Black Powder Handguns

[powhs]

A lot of people still hunt with blackpowder rifles. Does anyone use a blackpowder pistol for hunting. How powerful are the 36 and 44 cal revolvers?

[dj454]

I can't say for other states but NC does not allow black powder handguns for hunting.As to the power you are limited with black powder revolvers. They are fun to shoot (not to clean) but not very well suited for hunting for a humane kill.

[CJS3]

I saw an article in I think Guns and Ammo (not sure about the magazine) about someone hunting with a Ruger Old Army black powder pistol. It was loaded to Magnum pressures with conical bullits. I got the impression that the pistol was loaded to the limit of what you could safely shoot.

[TScottW99]

Not legal here in VA either.  Wish you could with the new BP pistols such as the T/C Encore with a 15" barrel.  That would be fun!! 

[Bowhunter57]

A lot of people still hunt with blackpowder rifles. Does anyone use a blackpowder pistol for hunting. How powerful are the 36 and 44 cal revolvers?

powhs,
Black powder revolvers are excellent to hunt with....if you're hunting small game. There are a few states that allow their use for large game. A full framed revolver will be more accurate than an open cylinder frame. I've hunting varmints with .44 caliber revolvers, but had no interest in .36 calibers, because I wanted all the power that I could get. Once you've found a load that works (is accurate), 1 1/2" groups at 25 yards are attainable.

For hunting purposes, I've had better success with round balls vs. conical bullets. They are ballistically challenged, but have some serious knockdown power, when they hit an animal and flatten out.

I highly recommend a Ruger New Army revolver. Uberti and Pedersoli are a couple of good brands too. Keep in mind, if you're looking for a retro style revolver with fixed sights, read the history on that particular model to see what it was built to do. For example: the 1858 old army .44s were built to have an accurate range of 30 to 50 feet and the P.O.A. will be dead on at that range. Closer or further distances will show a higher or lower P.O.I.

Good hunting, Bowhunter57

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