Pietta Pepperbox a good buy?

[TTv2]

no pictures? hey - are there other pepper boxes anyone would recommend? picked through the thread, if you don't like the one the OP is talking about, maybe you should recommend a different one. also, pictures are cool.

The alternatives for a pepperbox are decades old repros that don't work or actual 180 year old antiques that also likely don't work and if they do probably aren't safe to fire.

 

[woodnbow]

The alternatives for a pepperbox are decades old repros that don't work or actual 180 year old antiques that also likely don't work and if they do probably aren't safe to fire.

I can sort of see owning one for the whole Mark Twain experience. Never firing it around the neighbors mule of course.

But again, personally speaking (and who the hell else would I speak for?) I wouldn’t buy it. I have been fortunate enough to have some disposable income almost all of my life (and a very understanding wife) but I can’t remember buying a gun, shooting it once or twice and then putting it away for good. One of my best friends, my brother coincidentally, does that. He will always bring something home from a gun show or the LGS and about half the time never shoot it once. He’s definitely gonna die with the most toys.

Hmmm… maybe I show him the Pietta Pepperbox, he buys it, I shoot it for him, he puts it on the shelf and forgets about it. Brilliance!

So, buy it @TTv2 shoot it and pass along the range reports. Maybe make up a shot load for snakes and rats. I might never buy one but I’d happily read about yours.

 

[hawg]

That's right, I forgot, this section is dominated by folks who only appreciate purely historical reproductions and denigrate anything that's a muzzleloader that isn't based on historical designs.

You asked for opinions and you got them. You always come in here asking for opinions on non traditional stuff knowing which way the wind blows strongest yet you keep doing it and not liking the responses you get.

 

[Eyrie G. Dogg]

It’s a poor replica of a failed design and wanting one just cause you don’t have one ain’t much of a reason. They are about as aesthetic as a Pettengill. I’d have one if it were free.

Can you imagine Hickok packing one of those? Neither can I.

Sam Clemans:
We had never seen him before. He wore in his belt an old original "Allen" revolver, such as irreverent people called a "pepper-box." Simply drawing the trigger back, cocked and fired the pistol. As the trigger came back, the hammer would begin to rise and the barrel to turn over, and presently down would drop the hammer, and away would speed the ball. To aim along the turning barrel and hit the thing aimed at was a feat which was probably never done with an "Allen" in the world. But George's was a reliable weapon, nevertheless, because, as one of the stage-drivers afterward said, "If she didn't get what she went after, she would fetch something else." And so she did. She went after a deuce of spades nailed against a tree, once, and fetched a mule standing about thirty yards to the left of it. Bemis did not want the mule; but the owner came out with a dou ble-barreled shotgun and persuaded him to buy it, anyhow. It was a cheerful weapon—the "Allen." Sometimes all its six barrels would go off at once, and then there was no safe place in all the region round about, but behind it. ~~Mark Twain - Roughing It.

 

[TTv2]

You asked for opinions and you got them. You always come in here asking for opinions on non traditional stuff knowing which way the wind blows strongest yet you keep doing it and not liking the responses you get.

Honestly, if every time I asked and followed the majority opinion, about the only things I'd own is a 1911, Ruger Mark IV, and a '51 Navy.

The only time I regret not listening to others is when I bought the Cobray derringer and maybe the Taurus PT22. Both are now gone and the only money I lost was in the shipping and transfers. A worthy expense for a little adult education.

 

[hawg]

Honestly, if every time I asked and followed the majority opinion, about the only things I'd own is a 1911, Ruger Mark IV, and a '51 Navy.

The only time I regret not listening to others is when I bought the Cobray derringer and maybe the Taurus PT22. Both are now gone and the only money I lost was in the shipping and transfers. A worthy expense for a little adult education.

All I'm saying is you know what kind of responses you're going to get but you still don't like it.

 

[TTv2]

All I'm saying is you know what kind of responses you're going to get but you still don't like it.

Sometimes I make such topics to generate conversation about something that doesn't get discussed much so that maybe it'll spark curiosity and interest in a vague part of the shooting community. Ever consider that?

 

[hawg]

Sometimes I make such topics to generate conversation about something that doesn't get discussed much so that maybe it'll spark curiosity and interest in a vague part of the shooting community. Ever consider that?

I don't know why you do it.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Something like that might make a fun project. Find the front of an 1851 and fit it to that back end, make a 36 cal mini Walker....hmmm.

 

[woodnbow]

Something like that might make a fun project. Find the front of an 1851 and fit it to that back end, make a 36 cal mini Walker....hmmm.

It could be done. The version I saw had the locating pins on the frame. Make an extension of mild steel and run a retaining screw through the barrel lug. Voilà! 36 Maximum!

 

[Miguel Loco]

Not asking for validation, but it is tiresome that anything outside the box with black powder and most people here shoot it down, just this time instead of complaining about plastic grips it's that it's silly.

Folks, that's kind of the point. It's not the typical thing, it has features that allow it to do stuff other black powder guns can't, and that's the appeal.

Sure, I'm very likely to shoot it once and put it away for years, but I pretty much do that with all my muzzleloaders these days.

Well.... next time you ask opinion.......maybe you should specify that you only want to hear what you want to hear......that way complaining about people taking their precious time to answer your question not exactly how you like it might be eliminated..... just a thought.

I won't trouble you with my comments......I know you wouldn't like them.

 

[hawg]

Next time you want an opinion just say Hawg shut up, don't say nuffin, not one word.

 

[Miguel Loco]

Next time you want an opinion just say Hawg shut up, don't say nuffin, not one word.

LOL..... I think I'm in that group too Hawg. That's why I usually don't say anything here.

 

[woodnbow]

@TTv2 … here you go a Durs Egg made pepperbox, very high quality piece here. Apparently needs a spring in order to function. I’d own this for a while.

 

[noelf2]

I've had one for years. I put a birds head grip on it. It's too heavy to carry around as a snake gun, but it's lots of fun on July 4th making noise. Double ball loads are potent, but it's pretty much a belly gun regarding any expectation of accuracy. I like period correct guns for sure, but I am not bound with a ridiculous hatred of curiosities like this pepperbox. Fun is fun. Get one.

 

[unspellable]

Re: Accuracy Mark Twain said the safest place to stand when someone had a pepper box was directly in front. I have a Pietta, picked it up cheap at the LGS. It's just an oddity in the collection.

 

[TTv2]

I figure without any sights that the next best means to aim it is use the hammer and hammer slot as a set of sights, I've done that with an H&R Young America in the past to decent results at close range, but with a larger grip and better trigger I think I can do better. Of course, I'd be doing this with a smoothbore and IDK how well smoothbores can shoot a round ball at 10-15 yards.

 

[hawg]

I figure without any sights that the next best means to aim it is use the hammer and hammer slot as a set of sights, I've done that with an H&R Young America in the past to decent results at close range, but with a larger grip and better trigger I think I can do better. Of course, I'd be doing this with a smoothbore and IDK how well smoothbores can shoot a round ball at 10-15 yards.

They will put a dent in pine tree bark at 10 - 15 feet. That one might hold enough powder to actually stick in it. As for accuracy there won't be any. 10-15 yards is volley range.

 

[woodnbow]

I figure without any sights that the next best means to aim it is use the hammer and hammer slot as a set of sights, I've done that with an H&R Young America in the past to decent results at close range, but with a larger grip and better trigger I think I can do better. Of course, I'd be doing this with a smoothbore and IDK how well smoothbores can shoot a round ball at 10-15 yards.

Looking forward to a range report!

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

There are no sights on baseballs, footballs, darts, javelins, etc but there sure are folks who can hit what they intend to regardless.

 

[noelf2]

There are no sights on baseballs, footballs, darts, javelins, etc but there sure are folks who can hit what they intend to regardless.

Load consistency, and lots of practice with the gun does wonders for accuracy. My childhood BB gun lost it's rear sight from me meddling with it for distance shots. It was only spot welded on, and broke off. Still, I could hit a gnat flying because it became a part of me. Still can, with only a front sight. I don't shoot the pepperbox seriously, and will never get more than broad side of barn accuracy.

 

[woodnbow]

There are no sights on baseballs, footballs, darts, javelins, etc but there sure are folks who can hit what they intend to regardless.

Watched Byron Ferguson shoot an aspirin out of the air with a seventy pound draw longbow. Several times… I didn’t notice any sights on his bow.

 

[jmorris]

There was one youtube video where three .375" round balls were loaded into the bores and fired at 10y with acceptable spread.

Just out of curiosity, what is your intended use? I ask not to poo poo the idea but I have done duplex loads myself, just haven’t had a use for them.

I use two of matts 75 grain wadcutters stacked on top of one another with 148grain wadcutter load data.



It does make more holes per cylinder though.

 

[TTv2]

Just out of curiosity, what is your intended use? I ask not to poo poo the idea but I have done duplex loads myself, just haven’t had a use for them.

I use two of matts 75 grain wadcutters stacked on top of one another with 148grain wadcutter load data.

View attachment 1170138

It does make more holes per cylinder though.
View attachment 1170137

Range toy and somethint I can play around with shot loads.

 

[jmorris]

For that I don’t think looks matter much but I have my own ranges.