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2024/2025 Squirrel Hunting Thread...........

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I wondered the same thing.
Or doubled up the load and or the balls.
Would it do that if he forgot to put the screw back in after cleaning?
Not sure Amigo. To be honest with you Fred, I've never had that screw out of mine. Wonder if he didn't tighten enough, or even over tightened to where the screw threads protruded too far? Glad for the guy it didn't blow his chin off.
 
It kinda looks like the threads are badly corroded. Maybe he has been removing it regularly to clean 🤔 I've never held one of those in hand and don't know anything about those breech systems.

If it's a patent, is that the point used to drill across to create a flash channel? If so, it should never be removed. TC did that and machined the surface smooth.
 
Look at you go! Congrats, bro.

Me thinks Kentucky squirrels are smarter than Colorado squirrels. 😁
Hah, you won't lure me into that debate! 😀

I may have removed a developing Demon squirrel 😳 Maybe I should trap him back out of The Colony and relocate him. Somewhere above timberline 12 or 13 thousand 🤔
 
Man, that thing really blew out of there with force, didn't it? 12 gr? Hmmm... nahh no way. Double load, ball not seated, etc, suspicious....

Isn't there another, weaker, screw on the other side of the breech?

That's probably the most popular squirrel hunting rifle in U.S. I imagine Trad will be looking into it....
This is bugging the Shhhh out of me.
When I get home tonight I'm tearing my Crockett Rifle apart.
I've removed that screw, nipple every time I've cleaned my gun. That's how I do it, right or wrong. It looks real solid to me.
I use caution to replace without cross threading or over tightening.
 
This is bugging the Shhhh out of me.
When I get home tonight I'm tearing my Crockett Rifle apart.
I've removed that screw, nipple every time I've cleaned my gun. That's how I do it, right or wrong. It looks real solid to me.
I use caution to replace without cross threading or over tightening.
I’ve never removed those screws on any ML I’ve owned. I’ve never seen a reason to do so.

My guess is there was issues with that screw. If you read further down in the thread he said he has had to tighten it back up a few times.
 
I’ve never removed those screws on any ML I’ve owned. I’ve never seen a reason to do so.

My guess is there was issues with that screw. If you read further down in the thread he said he has had to tighten it back up a few times.
I remove the barrel set it a bucket of hot water and run patch till clean. Plus remove any screw that's in or near drum breech or other wise. Again in not say it's truly necessary or right or wrong. It's the way I started and I had zero help from an individual no internet, so from the articles in magazines and or books. Just continued to do so.
Again not saying I'm right. I just know it flushes it out real good.
 
...there’s so much other and natural things for them to eat out there.
Especially cicadas, as we discussed before. The cicadas are gone now. The squirrels that are up to no good on my deck have left hundreds of cicada wings. They would go get one, bring it onto deck and eat the middle, and leave the wings and refuse strewn around just to p!$$ me off:

IMG_20240604_120610297.jpg



The whole deck is covered in the nasty stuff. 😠 Walking barefoot on cicada wings and guts is not fun.
 
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My point is, it’s difficult to catch squirrels here in live traps. My guess is there’s so much other and natural things for them to eat out there.
That may well be. I suspect that some folks in the neighborhood may feed them but all that I talk to consider them a huge nuisance. I'm one of the few who has any fruit trees and there are absolutely no mast producing trees anywhere locally.

On one occasion neighbors across the street broke into applause when they saw me loading a squirrel into the car for transportation to The Colony.
 
On another note, experiencing some difficulties with my Crockett squirrel rifle. Accuracy has fallen off big time. Been working on this but so far have not been able to find the culprit. I have more plans in my old noggin. Will discuss this more in a few days after I try a couple more things. I've gotten some great help and ideas from a couple of other members on here.

Until then, despite the nasty and persistent weather, I'm most likely going to go back out squirrel hunting soon anyway. Just going to have to get closer. Only have 16 more days until spring squirrel season closes here in KY.
 
On another note, experiencing some difficulties with my Crockett squirrel rifle. Accuracy has fallen off big time. Been working on this but so far have not been able to find the culprit. I have more plans in my old noggin. Will discuss this more in a few days after I try a couple more things. I've gotten some great help and ideas from a couple of other members on here.

Until then, despite the nasty and persistent weather, I'm most likely going to go back out squirrel hunting soon anyway. Just going to have to get closer. Only have 16 more days until spring squirrel season closes here in KY.
Sorry to read about that Ed. Could you have bumped the sights maybe while in the woods?
 
Sorry to read about that Ed. Could you have bumped the sights maybe while in the woods?
I have changed out the sights and it didn't help much. I've also tried a bunch of other things but to no avail. Supposed to have a coning tool arrive in the mail this Friday. My thinking is that perhaps the crown might be messed up a tad. That should clean it up. Ether way, with a .315 RB and .020 patch its just too darn tight getting it started down the bore. So, coning will help that for sure.

The ML took several hard falls hitting limestone out in the woods. It also hit the concrete slab porch very hard after I tripped and fell right after my knee replacement. It hit so hard that it put a couple of deeper gouges on the outside of the barrel. So I'm not ruling out a bent barrel at this time.
 
I have changed out the sights and it didn't help much. I've also tried a bunch of other things but to no avail. Supposed to have a coning tool arrive in the mail this Friday. My thinking is that perhaps the crown might be messed up a tad. That should clean it up. Ether way, with a .315 RB and .020 patch its just too darn tight getting it started down the bore. So, coning will help that for sure.

The ML took several hard falls hitting limestone out in the woods. It also hit the concrete slab porch very hard after I tripped and fell right after my knee replacement. It hit so hard that it put a couple of deeper gouges on the outside of the barrel. So I'm not ruling out a bent barrel at this time.
Did you recently switch to .315's? I thought you were using .310's.
 
I have changed out the sights and it didn't help much. I've also tried a bunch of other things but to no avail. Supposed to have a coning tool arrive in the mail this Friday. My thinking is that perhaps the crown might be messed up a tad. That should clean it up. Ether way, with a .315 RB and .020 patch its just too darn tight getting it started down the bore. So, coning will help that for sure.

The ML took several hard falls hitting limestone out in the woods. It also hit the concrete slab porch very hard after I tripped and fell right after my knee replacement. It hit so hard that it put a couple of deeper gouges on the outside of the barrel. So I'm not ruling out a bent barrel at this time.
Hope ya get it figured out, Brother.
Maybe try .310s with the .015 or the .020
If ya haven't already done so.
Good luck.
Let us know how the coning goes.
 
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