32 or 36

I know this is an old question but I'm going to be off work till the middle of July and I thought I would build myself squirrel rifle. The style of rifle I was looking for is either a lightly built half stock or maybe a Pennsylvania rifle I'm not worried about taking on a hard to build kit, my other hobby is scratch building rc airplanes. I've even been in contact with a muzzleloading distributor, he said that he could get me a Pedersoli frontier rifle in the kit form if I could get that in grade 5 Tiger Maple stock that would be honky dory. But to get back to my original question, which caliber will I want?

 

[Zonie]

Sounds like what your looking for is something like Pecatonica Rivers Ohio Squirrel Rifle.
Small bore, half stock either with no cheekpiece or one on Both sides of the stock.
Their "kit" offers a GM 13/16 X 32" barrel (.32 .36, .40 or .45 cal), L&R Warrented Precussion lock and #4 Davis set triggers. Asken price is $349.50 plus wood. For a half stock, their wood prices vary from $50 to $200 (or higher for Birds Eye Maple).
This gun is patterened afte the Ohio rifles which were popular in the 1830s.

Anyway, Caliber? I lean towards .36 mainly because my 5/16 ramrod fits nicely. It would be kinda close in a .32 .

 

Is the stock a blank or preshape

 

I haven't done that much chisel work but building RC airplanes, I pride myself on my ability with a sanding block. Taking on a blank stock would be more interesting.

 

[Stumpkiller]

RC airplanes, huh? Me too! Returned to the hobby two years ago after 20 some years out. Wish M/L guns were the same price they were 25 years ago like RC radios are. Just got a Futaba 9C and it is amazing!

If you are only going to use the rifle for squirrel and bunnies the .32 would be dandy. The .36 would be more versitile and get you up into woodchuck and coyote, not that the .32 wouldn't smack 'em good enough, but it carries a bit farther.

Check out some of the kits from Track of the Wolf.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categories/catList.aspx?catID=13#77

 

[Zonie]

That is a pre shape/pre inlet stock that's included in the total price.
When I started the "******* Gun" (Christian Springs style) I'm working on now, I asked for the roughed out wood to have the swamped barrel channel cut and the ramrod hole drilled but nothing more. Dick Greensides (Owner) said "no problem", so if you want to install a different lock etc you will be able to do that. (The B.G. has a French Type C Flinter).

(Just thinkin about it, there must have been some people living in Ohio with small bore halfstock Flintlocks in the 1820s when Flint had reached its peak.)

If you want to buy the barrel/lock/etc. from different suppliers he basically charges about $43 for a straight barrel channel+ ramrod hole + semi finished profiling on the outside. Add to this the wood price I mentioned above.
If you wanted any of Dicks halfstocks, that would be about $93 for plain Maple to $188 for #4 CM
The B.G. fullstock cost me $43 for the roughed out exterior + $25 for cutting the Swamped barrel channel + $140 for the #3 CM.

Also if a full stock isn't out of the picture and havent taken a look at it, you might want to check the Photo Forum for my "Boys Rifle).

 

Well, all I know is that I do not want to an (A R S) "almost ready to shoot"

 

That boys squirrel rifle, you posted is exactly what I'm looking for in a full stock, if you're going to build, build them pretty you did one helluva job.

 

Thanks Stumpkiller

This web site (http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categories/catList.aspx?catID=13#77) is the cat's meow for someone who wants to build a muzzleloader, unless I find something that I like better I'm leaning toward the "classic golden age or John Armstrong " kits with a 42 inch barrel in 36 caliber.

thanks Jim