patch and ball pistol

[chain]

I am really not sure which sub-forum to put this into.  I am going with this one because patch and ball is pretty traditional.

My kids shoot 4H shooting sports, and within that shoot some muzzle loaders.  In the past we were restricted to traditional designs with patch and ball.  Looking over last years rules, the traditional design portion was no longer mentioned - but we still only shoot patch and ball - which pretty much eliminates all those new fangled guns with fast twists.

I am not really needing to get a new rifle for the rule change - as I think their .36 underhammer is still pretty close to perfect - but am looking for accurate patch and ball pistol.  A Billinghurst style underhammer pistol would be great - but the bank will not finance one of those.  I have no problem going modern - other than a barrel twist that would be potentially devastating to accuracy.  In the past they did allow cap and ball pistols to shoot in the event, but that is under discussion - so reluctant to get a ROA only to find out it has been disallowed (as much as I would enjoy to add one of those to my colt collection).

Any suggestions?  Are aftermarket barrels available that would get a modern muzzle loader pistol shoot patch and ball accurately?    Any affordable muzzle loading target pistols?

[Winter Hawk]

Check out the Patriot in the muzzleloader ads....

-WH-

[necchi]

If your talking about the differance between a muzzle loading "pistol" and a cap an ball "revolver",,the barrel twist is the same, usually 1:20.
Some/most are now allowing revolvers to shoot in pistol matches, IF the revolver is loaded with just one cylinder, and loaded after each shot like a pistol.
The are ballistically the same,, a 1:20 twist barrel that's 8-10"s, up too 12"s long 

[coyotejoe]

I got the Traditions "Pioneer" kit for $180 and it is quite a decent shooter. The lock is certainly on the cheap side and it took some tinkering to get a decent trigger pull but it is a shooter. It's .45 caliber, takes a .440" ball with pillow ticking patch. The group shown is the very first five shots it ever fired. That was with just 15 grains of Goex 3f and chronographed just over 900 fps so I saw no need to experiment further. It's a very easy kit to build from. The only modification from what comes in the box was different sights, I don't like brass blades, and I added a belt hook just for the heck of it.
 

[chain]

I am not sure which organization our rules are borrowed from.  As written, currently c&b is allowed for our muzzle loader pistol event - 1 chamber loaded, all capped.    I have some personal confusion as to the last part - in every other bp event, capping is done on the line (I don't know if they are requiring the 5 surplus caps to be snapped).

Irregardless - issues arrose on the c&b line that put into question the future of that event.  If discontinued, I would not be surprised if the muzzle loader pistol event rules were also modified.  I do not know what the issues were, but do understand that shooting rapid/timed fire c&b as a line rather than a staged event puts a large strain on the safety officers.

Thank you for your twist replies.  1:20 is considered too fast a twist for patched ball in rifles, but I guess it poses less issues with pistol velocities.

[coyotejoe]

Pistol barrels generally have a twist rate between 18" and 32", where as round ball rifles run 48"-72" twist. As you surmise it is really the RPMs of the ball that matters and twist is just one factor in that, velocity being the other. Since pistol loads often show half the velocity of rifle loads the pistol barrel needs twice the twist to give a ball the same spin.