THE HUNTING PISTOL
Tom said, "That six point and his does should be crossing the lower field at just about dawn. We’ll ambush ‘em as they come out of the trees. That bunch comes through most every morning."
Tom and I were just stepping out of his ranch house in the Ozarks into the moist freshness of the pre-dawn dark. It was December 1994, at the beginning of the Missouri muzzleloading season. Tom was talking whitetails. The winter air was crisp, but far less so than it would have been in my home state of Utah.
The Doc White designed ‘Javelina’ pistol, 14 inch barrel, .504 caliber, designed for rifle sized loads. Use both hands and sling for best results.
I was hunting north-eastern Whitetail, trying to get a deer slam with a muzzleloader. Tom runs a ranch about an hour and a half away from Springfield, Missouri, where he grows some pretty good whitetail.
I was hunting with the new White "Javelina" two-handed muzzleloading pistol. This pistol is different because the shooter uses his supporting hand to push the pistol away, against its patented sling, as if it were a bow. The pistol hand is used to steady the piece, aim and pull the trigger. It’s near as steady offhand as any rifle.
It came with a 14 inch barrel and utilized the White Muzzleloading System.. I was shooting 80 grains equivalent of Pyrodex P and a White .450 caliber, 380 grain SuperSlug. This load develops nearly 1200 feet per second and 1700 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. One of the beauties of the pistol is that rifle-sized loads can be used in it.
We climbed into Tom’s truck for the drive to he lower field. The old rattle-trap banged over the ruts and mud in great style. I had stopped for a moment outside Tom’s place to fire a squib and load the pistol. The White SuperSlug slid down the fouled bore easily. I explained to Tom that my muzzleloading system makes hunting without cleaning between shots a reality. It also makes a quick reload a real possibility.
I was hunting with the...White ‘Javelina ‘ two handed muzzleloading pistol. It’s near as steady offhand as any rifle...one of the beauties of the pistol is that rifle sized loads can be used in it...
We stopped well short of the lower field and waited quietly for the dark to fade. When it was light enough to barely see the trees, Tom eased out of the old truck. "Come this way," he said softly, indicating a narrow trail through the trees. Now he was quiet where before garrulity was the rule. He would take a few steps then watch and listen. "Get that gun ready" he whispered, "the buck could appear anytime."
We crept slowly through the trees. The mud and fallen leaves underfoot were sodden and quiet. There wasn’t any snow. Home in Utah, hunting mule deer, the snow would be up to my butt.
...We heard a small noise off to the left and instinctively glanced back...(and saw) a Whitetail face and huge antlers looking at me over the brush...
Morning was coming on fast, the small branches of trees slowly becoming visible. A turkey flapped down from a tree in the distance. An owl hooted but got no answering gobble. I checked to make sure the forward mounted red dot scope on the Javelina was turned on.
We were within several hundred yards of the lower field when the first rays of the thin morning sun hit the tops of the trees. Tom was in front, stepping along slowly, carefully picking up his feet and glancing from side to side.
I heard a small noise off to the left and instinctively glanced back. The under-growth was chest high and thick. I saw a Whitetail face and huge antlers looking at me over the brush. This deer was far bigger than anything Tom had told me about. Tom bleated a strangled sound that resembled no known word. He’d sensed the sudden movement and turned to see the big buck. He croaked again, sounding like a crow with a cold. The sound carried a certain sense of urgency, and I knew that Tom was as bug-eyed as I.
The pistol came up near automatically. I braced the gun against the sling, the red dot on his white neck patch. The pistol bucked as it went off. It’s so odd that I never feel the trigger pull when hunting and always feel it so distinctly when shooting target. The buck’s head snapped backwards and his feet flew through the air as he did a complete flip onto his back. He was dead in an instant.
Tom whooped. He bounced like the guy in the Toyota ad. He made it to the downed buck in three jumps. "Wow!" he exulted, "Wow! that buck is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen taken with a pistol."
Doc
and Whitetail with ‘Javelina’ pistol. The deer scored 154 plus green. The
load was 80 grains of Pyrodex P and a 380 grain White SuperSlug bullet.
Indeed, so it turned out. Later that day we looked in the latest edition of the SCI Record Book for Northeastern Whitetail killed with a pistol. The biggest scored 137. This big buck scored 154 plus. If some other hunter hadn’t killed a bigger whitetail in the meantime, Tom and I had a new world record, and with a muzzleloading pistol.
The Javelina
The Javelina is White’s first entry into the world of muzzleloading hand-gunning. It’s a unique hunting pistol, based on the time proven White Muzzleloading Systems G-series action designed by Dave Gumcio and engineered by myself. It’s as sturdy and tough as White’s rifles, with 14 inch barrel mounted in a unique double-handed stock with adjustable nylon sling. Weight is about four lbs. Best of all, it shoots White’s recommended rifle loads, potent as they are. This handgun is so potent that I like to call it my "Pocket Rifle."
Examination of the Javelina shows a large in-line pistol about the size of a Remington XP 100. The most noticeable features are the graceful metal carrying strap extending between the grip and front pylon and the unique sling. The sling is a big factor in soaking up the recoil of heavy loads.
The rifle-size loads used in this pistol are more than tolerable once the sling is adjusted to the shooter. The concept is easy-push the pistol away with the left hand, placing the web of the hand against the front pylon just as if it were a bow. This stabilizes the pistol against the sling which is adjusted tight with the pistol at arm’s length. The sling system locks up tight enough that you can use it offhand with near the steadiness of your usual rifle off hand stance.
David
White demonstrates the one hand carry-ability of the ‘Javelina’ pistol.
The strap and sling offer a number of ways to carry the pistol and do away with the need for an over-large holster. The simplest way is to one-hand it by grasping either the shortened sling or the strap with the pistol upside down. A second way is to throw the shortened sling over the gunhand shoulder and carry the pistol under the arm just as if it were a rifle. An alternate way, and the best, is to lengthen the sling, place the pistol at the hip on the gun-hand side and throw the sling over the opposite shoulder. This method will provide the easiest carry as well as the most versatile use of the sling.
The
adjustable sling allows an over-the- shoulder carry, just as if it were a rifle.
With the sling in the last described position and the opportunity for a shot at hand, grab the rear grip with your gunhand and unsnap the strap at the fore-pylon with your opposite hand. This leaves the strap around your left shoulder free to slide on the portion of the strap stretched between the barrel and the rear grip. Now slip your forearm, hand and wrist through the juncture of the strap where it slides on itself. Push your hand out to the fore-pylon. This should lock your forearm and wrist into the ‘ V’ formed by the sliding portions of the sling.
With
the sling over the opposite shoulder, the Javelina can be thrown into its
anti-recoil sling supported position with just the flip of a snap.
Place the hand against the fore-pylon with the web of the thumb well around and through the pylon and push it solidly out to arm’s length. Pretend that you’re bending a bow. Adjust the sling so that it’s comfortably tight, stretching from the barrel around your left shoulder, coming down and around your back then up and under your right arm to reach forward to the rear grip of the pistol.
The
Javelina can be fired using the standard double grip. Push the pistol away with
the forward hand, stabilize it, aim and pull the trigger with the gunhand
Once correctly adjusted for your arm length, the set up should be very solid. Steady the rear grip, take aim and squeeze the trigger.
Recoil will be absorbed by your arms and the tight sling. Recoil is less noticeable with this setup than with a rifle as the Javelina doesn’t punch you in the shoulder or face.
Loading is easy with the White Muzzleloading System. PowerPunch bullets, BuckBusters or PowerStars slip in easily. The rules for using the pistol are the same as for any White designed rifle. Be sure that you fire a squib before loading the pistol and ram the bullet firmly down on the powder charge. Proper loads for the pistol are the lower power loads recommended for a White designed rifle of similar caliber.
For
best stabilization without a rest, unsnap the sling, put the left arm through
the ‘V’ so formed and push the pistol away until the sling is comfortably
tight. This stance gives plenty of support for accurate offhand shots as well as
absorbing an amazing amount of recoil
The new Javelina is an excellent lightweight arm for a long carry. It will do well in close situations where a longer rifle would be a nuisance. It lacks little as a tree-stand gun. In fact, it lacks little when stacked up against many rifles. It’s accurate, potent and awfully handy.
Good Hunting
‘Doc’ White
This ugly critter was
killed with the Javelina pistol. Load was 80 grains PyroP and a 440 grain
slip-fit Power Punch bullet. A single shot did the trick at about 40 yards.
Chocolate
Fallow deer taken with the smaller BobCat pistol, a later design that never came
to production. It is the size of a T/C Contender with a 10 inch barrel in 504
caliber. I chose a 50/45-320 hollow pointed PowerStar bullet for this thin
skinned animal. Powder charge was 80 grains PyroP.
The
pistol is Doc’s ‘BobCat’, the size of a T/C Contender with 10 inch barrel
at 3 lbs. The critter is a Nilgai, with better than 9 inch horns, a good one,
reputedly a tough, tough critter. The load was 90 grains PyroP and a 460 grain
PowerPunch bullet. This load is far more potent than a 44 Magnum and killed the
Nilgai with a single shot at 50 yards.
Small
Whitetail, small pistol, the first animal to fall to the BobCat. 60 yard shot
with open sights. I later put a small red dot sight on the pistol, making it far
more effective as a hunting pistol.