choosing between firearms

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stvpourciau

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Dec 20, 2012
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.44 black powder, short rifled barrel pistol or .22 semi-automatic rifle?

Both on the cheap just thumbing through Cabellas, both will be the only firearm in my possession.

Keep in mind that I have no problem with primitive firearms.

Hunting in mind, I'm having trouble seeing where a .44 sidearm would come in more handy than a good little .22; not enough for a deer and seems a little much for squirrel and rabbit. The .22 won't be taking any larger game either but at least it's seems more purpose driven.

Why a .44?
 
I like both, but you are right that they are day and night different. The BP revolver used to be much cheaper to feed, but I have not owned one in a while. And here at least, and in the other states I have lived in, it is not considered a firearm for most legal purposes. But it is allowed as a legal "taking device" on many game animals. If you are good and you are in your effective range, it will take small game if you have no use for the heads.

Both are fun for year round plinking though. Might want to scout out some of your favorite flavor of .22 ammo before commiting. It is scarce right now in many areas. Oh... and you can make up shot loads for the pistol. Comparable to a .410 shotgun except for the spread.
 
For me personally it'd be easy. Between the 2 choices, it would be the .22. Everyone should own at least 1 .22 rifle. The 12ga with standing..its prolly the most practical gun of all. Cheap practice/plinking. Small game hunting. Varmint control. Mid size game with the right ammo and shot placement. Countless deer have been poached by the mighty .22.

With subsonic ammo, it can easily be made very quiet if ever needed(SHTF scenario of some sort. there's something to be said regarding hunting squirrels undetected with nearby suburban neighbors).

I've gotten aprox 10k of .22 over the last 4-5 months at Cabelas, Midway, Gander, and Sportsman guide. Cheap prices can be had as well. Just gotta be vigilant.
 
Codger_64 said:
I like both, but you are right that they are day and night different. The BP revolver used to be much cheaper to feed, but I have not owned one in a while. And here at least, and in the other states I have lived in, it is not considered a firearm for most legal purposes. But it is allowed as a legal "taking device" on many game animals. If you are good and you are in your effective range, it will take small game if you have no use for the heads.

Both are fun for year round plinking though. Might want to scout out some of your favorite flavor of .22 ammo before commiting. It is scarce right now in many areas. Oh... and you can make up shot loads for the pistol. Comparable to a .410 shotgun except for the spread.
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The plastic cases of CCI can be gotten here, the days of the boxes are gone..

And yes, what attracted me initially with the .44 was making up shot shells but with a riffled barrel, I'm not sure what the range would be; if its worth it.

.410 is my favorite caliber of any gun, hands down
 
KDucky's brother said:
With subsonic ammo, it can easily be made very quiet if ever needed(SHTF scenario of some sort. there's something to be said regarding hunting squirrels undetected with nearby suburban neighbors).
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Yes, .22 CB caps would be my round of choice since my woods have gained a substantial rabbit population spilling into my yard over the past couple of years.
 
Arifled barreled gun will always spread the shot fairly widely.
 
Everyone should own a 10/22



But it's way too much fun to blast

if you don't already have a quality, accurate bolt .22 I'd start there first
Not based on price,

Learn to make quality hits instead of missing really fast.
 
Most BP pistols have a very slow twist and will not impart much spin to a properly prepared load. I used to regularly hunt squirrels with a single shot Kentucky pistol. But a round ball can be effective on small game too. Afterall, you can load it down for less velocity if you want. Just make up the chamber volume difference with wasp nest or cornmeal.
 
If you don't have one, get a 22LR rifle. I suggest a CZ 452 if you can find one. Don't overlook the lever-action 22s.
 
If you want a rifle or firearm, the place to start is a 22 rifle. From there, move to larger calibers and handguns in whatever caliber interests you.

My suggestion is that you find a Marlin 39A 22 rifle or Browning BL-22 (lever actions). You will be able to shoot shorts, longs, and long rifle ammunition without a problem. If you want something less expensive, then look at the Henry 22 rifles. These have a tubular magazine.

If you got a 22 semi-auto, you'd have to shoot CB Caps and Shorts single shot as they will not self load or cycle the action. The only semi-auto 22 rifle that will cycle things other than LR's is the Remington 550. I believe that's the right model number. They also have a pump action 22 rifle that is popular (Model 572). I grew up with one of those and have fond memories.

The bolt action CZ is a good choice. You may have the same problem with the magazine and loading anything other than long rifle (LR) ammunition. The CZ 452 Trainer is their least expensive model and it has excellent iron sights on it. That is not true of most 22 rifles (iron sights). It is a great 22 rifle.
 
12345678910 said:
Learn to make quality hits instead of missing really fast.
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This ain't my 1st rodeo ;)

Codger_64 said:
Most BP pistols have a very slow twist and will not impart much spin to a properly prepared load. I used to regularly hunt squirrels with a single shot Kentucky pistol. But a round ball can be effective on small game too. Afterall, you can load it down for less velocity if you want. Just make up the chamber volume difference with wasp nest or cornmeal.
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I'd be interested in hearing more of what Codger (or any of you) have to say about this BP .44

rocketbomb said:
IDon't overlook the lever-action 22s.
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I've been seeing a lot of these posted lately
KDucky's brother said:
Theres plenty of .22LR subsonics avail. Even most std velocity ammo runs subsonic. Depending on barrel length of course.
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I'll google some of what you're talking about soon
 
22-rimfire said:
That was the plan.


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I agree guys, .22 us awesome, its also in high demand.

That's why I'm interested in hearing more about the merits and versatility of the .44 black powder pistol but it seems that most are having the same thoughts as I did, that .22 is essential.

I just wanna what the .44 can do for me the .22 can't. Plus its cooler asd probably less accurate.. Put ant decently built little rifle in my hands and ill hit with lol, I'm not worried about the price of the .22

Unfortunately price is a factor, convincing the women that I'm justified in "wasting" any money at at all on any firearm is a feat in itself.

So sub $200 is how its gunna be..

I recall a little youth , single shot crack barrel .410/.22 (changeable barrels that'll likely be .410 forever) at Walmart for about $120 mark a couple years ago. I really liked that one. Ruger? Marlin? I remember it had a brand name; that's probably an option as well
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Sub $200 will get you a decent .22 if that is what you want. Most autoloaders I have had were a pain to load single shot unless you have child-like fingers. And the lower power rounds of cb caps don't cycle all actions to extract and eject.

I'm not sure which pistol you are considering. A single shot is usually a muzzle loader with the powder and a patched round ball loaded from the muzzle. And a revolver involves individually loading the chambers of the cylinder. In the .44 revolver you use a .45 or .454 round lead ball and a ring is cut from it when it is pressed into the chanber with the rammer lever. So no patch is needed. For best safety and accuracy, shooters are loading felt wads under the ball on top of the powder now. Fast reloads require a spare cylinder. You just swap out the empty one for the loaded one to keep shooting. Both pistols require a seperate percussion cap be placed on the nipple at the back of the chamber to fire. They make a small tool to make this easier.

A percussion pistol is as accurate as the shooter and sights allow. Longer pistols with longer sight planes are easier to aim accurately. Some have crude original style open sights and some have modern target style sights. With a COlt Walker revolver I could consistantly print a pie plate at 25 yards. With a good long barrel kentucky pistol I could hit the same. At 25 feet I could consistantly hit a piece of 1 1/2" PVC pipe sticking out of the ground, a squirrel head. Cleanup after shooting can be a chore, but not bad once you learn how and develope a routine. Enjoyable actually. But you won't go out and shoot it and toss it back into the gun cabinet.
 
1. Pietta Model 1851 Confederate Navy .44-Caliber Revolver

2. Mossberg 702 Plinkster Semiautomatic Rifle
 
First, most new BP pistols are not very accurate out of the box. They need to be tuned up to work well. But, I bought a Marlin 795 .22 a few years ago and the trigger was horrible. So it required some work to get it right. But, my 795 is every bit as accurate as a stock 10-22 with a new trigger. So your BP-usually 4-6" group at 25 yards - unless you get really lucky or have it tuned. Your .22 auto - 1" groups at 25 yards are pretty typical. If you are really skilled, you might be able to tune the BP pistol yourself. I've read that many parts on the new BP pistols are soft. They will wear fast unless they get case hardened. Now, I am writing about 'cappers' and not about the BP cartridge pistols. Anyway, to put food on the table it is the .22 hands down. The fun factor is about the same for both of them.
 
Pietta Model 1851 Confederate Navy .44-Caliber Revolver. Pietta makes a decent pistol. Uberti, IMHO, is a step up. This particular one is brass framed and has no top strap over the cylinder. Thus the design is known to "shoot loose" meaning the frame tends to slightly distort over time. Thus lighter loads of powder are specified than the original pistols. Brass frames, if I recall correctly, were not used by colt on their black powder revolvers. Or by Remington on theirs. However it was used on some Southern produced pistols which were Colt copies during the war as a way to save steel. I believe the Leech & Rigdon revolver was one of these brass framed Colt copies. Thus brass framed modern Colts are often called "Rebs" and steel framed ones are called "Yanks.

And most makers/merchants today refer to the Colt repros as being "Army" or "Navy" by their caliber, .44 being the former, .36 being the latter. Though this was not strictly true of originals. I note that while the Pietta offered by Cabellas is brass framed and .44, they also offer a steel framed .36 Navy model for only $40 more. Both models have the rudimentery original style sights. The front is a bead or peg like a shotgun and the rear is a notch machined into the hammer nose. And both have 7 1/2" barrels. These are fun guns and with practice are reasonably accurate and durable. But again they do take some care in loading and cleaning. And require a few special accoutrements, loading and cleaning supplies. Of course if you want the Cadillac of repro BP pistols, that would be the stainless Ruger Old Army with modern sights and improved design. And a price tag to match. You might also compare Cabellas prices and selection with Dixie Gun Works in Union City, TN. They are suppliers of all things blackpowder. I always wanted one of their full scale cannons or a cohorn mortar.
 
stvpourciau said:
That was the plan.


_-------/----------
I agree guys, .22 us awesome, its also in high demand.

That's why I'm interested in hearing more about the merits and versatility of the .44 black powder pistol but it seems that most are having the same thoughts as I did, that .22 is essential.

I just wanna what the .44 can do for me the .22 can't. Plus its cooler asd probably less accurate.. Put ant decently built little rifle in my hands and ill hit with lol, I'm not worried about the price of the .22

Unfortunately price is a factor, convincing the women that I'm justified in "wasting" any money at at all on any firearm is a feat in itself.

So sub $200 is how its gunna be..

I recall a little youth , single shot crack barrel .410/.22 (changeable barrels that'll likely be .410 forever) at Walmart for about $120 mark a couple years ago. I really liked that one. Ruger? Marlin? I remember it had a brand name; that's probably an option as well
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You are thinking of the Rossi matched pair.
They are OK quality. The sights on the .22 are poor, but still accurate enough for a squirrel or rabbit.
With a $200 budget they are probably your best option. Basically get 2 guns for the price of one.
The used gun market around here is crazy, maybe look for an older Savage or Stevens .22mag / .410 combo, they go for about $400 around here.
 
For your first firearm possession I would go with the .22. It is very fun to shoot and will make a great range gun, but is also very versatile in small game hunting. What are you thinking Ruger 10/22? Bolt .22s are also great rifles I I prefer them for hunting usually, but either will work.
 
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