Survival Rifle II

To All:

The following is taken from back-channel communications; folks who had
a question but didn't want to ask it publicly.

'I tend to agree with those who believe a .22 pistol and a variety of
bullet types would be a more practical survival weapon.'
And I would tend to agree with you. Ideally, it would be one of those
9-shot revolvers that were popular in the 1950's. And you're right
about the loads, too. .22 Long Rifle Hollow Point, and .22 cal. shot-
shells are available. If you could find one of the long-barreled
pistols, and rig a skeleton stock to it, you could be reasonably sure
of taking deer-sized game, assuming you could put a .22 Hollow Point
into the animal's kill-zone.

But you're talking some serious money here. My main reason for
advocating a black-powder pistol was coming upon one -- a classic
'Rusty' -- I'd acquired last winter, just before I was diagnosed with
cancer. I hadn't done anything with it, other than to drop it in a
coffee can filled with used motor oil. When I bought it (for $2.50)
the barrel was blocked and it could not be cocked & fired. But after
a five month soak in old motor oil I was able to clear the barrel and
cock the thing. It needs to be taken apart and cleaned but right now
it represents a two and a half pound BALLAST MASS... something I could
build right into the airframe.

The only advantage a black powder pistol might have over a .22 is that
a .44 has the POTENTIAL to deliver more energy, assuming the cap &
powder was still good after being bolted to an airplane for heaven
knows how long.

'How much does such a pistol cost?'
Purchased new, a well-made black-powder revolver can cost hundreds of
dollars. But that's not the kind of pistol I've been talking about.
The pistol I've been talking about is something from a garage sale,
probably rusty and may not even work. The price of such a pistol will
be from $1 to $5.

'My (local expert) says the Colt is not as good as the Remington.'
He's right. You want to TRY and buy a pistol that has a top-strap
design. But don't ignore whatever is available, which will probably
be an Italian replica of an early Colt, which does not have the top-
strap.

'If the purpose is survival I should think you would want to carry the
pistol loaded. But I understand you can't do that (ie, leave a black
powder weapon loaded).'
That's true. Black powder is hygroscopic, meaning it will absorb
water... typically moisture from the air. So don't let that happen.
Wrap the pistol AND a desiccant pack in several layers of plastic,
followed by several layers of heavy-weight aluminum foil. Do not use
tape, just crumple the foil to make it hold. (The foil is a major
part of your survival gear.)

The black powder you carry for reloading must receive the same kind of
vapor-barrier treatment. That is, a desiccant pack next to the powder
then the whole thing sealed up in several plastic baggies, followed by
two or three layers of HEAVY aluminum foil.

There are some synthetic black powders, and black powder pellets, that
are NOT hygroscopic... or at least, less hygroscopic than the Real
Stuff. Some of these are so expensive that they are beyond the range
of my Flying On The Cheap philosophy.

'A black powder pistol, such as you've proposed, appears to be an
awkward load. Would you include a holster as part of your survival
pistol kit?
No holster. You are correct in that WHATEVER pistol you decide to
use, a holster of some kind would improve its practicality. But that
assumes you intend to leave the site of the downed aircraft and THAT
is never a good idea.

If you fly into a rock the odds are, you won't be in condition to do
any traveling. If you're lucky enough to be able to select where the
bird goes down, there's a high probability you'll suffer some
injuries, in which case you will want to stay at or close to the crash
site. Even if you make a good landing ( that is, one you can walk
away from ) the odds of your being rescued are several orders of
magnitude better if you stay with the downed airplane.

Common practice with cap & ball revolvers that do NOT have a safety
notch is to load only five rounds, reserving the sixth chamber for
resting the hammer upon. Another common practice is to provide an
anchoring point for a lanyard so that the pistol can never be lost or
forgotten.

To me, a 'shooting pouch' containing your caps, powder and bullets, is
far more important than a holster. Indeed, a simple cloth pouch large
enough to hold the pistol and its accouterments is a virtual
necessity. Such a pouch can serve as a 'holster' of sorts. Such a
pouch also lends itself to the task of building your survival weapon
into the airframe.

-R.S.Hoover