American Gun Craft Desperado Review: Black Powder 12 Gauge Pistol
The new American Gun Craft Desperado hand cannon is a huge leap forward for fans of the original 12-gauge black powder Diablo pistol. The new Desperado is a handgun-style, break-action, double-barrel, muzzle-loaded, black powder shotgun with 12- or 20-gauge bores.
The Desperado we used weighs in at four pounds with the two 8-inch smooth-bore barrels. While American Gun Craft offers the Diablo with several different finish options, for now, the Desperado is only offered in 12- or 20-gauge with rubber grips and a deep, hand-polished blued finish. Six-inch and 12-inch versions are in the works.
Like the Diablo, the Desperado has a hammer with a half-cock notch, a manual barrel selector, and a pair of latches to unlock the shotgun. New to the Desperado is an oversized trigger guard for use with gloves and to protect the trigger finger when shooting.
The longer sight radius and barrels give the Desperado a bump in accuracy, especially when shooting single ball or slug loads, and the full-size rubber grips help handle the felt recoil and make the pistol easier to use in general. It has a straight mid-rib with a simple brass bead front sight. In our whitetail hunt, the longer sight radius let us make shots at more than 30 yards.
The Desperado can fire 1-ounce loads up to .729 inches with up to 60 grains of FFg black powder or its equivalent using standard #209 primers. American Gun Craft recommends using .740-inch shot cards and wads, all of which are easy to find. This is not the combination of loads that we used, however. More on that later.
The Desperado uses adjustable and removable primer cups for headspacing ease of maintenance, and American Gun Craft recommends Goex and Pyrodex powders.
Testing
International Sportsman has had the Desperado for a few months before launch and we really like it– so much so that we will not be sending it back. So how does it compare to the Diablo?
Well, the improvement of the grip is probably the No. 1 thing on our list. The new grip is slightly longer, and the rubber allows for control of the pistol versus its predecessor. In our initial feedback from shooting the Diablo, this was one thing that we asked for.
On the topic of shooter comfort, the front handguard has been enlarged and is made of rubber. This helps with control, but since the Desperado is focused on hunting, it also allows for the use of shooting sticks. The elongated handguard is sloped so it fits easily on shooting sticks or the edge of a blind. It is made of a similar rubber as the grip, and this helps to reduce noise when placing it in shooting position. While this might not seem like much, it can make or break a hunt when you are within 30 yards of animals with sensitive hearing.
The loading procedure for the Desperado follows the same steps as the Diablo. For our whitetail hunt, we used a different load than our previous tests. The reason comes down to the longer barrels and better accuracy.
- First, load 60 grains of FFFG or equivalent powder.
- Next, put your over the powder card in, and ram it down hard to compress the powder.
- After that, insert your thick fiber wad, also called a cushion wad; remember, this protects your shot from being deformed and gives you a more consistent pattern.
- Now it is time for your shot–in this case solid round balls.
- The last wad to put in is the over shot card. This keeps the shot in place and doesn’t let it fall out.
- Last step is to load your primers.
This was the way that we have been shooting the Diablo and what we started with on the Desperado. However, since then AGC gave us a new sabot round called the AGC 12 Gauge Fast Load Slug to try out that is now available on their website. This new sabot uses muzzleloader black powder pellets, like the IMR White Hots Pellets that we used for our testing. They are much faster to load since you just drop in a pellet and push the sabot down. This allows for more consistent shots and faster loading. For field use, it means you are carrying less stuff with you.
Final Thoughts
The Desperado performs much like the Diablo as far as the trigger is concerned. It is not going to be a precision rifle trigger, but it is not bad for a black powder pistol.
The fit and finish are great, and the new upgrades with the grip and forearm are a welcome change. This is not to say that the Diablo is bad, just different. Imagine the Diablo as a self-defense pistol where the Desperado is a hunting pistol.
Overall, if you want to challenge yourself and have a cool story to tell, then pick up a Desperado and do a hunt with it. It is a fun experience you won’t forget.
The Desperado is priced at $639 in 12-gauge and $659 in 20-gauge. The smaller Diablo starts at $479 and is also offered with black oxide and nickel finishes, as well as walnut stocks and grips.
Key Features: Desperado 12GA Pistol
Barrel Length: 8″ Length hand-polished Blued Barrel
Type:Â Break open-break action Double Barrel Side-by-side, smooth-bore
Overall Length: 12”
Caliber: 12 Gauge – Conventional 209 Primer Breech Plug Design BP muzzleloader, suggested load 40gr FFG, 1/2 oz shot
Finish:Â Polished Blued
Weight:Â 4 Lbs
Type:Â Single Hammer, Double Barrel, Single Trigger, 209 Primer Ignition ML
Stock: Black finish rubber handguard and large 3 finger rubber Grip
Sight Bead:Â Sight bead installed
MSRP: $639
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.