My friend

[Voodoochile]

Some may remember a few months where I showed a lady friend the pleasure of firearms by showing her & then having her shoot my Lyman Trade Rifle .50 cal. & my Pietta NMA w/ 5.5" barrel .44 cal..

Well ever since then she's been on a mission to find her self a few black powder firearms & her first one that she put money on is a Remington copy "picture looks to be Uberti" in .36 cal..
She was torn between that or the steel framed Pietta 1851 Navy .44 cal but she said that the 1858 felt better in her hand, her goal is to shoot up to 50 yards with it & wasn't sure if a .36 ball would make it that far, I reassured her that it can by telling her my experience with a 51' Navy in .36 cal. hitting a 100 yard shot "at the time I wasn't sure the ball would make it that far but Dad told me to aim for the top of the target which I did & it hit the bottom of the outer ring."
After that she decided to get her the 1858 in .36 cal. & a .375 ball mold for it.

Just wanted to share this.

 

[BHP FAN]

I should be getting a pair myself in about a week...Pietta's in my case.Congrats!

 

[scrat]

And have you married her yet

 

[goon]

IIRC, Wild Bill Hickock killed a man with a .36 caliber Colt Navy at about 75 yards. Google it. Also, it will burn less powder and use less lead. Balls for the .36 are about $4 cheaper per 100 and casting will also get your more shots for the same pound of lead. I wanted a .44 but it's hard to say that a .36 doesn't make more economical sense.

My new 1858 (albeit a .44) should be here around Wednesday! I already want about three more percussion revolvers and a couple muzzloading rifles as well as a smoothbore or two. Hopefully your friend doesn't wind up in the poorhouse (which is likely where I'm headed!).

 

[Voodoochile]

No Scrat she's just a friend.

Goon, I forgot about the Hickock & Tutt account but I'll let her know.
My next purchase will more than likely be the Uberti Cattleman Carbine or a percussion Shotgun, I've been hankerin for one of them for some time, but I'll have to wait a while to get one.

 

[Pulp]

One more of us, one less of them.

 

[BHP FAN]

Amen Pulp.'Chile, if you mean one of those revolving carbines, they are not all that.I have done that idea to death. Early on I had a shoulder stocked carbine fetish,and I've had the carbine,both BP and cartridge,a shoulder stocked 1860 twice[!] and I think I finally have it out of my system. I STILL think it looks cool,but it's not really a practical idea.On the other foot BP shotguns kick major butt,are fun to shoot,easy to load,and are even huntable.

 

[goon]

I would LOVE to have a smoothbore muzzleloader!
But I'm thinking for mine (one day when I can afford it), I'm going to go with something like a heavily built fowler that's been cut back for a bayonet. Something along the lines of a colonial musket - an American approximation of the Brown Bess (but in 20 gauge).
Another thing I'm thinking about... it would be possible to pick up a used Lyman, CVA, T/C, or whatever I decide I like best in a .54 caliber and have the barrel reamed out to .56 only in smoothbore. It would likely get me a gun with 60 yards or so effective range with a PRB that could also shoot shot charges at squirrels and rabbits. And it would be fun to shoot!
I don't even have a BP gun in my hands yet and I already want half a dozen more!