The Plains Pistol Graduates to .54" First Impressions.

[Ugly Sauce]

DISCLAIMER and WARNING!!! I shoot loads you may not approve of.

I've had a .50" Plains Pistol for years. I always wanted a .54", but got a .50" at a good price. Figured I'd find a .54" barrel for it. I never could locate a .54" barrel for it.

So recently, some kind and generous person sent me a PM, and said: you still looking for a .54" barrel?" DANG! Name your price!!!

I was going to do some chronograph work with it before doing a write-up...but I just can't wait! So here's my preliminary load development and sighting in.

After I explain this, you can laugh at me, or with me. The first group, on the bottom, first I had the pistol loaded "light" just to get base-line. I've never fired a .54" before. The load was 20 grains of 4fg, under 30 grains of 2fg, and patched ball. Recoil was light, IMHO. The next two shots were 60 grains of 2fg. That was more like it.

Went to the garage and filed the front sight, then fired the next group up. That was 70 grains of 2fg, and the limit of "manageable" recoil. "Manageable" to my mind, is as much as I can still shoot accurately with. With 70 grains, the gun is beginning to break the forward grip on the fore-stock. I could stuff in more pixie dust, lock my jaw, close my eyes, and grip the pistol with all my strength, but that would not be very...wait for it....accurate.

Here is the funny part. I filed my front sight again, and using the same aiming point, bottom of the plate, my group "opened up". !!! Just a "little". Same exact 70 grain load, but you might say I became "fatigued" with the recoil at that point. However, that took care of the sights, at 25 yards that's where I want it. I also had to make the rear sight notch wider. It was perfect for shooting the tightest possible groups with light loads...not so much for getting on a target quickly on something that wants to scratch or bite me.

The barrel is excellent. Accurate, as you can see until recoil gets to you, patches came out re-usable, but of course I tossed them in the fire pit. After three shots I could still thumb press the patch and ball into the barrel. But except for once, I ran a wet-patch down the tube with the jag every three shots. I also used wonder wads dipped in hot wax. There was lube on the muzzle after each shot. That's nice.

So...a satisfying range session with the new barrel. She's good to go. Now I have to make some paper cartridge/speed loads for it, see how she throws them. With the .50" barrel, there's not a big difference in accuracy between the cartridges and patched ball loads.

My little hand cannon says: "thanks for listening". !!!

 

[hawg]

Cool. Bigger is always better.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

In some situations, too big is just right.

 

[woodnbow]

Specially when something is trying to scratch or bite you!

 

[JeffG]

Excellent! As long as the charge doesn't re-cock the hammer, you should be safe.

 

[brewer12345]

What kind of loads are you used to shooting in the 50 cal barrel? 70 grains sounds like a lot.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

What kind of loads are you used to shooting in the 50 cal barrel? 70 grains sounds like a lot.

Oh it is a lot. In the .50", I loaded 70 grains under a ball, both patched and in a paper cartridge. Under the "PA Conical", 240 grain bullet 65 grains was tops.

I've very curious as to the velocity of the 240 grain slug in the .50",, over 65 grains, and the 220 grain ball in the .54" over 70 grains, how they compare.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Excellent! As long as the charge doesn't re-cock the hammer, you should be safe.

Keep in mind that the Plains Pistol is the same barrel and breech as the rifle. So it would take a lot more pixie dust to blow the hammer back. Considering many/most .54" rifle shooters use loads much greater than 70 grains behind a ball. For me personally, 70 grains in this pistol is/will be the most I can handle recoil-wise. 80-90 grains, 100, (!!!!!!) that would not be usable or practical, and there's probably a point in there where one could not even hold onto it. But I wouldn't consider 100 grains in a .54" rifle to be excessive.

The thing to watch out for with the pistol is to be sure the bolster on the barrel is not butting up against the lock plate. That can drive the plate back, and cause the single lock plate screw that passes through the stock, to split it, or cause some damage, or the lock plate it's self splitting the stock. And of course, if you don't hold the pistol down properly, yeah it can come back and whack you on the head with a typical hold. I hold it like there is an imaginary shoulder stock, put back pressure on the front or fore-stock of the pistol with my left hand, and forward pressure/push forward with the right hand. That keeps the pistol from jumping out of the left hand.

Some would say there's a danger of the handle or butt of the stock breaking, but I think that is more likely to occur from putting the butt on a hard surface like a shooting bench, or even the ground, and using a tight patch and ball, and a short starter. I only use a ball and patch combination that I can thumb-press into the muzzle.

 

[Rustmangler]

I have a 50 and 100 grains is pretty stout!

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Sounds like 70 grains of powder is just past your max accuracy load. I would think 65 would stomp on whatever you hit with it at 25 yards. Wonder how much powder is burning out past the muzzle?

 

[hawg]

Wonder how much powder is burning out past the muzzle?

If you don't have powder burning past the muzzle you have a pip-squeak load. Granted it's a case of diminishing returns but the returns are there.

 

[woodnbow]

If you don't have powder burning past the muzzle you have a pip-squeak load. Granted it's a case of diminishing returns but the returns are there.

And the chronograph tells the tale…

 

[Paul R Zartman]

And the chronograph tells the tale…

Unless you burn it up...

 

[Gordon]

My hunting rifle is a fifty and so is my Plains pistol so .50 is enough for me, I have settled on 60 grains of fffG in the pistol and 80 fffg in the Lyman Rifle. The rifle takes deer well at 100 yards , the pistol is a good finisher if needed.

 

[hawg]

I used a .50 for 30 years but I never was impressed with it. I got too many hits on deer with no exit wound and that was with a 90 grain charge. When I had my Hawken built I wanted a .58 but the builder gave me too good of a deal on a .54. I figured I could change it out later but it just shoots too good and I've never failed to get an exit wound with it. Still using the same 90 grain charge I used with the .50. I still kinda wish it was a .58 tho. I've actually got a CVA St Louis Hawken in .50 that was given to me. I've fired it one time and that was just to unload it. A .50 don't do anything for me.

 

[Patocazador]

I am a real wuss. In my .50 CVA 'mountain pistol' I shoot 45 gr. of 3F. It's as stout as I can completely control with that kind of stock to hold onto.

I admit to being a wuss with heavy recoil in rifles due to my bad shoulders but I can handle .44 mag revolvers just fine. However, the shape of my mtn. pistol's grip just doesn't seem to lend itself to accuracy with 50 gr. of 3F and up. If I used 2F instead, it would probably be a bit higher load that would work.

 

[Fyrstyk]

In my .54 Great Plains pistol I shoot 40 grains of 3f with patched round ball. Accuracy at 25 yards is 1.5". I have shot 3 deer with this load from a tree stand at ranges from 15' to 30 yards. They all dropped within 20 yards of my stand, and only one had an exit wound as the ball passe thru the chest between ribs on both sides. The other deer had massive blood loss in the chest cavity, and the ball flattened to about quarter size. I tried hotter loads, but they were not as accurate, and the recoil was unpleasant. 40 grains of 3f works for me.

 

[woodnbow]

Unless you burn it up...

Or hit it with a wool wad…

 

[doubleh]

I have a CVA plains pistol in 50 and It's plenty for me. I like the grip tape. Friction I suppose.

 

[Risky buisness]

I would love a plains style pistol in .54. But it appears that all I could find other than a custom build were a cap gun, which holds no interest for me.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Sounds like 70 grains of powder is just past your max accuracy load. I would think 65 would stomp on whatever you hit with it at 25 yards. Wonder how much powder is burning out past the muzzle?

You could be correct. As you know, as you add more powder in a short barrel (or any barrel I guess) one slowly reaches the point of diminishing returns, but there's no "cut off" point, as some people think, where velocity just stops increasing all at once. I will have more shooting to do, and indeed, if there is a big difference between 65 and 70 I will reduce. For sure, that thing pops off like the God of Thunder himself, it is impressive. Probably stomps almost as hard as a 44 mag, or hot loaded .45 Colt. Will be interesting to see the velocity when I chronograph it.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I would love a plains style pistol in .54. But it appears that all I could find other than a custom build were a cap gun, which holds no interest for me.

Yes, I would love to have a nice flint pistol. Especially a smooth bore in like .58 or .62". But, for field use, hiking into the back country, I can appreciate the percussion, and it fits into a holster a bit better than a flint pistol, if that matters. A bit more water-proof, but that does not stop me from wandering the woods with my flint rifle or musket. So yeah, I'd love a flint pistol, but it would have to be of higher quality, and expensive, and I don't see that happening for me in the foreseeable future.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I have a CVA plains pistol in 50 and It's plenty for me. I like the grip tape. Friction I suppose.

Yes, with the heavy loads I need the extra grip. It works good. Hawg thinks it's ugly (!!!!) and he's probably right.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I am a real wuss. In my .50 CVA 'mountain pistol' I shoot 45 gr. of 3F. It's as stout as I can completely control with that kind of stock to hold onto.

I admit to being a wuss with heavy recoil in rifles due to my bad shoulders but I can handle .44 mag revolvers just fine. However, the shape of my mtn. pistol's grip just doesn't seem to lend itself to accuracy with 50 gr. of 3F and up. If I used 2F instead, it would probably be a bit higher load that would work.

Truth. What limits what you can shoot in the single shot pistols is the recoil. For sure, that type of grip does mess with accuracy when the gun really starts kicking.

Have you tried holding onto the forestock, as if it's a rifle, right arm cocked elbow, not held straight out, (hold the pistol as if it has an imaginary butt stock) and rear pressure with the left hand, and forward pressure with the right hand?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Granted it's a case of diminishing returns but the returns are there.

Exactly true. The returns don't just stop at once. They...wait for it..."diminish".