New to the sport, but am wondering about getting a Black Powder revolver for handgun hunting for close in Whitetails @ 40 yards and under ?
Ideas on guns, bullets and loads would be very helpful.
THXS !

First, I would check to see whether or not it is legal in the state you reside or are planning to hunt.

The Ruger Old Army is a good starting point.

Keep in mind that the state may have a caliber restriction on black powder. My state used to say 45 whereas the typical b/p handguns are either 44 or 36. But now in my state 36 cal is the minimum, so you could legally use that 1851 Navy Colt, although I frankly wouldn't consider it. You might as well use a 380 acp. The impact should be about the same.

And even if it's legal, the Cap & Ball b/p handgun would be strictly for secondary or finishing shots at point blank range. It simply doesn't have the power to be a primary weapon for deer size game (excepting the Colt Walker model). When I was in black powder my primary deer weapons were not the handguns, but the TC 50 cal Hawken and a PH 577 cal Enfield.

What I had in handguns were Colt foreign knockoffs for shooting and real Colts for collecting. I have long since sold all that off as they were VERY prone to misfires, very prone to broken hands/lifters, very prone to sticky cylinders after a few shots (which causes broken lifters when you rotate the cylinder), prone to the caps fallings off, EXTREMELY bothersome to clean and like I said not that powerful. And although I never had it happen, there have been plenty of chain fires where all chambers let go at the same time. There are a couple reasons for that happening.

As far as loads go, there's only one load possible, a round ball and the standard 30 grains of powder. But first read up on how to do that safely. The ball must be seated firmly on the powder. And placing the caps is the LAST thing you do. And for heaven's sakes, seal the chambers properly. And don't try carrying the thing around with a loaded chamber under the hammer.

Overall, the Cap & Ball b/p handguns are for target/plinking and for display or novelties or for re-enactment action. I do NOT recommend them for big game hunting.

If you're interested in hunting with a blackpowder handgun, I'd probably ditch the idea of using a revolver and go with a single shot .50 caliber or bigger. 40 yards is probably a realistic max range.

Even a .44 only launches a 130 grain ball at around 800-900 fps. That's about the equivalent of a .38 special cowboy load.

Back in the day many a Buff was Capped from horseback using a Colt Dragoon.I think an Old Army would be the way to go with a conical boolit!!!

I killed a few javelina and a medium sized hog with a Ruger Old Army and round balls. I never shot mine with conicals or over a chronograph but given some care about range and size, I think they are enough gun for some hunting. They are the most powerful readily available black powder revolver I know of that have sufficent accuracy for the task, too. And they can be very very accurate. Both of mine were.

FWIW, the actual ball diameter for an Old Army is .457, not .429 like the 44 Special and Magnum but the .457 round ball is still light for caliber; only 145 grains and they are pure lead. The Old Army can drive them fast enough to mushroom, further reducing penetration.

I believe Clements will deepen the chambers of your OA allowing more powder. From what I read, it makes a good bit of difference. I would have no problem with a conical from an OA on a MS deer at 40 yards and under with a well placed shot.

Thank you all for all the excellent advice. The use of a single shot had not crossed my mind. Which single shots have you folks had experience with that would fit the bill ?
Did TC ever make the Contender as a muzzle loading Black Powder handgun ?
THXS !

If you mainly just want to experience black powder in a handgun, there are also b/p cartridge revolvers. These would hold more than the 30 grains of powder traditionally used in the Colt cap n' ball replicas that you see so many of. I imagine probably 40 grains, as in 44-40 and 38-40. Not to mention 45LC also. And of course here you're talking bullet, not round ball.

Anyway, the Ruger OA is not one of the b/p guns I've owned, but if it were me and I was interested in one I'd start by finding out its powder capacity.

Also remember this - ANY gun can produce a dead deer, including a 22 long rifle. BUT, with many types of guns, any resemblance between that and a sportsmanlike kill is purely coincidental.

quote:

Originally posted by brotherlove:
Thank you all for all the excellent advice. The use of a single shot had not crossed my mind. Which single shots have you folks had experience with that would fit the bill ?
Did TC ever make the Contender as a muzzle loading Black Powder handgun ?
THXS !

As far as I know, all the muzzleloader barrels for TC's are rifle length, but it would be a pretty simple task for a gunsmith to cut one down to pistol length. The CVA optima comes in a pistol version, and it's reasonably similar to a Contender, and you can probably find one for about the price of a Contender barrel:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com...pistol.aspx?a=873686

30 grains of FFF is the "standard" Old Army load, mostly because it's what the manual recommends. You can get close to 50 grains of FFF in the chamber if you're willing to skip a wad and compress the heck out of it seating the ball. You can do 40 pretty comfortably and most 7-1/2 inch barrels will get between 1050 and 1100 with 40 grains.

Those full house loads blow a lot of hot gas back through the nipple and you need to make sure you have tight fitting caps or you'll get most of your chain fires from the back end, not the chamber mouths.

quote:

Originally posted by MS Hitman:

The Ruger Old Army is a good starting point.

I'll second that! I have a friend that shoots one (ROA)for wild boar with a conical. Plenty good for them.

Any firearm/cartridge is like the three rules for realtors,

Location, Location, Location.