Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Howdah pistol range report

I've only gotten out to the range twice since acquiring these guns, and I was rushed for time on both occasions, but it's a good start. The bores on this gun showed .627" on my caliper, so I ordered some new supplies from ToW. I ordered over-powder wads, fiber cushion wads, and over-powder cards in 19 gauge. The fiber cusion wads were dry, so I used my 50/50 mix of melted Bore Butter and olive oil. I used #6 chilled shot from ToW that's really a mix of #6 and #7; 2F and 3F GOEX; and RWS caps.



On a side note, I did a little test with the two types of caps I had, RWS and CCI #11 Magnums. I stuffed a cotton ball in the muzzle and popped a cap of each type (using the same barrel, to eliminate that variable). The RWS caps made a noticeably louder 'bang', produced much more sparks coming out from under the hammer, and threw the cotton ball about 8" farther. I don't know if this means hotter spark or better performance, I just thought the differences were interesting.

Anyway, I was shooting over a sandbag rest, and swabbing between shots with T/C No. 13 bore cleaner. I periodically checked to see if the load in the second barrel had shifted under the recoil of the first, but that never appeared to be a problem. My targets were attached to a piece of 1/2" plywood propped up against a rubbermaid container (pretty fancy, huh?).

My time was limited, so I wasn't able to test a lot of different loads. Mostly what I did was choose a load and try it at different ranges (I'll experiment with different loads as I spend more time at the range with it). For the same reason, I also used the cusion wads in their full 1/2" thickness. As I do more shooting, I'll cut them to one-half and one-third their thickness to see if performance is affected.

Disclaimer: I'm used to rifled pistols with sights. This was my first time shooting a smoothbore pistol with no rear sight and a bead front, so I wasn't expecting stellar accuracy.

For the shot loads, the load was 7/8 oz. of the aforementioned #6 shot (using my Lee adjustable shot dipper) and an equal volume of 3F GOEX, OP wad, lubed cusion wad, and OS card. I started at three yards (that's my "Oh s#*@!! A snake!!" range). Being short on time, I wasn't able to get as detailed with the loads as I would have liked. I wanted to mainly determine what effect changing the amount of shot and powder would have, so that's what I concentrated on, although I did try a couple of loads with the cusion wad cut in half.

With increasing loads, I ended up at a max of 1 1/8 oz. of shot with an equal volume of powder. Recoil was getting a bit stout at that point, and the patterns weren't really any better, so I went back down to a more manageable load. Although I did feel it could handle more, and I'll probably try heavier loads at a later date, just to see what it'll do. The only effect of cutting the fiber cusion wad in half was that it smacked the middle of the target and looked like it might do more damage than any of the shot! But I only tried that with a couple of loads. Since I don't think I'll be able to get out to the range for another couple of weeks now, I kind of rushed through it.

For now, here's a quick rundown. After trying a bunch of heavier loads, I ended up going back to 7/8 oz. of shot with an equal volume of 3F, OP wad, fiber cusion wad (1/2" thick, lubed with 50/50 melted Bore Butter and olive oil), and OS card. It was raining and muddy. With my target boards sitting on the ground, some of them were getting splattered with mud as some low-flying shot hit the ground in front of them. You might see mud streaks on them where I had to wipe them off before taking the picture.

Anyway, here are some examples of what I was getting (using a 14" x 14" paper):









A couple of caveats: Being in a rush, I jumped around with the loads a bit and wasn't very methodical with the testing. When I slow down and take more time with it, I'm hoping it will improve.

I'm not much of a shotgunner, and I'm hoping more people will be buying these guns so I can get some advice on them.

I'm using 19 gauge components, since that's all I have at the moment. I might get totally different results when I try 20 gauge wads (and different size shot), but that will have to wait a couple of weeks.

I'm going with strictly traditional-type loads for now. After I've had some more trigger time with it, I might try some modern plastic wads. That would probably tighten the patterns considerably and extend the useful range.

At this point, I'm thinking this gun might be good for close-range squirrels or flushing bunnies from the brush. Just a guess; it's a bit early to say yet as it will take more time to find a good load for it, and I have yet to try 20 gauge components.

For round ball testing, I used .610" cast balls I ordered from ToW (which actually showed .615" when I measured them), and .010" pre-lubed Wonder patches.




I started off with 30 grains of 2F GOEX, followed by an OP wad, and a patched ball (always loaded sprue-up). First group was 1" at five yards...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1817.jpg[/img]


The second group was 3 3/4" at ten yards...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1818.jpg[/img]


I wasn't real happy with that. The vertical stringing and large spread at close range wasn't encouraging. I decided to switch to 3F to see if it made a difference. It was a good move, this gun likes 3F better. First group was under 3/4" at five yards...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1878.jpg[/img]


Moving out to ten yards, it was doing 1 1/2", much better than it did with 2F...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1877.jpg[/img]


And I got the same 1 1/2" at 15 yards...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1887.jpg[/img]


I snapped this picture right after shooting that group at 15 yards, I thought it would be cool to show a shooter's perspective...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1885.jpg[/img]


It was performing pretty well, so I wanted to go farther, but the pistol line only goes up to 17 yards. So I went over to the rifle line and set up a target at 25 yards. This was definitely challenging with no rifling, no rear sight, and that big gold ball covering the target. Not exactly precision shooting, but it's fun trying. The rifle line is out in the open and is pretty windy (the wind was gusting from the right). So, still using 30 grains 3F, this is what I got...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1888.jpg[/img]

The right barrel made the hole on the right, the left barrel the hole on the left. There were two problems with that group: With the first shot (the one on the right), I jerked the trigger. I knew I had pulled the shot a bit. On the second shot (the one on the left), a right-to-left gust of wind suddenly blew when I fired. I think it might have been better if not for these two factors. But, I was out of time and I had to pack up and git. Later I plan to try heavier charges, hopefully the groups will stay tight.

I also tried some one-hand shots with 60 grains of powder just to try the recoil. The weight of the gun dampens it a bit. It wasn't a problem at all, very manageable.

The patches didn't look too bad (they got dirty from all the mud)...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1822.jpg[/img]


It was punching clean holes through the 1/2" plywood...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1820.jpg[/img]


And the bucket behind it...

[img]http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/mike53787/IMG_1821.jpg[/img]

The 19 gauge OP wads were pretty tough to load, as were the .615" balls. I'll try 20 gauge components and .600" balls later and see how it affects loading and performance. But 3F is definitely the granulation of choice for this gun.

I realize a smoothbore pistol isn't really intended for precision roundball shooting at 25 yards, but overall I was pretty happy with it's performance. I just regretted not having time to shoot more. More testing with varying shot loads will be in the near future, as will juggling the charges and cushion wad thicknesses. But for now, these results are a decent baseline to work from and start working up loads. This was all done with one pistol, I still haven't shot the other two yet. So I have a lot of 'work' ahead of me.

If you missed the other thread, I posted a bunch of pictures of these pistols here...

http://24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2098865/page/2#Post2098865

Thanks for this really neat range report and photos...of course, I've seen it somewhere before. It's still a good one.

Dan

Yeah, I've posted it in a few places I hang out at. I know a lot of people frequent several forums and will see it more than once.

Thanks for the report.... how is the trigger pull, I've played with some replica guns that had very gritty hard trigger pulls in the past.... If this gun has a load that would make it an honest 30 yard squirrel grouse bunny gun, I think I might "need" one.

The triggers aren't bad. No creep, breaks clean, although there is some overtravel. I haven't done anything to them yet, some polishing will make them better.

It's too early to say what the maximum effective range would be, but keep in mind they're only 20-gauge 11 1/4" barrels.

I also need to try other shot sizes.

Good range report, Nobby.
Been following the thread at the other hangout.

I saw that in my "American Rifleman" and thought it would make a nice emergency back-up during muzzleloader season. Thanks for the review!

Excellent report Nobby. I just keep in mind that a gun such as those are basically meant to shove in a tigers face at bad breath range!! Betcha they'd be real good last ditch bear medicine with a jacked up charge!!

I was thinking about building another BP rifle and a couple pistols now you go an show me these Howdy pistols I guess I am going to save a few more pennies and get a pair of them instead of the GPP's from Lyman

BTW Nobby I noticed your useing an op wad under the patched ball. May I ask why? Isn't thjat just increaseing the Wt of the ejecta and so slowing down the ball? Or am I missing somthing I thought the patch, under the ball, was all the seal you would need even in a smoothbore. Or do you still need the OP wad to help protect the ball from the heat of powder detonation?

It protects the patch from being burned, which can ruin the accuracy. I'm not saying this is always a problem, but it can be a solution if it is a problem. Also, it seals the bore better than just the patch, which means less blow-by and thus increased velocity.

It's not always necessary, but it can help. I get great accuracy out of my .45 long rifle with no OP wad. With the Howdah, I didn't have much time to spend on it, so I just decided to use a wad, and I got pretty decent results. As I spend more time with it, I'll experiment with no wad and see which way is better.

Man I am thinking I need to get one of them, or two. Have you or any one you know of checked witht he F&G folks as to the legality of hunting with them, or for that matter the local Police? I could see some gung ho DA in an anti gun location going after sombody who owned one,and maybe had to use it for self defense, and telling the press it was a sawed off shotgun. I know some places forbid ownership of cap and ball revolvers with out permits, and require governmnet approval of any firearm no matter if it is catridge, or Muzzel loading, Modern, or BP replica. I feel sorry for any true American who has to live under those sort of restrictive governmnets. But in this country we get the type government we will stand for and the governmnet restrictions we will put up with.
That sure do look good though, and I think it would be a great bed side home defense gun. A real HOWDY pistol