if you had to choose...
 

Between a cap and ball black powder revolver or a P08 luger for self defense and carry, what would it be? Remember, there are no other options. Just how reliable is reliable? ;)

I was cleaning my 1851 Navy when I was thinking about this. Most folks say the p08 in nowhere near reliable enough to count on. That feeling is tenfold for most percussion weapons. Had this gun loaded since 2008, fired perfectly. Had I needed it as it sat in drawer, it would have worked. Not a serious thread obviously, just something for humor. Curious what others think.

Colt Walker
"Are ya gonna clear that smoke wagon or wistle' Dixie"

I'd have to go with the P. 08. There's a reason why smokeless powder and cartridge-loaded firearms were invented.

I use a rifle for deer hunting, as well. I'll leave the bows and arrows to the hunters what aren't hungry...

Since I would rather be shot with a black powder revolver, I would choose the P08.

Talking strictly projectiles, I'd rather be hit by a 9mm FMJ bullet than a .454 soft lead ball out of a Colt Dragoon!

Time to go outside and play a while.

A round ball wound is much more devastating than a 9mm FMJ.

Sometimes at the range I like to shoot with this gun, (Le Page of Davide Pedersoli reproduction gun cal 36 black powder), actually I wouldn't know what to choose, the P.08 perhaps.

I have two 1858 Army revolvers, in .44 percussion. I actually got married in Tombstone, AZ (whole wedding party in period clothing, guns, and horses, reception in Crystal Palace, ...the works) holstering one of them. (telling you this just to emphasize how much we like the period!).

They both have LOW serial numbers, but not consecutive. Bottom line,...I LOVE them both, and shoot them frequently. They are VERY accurate, and I am very confident in their performance.

I have only one Parabellum, and I acquired it recently (last X-mas), but my vote goes hands down to P08. I shot only 100 rounds through it so far, but I haven't experienced ANY reliability issues whatsoever. What I did experience was the accuracy on par with 1858 Army, ease (and speed) of reloading, deployment, and cleaning.

MUCH better choice.

I can draw both very fast, I can hit a watermelon at 15 yards dead on, EVERY time with both (P08 and .44 percussion), but with P08 I have 8 shots, can load 16 more VERY fast, and carry it with ease. Since I don't believe in "zombie appocalypse", facing ANY "real life" armed confrontation, ONE 9mm FMJ placed square in the "watermelon", would end that confrontation very effectively.

In case of the "meltdown".......different story! Black powder (and caps) are plentiful, wheel weights on every vehicle, bed sheets galore,.......and if the modern ammo is hard to get.....you get the picture. Unfortunatelly I don't own any black powder rifles (yet!), but I am looking into this as we speak.

Sounds like a fun Wedding. And remember, Arizona was a Confederate Territory.. ;) Hell, SoCal would have been Confederate had they been able to secede from the northern part of the state. Los Angeles fielded a Confederate unit.

Having owned and "attempted" to get decent with black powder cap and ball revolvers, I would vote for the P08 hands down. I have yet to get my shooter DWM up to the reliability range that I desire (probably never will....but I keep trying) it is far superior to my 1851 Navy Colt in MY hands. Black powder shooting is just too much work for the rewards....to me.

This is a very true statement, there is a reason round ball stayed around for so long.

You can push 1000 fps from a Ruger Old Army with 5 1/2 barrel, and the gun isn't all that big, but like the Luger it is rather large to carry, this is my problem with Luger's ( size)

I like the Colt Pocket Police , very small package and packs a wallop up close. That short barrel has a very authoritative sound.

Vern

I would take the P08 any day. The only cap and ball revolver I would consider is a LeMat revolver.

I reside in SoCal (for the time being) for various reasons. I an not a "native", and I "fly" Stars and Bars on the wall of my office. The flag represents MY heritage, and MY pride, regardless of what they made it to be in today's media. Just so you know.

Vern -

1000 fps out of a 454 pistol? I had no idea!
I always thougt the biggest danger with getting shot with an old black powder pistol was the resulting infection due to a lack of antibiotics, which would then often kill you.

- Geo

Hi,

Here is a good question to question this question.

Why did the German Army adopt the Luger in the first place, as it did, indeed, replace their current issue big bore revolver?


Sieger

I'll counter your question with a question: Why did US military replace 1911 with M9?

We will never know for sure. And I know the "oficial" reasoning,.....carry more ammo, more "modern",.....blah, blah, blah.

Luger contract was HUGE (just like M9), and we will never know who got the "piece of action", in either case. I have never seen or heard of the government that's NOT corrupt, since the beggining of the "civilized" world. Money talks, and it always did.