There's stories of the .44 Army knocking down bears in the West...
Must have been a l'il one
I've seen video of Inuit people killing polar bears with pistols loaded with .22LR rounds, so I don't doubt it's possible. I'd like to hear of those folks who tried it, but didn't find it to be adequate. Maybe they didn't make it back to spread the tale? Even in historical times, there were more black bears out west than grizzlies, and black bears aren't that much toughter than whitetail deer to kill. As for grizzlies, Lewis and Clark found them to be much more formidable, requiring multiple shots, as well as multiple shots in the head with their rifles and muskets which were much more powerful than the revolvers. Lewis stated in his journal that he'd rather fight two indians than one grizzly
They're fun to shoot- I could see one for targets or re-enactments. And I think if you got really close, you could take a small deer with a .44 pistol, simply because you could (hopefully) hit it several times.
At best, the revolvers are limited to a small powder charge due to the length of the chambers. I think I could max mine (.44 Army) out with about 37gr of powder? Even a Walker is limited to a max of maybe 50gr? The .36 won't even hold 30gr. They can't be loaded heavier, because the ball sticks out of the chamber and the cylinder won't rotate.
With a full powder charge and a round ball, the .36 is limited to about 200 ft. lb. of energy- which is about equal to a .22LR. Loaded with a larger conical, the velocity drops about 40%, and the ft. lbs. drop to about 150. Not hunting-class for much beyond rabbits, squirrels, and occasional bad-guys. A .22 is generally not considered adequate for fox or coyote unless you're up-close and personal, and can carefully place a shot (animal in a trap).
The .44 is better. A full charge with a round ball gives about 375 ft lbs (at the muzzle). Compared to a .22 Magnum with a muzzle energy of around 360 ft lbs, that's better, but still not very powerful. I know people that have used them (.44's) for javalina and coyote, but they're illegal for deer in any state because of the low energy they develop.
They probably develop ME close to some of the little auto-pistols, which are considered adequate for shooting paper and people. Compared to a .357Mag, at 500-700 ft lb ME, and a .44Mag at over 900 Ft lbs at the muzzle (about half the ME my muzzle-loading rifle) they're not very powerful.
They're great for plinking, with lots of smoke, flames, and noise! Fun for sure, just not very powerful. And I'm sure bad guys would be impressed too, if you had time to load it! The first time I fired my .44 Army it was at an indoor range, in a booth next to 3 gang-banger types taking turns firing one of those l'il auto pistols. The looks they gave me said they were impressed, lol!
I admit to being biased, of course. Those cap and ball revolvers are just a little too modern/high-tech for me. I'll take the easier to load and clean, more powerful, more accurate, single-shot flintlock pistol any day!
