1st Shots with .45 Buckhunter Pro

[arcticap]

1st Shots with .45 Buckhunter

I went to the range yesterday and tried out my
new Traditions Buckhunter Pro long barrel .45 pistol
for the 1st time. I benchrested it and sighted it in at 25
yards using 777 fffg and various sized patches. It only
needed 20 - 25 grains and I even shot a few without any
patch at all, the ball just dropped right in and they still hit the
target.
The trigger pull was very clean after oiling and is now
broken in, but some of the shots were still a little erratic that
weren't all my fault.
The ignition is fast and extremely strong, and the shallow rifling
is a 1 in 20" twist.
The Buckhunter did "buck" a little but then I didn't use the muzzle
break. My main complaint is how much cleaning I had to do
afterward, it took much too long to get fouling out of the nooks
and crannies. Thank goodness for Hoppes Black Powder Solvent
which dissolved the residue.
I wouldn't recommend this long heavy piece for any kind of one
handed target shooting. I'll be giving it another workout sometime
soon because it was a lot of fun to shoot.





The barrel was getting dirty, the muzzle was moving at the
shot and there were 2-3 shots off the edge of the target.
You can see 2 dirtier holes in the middle that I'm fairly sure
were 2 of the .440 balls shot without a patch.
The thread protector acts like a false muzzle and makes the
patches harder to center so the balls would drop in when I
tried to correct it. Next time I'll just unscrew the thread protector
or the muzzle break when loading, they both unscrew easily.
I'll experiment with it some more.

 

[MCgunner]

What was the range? Looks a little like my Contender.

 

[arcticap]

It was a posted 25 yard pistol range. There's felt recoil in the hand/wrist when using extra powder, and heavier bullets would also add even more, so the extra weight of the muzzle break might help.

 

[frosty]

Pistol

I'm surprized about the fast ignition time, cause the hammer fall looks rather long...What is the max charge for the gun?

 

[arcticap]

The maximum recommended powder charge is a whopping 80 grains! But because of the length of the 12.5 inch barrel, I don't think that much powder could be effectively burned. Traditions did make a laminated thumbhole stocked carbine version for a short time (like the Contender Carbine), but it was discontinued and also only rated for the "paltry" 80 grain charge, at least for a rifle anyway!
When I descibed the "ignition" as being fast, I really wasn't referring to the lock time, but rather the strength and rapidness of the chamber ignition, especially for the relatively small 777 powder charges that I tried. That stuff produces more felt recoil than other powders, and other people have stated similiar opinions about using it in rifles also. There were never any ignition delays of any kind during my range session of approximately 33-35 roundball shots without any swabbing.

 

[Boom-stick]

I wish they'd build these for use with nitro, it'd be UK legal and a whole lot cleaner to use and easier to clean afterwards and you mounted a scope on it it wouldn't mess up the front lens.

Just my 2p worth...

 

[frosty]

Pistol

How long is the barrel? Indiana allows 12"" single shots in certain calibers Hmmmm, birthday coming, need fix, friend in Indiana...

 

[arcticap]

Tricky Question

frosty, My barrel's rifled length measures 12.5 inches, it is drilled and tapped for a scope mount and the folding rear sight is screw adjustable for windage & elevation.

http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/e...loaders:+Buckhunter+In-Line+Pistols+(Pistols)