pistol load?

[Bigmon]

I have very little experience shooting FL pistols.  But am about ready to shoot my near completed 54 cal FL pistol.  10" Rice barrel.
I plan on carrying it with my 54 cal rifle, so I would like to be able to use same patch and ball, and 2F powder but realize that may not give me the best results.  And I use .535 balls in my rifle and they may be tuff loading in the pistol?
My primary question is "how much powder"  either 2f or 3f?  Just for starters?
Thanks to you guys that know about this stuff!

[JPK]

I use 30 grains of 2fg with complete success.

[smylee grouch]

When shooters would ask me how much powder to start out with I would usually say one grain of powder per caliber and work up 5 grains per target until you find a good load but 54 grains to start with in a pistol might be kinda stout !  You might be better off starting with 25-30 grains and work up from there.    JMHO

[Daryl]

In this pistol having a 66" twist, .535" bore diameter barrel, I used 55gr. 3F GOEX, a 10 ounce denim patch and .526" ball.
This load had a healthy recoil to it, but shot well. Less powder shot poorly due to the piece of rifle barrel used, but with this
load, it would do 2 1/2" at 50yards from a rest. The rear sight is simply the domed head of two pins set into the tank at the
breech end of the barrel.
I filed the tapered octagonal breech and then used my old Optical Company lathe to turn it round, + the wedding bands and
gently swamped shape. Originally, it was a 1" straight octagonal barrel to start with.

[PIKELAKE]

The pistol I shoot is a 54 caliber flintlock with a 10" Rice barrel. I shoot .530 balls, .015 ticking and 25 grains of 2F powder. It shoots well with this load and it kills paper just fine.  JZ

[Jeff Murray]

I suggest at least .010 under to make loading easier.  I use a .490 in in my .50 caliber flint pistol to make it a little easier to load.  It is still a grunt if you don't use a loading stand.

[Daryl]

I use the same .445" ball and 10 ounce denim in the 18" twist GM .45 barrel for this pistol, with 25gr. 3F. Shoot great.
The .54 refused to group even at 25 yards, with the light charges, due to the SLOW rifle rate of twist. Seems to me, that
load ran 1,200fps in the pistol, decent vel. with a 218gr. round ball, about like a 4" .44.

[alacran]

I have a pistol with a 10-inch .54 cal. Moody barrel, twist is one in 18. A load of 30 grains of2f with a .530 patched ball, is quite a handful. If you are carrying it for a backup shot, I would go to 40 grains of 2f. I shoot all my colonial style pistols one handed. If I were to use it for a backup it most certainly be for a coup de grace.
If loading a .535 ball is difficult in the pistol, I would change the ball size to .530 and do the same with the rifle.

[Bigmon]

alacran,
Yes, I have thought about trying a .530 in the rifle.  But it is an old (1996) barrel and has been shot many many times, and cleaned as many, and steel wooled and scotchbrite inside.  It is smooth as glass and is perfect with the .535 balls and .018 or so patch.
I may try and shoot that pistol today as it looks like it is warming up outside.  If it is hard loading maybe I'll just shine up the inside of the pistol and open it up to match the rifle.
I'd hate to carry two differnt size balls.  But I might just carry a few in a loading block for it.  Probably never get a shot anyway!?
Thanks ya'all

[Hungry Horse]

 Daryl has the answer, if it’s not a fast pistol twist you have to increase the powder charge to get the ball to spin.

Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

Dphar has to do the same with a rifle barreled pistol he had.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The pistol above is a .54 cal fast twist barrel.  I shoot 35 grains of FFFg under a .535" pure lead ball and a .018" patch.  I load it with a 'LONG STARTER" that has a good knob and brass loading tip.  It is easy to load and is accurate enough to beat all comers at the Salmon Arm Rendezvous last May aand at our our shoot in the early summer this year.  It is sighted for point blank at 25 yards.
I rarely use the ramrod to load this pistol.

[Bigmon]

Thanks to all.  I figured as much regarding needing a long starter.  I already made one.
This morning I coned the muzzle thinking that will help.
Soon as I get a bit warmer I am going to try it out.  I want to give it a try for deer soon as I can.

[hanshi]

My pistol is a .50 caliber match to my rifle and both use the same ball and 3F powder.  I've never run it through a chrono but have fired it a lot at 25 yards just to enjoy the accuracy.  It will consistently group 5 shots between one and two inches depending on the load.  I load the same .490" ball but with a thinner patch (rifle .024" & pistol .015" + or -) than is used in the rifle to help ease the loading process.  25 to 30 grains of 3f is a great target/plinking load and 40-45 grains is very serious.  Recoil of the heavy load is not especially enjoyable.

[Bob Gerard]

Pistol shooting can really be fun!
However- unless you can get right up close and personal, I would not suggest or encourage you using your pistol for deer hunting.

[Bigmon]

I was able to get out this afternoon and try the pistol.  It shot pretty consistant until the sun was out so bright I had trouble seeing the sights.  Too much glare, especially since I have not browned or blued the barrel yet.
I was able to load the same .535 balls and .018 lubed patches I use in my rifle pretty reasonably so I will be ok with that for hunting.
I used 2f powder with 30 - 35 and 40 gr loads.  All shot about the same but seemes the 30 gr shot best.
After dtermining it was sighted in pretty well I tried shooting a pc of real hard and heavy treated 2x8 at 15 yds.  The 30 gr shot about half way thru.  The 35 and 40 gr split the board, so I really dont know if it would shoot thru?
I do not want to shoot a deer with this if it will not kill it?  I think it would need to be close and behind the front shoulder.
I have shot thru a deer with a cap and ball pistol, 44cal and 26gr 3f.  So I think 40 gr in a 54 should do the same.  Actually about the same velocity and bullet weight as a 44-40 rifle.

[smylee grouch]

More velocity might give you LESS penetration as you could get more bullet upset.

[Daryl]

I would think 40gr. in a .54 might rivet a bit on bone, but not much.
Likely go side to side just fine if only ribs are hit.

[Bigmon]

I think I will hunt with 40 gr FFG.
For just shooting seems like 30 -35 will be fine.
Finally pretty much finished it up.

[Dphariss]

I have used something from 45 to 70 grain range FFF. I think I am shooting about 35-40 from the Don King pistols I have. But I don’t want to change the sights and heavier loads change the point of impact. I built a percussion with a 9-10” barrel 70” twist and it liked 70 gr of FFF Goex. About like a 44 mag. Killed deer with it. Smashed the humerus (see photo), took out the arteries at the top of the heart and stopped at the far side hide, Deer piled in about 25 yards IIRC.  But this was close to 30 years ago. A 6” piece of 66 twist douglas barre in 50 cal made 800 fps with 45 grains and shoot through an Antelope’s chest at 25 yards +- and put up a big plume of dirt in the Sage Brush beyond modern hunter had shot him through the mouth with a nasty would on the off side. Gave him to a needy family. It would make it to the far side hide on the diagonal chest shot on a Mule Deer buck including the heavy muscle behind the humerus. A friend who ended up with this shot a client wounded cow elk (broke the front leg)  between the eyes, she was charging him ball went back to vertebra behind the brain cavity. So don’t consider them to be pop guns.
They are very effective.  If hunting from a blind with close range shots a 9-10” pistol would be all that was needed. If it was legal.