49 Colt pocket revolver at 25 yds

[brazosdave]

Does anyone know generally how a 49 colt .32 cal performs at 25 yds as far as point of aim vrs point of impact? I can't go to the range to test my theory until Friday, but I'm thinking with the smaller caliber and lesser charge, it will more than likely not shoot as high as the .51 Navys or the 1860's. Anybody ever tried it?

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Dave,

Many times, at "close" range, a lighter charge will actually give a higher point of impact.  This is because the bullet exits when the muzzle is lifted higher in recoil.  A stiffer charge can get the bullet clear of the muzzle before the barrel lifts as much.

Good luck,

DD-MDA

[Arizona Trooper]

Well, shooting 8 grains of FFF and some cream of wheat filler to top up the chambers, it shoots a foot high at 25 yards, and often as not the balls won't go through a half inch of plywood. It's about like shooting 22 shorts. Fun though! I'm planning on doing it again tomorrow.

[Slowhand Bob]

I have four of the little .32s and have never shot one of them.  By Gawd its time to put them on a bucket list, how much powder would be recommended as a good charge fer the ittle fellows?  Mine are in the form of a pair of Uberti Colt 49s and a pair of the tinier Pieta Remingtons and not sure the Remmys would even hold near as much?

[JohnsonBarr]

Why in gawds name would you shoot a rib gun at 25 yrds. Be happy with 25 feet. My San Marco shoots point of aim at typical 7yd./21foot CHL targets using 12 grs. 3Fg and a Hornady .315 swaged round ball. Name any rib except God's missing one and my Baby will hit it at 7 yrds.

[Dick Dastardly]

The lil spur trigger Remington I have has a Kirst Konverter cylinder.  It shoots .32 S&W ammo.  I load it with all the FFF Swiss I can get in below the Big Lube®LLC bullet.  The gun does hit high but I had a taller front sight made and installed.  Now it shoots to the point of aim.  This is NOT a 50 yard gun.  I'm happy with 6" groups at 25 yards and it's much better at 25'.  Inside 25' it's deadly.

DD-MDA

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

See the GOEX load chart;

http://www.goexpowder.com/load-chart.html   Select  "roundball - pistols and revolvers"  for 31s the loads are;

8 gr of FFFg for 500 fps

15 gr of FFFg for 590 fps

[rifle]

Ifin ya want a little more "whomp" (maybe I should say "whimp"  ) using FFFFg black would pep it up some.
If ya don't use too much the FFFg 777 would pep it up if the gun can handle it.
This lil story may put things in a wacky perspective...... I know an Hombre that was loadin ,or rather cappin his squirrel rifle (36cal and 36 inch barrel 20gr.FFFg black), in the kitchen one early morning. Thumb slipped and the gun fired and made a nice jagged hole in the thick oak table,dingin up the floor a good one and dented the washin machine a good one too and then bounced around the kitchen some. That was a longer barrel and a small ball with 20gr. powder but......up close( 3-12 feet) with a lil extra finer powder I think a 32cal ball would sting like heck even from a short pistol barrel.
I ain't sayin I'm the fool that had his squirrel rifle go off in the kitchen neither.

[wildman1]

Remind me stay behind ya iffen we're ever er at a shoot tagether.  WM

[Dick Dastardly]

Be careful of pressure when using brass frame guns.  My lil spur trigger Remington .31 (Pietta) has a steel frame.  I've very safely shot FFFg 777 in it with the Kirst cylinder.  I have to say that this .32 S&W case only holds a little bit of powder under the bullet.

DD-MDA

[brazosdave]

Why in gawds name would you shoot a rib gun at 25 yrds. Be happy with 25 feet. My San Marco shoots point of aim at typical 7yd./21foot CHL targets using 12 grs. 3Fg and a Hornady .315 swaged round ball. Name any rib except God's missing one and my Baby will hit it at 7 yrds.

to do it man, to do it. I ain't too worried about overpressure, I'm usin some of my homebrew holy black, and anyways, it turns out the postal match was a wash, so's I don't REALLY have to worry about it, but I reckon i'll do it anyways just cause

[Arizona Trooper]

Those long ranges are kinda fun, even if the pocket guns were never meant for that. The '49 Colt hits the black fairly regularly at 25. Haven't tried more than that. What really impressed me last weekend was a 4th model 38 S&W breaktop. It was hitting 12" plates almost half the time, at 50 yards! And, the sights were dead on at that range. That was from a rest, but I never thought a little ol' pocket would do that well!

[rifle]

years ago a friend of my brother ordered a "49" Pocket Colt by Uberti and I gotmit to him.
The brother said they were shooting it at "stuff" around the farm house and that it shot well and tomthe pont ofaim. That's what he claimed. I asked what type distance and he said something like 10 to 30 paces.
The pocket Colts in 32cal. have pretty slow round ball twist in the barrels so they might not be the most accurate target gun around if they's converted to cartridge and conical bullets. Conicals needin faster twist to stabilize.
I know it wouldn't be too much a stretch on the imagination to dream about sitting in the woods and plinkin squirrels between the eyes comin in to get the peanuts an Hombre put between his toes as "bait" to draw them in fer a close shot from a "49" pocket revolver.
People liked the pocket pistols back in the day and.....today people still like them. Especially the "49"Colt. I tend to go more fer the "62"Police or Navy with the "36cal." balls and the longer cylinder and barrel.
My wife(aka Junk Yard Dog) with her "62Police" took aim at a smallish piece of tractor tire rubber out in a plowed farm field at 80 paces once. She hit it since I saw no dust kick up in the dirt. Paced it off as I went to check it out and....the 36 ball was stuck in the rubber. That is "sumpthin" indeed. Never seen anything like that from a lead ball and 20gr. black FFFg before that. Compressed charge.
The 22gr.charge in a full size "51" Navy with 7.5 in. barrel is pretty close to a 20gr. charge in a "62" Pocket with a 6 in. barrel. The charge in the Navy "51" goes along bout 850 FPS so the "62" wouldn't be far behind.
Anywhoooo....I don't think a 36 ball would very often penetrate tire rubber. I saw it once though. I saw the "lil wife" make shots with her "62" Police that defy the odds plenty of times fer sure. It's the Uberti.
Fer a pocket gun I'd opt fer the "60" Colt with the barrel cut to 4 inches and birds head gripped.

[brazosdave]

ok, well I tried it. Hard to say what it would have done with a somewhat measureable powder, as it was, my last batch is super quick but on the fine side. Put in as much as I could, seated ball, rammed it. About 12 yrds, not a tack driver but you'll hit a man. 25 yrds, not so much. I would have loved to take pics or video, but I was solo at the military range at Ft. Hood, so not really doable. I'm afraid I must concede that my theory was defeated. Secondly, If you do happen to hit someone at the range of 25 yrds by accident, or because you are the finest pistelero since Wild Bill Hickok, I don't think you would do much measurable damage. Of course, there is always the fatal shot through the eye...........

[brazosdave]

But, the performance at a lesser range has lead me to conclude that I would feel comfortable with having this as one of my carry guns.

[Tsalagidave]

I loaded 10gr of FFF and shot a thin metal sheet taken off a discarded filing cabinet using an ASM pocket with a "baby Dragoon" 3" barrel.  The round did not penetrate. This weapon would be great at talking a robber out of your wallet  or in winning a knife fight but I get it why many used these as "parlor guns" for recreational short-distance target practice. Still, they are a lot of fun to shoot and a very period edition to mostly a ca. 1850-70s impression.

-Dave

[brazosdave]

well, upon many shootings, with 10 grains fffg Goex, at about 15 yds, I can hit accurately and it will go into the plywood target backing. Maybe not a killing machine, but imagine a round ball tearing through your face. It would be a fight stopper for sure

[Coffinmaker]

The little '49s are really fun.  Not real accurate, but really fun.  A caviat though.  Conversion cylinders are available for these little guns.  They can be readily converted to cartridge.  Even though the conversion cylinder will stand smokeless ammunition, the test of the gun will not last long on a diet of smokeless .32 factory ammunition.  With smokeless, the two I set up shot about a foot and a half high at 7 yards and I suggested my customers to pull the factory bullets, use the powder for fertilizer and shoot the guns with BP only.  Based on burn rates, not so sure I'd suggest 4f either.  The 49 isn't real stout by most standards, but quite safe and fun with BP or Subs, possibly excepting 777.

Coffinmaker

[brazosdave]

Fer a pocket gun I'd opt fer the "60" Colt with the barrel cut to 4 inches and birds head gripped.

I recently aqquired a gun like you are talking about, Dixie Gun Works "51 Navy snubnose"  It's a navy style pistol with a birdshead grip and comes in .44.  heckuva gun!  My little colt pocket is a brasser, so no conversion cylinders for me, I like it just fine with b.p. and roundballs.