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Pistol Packing Mama
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| Written by Wendy Butler |
We are about halfway through our primitive biathlon season here in the northeast. Primitive Biathlons are great fun, albeit a bit dirty. Especially for those of us who choose to use black powder rather than the substitute, Pyrodex. I figure if I’m going to shoot a flintlock I should use the real deal - black powder substitutes have never been a consideration for me. However, because black powder is highly corrosive a close eye to cleaning immediately after shooting is a must. I am enveloped in a cloud of smoke after taking a shot and have to resist the temptation to lift my head to see my target. Hopefully, I hear the clank of a round ball hitting the steel gong but it’s also really great to see them swing. The smell of black powder is something like rotten eggs, that’s the sulfur in the powder. Last but not least is the taste, somewhat salty and gritty. I know this because I put my short starter in my teeth while I’m ramming the ball down the barrel with my ramrod. It’s called SOP or standard operating procedure. I try to load the same way each time because shooting the ramrod out of the barrel could not only be potentially painful it would also summarily end my event for the day. Impossible to reload a muzzle loader without a ramrod!
Desiring a bit of a change I hit Randy up to finish a 50 cal. Flintlock pistol that he and our son, Wes, have been building for going on three years or so. Being an obliging sort he put the finishing touches on the pistol and I was able to shoot it for the first time on Monday and then again on Friday.
.jpg) It is my limited understanding that pistols are somewhat less accurate than a long rifle. I can think of three reasons why this might be true. First, the slow twist in the short 11” barrel allows very little time for the round ball to stabilize before it leaves the barrel. Second, it’s more difficult to achieve good balance in a firearm that is bobbing at the end of my arm. Thirdly, is the short distance between the rear and front site, allowing for a greater margin of misses at further distances.
My goal today was to hit two targets. Hitting my first target was exhilarating and I felt like my day was complete - I hit five out of the first six targets, surpassing my somewhat ambitious goal. Trotting down to the last station, where I could hear spectators discussing various subjects, including me, I fell apart and missed all three. Five hits out of nine would take a total 25 minutes, five minutes for each hit target, off my running time of just over 39 minutes for a score of roughly 14 minutes. It’s great fun and with lots of really great people who LOVE to shoot. Check out the Smugglers Notch Primitive Biathlon calendar of northeast biathlons and come on out! Till next time, run fast and shoot straight! Wendy
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