Handguns

After many years of range and field testing, I launched my own line of specialty Big Game Hunter and Target muzzleloading pistols in 2007. In this writing I hope to address most of the common questions and concerns that arise about muzzleloading handguns. Be Safe, Be Happy and Enjoy!





Basic Overview

Historically, handguns were intended to be used as a very short range, most often 10 yards or less. Mass was reduced and carry-comfort increased by utilizing a relatively short 8"-9.5" barrel which was also necessary to contend with the large radius curved grip common to most pistol designs. Anyone who has handled a typical "Kentucky" style pistol with an 11"-12" straight octagon barrel and large radius grip understands the term "muzzle-heavy". Changes in grip style and barrel profile are clearly evident on the original "specialty" pistols like those for dueling and target shooting. The early "gentleman's pistols" or "coat pistols" show radical changes in pistol design reflecting the compaction of overall length by greatly reducing the grip curve radius while the saw-handle grip style was evolving on target pistols as were longer tapered barrels. Commonly pistol bores were matched to the rifle so one could use the same balls and patches for both and the pistol. The majority of pistols had no sights or only a small front bead or blade.

A good target pistol can be a good small game hunting pistol and a big game hunting pistol can make a good target pistol but a target pistol is not a good choice for big game hunting.

Modern Times

In our modern times, handguns have taken on a whole new meaning especially in hunting and target shooting. It is not uncommon for handgun aficionados to hunt small and large game or shoot target matches at very long ranges. Often when one thinks of hunting big game with a handgun visions of an XP-100™, Redhawk™ or Contender™ come to mind leaving the muzzle-stuffing black powder burners like myself wondering why we're left out of the loop. While I lived in Pennsylvania, hunting regulations would not allow the use of muzzleloading pistols but that did not quell my desire to build and shoot high power muzzleloading handguns ... of course the PGC finally changed the hunting regulations after I moved to Florida! While more states are finally understanding that one can ethically hunt with muzzleloading handguns, one must be familiar with the regulations of the state in which you plan to hunt.

Modern components and methods afford us the opportunity to build very reliable and very accurate guns no matter if one chooses a modern style or a traditional style. Unlike the cheap mass-production guns, the locks I use are precision tuned to provide optimum performance and my barrels are custom made for the intended use and match-grade quality. One can choose traditional style sights or any combination of modern sights including optical. One even has choices of stock material from the traditional hardwood to modern laminates and synthetics.

Barrels

No matter if we're talking rifle, shotgun or handgun, if the barrel is of insufficient quality or is not properly matched to the application, it's not going to perform as desired. Commonly available muzzleloading handgun barrels are made with excessively fast-twist rifling that is only suitable for running PRB's with light plinking loads and are only available in straight octagon profiles. From the standpoint of ballistics and sight radius, the longer the barrel the better ... however ... one must consider the fact that the longer the barrel, the more mass one has to contend with. A 50 caliber straight 15/16" octagon barrel is muzzle-heavy at just 10" long, add another 3-4 inches as is required to obtain sufficient ballistic performance for big game hunting and it feels like an anchor hanging on the end of a mop handle. One wants as long a barrel as can be practically applied for both hunting and target shooting use and the only way to eliminate excessive muzzle weight is to use a more suitable exterior profile such as; tapered round or octagon, octagon to round or full round. The combination of barrel length and profile plays a major roll in creating the proper distribution of mass and the resultant overall balance of the gun.

Optimum barrel length is determined by the two primary factors of intended use and bore diameter. A bore of any given diameter and length can only efficiently burn a given volume of powder in relation to the mass of the projectile. The shorter the barrel, the lower the velocity will be with a given powder charge and projectile combination which is why, from a ballistics standpoint, one must utilize a handgun barrel that is as long as can be reasonably accommodated. For big game hunting and long-range target shooting, barrels should be 14.5" to 16" long, the length is easily accommodated using a profile other than straight octagon.

Small Bores

Bores under 40 caliber are "small bores" and are suitable for both target shooting and small game hunting. The first thing one must consider with small bores is range limitation. While the little 32 caliber is capable of throwing a PRB 1000 yards or more, the smaller the ball, the more the range is limited by accuracy and power. While the PRB is a highly effective projectile, they are not immuned to the laws of physics in that they loose velocity quickly and are very susceptible to being shoved around by air currents and breezes. While both the 32 & 36 caliber are fully capable of producing excellent accuracy at longer ranges if the conditions are right, one should consider self-imposed reasonable range limits based on known accuracy and ballistic performance as well as hunting ethics. Speaking only in "general terms", small bores should be considered limited to about 40 yards. If you're like me and your friend "Arthur Itis" is always hanging around, handling small diameter balls can be an issue especially in cold temperatures ... but, don't let ole Arthur get you down because pre-loading PRB's into a ball board eliminates the hassles.

Medium Bores

Medium bores are the 40-50 caliber, and yes, I often get some flak for lumping the 50 & 54 calibers into the "medium bore" category but I do that because they also serves well for target shooting use. The 40 caliber is an excellent all-around choice that isn't too-big for small game while being very effective for turkey and varmint hunting as well as target shooting. I personally find the 45 & larger calibers too-big for small game but excellent for medium game, varmints and target shooting. The 50 & 54 calibers are both good choices for long range target shooting and up to deer-size game when sufficiently loaded.

Big Bores

The big bore category is for 58 and larger calibers. The main concern with big bore handguns is how much of a load you can handle. While black powder does not tend to beat the crap out of the hand and joints like smokeless, one must consider the amount mass you're pushing. While the 55gr mass difference between the 0.535" and 0.575" PRB doesn't seem like much, you'll definitely notice it in a handgun especially with a powder charge suitable for hunting or long-range target.

Rifling Twist Rates

Common handgun barrels for shooting PRB's are rifled with exceptionally fast twist rates and rather shallow grooves because most all are intended only for short-range target shooting. The faster twist rates are suitable for use with light powder charges and consumables of lesser quality and the shallow grooves make for easier loading. If you intend to shoot longer ranges or hunt with a handgun, you're more likely than not to be happy with a fast-twist shallow-groove bore. My long-range and hunting handgun barrels for PRB's utilize slow-twist deep-groove rifling just like rifle bores of the same caliber. One of the most common myths you'll find, especially on the internet, is that slow-twist bores require heavy powder charges to shoot accurately. To some extent, those statements are true but low-quality consumables and inconsistent loading are often the causes of most problems as poor-quality balls require more spin to shoot accurately and inconsistent loading is not conducive to producing consistent results. Using high-quality consumables and consistent loading practices is an absolute must for any gun no matter if it loads from the muzzle or the breech and slow-twist bores are fully capable of shooting reduced loads. The twist rate and groove depth of conical bullet bores must take into consideration the projectile length, velocity and if the bullet will be used naked or patched.

Locks

Handgun locks must be compact and reliable with particular attention paid to the driven mass (moving parts) because the more driven mass, the more energy that has to be dealt with when shooting. Sidelocks (flint & percussion) require far more attention as the driven mass on sidelocks introduce both vertical and rotational forces that often result in the muzzle of the handgun being pushed downward and rotation of the entire gun toward the lock side as the hammer/cock and/or frizzen come to an abrupt stop. The driven mass of an underhammer action is directly in-line with the gun's center of mass presenting only a vertical force issue that is easily nullified when proper design attention is given to balance and mass distribution of the gun. Both the cock and frizzen interaction must be balanced on a flintlock.

Trigger

I do not recommend "single set" or "double set" triggers on any typical hunting gun no matter if it's a handgun or rifle. The most important issues are safety and reliability. A "set" hair trigger is not something you want to deal with in a hunting situation especially since most hunting is done in cold or otherwise ugly weather. Cold, swollen or gloved fingers do not have the same sense of touch the same fingers do on a nice sunny 80° day at the shooting range and a good many people have admitted to "screwing up a shot" because the hair trigger was prematurely tripped. A properly adjusted single-acting trigger is smooth, crisp and safe as the "pull" can be adjusted according to the shooter's desires or needs. While most set triggers can also be adjusted, one must consider the fact the audible "snap" of setting the trigger is often just enough noise to cause a critter to bolt (BTDT).

Fit & Feel

No matter how well a handgun is made or how cool it looks, if it doesn't fit you properly or doesn't feel right, you're not going to be able to shoot it consistently or comfortably. Balance and mass distribution are very important factors in all guns but even more so in handguns. The shape, position and plane of the grip in relation to the center of mass is critical to balance and proper mass distribution in relation to the overall combination of barrel profile, length and stock.

Sights

"Sight radius" is the "effective distance" between the front and rear sights, not the distance between the center of the sight mounts. The longer the effective sight radius is, the more parallax error will be reduced (parallax error is the visual problem one has when attempting to accurately align two or more independent points such as a front & rear sights and a target) As for the sights themselves, the "best sights" are the ones that work best for you and I strongly suggest you familiarize yourself with all the options available before making a decision. Sight radius is maximized by utilizing as long a barrel as possible, mounting the rear sight on the tang or by using cantilever mount rear sight. The most accurate shooting is achieved by using a sight combination that is complimenting, in other words, the front and rear sights must work well with each other. The front sight, be it blade or post, should be as narrow as the shooter's eyes will allow, the thicker the front sight, the more sighting error that will be introduced. The choice of front sight material can also make a huge difference in how well the sight works for the shooter, fiber optic sights will often cause wash-out of the target in bright light while a dark color is very difficult to see when lighting conditions are not optimum. A polished German silver blade or laminating the face of brass or iron front blade with a piece of polished copper provides a happy medium between the too-bright fiber optic and those that are too-dark. One should also consider that profile of the front sight on a hunting use handgun should be kept as low as possible to help prevent damaging the sight or having the sight being problematic like getting snagged on things.

Furniture & Attachments

Every piece of furniture and attachment adds mass thus changing the balance and mass distribution of the gun. Something as simple as a cast nose cap or front sling swivel may look cool or be handy but at the same time they're adding mass that must be accounted for as it relates to balance and handling. Everything depends on the desired function, look and feel of the completed gun and can be dealt with accordingly during the building process so if there's any chance you may consider adding a belt clip or sling swivel, think about now. Likewise, one can utilize adding a nose or grip cap as a method of adding a little weight to a light muzzle, shifting the center of mass towards the grip or adding some ballast weight to help with balance or recoil.

Finish

Although most clients don't ask many questions about finishing the metal and wood, these are important things to consider. First and foremost, any wood must be completely sealed from the environment, the most common problems arise from areas of the wood that are not visible when the gun is assembled and are therefore ignored. The exterior finish type must also be considered as a handgun will often see considerable handling and carry wear from bumps, bangs and the use of a holster, belt-clip or sling. For the those reasons, I always suggest clients go with an oil finish not only because it's easily maintained and restored but also because oil finishes penetrate the surface of the wood affording a much higher degree of protection even when the surface gets damaged. When it comes to finishing the metal, I suggest target shooters avoid bright white and polished hot blue finish simply because of glare and reflection issues that often cause sighting errors. For hunting guns, I suggest an aged white finish as it requires little care, allows damage spots to be easily corrected and wear spots blend right in. Standard brown is more durable than rust blue and rust blue is more durable than hot blue and remember that damage/wear to any of these finishes often requires complete refinishing to correct without it being readily noticeable.

Stock Design and Materials

Traditionally, a good piece of hardwood is the stock material of choice for muzzleloading handguns but one need not feel compelled to using only the typical Maple or Walnut as any hardwood suitable to the application is acceptable. For those interested in what is termed a "fantasy gun" (any gun other than a historically correct reproduction of an original) there is no law preventing the use of laminated or synthetic materials.