.32 or .36?

[jmforge]

So extra long sight plane aside, a 30-32 incher would work fine in these smaller calibers of 32-40 for something like an English style "rook" rifle?

 

[horsetrader]

Had a custom 32 cal with 33 inch barrel and L&R Manton lock. Should have never sold it! ( Bought a 40 cal percussion from the proseeds). The 32 was way better then the 40. For me the 32 is like having a 22 rimfire..... The 40 just cost's more to shoot to big for small game to small for big game.... ( and illigal here with roundball on deer)
I personally like the shorter barrel ( if you can call 33 inch short) for being in the woods...

 

[jmforge]

I was checking out pricing of "ammo" on the Midway sight and it appears that .350 buckshot cost about 2/3 of what you pay for the Speer roundballs, which are the cheaper ones and more like half of what they get for the Hornady balls. Is buckshot a viable option or is it too "rough" to shoot accurately?

 

[BrownBear]

Experiences vary, and maybe I just got a bad bag of buckshot. But I spent way too much time sorting through the buckshot looking for uniformity. I'm not saying swaged balls are any better. I'm saying my homecast are better than either buckshot or swaged. And the cheapest alternative of all, by a very long margin since I recover my lead.

 

[jmforge]

The thing that I have trouble factoring in as far as casting small round balls is the old "time is money" issue. Clearly, on the big stuff, the price difference is HUGE!

 

[FishDFly]

I will repeat what I was told at recent shoot by someone who's opinion that I trust and is more knowledgable than I am.

I mentioned that I had bought buckshot for the wife's 36 since it was cheaper then buying swaged balls by the 100, he cast his evil eye as I should know better.

His comments were, buckshot is cheaper for a reason:

1. Ball uniformity (roundness)is better with
swaged balls than buckshot.
2. Swaged balls are more uniform when weighed
compared to buckshot.
3. Buckshot has either tin or antimony or both
added for hardness where lead swaged balls
do not.

I have not pulled the mike and scale out to check for any differences, nor have I used the finger nail scratch test to determine if there is a difference in hardness, merely sharing his knowledge.

RDE

 

[BrownBear]

Yup, that's why I cast the small stuff. Less lead, quicker pours and much faster production. With the lead temp right and the mold hot, it's no problem to toss off a couple of hundred an hour. Even as much as I shoot, a year's supply doesn't take long. An afternoon of casting produces waaaaaaaaay more balls than an afternoon of sorting buckshot.

 

[Tinker2]

Hard choice, I really like my 35” barreled .32 caliber flint, great gun.

I shoot my 21” barreled .36 caliber underhammer the most. Shoot it
mostly from a bench. Neat gun.

My next gun, that I am currently acquiring parts for, will be a .36 caliber
smooth bore flintlock. For squirrel, bunnies and for pigeons and doves.




Good luck, let know what you get.
Tinker2

 

[jmforge]

is a .40 caliber with say an A or B weight swamped Jaeger barrel too big for bunnies? I'm not sure where they live in Florida (we had feral jackrabbits around Miami airport back in the day) but there are apparently enough of the beasties in the state that we don't have a season on them, so they can be smitten year round like hogs, raccoons and coyotes. .40 happens to be the minimum deer caliber in Florida and although I would want something bigger for that task unless we were talking about a GIbbs or Rigby with a heavy slug, someone who is a good shot could probably take one the puny whitetail does that we have down here with a 100 grain round ball. For my purposes, I would think that a .40 would work well for rabbits, possum, coon and coyote and a bobcat, if i ever saw one.
My dad has a couple of friends who are having some coyote problems on their horse and cattle farms here in Central Florida. One of them bought two big donkeys to guard their herd and one of them attached a trespassing yuppie couple on horse back that had stomped down a fence. Bit the hell out of the horse who threw the woman. She climbed on with her hubby and split, but now they are suing. :shake: There might be some good varmint shootin' there in addition to ridding them of their hog infestation because the donkeys don't seem to be working out all that well. :grin:

 

[John Wasmuth]

I wouldnt mind have another one of either. .32 is nice, .36 is nice, I'd take em both.

 

[hanshi]

My .32 is a capgun and my .36 is flint. Both are handy, accurate and cheap to feed. Small rb like these are fast to cast; .40 is too, for that matter. The .32 is wonderful for anything you'd consider taking with a .22 mag. only it kills better. The .36 is a splendid small game gun but is big enough to take varmints and even deer. The .36 is probably a better all around rifle but the .32 is all you need for squirrel/rabbit size critters.

The .40. Depending on who you talk to it's either the best of the worst or the worst of the best; too big for little critters & too small for bigguns. Actually, both are correct. What most people overlook is the fact that the .40 may be the most versatile caliber for the Eastern woods. It can be loaded up HOT! Yes, it can cleanly take deer (and especially the small coastal plain variety) at woods distances and even beyond. It is also easy to load down for small game. It thrives on loads scarcely heavier than the .32 but can deliver the goods with loads usually reserved for the .45. The .40 produces muzzle energy greater than the .22 Hornet (which I've used a number of times on deer-one shot each) and much greater than the .357 mag., a proven deer killer (me, again).

I'll catch flak for saying all this but then, what's new. Anyway, for small game you can't beat the .32. For small game & varmints, the .36 has the edge. But if you want an all around caliber that's economical, accurate, versatile (big and small game) the .40 is the best of the three. If others agree with me, they are correct. But if they DISAGREE they are just as correct! How's that for straddling the fence?

 

[410-er]

I have both 32 and a 36.For squirrels the 36 is overkill.The 32 does just fine.Killed them out to 48 yds and head shots.Powder is 20grs of FFFg.The 36 is better for groundhogs,yotes,turkey,etc.

 

[John Wasmuth]

My .32 is a capgun and my .36 is flint. Both are handy, accurate and cheap to feed. Small rb like these are fast to cast; .40 is too, for that matter. The .32 is wonderful for anything you'd consider taking with a .22 mag. only it kills better. The .36 is a splendid small game gun but is big enough to take varmints and even deer. The .36 is probably a better all around rifle but the .32 is all you need for squirrel/rabbit size critters.

The .40. Depending on who you talk to it's either the best of the worst or the worst of the best; too big for little critters & too small for bigguns. Actually, both are correct. What most people overlook is the fact that the .40 may be the most versatile caliber for the Eastern woods. It can be loaded up HOT! Yes, it can cleanly take deer (and especially the small coastal plain variety) at woods distances and even beyond. It is also easy to load down for small game. It thrives on loads scarcely heavier than the .32 but can deliver the goods with loads usually reserved for the .45. The .40 produces muzzle energy greater than the .22 Hornet (which I've used a number of times on deer-one shot each) and much greater than the .357 mag., a proven deer killer (me, again).

I'll catch flak for saying all this but then, what's new. Anyway, for small game you can't beat the .32. For small game & varmints, the .36 has the edge. But if you want an all around caliber that's economical, accurate, versatile (big and small game) the .40 is the best of the three. If others agree with me, they are correct. But if they DISAGREE they are just as correct! How's that for straddling the fence?

:thumbsup: Aint gona catch no flack from me. I agree with you.

 

[jmforge]

At what point on this small bore scale does recoil become an issue with lightweight rifles? I know that lightweight double shotguns of the evil cartridge variety are fine with the loads they were designed for, but I have no experience with ML'ers. Also, at what point do the very lightweight barrels like the A weight swamps become to thin for stout loads? Looking at the specs on some of those really light barrels tells that there ain't a whole lot in the way of steel at the waist of an A and even a B weight swamped barrel. :shocked2:

 

[John Wasmuth]

Recoil lets you know your shooting a real rifle. :thumbsup:

 

[FishDFly]

After reading 4 pages of good knowledgeable responses, it's the 32.

Without reading them all, I would still have gone with the 32 based on my shooting both calibers.

RDE

 

[John Wasmuth]

.32 is a good choice! :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

is a .40 caliber with say an A or B weight swamped Jaeger barrel too big for bunnies?

Nah. I regularly use my assorted 50, 54 and 58 cals for snowshoe hare. Just head smack them and there's no loss of eats.

 

[jmforge]

Yeah, but everything is bigger up there and that huge red splat makes then easier to find in the snow :grin:

 

[hanshi]

Hmmm...well, recoil simply isn't a factor in calibers below .45 with even fly weight guns. No problem there. A larger butt plate & butt stock helps but that's kinda like putting a roll bar on your child's "Hot Wheels"! My .36 with 3/4" straight barrel is still a thick barrel, comparable to a heavy barreled .50 or .54. My .40 has a swamped barrel.

I like all three calibers though my ranking of them says it all. I use 20 grains 3f in my .32 and 30 in my .36. In my experience the .32 is more destructive than the .22mag. on small game and for that sole purpose can't be beat. Go up, of course, and the .36 kicks anything smaller out of the nest. Ditto the .40. Unless someone's brain is withered (no one on this forum, believe me) they're not going to stress a barrel to failure. A smokeless barrel is in much more danger of that occurring. Honestly, I can say I've never met a round ball rifle caliber I didn't like.