Wildcard163:

Am familiar with blackpowders limitations, but I don't buy guns just for their speed and punch, but also for their artistic qualities. I like the looks of the 1851 Confederate Navy .44 and would feel safe leaving it mounted above the fireplace as a show piece as it is not likely to get stolen if someone breaks into the house as quickly as a more modern sidearm.

I know about the LeMatt, but consider it one ugly sidearm that would scare my "PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER." friends if it was hanging over my fireplace, whereas the shiney brass .44 Navy has the "cute" factor going for it.

Back in the James Bond mania days, I purchased a Walther PPKS in a .380 that was the worst shooting handgun I have ever owned. I tried every brand of .380 ammo out there including some West German stuff called INOXID which worked extremely accurately in my HK4. That Walther was horrible in accuracy. If I still had it today, I would have done a lead plug test to determine land and groove diameter and had specially sized bullets loaded for it, but back then I was not as techanically astute as I am today.

Sorry to hear that quality control in blackpowder longarms is so poor that you and your father have such a variance in results.

Bountyhunter