Period pistols

[AllByMeOnesies]

I'm talking a typical pistol around 1690. What would be the loading procedure for such? Also, in movies you see men walking about with the pistol on their person then whipping it out and firing it. This, of course, makes me wonder about the logistics of such a thing, considering loose gunpowder, etc. Am I making any sense?

[Dorian Lasseter]

Alright,

The loadin' procedure I know n' use off th' top of my head....

This will be loading from a paper cartridge. Loading from a horn is only slightly different...

1 Pull cock back to half-cock (or on the dog, for a doglock)

2 Open Frizzen (Pan cover)

3 Rip open end of cartridge with teeth.

4 Pour enough powder into pan to fill it.

5 shut Frizzen.

6 Point muzzle skyward and pour remaining powder into barrel, then stuff the cartridge paper (with ball in end) down barrel.

7 use ramrod to fully seat the ball.

Pistol is now ready to fire, once the cock is drawn to full cock.

The cartridge paper will wedge the ball in nicely, as long as it's the right caliber, i.e. .615 cal for a .62 cal barrel, etc...

[Capn_Enigma]

Am I making any sense? 

Partly. Perhaps you should post your questions here: The Muzzleloading Forum. Or read the Wikipedia article on muzzleloader.

[HarborMaster]

I dont use a cartridge..., (I know I know dangerous.., a flask is a hand grenade) I go half-cocked then insert a tooth pick or a quill or a vent pick into the vent . Then pour the load from the measured flask. Then seat a lubed patch on the end of the barrel then the ball on the patch.

Then push the centered ball down.,then using the ram-rod push the ball home. After this I can remove the pick ., at which time I usually use 3 grains of 3fff into the flash pan and close it.

For me this secures covering the flash hole during loading as well as proofing the flash hole has been cleared. Also with the hole cleared as opposed to packed with powder I seem to get a faster ignition.

I guess I load from the opposite direction first. I prime last and prefer to leave my pick in the vent until I do.

I load my .50 ., .60 ., and .62 this way. My Blunderbuss is a bit differant because I dont use a ball. :) I load it the same with the powder procedure., its just I dont fire a ball., I fire something else. :)

[Patrick Hand]

in movies you see men walking about with the pistol on their person then whipping it out and firing it.

The pistol is loaded (see the above post), and the pan is primmed... all that is needed is to pull out the pistol, cock it (pull the hammer all the way back...) and pull the trigger (if everything works as intended) it will fire.....

A "flash in the pan" is where the powder in the pan ignites, (woof... a puff of smook) but dosen't ignite the powder in the barrel... (maybe the touch-hole is "clogged" )

There are a few things that can go wrong with a flint-lock.... but most of the time (unless you are trying to show someone how reliable they are....) they will go off......

[AllByMeOnesies]

Thanks to all for your help. The Wikipedia page was particularly interesting/informative.