoothy]

Biggest critter I've taken with my old Replica ARms 1860 was a small 4-point whitetail. He was stupid and stopped about 35 feet away looking the other way and twitching his ears up and then out...not sure what he was locked in on but I was locked in on him. Shot at back point of shoulder which cause him to jump a couple feet straight up and ran about 20 yards before he went down in the front , skidding to a stop and didn't get up. Have taken a couple 'yotes at short range with one shot each. I probably filled a couple pickup beds full of rabbits, armadillos, possums and one Nutria!(sort of a cross between a beaver and a wharf rat!) When I started taking bunnies for Ma Williams' hassenpfeffer, I switched to the 1861 Navy from Navy Arms. .44 balls were kinda tough on cottontails! :wink: Can't tell you the actual load on the 1860 though. Replica Arms guns ran a bit small and a .451" ball shaved a ring of lead. I loaded like we all did then...FFFG till only the ball would fit with a fair bit of push, then a smear of Spitball on top cause it was pink and smelled good! .36 the same way...all she'll hold to keep trajectory flattest. Simple loads with no wads or fancy stuff. Powder flask in one jean pocket, squeeze bottle of Spitball in the other and can of caps in my shirt pocket. Didn't worry about taking it apart cause I never had to.

:haha: :hatsoff:

 

[cynthialee]

I remember your story about the mountain Cynthia. I think that was a pretty impressive feat! I think I remember you saying that one of your animals was in danger. If so, like yourself, I would do what I had to do to protect my pets. It certainly provides evidence that a roundball from a cap and ball revolver is nothing to sneeze at.

Jeff

Yes, both my dogs were trying to touch noses with the big kitty. And neither would listen to me when I was yelling at them to back off.
But even if my dogs had not been in danger I had no choice but to dispatch the cat. It was missing a forepaw with a large part of bone sticking out of its arm and it was emaciated. It would have been foolish to leave a desperate cat like that in the neighborhood.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

You remind me of my mom. She was also a "well it needed doing & I was there, so I did it" person.

So many today are "well it needed doing so I stood back & made a video with my phone & did nothing." people.