I picked up a caplock Traditions Kentucky pistol kit cheap and practiced all sorts of stuff on it. Worst case, the lock fits my K. rifle. For me, it is the perfect pistol, since I am not a pistol shooter by any means; it will knock over a can of water at 10 yards like nobody's business. However, this type of fun only makes sense if you find something cheap and it works well enough for what you want -- I would be suspicious of a low-end flint lock, for example. If you shop carefully, you should be able to pick up high-quality (not necessarily high end) parts for a pistol build relatively inexpensively over a short time, and end up with a better product. All you really need to buy is the barrel and lock (and possibly inlet stock blank [cheap for pistols] and set triggers, if desired); you can make the rest out of sheet (brass or iron, or whatever) or buy suitable castings.
