This little beauty was built from a kit, patterned after a .31 caliber double-barelled pistol popular among gamblers in the mid 19th century. It was meant as a last means of defense across a card table. It was deadly at that range but not worth much beyond 5 yards. Slight pressure on the single trigger drops the right-hand hammer, as shown. A little more pressure drops the left-hand hammer. I imagine if I had to use this pistol, both hammers would drop at the same time. I panic easily!
I inherited this from my mother-in-law. It fires a .22 short - or it did. I think probably it would blow up with modern .22 shorts. No problem, though - the firing pin is broken. When you push the button on the side, the barrel drops, exposing the breech for loading. The pistol has a rear peep sight, with a cover on the front blade sight. Maybe I'll fix it one day and try it out with .22 BBs.
I'm still working on this cap and ball muzzle loader. As you can see, it has a long way to go, although it's almost ready to be test fired. I still have to secure the hammer to the lock, and put a cleanout screw in the side of the firing chamber. Those items, a trigger guard and front sight, and all this pistol will need is a little more work on the stock. The octogon barrel is .41 caliber, taking a .40 caliber lead ball and a fine patch. Optimum load will probably be about 12-14 grains of FFF powder, but that will have to be determined by testing.
Here are a couple of pistols I enjoy shooting. I've used them both on grouse while deer hunting. The flintlock is homemade, .41 caliber and 15 inches long. I've forgotten what it weighs, but it's too heavy to carry on your belt all day. But 30 grains of FFFG black powder and about the same volume of #7 bird shot make it a good grouse gun.
The little one is a .41 caliber cap and ball deringer I picked up in Tucson in the '60s. It's only 7" long and fits easily in a pocket. For grouse, I use 15 grains of FFFG black powder and about the same volume of #7 bird shot. It works well at close range, but after 10 feet the shot pattern is so wide it's not effective. Both weapons have rifled barrels, intended for .39 caliber patched balls. The deringer is of the same general design (and the same caliber) as the one used to assasinate Lincoln.
Here's the flintlock in the full-cock position. The hammer (or "cock") holds a piece of wedge-shaped flint in a tiny vise. The piece just forward of the hammer is called the "frizzen." It's L-shaped. The piece sticking up is struck by the flint, which throws a spark downward. The bottom of the L covers the pan, which holds the ignition powder.
When the flint strikes the frizzen to make the spark, the frizzen is pushed forward as shown, exposing the pan. The spark obligingly lands in the pan and ignites the powder there. The fire in the pan goes through a small hole in the side of the barrel to ignite the main charge.
It seems like a Rube Goldberg affair, but it's actually very simple and quite dependable, as long as the weapon is well maintained. "Well maintained" means keeping the flint sharp to ensure a good spark, and keeping the hole in the barrel well cleaned so the fire can get from the pan to the powder in the barrel. The term "flash in the pan" comes from failure to keep that hole clean. The hammer falls, the frizzen accepts the spark, the powder in the pan ignites with smoke and fury, and nothing else happens.
This is a replica .44 caliber Army cap-and-ball revolver, made in Italy by (or for) Lyman in Middlefield, Conn. It shoots a .451 round ball. It's an accurate weapon, and the originals took a deadly toll in the Civil War and after. The holster is a modern replica of those used by both armies in the Civil War. It's designed to be worn on the right side, pistol butt forward -- not the most convenient setup for a quick draw! |
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Ok, it's not a muzzle-loader. But I've wanted a 1911A1 .45 automatic for ever since I can remember. This one is made in the Phillipines, by the Rock Island Armory, and is as close to the WWII military issue as I could find. I bought it in November, 2006, and so far (February 5, 2007) I've put about 300 rounds through it. It's every bit the weapon I'd hoped it would be, as it lends itself to "point and shoot" as well as aimed fire. And, of course, it hits like the proverbial ton of bricks. The weapon was adopted as a result of our army's experience with the Moros in the Phillipines. The army's official handgun at the time was the .38 long revolver. Moros, high on drugs and tightly wrapped in leather, could not be knocked down with that cartridge. After being given a mortal wound, they would continue their attack long enough to kill their enemy. The .45 auto solved that problem. Hit someone with that slow-moving, heavy slug and that person is down -- not necessarily dead, but certainly down. |
