In Part One we built a Philadelphia Derringer from a kit.

Today, we will see how it shoots.

I will also be shooting a Kentucky Percussion Pistol that I built back in the early 1970's.

I have often been asked just how well a black powder pistol will penetrate as compared to a modern smokeless powder pistol.

Today we will also look at that issue.

Black powder is some weird stuff.

It is very easy to ignite and it burns at a very different rate than smokeless powder.

And, it is measured by volume, instead of weight.

Years ago, I made a couple of powder measures, one from a .357 Magnum case for about 30 grains of black powder, and one from a .44 Magnum case, for about 40 grains of black powder.

I also have an adjustable measure that allows any amount of powder to be measured and used.

The ball for these pistols is a .44 caliber ball.

The bore of the pistol measures .45, but we must have enough "slack" to allow the ball to be patched.

We usually think of a .44 ball to be "big", but I was surprised to see that they only weigh 128 grains.

That's pretty light as compared to modern pistols.

I also brought a Colt Cobra and here's how they compare in size.

The Derringer is bigger than some might think.

It is not a tiny pistol.

To start any shooting session with black powder, you should first swab the barrel to make sure it is dry of oil.

Then you snap 1 or 2 percussion caps to clean and dry out the nipple.