And now for something completely different

[mtnbkr]

My inlaws gave me a couple Sportsmans Warehouse gift cards and some money for Christmas ("we never know what to get you..."), so Thing 1 and I traipsed down to SW today to spend my ill-gotten loot.

Thing is, I'm pretty well stocked on the stuff I'd typically buy there.  I'm well set for shooting gear, reloading gear, camping gear, fishing gear, etc.  I walked the length of the gun counter looking for something interesting (hoping to spy a Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 300 Blackout) when I got all the way down to the black powder stuff.  After much hemming and hawing, some quick 'net research via the phone, and input from Thing 1, I walked away with a Traditions Kentucky Pistol, a pound of Pyrodex P, and a tin of #11 caps (already had round ball and patches at home from a brief experiment with my Encore 209x50 muzzleloader).

SWMBO and her mom thought it was pretty. 

I expect this to be nothing but fun with 20-30gr of powder and a patched round ball.  :D

Chris

[AmbulanceDriver]

I've got one of those.  They're a hoot to shoot.   

[mtnbkr]

I've got one of those.  They're a hoot to shoot.   

Glad to hear that!  It reinforces my expectations.

Chris

[zxcvbob]

I was afraid to open the thread, thinking it might be "a man with three buttocks".

Single-shot BP pistols aren't good for much else, but they are a hoot.  They make a heck of a racket, and the fire shoots out about 4 feet.   

[mtnbkr]

Single-shot BP pistols aren't good for much else, but they are a hoot.  They make a heck of a racket, and the fire shoots out about 4 feet.   

I have plenty of guns that are "good for something", but they are hard to have fun with because I'm always worried about getting the most accuracy out of them.  This new toy is nothing but a fun and giggles gun. :D

Chris

[Brad Johnson]

Welcome to the Dark Side, young Jedi... 

Brad

[AmbulanceDriver]

You do need to clean them carefully, of course, and oil them, because even Pyrodex *will* rust. 

BTW.  I've done the less than smart thing....  And seriously overcharged that single shot pistol.   Once.   I'm pretty sure the palm of my hand was bruised for a couple weeks at least.....    And yeah, it was a bit of a calculated risk, looking at how thick the walls on that barrel are....   Right about 80 grains by volume of  Pyrodex P.   Huge cloud of smoke, at least 5 or so feet of flame out the muzzle, and that .50 caliber lead ball smacked the steel plate with a *very* resounding gong... and just...  disappeared....   Put a heckuva dent in the plate, too (mild steel).   

[mtnbkr]

You do need to clean them carefully, of course, and oil them, because even Pyrodex *will* rust. 

BTW.  I've done the less than smart thing....  And seriously overcharged that single shot pistol.   Once.   I'm pretty sure the palm of my hand was bruised for a couple weeks at least.....    And yeah, it was a bit of a calculated risk, looking at how thick the walls on that barrel are....   Right about 80 grains by volume of  Pyrodex P.   Huge cloud of smoke, at least 5 or so feet of flame out the muzzle, and that .50 caliber lead ball smacked the steel plate with a *very* resounding gong... and just...  disappeared....   Put a heckuva dent in the plate, too (mild steel).   

Yup.  I've used Pyrodex in the past.  It really isn't much cleaner than traditional black powder, just easier to find and safer to store.  Since this gun doesn't have a removable breech plug, I'll probably pull the barrel and clean it the old fashioned way with hot soapy water.

Ouch, 80 grains?  That's a decent hunting load for a rifle.  I'm going to stick with lite loads for plinking and noisemaking. 

Chris

[AmbulanceDriver]

Yeah.  it was a lot of fun, but damn did my hand hurt after that one....   I usually run a 30 grain load in it, and that's just plain fun.  stout enough of a load to be accurate and relatively consistent, and you can just shoot it all day long....

[mtnbkr]

I forgot to update this after shooting it.

It's fun!

I ran about 10 shots through it using 25gr Pyrodex P and a patched round ball.  I brushed and swabbed the barrel every 2-3 rounds.  It was never hard to load and was pleasant to shoot with 25gr (full 38special case).  Accuracy wasn't bad, maybe 6" at 25yds, but the groups were 6" high using a dead-on hold.  My target was a 6" "dot", so aiming at the bottom of the "dot" would put the shots closer to center.  I'll try a slightly warmer load and see if this brings it closer to POA.  If that doesn't work, I'll find a taller front sight. 

Clean up was a bit more than I'd like given the low number of shots.  I swabbed it out with patches saturated in BP-specific cleaner, then brushed, then swabbed some more.  After the bore looked clean, I cleaned the exterior surfaces and then ran hot soapy water down the barrel, swabbing and forcing soapy water through the nipple.  I ran a few patches down the bore until they started coming out clean.  I dried everything well, ran a lubed patch down the bore, then a couple dry ones, reassembled the gun, and put it away.  I checked it yesterday and saw no signs of corrosion.

Chris