CCW a cap & ball?

If it was all that I had, that's what I would carry. And, while a single action revolver may have been good enough for self defense on the frontier, I can't help but think that those old boys would have been happy as clams to pack around a reliable, auto-loading cartridge gun, same as I do.

But as the philosopher says, the one you got is better than the one you ain't.
 
I worked 20 years in law enforcement and have, at one time or another, carried a Colt Commando .38, Beretta 92, Glock .40 and for the past 11 years, a genuine 1927, 4-digit serial Colt Hartford Argentine .45 Auto that I custom built.

I like the old cap & ball revolvers and keep one in the car almost all the time. I have been in situations where I had two suspects at gunpoint with a 5 shot 38 and I never felt outgunned.

Most shootings are over in a few seconds with one or two rounds fired. The 1986 Miami FBI incident and North Hollywood robbery are exceptions and you probably couldn't carry enough ammo, or guns, for either of those situations.

I often put a 1860 Colt Sheriff's in my belt while walking to the ATM...FWIW
 
Hi guys, first post here...
CCW with a cap and ball? Sure I've done it before, not as much recently as I used to. I carry at work so I stick to the 1911 auto loader there, but when I'm out on my own time, sometimes I'll pack the 5.5in 1858 Remington 44 cal, (shorty). Every gun has its advantages and limitations and as long as you're aware of what those are, you can work within whatever boundaries that are set by those advantages and limitations.

Percussion revolvers can be loaded to pack a nice punch, but you're slow on reloads...or limited to however many spare cylinders you can fit in your pocket. BP guns tend to be a little harder to conceal than a 45 auto, I need a button up flannel shirt or coat to be able to cover the weapon so that it doesn't print. That limits me to cooler weather if I decide I want to carry the Remington. The law doesn't tell me what gun I must carry, or that I can't carry a C&B gun. I know some ppl who carry a 25 auto...go figure, I'd just as soon throw rocks if all I had was a 25. ;)
 
I've never understood why people in the UK didn't explore this option more. As I understand it they can still have cap & ball revolvers are still legal so why not?
 
UK ownership of bp handguns is legal but highly restricted, can only be used at clubs and carry only allowed in case between home and club.
 
mykeal, I don't want to argue with you about this, in part because I'm really not sure. In my experience the people in the UK are a lot less vocal about their legal situation. If you visit the British Blade Forum you'll see one thread with hundreds of questions like "can I carry this?" and the answer is almost always no. There does seem to be some provisions for having cap & ball guns. I've seen them online (at a much higher price then they'd sell here for). As to what kind of hoops you have to jump through to get one, I'm clueless.
 
Here is a review I found on the aforementioned Dixie/Buffalo .125 grain Conicals:

This is a 125 grai swaged bullet with cupped base and a hatch-mark bullet retention pattern on the bearing surface. They are coated with some sort of lubricant- probably moly. The nose is rounded like a ball to gain optimum fit to loading rams the base is rebated to allow the bullets to seat in the chambers. Seating is in a straight line with no more distortion than desirable and the same for all bullets.

I loaded these in a 61 Navy fitted with shoulder stock hoping that bullets would raise the point of impact a bit higher than with ball loads. This did occur but I also had a slight (1.5") bias to the left at 60 feet. I fired a group at that distance- standing with the shoulder stock attached putting five rounds into less than 2" and expanding the group to about 2.25 with a sixth. A fifty yard group sitting on the ground under less than ideal lighting conditons was about 7" . It appears that the Buffalo bullets come closer to ball accuracy than any others I have tried and would be adequate for close up small game hunting with the right point of aim.

I clocked five rounds with 18 grains of Goex fffg getting 803 fps with 99fps spread.
The same measure using Pyrodex P went 865 fps with 71 fps spread.

The bullets are fairly expensive at nearly $15 for a box of 50
 
Pietta makes the 1863 Remington pocket pistol in both a brass and steel-framed version. 5-shot and easily concealable (3 1/2" bbl), though not alot of wallop in .31 caliber.

p63rempocketsteel.gif
 
Yes. Once loaded and carried/concealed, many states do consider them to be just like any other modern pistol.
But it really depends on the state since some may not.
And in a state where the laws may be really gray with respect to carrying one loaded, the decision could be placed in the hands of a judge and/or a jury.
And once arrested and charged then a new precedent can be set.
A person could be charged with violations other than carrying a [concealed] pistol without a permit, such as reckless endangerment.
 
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Here (Auburn, Alabama), we can buy em, sell em, display em, mail em, drive around with them (to and from ranges) - all pretty much without fuss .... but if they are carried loaded (on my person or in my vehicle), we are required to have a CCW permit. 'Not difficult to get here, but still required.

I wear my 1860 around here (my property) most of the time, and when I leave, I usually put it in the truck seat, under a rag or Tshirt. It's not easy to carry concealed on my person, but it does usually travel with me.:)
 
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