[HiWayMan]

Can you shoot unpatched conicals out of say a single shot Hawken type pistol?

These are what I shoot out of my rifle and I really don't want to have to buy a round ball mould and patch material.

[Mark whiz]

yes, you CAN shoot conicals out of those type of pistols.................but don't overdo the size of the bullet.

Say you have a .50cal pistol.....................the round ball for it goes around 180gr in weight........................you could probably shoot up to a 220 or 230gr conical, but I wouldn't go no higher than that.................definitely I'd stay away from the 385gr, 460gr, etc sized conicals those are rifle fodder only.

[redneck]

It should have come with, or somewhere you should be able to find a chart for you gun that lists the maximum recommended load by bellet weight and powder charge.
You can go to a heavier bullet but you can't use as heavy a powder charge as you might with the round ball. I don't know the specifics on this though so I won't comment on what might be safe.

[mec]

You can find some conflicting information about this. Some sources say not to use them at all because the bullet might move forward during routine carry and act as a barrel obstruction. -same as with a rifle so, the best bet would be to check frequently to make sure the bullet remains flush on the powder. Lyman does list loads for the Plains pistol
http://www.gunpix.com/gallery/Muzzleloaders_and_Blackpowder/lymanloads2.jpg

http://www.gunpix.com/gallery/Muzzleloaders_and_Blackpowder/lymanlee.jpg

There is a potential problem in that recoil impulse can crack the stocks on this type of pistol. It is hard to find an old Aston Johnson that doesnt have a stock crack somewhere and several credible individuals have mentioned splitting the stocks on their .54 Lyman Plains Pistols with heavy loads.