Cast off on Pistol

[Reegee/Flint]

Has anyone ever encountered a Flint lock pistol with some cast off?
I`m thinking of Rt and Lt handed people who have a dominant opposite eye and those with eye and arm injuries. Just curious

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I am one such shooter.  I am left handed and right eyed.  So when I look over the sights on a handgun, I have to lay my left cheek hard against my left shoulder...apparently it's a strange looking way to shoot.  An IPSC shooter here commented on my form once, asking me why I just didn't roll the pistol over to the right to align with my eye.  I told him I was taught by the RCMP to always keep the pistol in a vertical plane to prevent the shot from going to the side.  It's worked for my well so far, and I see no advantage to changing.
I've never heard of a pistol with cast off.  But it certainly could be done.  For me that would mean kicking the grip off at an angle of about 135 degrees.  I think that would be weirder than my form.

[alacran]

Gee Taylor, I am right eye dominant and very right handed. I would have a hard time brushing my teeth left handed without injuring myself. However I can shoot a pistol with my weak hand and just use my right eye. Figured that when I shot IPSIC, often times you had to shoot weak handed.

[Stophel]

With "cast off" you would end up with some really weird wrist twisting recoil.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I have built pistols where I off center the trigger to make it easier for a shooter to reach. I guess that is some form of cast off. 

Cory Joe Stewart

[Daryl]

With "cast off" you would end up with some really weird wrist twisting recoil.

Exactly, with pistols, you usually have recoil induced point of impact, but of course sights can be changed to compensate,  however, any
recoil induced point of impact caused due to a cast-off stock, will not be in a vertical line, thus at range, horizontal dispersion will also
come into it.  On the pistol course at Hefley Creek (Rendezvous B.C.) for example, there are some close targets, but also targets 25,50 and 100yards.
Longer range shooting is easier if the drop is on a vertical line.

[kudu]

I'm with the consensus that recoil might be "strange" pushing shots Right or Left Depending on the stock "cast" direction.

i Know just enough about Pistol,Sidearm ,Handgun "whatever", shooting just enough to be semi proficient.

On a Side note Im building From the Plank a Flint Pistol Right Now!!! and man am I having problems.
Its going to be for shooting at paper, I stress "AT PAPER" . Its going to be ugly I made some Mistakes and had to glue in some wood patches oh well.

Not sure Ill post any Pic's will see.

Small .40 cal with 1:22 twist 12 inch long Barrel.
Small Chambers Queen Ann Lock.

[Osprey]

You mean you don't shoot sideways, thug life gansta style?!  That may be something for flintlocks though, the priming powder would fall straight down into the touchhole.   

[flinchrocket]

A good flintlock will fire no matter what position its in. Try it! 

[Craig Wilcox]

Like a few others, I had to be competent with right or left hand shooting, and behind barricades, to use my left eye only.  I usually managed to shoot a possible several times of the year.

The human mind and psyche are wonderful things, they can get used to almost impossible situations and difficulties.  I am sure that, just as we compensate for elevation, we will be able to adjust windage (left/right), no matter what the recoil situation is.

[Reegee/Flint]

As to shooting "Sideways" There are many period paintings and drawings showing the shooter holding the pistol in a horizontal lock up position. This is usually seen on Dragoons and Cavalry. European pictures show this also so it is not just an American trait.  I don`t know if the pan placement theory is correct or maybe there was more of a possibility of hitting your target on a galloping horse?          Your thoughts......

[bama]

Wrist position plays a very important role in accurate pistol shooting along with how you grip the pistol. Cast on or cast off deals with the alignment of the shooting eye with the sights in a long gun. In pistol shooting your stance and obtaining your natural point of aim is where you start. Early pistol grip design forced the shooter to break his wrist over to line up the sights. Later plow handle grip design do not force you to break over the wrist so how the pistol is gripped has a big impact on point of aim and shot placement.

[Elnathan]

As to shooting "Sideways" There are many period paintings and drawings showing the shooter holding the pistol in a horizontal lock up position. This is usually seen on Dragoons and Cavalry. European pictures show this also so it is not just an American trait.  I don`t know if the pan placement theory is correct or maybe there was more of a possibility of hitting your target on a galloping horse?          Your thoughts......

I was just thinking about this a few weeks ago and figured that they probably did hold the pistols sideways, but didn't go looking for pictorial evidence...nice to have that confirmed! They held swords sideways too. Horses go up and down as well as forward, so if you hold a heavy weapon out upright with your wrist bent down, you run the risk of breaking or otherwise seriously injuring your wrist. If you hold your sword with the blade horizontal with your knuckles up, though, your wrist then has enough freedom of movement that it can flex as your horse moves over uneven terrain at speed with you hold a 2-3 pound sword at arms length.

I am going to hypothesize that the trend towards more curved pistol grips, at least in cavalry pistols, over the 18th century is related to the decline in body armor - in the 16th and 17th centuries pistols were very long and heavy in part at least to give them the power to punch breastplates and helmets. Power meant recoil, so they were made with fairly straight grips. As fewer cavalry wore armor (and probably powder improved) pistols got progressively shorter (eventually going from 16in to 9in barrels over the course of the 18th century). As they got lighter or at least shorter and the need for heavier charges with heavy recoil declined, the risk of hurting yourself from an upright wrist position grew less and grips grew more curved to accommodate the new style of shooting.  Now to look for evidence....

[Reegee/Flint]

I found this short video on youtube  which has some of the best reasons why a FlintLock pistol may have been held differently on horseback. The author has done some great research.

[Osprey]

Neat video.  One thing I can tell just sitting here is that when I raise my arm to point at something my hand naturally falls sideways, gripwise.  On cavalry pistols without sights that would also support the side hold, simply instinctive point and shoot.  Either way seems the bloods and crips have nothing on the Dragoons!

[Scota4570]

Put the sights on the right side of the barrel.   

[Reegee/Flint]

I don`t think they took the time to aim....point and shoot, maybe 10 to 25yds. Most loads were double ball or a ball and 6 or 8 Swan shot, guaranteed to take a man out of the saddle.

[alacran]

I have never shot or for that matter handled a dragoon pistol. The video is interesting. Some one needs to get on a horse with a pair of these in a saddle holster and see if the holster set up has something to do with the way it is gripped.  One of the many laughable moments in the movie "The Patriot" is when the British antagonist with his pistol unseats a fleeing Patriot horseman at a considerable distance.