.32 vs .36 caliber?

[nkbj]

You know, I've been thinking as I read your post: A .40-.50 caliber "plain vanilla" smoothie just might be the ticket for tree rats, bunnies & small game up to foxes with small shot AND a "fair to middling" killer for south TX with PRB out to 50M or more.
(Especially if a person had only one ML. - Here in the brush-lands, a shot of 20-30M is fairly common.)

yours, satx

Finishing the inletting on the lock mortice on mine this weekend. Right now the side of the pan is still 3/64" from the barrel. With the half inch bore 31" octagonal to round barrel it balances at the wedge. Light; you could point it one handed if you had to.

 

[satx78247]

GOOD LUCK on your build. - I'm NOT talented in woodworking, so I have my rifles built to the point where I can do the final metal/wood finishing to suit my taste.

yours, satx

 

[nkbj]

Talented, nope, me neither. This is a redo of a Traditions Deerhunter. And slow going even at that just to try to keep from messing it up.

 

[satx78247]

Understood.

Once more: GOOD LUCK on your "remodeling project".

yours, satx

 

[David W.]

I lean toward a 36 because I can use 000 buck shot for balls, and also I can use a little larger ram rod.

So which is better, and why? I'm interested in a small bore percussion muzzleloader for plinking and squirrels. What are the pros and cons of these two calibers? I'd like to shoot patched round ball out of the gun.

And part two of the question: what is the maximum range of one of these guns with a typical hunting load? Not maximum shooting range at game, but rather maximum distance the ball will go. I won't shoot squirrels out of trees with a .22 rimfire due to proximity to town. I'm assuming that a .32- or .36-cal ball with an appropriate load of black powder will be dangerous only to a few hundred yards even if fire upwards at a 45-degree angle...or am I unrealistic here?

 

[dave524]

Low velocity is the ticket for small game.
Just enough smoke to get it there.

I've wacked both cottontails and tree rats in suburban back yard garden with .35 cal ball for my Seneca in a slingshot, seems to be adequate. Velocity is not your friend for edible critters, use just enough to deliver the ball to the target, I find a .38 special cartridge case makes a nice measure.

 

[biliff]

I went with a .32. Don't seem to have the fouling or rod breaking issues that other people report. Using a 42"X3/4" GM barrel, .318 ball, drill patch and spit lube I can shoot without swabbing at the range. For hunting I use bore butter to lube and manage to get thru the day without any problems, but I don't shoot a whole lot.

FWIW, the max distance the ball will travel is about a 1/2 mile.

 

[galamb]

Don't matter much which caliber you get. If you stick with it you will "fill in" the missing calibers over the next few years anyhow.

At which point you can do some "first hand comparative tests". :grin:

 

[satx78247]

Btw, BOTH the .32 & .36 can be fired with soft lead hollowbase wadcutters (meant for the .32 S&W or .38SPL) to make either suitable for larger game than squirrels or bunnies.
(In my misspent youth, I cleanly collected many a cat/fox squirrel and cottontail/swamp rabbit for the pot with a Crossman .22 pellet-gun, out to 25M so you need NOT worry about a .32 or .36 ML being suitable for small game.)

In point of fact, the .36 with a 148 grain wadcutter will convert the "small game rifle" to a "fair to middling" medium game rifle.

yours, satx

 

[BrownBear]

...the fouling or rod breaking issues that other people report.

I think it get's kinda "dangerous" trying to make our own experiences fit everyone else, especially when it comes to fouling. Kinda interesting to watch who has the fouling moans and who doesn't. Less so from folks in dampish country and more so from those in dry. But that's only general, because lube and even patch tightness come into the picture.

Bottom line, each of us has to make adjustments for where we live, and ours won't be the same adjustments as a guy living 1,000 miles away, and maybe not even 100 miles away.

But I'm convinced there are suitable adjustments to help with fouling issues, if not cure them completely. All a guy has to do is quit talking and start experimenting. There are just too many folks from dry country that report no fouling at all while others report lots.

My rule of thumb is to get the gun I want, then learn what it has to say about shooting.

 

[mooman76]

I have a little more fouling in my 32. Not enough to keep me from loading but accuracy will deteriorate if I don't swab at least every 3 shots. I don't load with wooden rods even though I have them. That eliminates the breakage issue.

 

[johnwm]

Well, my local searching hasn't turned up either one yet for me to consider, but at a gunshow last weekend I saw some .32- and .36-cal roundballs. Holy crap, those are tiny! I was leaning towards .36 before, simply for ease of availability of ammo...now I think so more than ever, if only because it's easier for my fat fingers to manipulate.

 

[30coupe]

The "secret" is in the lube and having a snug prb fit.

What is your "secret" lube, Hanshi?

 

[BrownBear]

...now I think so more than ever, if only because it's easier for my fat fingers to manipulate.

With either one you'll become a dedicated fan of loading blocks, especially with lots of shooting, gloves, and snow or grass on the ground. I sprayed a lot of balls around me until I built a few blocks. Haven't lost a ball since, and I get to keep my gloves on when it's cold.

 

[satx78247]

I'm "thinking on" a 24 or 28 bore shotgun for small game, as I don't currently have a ML smoothie of any sort.

yours, satx

 

[satx78247]

Wouldn't a 5-pound, 28bore, ML double be FUN & easy to tote too?

yours, satx

 

[azmntman]

Some use em, I got tired of picking shot out of the rats I had to dispatch with the .22. Like I said they all had shot in em, and plenty of it! Now my 20 ga shoots em dead no issue (at 1/2 the cost per shot).


Anyway I went pretty much all to BP for hunting :grin: and now use the .32 Crockett or my lil .36 traditions somethin or other (or perhaps my newly acquired but not yet patterned 20 GA dbl).

 

[azmntman]

I saw a 28 ga on gunbroker a few months back and almost got it but the cash box was light and I had just bought the 20ga (from same seller). It was nice looking single and had the ram rod into the stock? Looked funky but wish I had it. I would like a 28 and a .40 flintlock and fer sure a smoothie. SAVIN as we speak!

 

[hanshi]

Perhaps "secret" is too easily misunderstood and I erred in using that word. My lube is the ubiquitous Hoppes #9 BP Lube. It's the best lube I've ever used. Each shot cleans fouling out of the bore (especially with a snug prb combo) and allows me to shoot as long as I wish and without bore wiping. It will dry out in a few days so it is best not left in the bore. Also I can't swear it's corrosion proof. My first load going into the bush is lubed with NL1000. If I don't fire the gun the NL1000 won't dry out or cause rust. That's the only time I use something other than Hoppes.

 

[30coupe]

Thanks, Hanshi.