Favorite BP revolver / Knife combo for woods loafing?

[perldog007]

For the serious woods loafers in the black powder shooting fraternity, what is your favorite revolver / knife combo and what woods do you loaf it? I'm an Appalachian Virginia native and currently in the lowlands of Delaware.

No predators here in Delaware, some rare sightings of coyotes that so far are not in packs or bothering humans or much livestock. A few reports of feral pigs. BP revolvers not legal for any hunting that I know of, so here it's strictly carry for peace of mind where legal. In the hills of home, on the Tennessee side I gather BP revolvers legal for just about anything that moves. Rattlesnakes, feral dogs, the odd coyote, black bears are of secondary to the people you sometimes meet in God's country.

If I'm in really rough country I like a big machete or hatchet like belt knife, a Cold Steel Smatchet Machete or a Windlass Steels Kukri with an edge put on by the local wizard. On one such jaunt, a landowner asked me to expatriate a squirrel in the ladyship's garden. The 1851 may have been better suited to that not fully loaded....

With a big blade I tend to carry the 1851 .. I have since modified the strap on the holster with another hole so it can be worn folded behind the belt for 'open top'. Open carry regulations and full flap holsters... I've heard tell of misunderstandings.. I put about 30 grains of 2f pyrodex behind an 80 grain ball. Very accurate for me and very little recoil.



Most of the time my 'duty belt' has my Pietta 1860 repro and my Cold Steel Bushman, shown partially here. The bushman fits my hand really well, will do some chopping and splitting and also fine work. Easy to make a spear with the hollow handle design. Never thought the 1860 would go into the woods with me over the 1858 reproductions( which I am also quite fond of ) but the gun just does wonders in function that make up for it's slow reload and quirks. So this is my my normal woods loafing set up. I go with 40 grains of ffg pyrodex and a .454 round ball. Shoots well in this gun.



So any other backwoods bums on here? What's your favorite combo for ducking over the hill and brewing a cuppa whilst disappearing?

 

[44 Dave]

Here in Northern Wisconsin where neighbors have had wolves kill their pet dog right in their yard I don't go unarmed. Usually have a '51 Navy in my shoulder holster.

 

[perldog007]

Here in Northern Wisconsin where neighbors have had wolves kill their pet dog right in their yard I don't go unarmed. Usually have a '51 Navy in my shoulder holster.

I have a small one acre woodlot adjacent to my yard, and this is a wild and wonderful 'hood up in here. My 1851 is a favorite 'camp' gun here at the homestead. Do you normally carry a certain blade as well?

 

[44 Dave]

Always have my grandfathers Keen Cutter pocket knife, even goes in my church pants pocket. Often carry a 2# cruiser's ax

 

[Panzerschwein]

Not quite a revolver, but my Harpers Ferry .54 caliber horse pistol rides nicely tucked in the belt along with this hand forged D-guard Bowie knife a blacksmith made me:



A .54 round ball will solve almost any problem I come across, and my gun's smooth bore allows the use of all manner of shot making it very versatile in the field. Paired with this wicked knife, I feel well armed in the woods of eastern Kansas and Southern Illinois.

In the near future, I may well alternately carry my Colt's belt pistol of naval caliber along with a rifleman's knife that I am going to have made. It should be an easier combination to pack, and possibly more practical in overall terms, though this current setup is serving me quite well.

 

[perldog007]

I like the idea of a heavy single shot.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I like the idea of a heavy single shot.

This pistol has been very reliable and highly accurate for me, in spite of it's smooth bore, and hits with authority with it's .530" 230 grain lead ball or a charge of buck and ball or #4 buckshot. Reloading takes time, but I plan to make some paper cartridges for it soon that will greatly hasten the process and that will be easy to transport on the trail.

 

[ROAshooter]

gotta go with one of my Ruger Old Army's...when toting Bp in the boonies....with a plain jane K-bar

 

[midland man]

just got for xmas a naa super companion and that will be my light duty bumming around in the woods gun with my case xx lightweight hunter knife. both very light to carry and I will use them also for fishing as well.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Very cool! Those NAA cap and balls are super interesting. I've got a rimfire NAA mini and love the gun.

 

[perldog007]

just got for xmas a naa super companion and that will be my light duty bumming around in the woods gun with my case xx lightweight hunter knife. both very light to carry and I will use them also for fishing as well.

I have done an inordinate amount of loafing woodside wise with a 1938 Colt New Pocket .32 S&W long snubby and a Cold Steel Roach Belly... Cheap plastic handled 4" sheath knife. Also used to pack a .38 Charter Arms undercover stainless in another life. The little guns can be very accurate and my theory on woods loafing is if it isn't close enough to touch me it has to be on two legs to be a problem, most of those are easy enough to avoid as they generally lack fieldcraft....
The smaller blade is the roach belly, generally available for under 20 bucks, takes a nice edge.

I am also looking to retire my New Pocket. It's paid rent since inception according to the rack number engraved in it's butt. Original hard rubber grips, some pitting in the bore but I still cut a 291 out of 300 on the last qual and you won't catch me trying to hustle Jerry Miculek... or even NRA slow fire competitors. I'm pretty average.
I'm very interested in the super companion, also looking at the Remington pocket model, maybe even an 1849 repro or a pocket Navy. Right now the 1851 is my 'small bore' woods gun but as stated in the O.P. I have learned that the full charge behind the 80 grain ball may be a bit more than is needed on close shots at pot meat such as squirrel, rabbit, grouse, and the like.
Please let us know how the Super Companion shakes out, It's very compelling from a lightweight standpoint.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I have learned that the full charge behind the 80 grain ball may be a bit more than is needed on close shots at pot meat such as squirrel, rabbit, grouse, and the like.

You can always drop your charge down.

You can use maybe 10-15 grains of powder, and if there isn't enough room to seat the ball down all the way, use some corn grits as a filler on top of the powder. Your Navy might also be very accurate with this type of load. I doubt this would damage small game meat too much.

 

[bannockburn]

If I were going with the black powder equivalent of a S&W Kit Gun it would have to a Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver. That and a decent 5" blade sheath knife would serve me well in case I ran into a pack of coyotes who live in the nearby woods.

 

[midland man]

well I got the new super companion and tried prodex pistol and it did okay but today I went to my only local dealer about 50 miles away and bought the last two pounds of goex 4f powder and tried both cylinders loaded with this powder and all I can say is wow! this thing rocks!! and also shoot tighter groups with the 4f powder, so now I want to buy the 1860 earl model cap and ball next

 

[perldog007]

You can always drop your charge down.

You can use maybe 10-15 grains of powder, and if there isn't enough room to seat the ball down all the way, use some corn grits as a filler on top of the powder. Your Navy might also be very accurate with this type of load. I doubt this would damage small game meat too much.

I have been toying with the idea of a Pocket Navy downloaded a bit versus an 1849 or pocket remington. The pocket remington has size going for it and the cylinder swap thing. The 1849 just because it was so widespread, possibly the gun that actually won the west by promoting civil interactions among the invaders as the natives refer to settlers....
Possibly looking to move to Boone or Clay county TN. in a few years if the Lord is willing and the creek don't rise. That would argue for a .36 as a whole mess of game may be hunted with one of those.

If I were going with the black powder equivalent of a S&W Kit Gun it would have to a Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver. That and a decent 5" blade sheath knife would serve me well in case I ran into a pack of coyotes who live in the nearby woods.

Kabar makes a really nice 5" skinner, or the old timer pattern and of late I've become strangely enchanted with this blade for walks where I am truly intent on accomplishing nothing - hereabouts normally without a sidearm unless I'm on private property and asked to look out for thieves and poachers. This blade has been in my collection for years, and even though the Cold Steel SRK is wildly popular with some Military and even high speed low drag types, never has impressed me. To thick for decent camp cookery IMO, too small for hacking and chopping or splitting squaw wood to find dry tinder in the damp, too big for cleaning small game and not big enough to chop through the sternum of a deer... not very comfortable for whittling or making cooking implements ( pot hangars, tongs, forks ) from saplings.. Yet somehow it's been growing on me. Maybe that blade with a 'sheriff's' model 36. Pietta bbl from Taylor and Co along with some reduced loads? or an 1849....

The whole point of woods loafing to me is to not be hunting or fighting Commancheros and a sidearm is peace of mind and just in case. Might be worth the weight to simply follow Cooldill's train of thought and put some lighter loads in the .36 as issued as that platform seems to offer more than acceptable accuracy for up close adding to the ramen noodles in the haversack role...
Also a possibility I'm interested in is Kaido's .36 mold for the UVB. Currently he only has this for Pietta, the Uberti is more of a .380 thing.... But I have a Pietta .36... Hmmmm In my younger days, it was often my model 10 service revolver and a KaBar. Back in those days I usually intended to burn up a box of shells in the hinterlands by way of practicing my shooting.
I found the .38 special 158 gr RNL ( not +p ) to work just fine on small game and not be overly destructive. Put one of kaido's 140 gr UVBs' down the pipe at around 750 fps or so and that should work well.
Hovey shows a squirrel he tapped with Kaido's .44 UVB and a healthy dose of t7, that didn't ruin the meat so there's a thought, but still a small kit gun is just one of those joys of being a completed gun nut IMHO. My 1938 is wonderful in that role, but of course now that I've discovered the joys of 'rolling my own' I want a BP replacement...

well I got the new super companion and tried prodex pistol and it did okay but today I went to my only local dealer about 50 miles away and bought the last two pounds of goex 4f powder and tried both cylinders loaded with this powder and all I can say is wow! this thing rocks!! and also shoot tighter groups with the 4f powder, so now I want to buy the 1860 earl model cap and ball next

Does it achieve "minute of rabbit" at 30'? Ek did make a knife once with a mini revolver holster right on the sheath. Now that could be a cool set up for slacking off out of view of the wommins at the compound... Here is a more modern set up along those lines.

 

[Texas Moon]

Lately I've been packing one of those snubby 1860 Army .44's with the birds head grip from Pietta.
Pretty handy and enough oomph to do anything I would need around these parts.
Knife is a simple 4in. Fixed blade.

 

[perldog007]

Lately I've been packing one of those snubby 1860 Army .44's with the birds head grip from Pietta.
Pretty handy and enough oomph to do anything I would need around these parts.
Knife is a simple 4in. Fixed blade.

Is there any particular loading you favor in that setup?

I'm partial to the never was model 1851 .44 snubby


I have actually wondered if 25-30 gr of Swiss 4f would chunk one of Kaido's 220 grain UVBs' out of a 3" tube with enough zip to get some work done.

 

[4v50 Gary]

ROA and some fixed blade knife I can hammer into wood to split the stuff.

 

[ZVP]

A .36 Navy modified by Piettia as a Police Revolver ( full size frame ane 6 shot cylinder . I shoot Balls backed by 25 GR of Pyrodex, Plenty of power!
For a Knife I like a 4" to 8" fixed blade, depending on what I plan to run into...
I have a custom made 9" Bowie but I need a scabbord for it yet. That thing could remove any sort od "Limb"! AS yet I haven't needed the revolver or knife yet.
ZVP

 

[Noz]

Stick with the Round Balls. Easier to load and they will shoot better than you can.

 

[Texas Moon]

30grn 3fg.

 

[perldog007]

Well my Colt New Pocket pictured earlier in the thread has left the building. I've gotten rid of all of my old work guns. It's replacement is a dandy. I didn't think I would like this Pietta 1863 Pocket Remington replica as much as I do. Pictured with it is my now discontinued Cold Steen Small Bushman ( 4" blade ).
I haven't gotten a holster for it yet, but initial handling tells me this might be my new kit gun. Totally worth the money.
For a while I hedged because these cost more than many of the belt pistols. But well worth it. The first Pietta I've gotten without scratches and dings included

 

[Dog Soldier]

The ROA can deliver a real pay load of pistol power. The ROA SS revolvers have a replaceable front sight blade. This allows the use of a higher front sight blade. The LEE .457 220 grns conacal has a tapered base. It loads easy and runs over 1,000 fps. when charged with 40/T-7.
Any heavy quality blade belt knife well serve a hunter in the Mountain West.I prefer the early S&W Bowie knife. The flap sheath was made by a saddle shop. It protects the handle and hilt from being nicked by rocks and sand.

 

[Armored farmer]

I carry, shoot, and even compete a little with my Remington '58. I certainly do my share of woods bumming with it too.
As far as the blade goes...I like carrying a nice 'hawk. Trim shooting lanes. Mark trees destined for firewood. Trim brush for trailcams. Etc. Etc. Consider a tomahawk. I customized this one's handle and added. A hammer face. Some file work and browning solution finished it out.

 

[SHIPCHIEF]

My favorite combination has been a Pietta 1851 Marshal 44, the engraved stainless one with 5" barrel. It rides in a nice open top, right side belt holster I made from Oak Tanned leather. The load is full house Goex 3f over .454 ball topped with Crisco or other hard lube. This combination is handy and accurate.
The Marshal is paired with a Western Cutlery L46 Bowie Fighting Knife, which is more slim than the traditional Big Bowie. It rides in the original sheath.
The environment is Washington's Western Cascades and also the Northeastern region, East of Lake Roosevelt.
Bears, Cougar and Coyote are common in both areas.
I started Black powder life in 1973 with an Armi San Marco 3rd Model Dragoon and carried it with the same Western L49, but the Marshal is so handy...
Hey! kbbailey's tomahawk is pretty cool! I'm going to look into those!