? on TC Patriot

[gurtie]

I've been looking at one.  Have never shot one but I'm curious.
Can this gun be used for hunting (45 cal)?
Does it have enough power for deer?
If so, what would the range be?

Thanks.

[kjeff50cal]

gurtie,
The TC Patriot Pistols are neat, but they are scarce. Thomson Center discontinued them because of a fire in their plant blitzed the machinery to make them. Also the grips on them are prone to breaking. They are fine for small game & varmits. Deer, don't bother, loaded with a 200 grn bullet (such as a Buffalo Ball-et) back by 30 grns of Goex FFFG (according to Lyman 2nd Edition BP Manual) only generates 931 fps/385me. That is about .45 cowboy action load territory, not enough for deer.

kjeff50cal

[Ramrod]

Well, I'm not one to put much stock in numbers, but how can you say a load that comes close to such a man-killer as a .45 Colt is not enough for a deer? Granted you would want to keep the range short, but it should kill well. I have a cheap Italian imitation of the Patriot I built from a kit around 1980. My plinking load is 35 grains FFFG, but I have loaded it with patched roundball and up to 70 grains. Don't tell me that won't kill a deer within 50 yards with any kind of decent shot.

[Chris]

gurtie:

kjeff50cal is right on.  Keep this pistol on the target range.  He's absolutely right about the fire, the stock breakage and the best use of the Patriot.  I own two...fine firearms for tack-driving target work.

TC doesn't have many (if any) parts...and I've broken two stocks over time while shooting .440 patched balls with 15g of 3f.  In fact, the loading process seems to place as much (if not more), pressure on the stock due to the amount of wood taken out for the lock...not to mention the grain of most stocks runs in the same plane as the barrel.  Neither were abused in any way.  I was forced to pin both stocks back into place...since TC would only offer to give me a credit towards a new rifle.

If you can find one of these at a good price on Auctionarms, Gunbroker or even on this site...buy it.  It's hard to find many pistols out there that will perform as well on the range.  If you still want to hunt deer with a BP pistol, find a used TC Scout or Traditions Buckhunter...in .50 or .54, they can be safely loaded like most BP rifles and will punch big, deep holes.  

Good Luck and Be Safe!  ...Chris  

[Renegade54]

I will say a black powder pistol will certainly kill deer, although you have to be within close range. I have a TC Patriot and have killed two does with it. I was in a tree stand both times and the ranges were 10 and 13 yards. My Patriot is slightly modified. I put a Mag-Spark adapter on it to use 209 primers and Blackhorn 209 powder (30-35 grains). I use a .357 polymer PR Bullet and a .45 caliber sabot. Both of these deer died almost instantly. The one at 13 yards dropped in her tracks and the one at 10 jumped in the air and ran about 20 yards before collapsing in a heap.

Again, I wouldn't try much more than 20 yards away. When I hunt from tree stands during muzzleloader season, I take my Hawken and my Patriot with me. They BOTH work 

[rawhidekid]

The Lyman Great Plains Pistol in 54 cal will do the job.  My target load is 35 grns of 3F Goex.  Max charge of 50 grns 2F would certainly be good for hunting.http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad116/rawhidekid1/010_zpsb03af3a5.jpg