[RL357Mag]

Just for sh!tz and giggles I thought I'd shoot a kit gun that I built back in the 80's for a display above my fireplace. It is a CVA Kentucky pistol in .45 cal. A 25 yd. 5-shot group yielded a 5.5" spread...not spectacular, but still quite deadly. The Philadelphia Derringer underneath was my first kit and the first real pistol I ever owned and carried when I was 18...it would stay loaded for months and was always under the front seat of my 64' Plymouth Valiant...

[CA357]

Cool beans.

[RL357Mag]

Yeah, I can see how dueling matches were a scary proposition. It's hard to believe people actually missed!

[orangello]

I've been told that it might actually be more deadly to get hit by a black powder pistol than by a cartridge pistol due to the lower velocity & fuller transfer of energy without the danger of a thru-n-thru shot. Is that BS, or does that make sense to you?

[Dillinger]

That's pretty cool RL - Looks like that thing is pretty damn accurate at 25yards. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be dueling against you.

JD

[RL357Mag]

Originally Posted by Dillinger

That's pretty cool RL - Looks like that thing is pretty damn accurate at 25yards. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be dueling against you.

JD

Thanks JD - it's not a target pistol, but for a replica of a 150 yr.old gun it holds its' own..

[RL357Mag]

Originally Posted by orangello

I've been told that it might actually be more deadly to get hit by a black powder pistol than by a cartridge pistol due to the lower velocity & fuller transfer of energy without the danger of a thru-n-thru shot. Is that BS, or does that make sense to you?

That's correct. Several historical journals depict the deadly results of being hit by relatively slow moving, large lead balls. We've all seen the photo's of civil war battlefield medical stations with amputated limbs piled high. Getting hit on a bone by a .50-.69 cal. projectile almost always resulted in massive splintering followed by amputation - without anesthesia!

[skullcrusher]

Originally Posted by orangello

I've been told that it might actually be more deadly to get hit by a black powder pistol than by a cartridge pistol due to the lower velocity & fuller transfer of energy without the danger of a thru-n-thru shot. Is that BS, or does that make sense to you?

Did you seriously say "more deadly"? Wanna rethink that?

Anyhoo, very nice RL. If it ever comes down to nuttin but bp, those who ignore them will be without.

[c3shooter]

I have a pair of those (in case I ever need to offer an opponent choice of weapons) and they are tack drivers.

Re: deadliness- well, there is really no dead-deader-deadiest. Dead is an absolute. However, if you live thru the initial OW!, there are other problems, BP bullets tend to be big and slow. They do not self sterilize from air friction, usually have a blob of grease on them, and tend to carry clothing etc into the wound.

As Mr. Rogers would say "Boys and girls- can YOU say GANGRENE? Sure ya can."

BTW, at one time, true DUELING pistols were not rifled. Too accurate. Not sporting at all, you see. Cruelest insult- if your opponent missed- was to "delope"- point your pistol in some direction OTHER than opponent, fire, walk away.

[Dillinger]

Originally Posted by RL357Mag

Thanks JD - it's not a target pistol, but for a replica of a 150 yr.old gun it holds its' own..

For a blackpowder, smooth bore? I would take that accuracy all day long.