.32 VS .36

[Shiloh]

What are the pros and cons of each caliber?

I first thought I wanted a .32 but now I’m thinking a .36 might be more practical.

 

[Grimord]

Both calibers are frugal when it comes to powder and lead consumption. The .36 will hold up better in a breeze and will give you about 25 yards more range. For squirrel hunting, I like the .32 for when the leaves are still on the trees and shots are usually inside of 35 yards. I switch to a .36 after the leaves drop cause the shots tend to be longer and I also combine squirrel hunting with coyote calling. The .36 drops a called in coyote quite well. In my state, small game hunting on state land is limited to calibers .36 and under using PRB only.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I will be interested in seeing the responses on your question. I have a 36 that is a great shooter. I call it the 22-250 of muzzleloaders. It also has a distinct crack when you fire it. I’m getting ready to build a 32 Vincent style rifle, remaining parts should be here this week. I have experienced some drift due to wind with the 36, I can see that as an issue with the 32. The issue I can also see with the 32 is the size of the ball, they are little! I have been in the construction trades for over 30 years, my hands and fingers are pretty stiff and tough as leather. I don’t have a lot of feeling in them because of this. I’m going to make a ball board for the 32, it really helps with loading the 36.

 

[CaptainVane]

I will be interested in seeing the responses on your question. I have a 36 that is a great shooter. I call it the 22-250 of muzzleloaders. It also has a distinct crack when you fire it. I’m getting ready to build a 32 Vincent style rifle, remaining parts should be here this week. I have experienced some drift due to wind with the 36, I can see that as an issue with the 32. The issue I can also see with the 32 is the size of the ball, they are little! I have been in the construction trades for over 30 years, my hands and fingers are pretty stiff and tough as leather. I don’t have a lot of feeling in them because of this. I’m going to make a ball board for the 32, it really helps with loading the 36.

I just read an article in Muzzleloader magazine about Vincent rifles out of Ohio. Author built one. Good article.

 

[hanshi]

I have both the .32 and .36 and have mostly used the .32 for squirrels. Whatever is said about the .32 also applies to the .36. The .36 covers all .32 hunting territory plus ups the game for taking larger, varmint size critters. I probably shoot the .36 more than the .32; but since I no longer hunt at all there's little advantage of one over the other.

 

[smokepolehall]

I have owned both many years ago. I sold both, got myself a .40 cal it did all i needed for my needs. Sometimes i am hunting and a deer comes into my killing range my .40 is legal. While the .32 nor .36 were. I have hunted many a morning for tree rats & a deer was the first game that eased up to me.

 

[Mike in FL]

I have lots of guns but never wanted a 22LR or a .32 bp gun. I reckon I would if ammo and powder cost limited my shooting. I realize they can be effective and in some cases a better choice, but I just don't feel right being under gunned for use against whatever I might encounter while out for small game. That's weird I know. Although meat damage can be a factor with larger calibers, , I'd rather have too much than not enough. The little calibers fill a certain niche, but not so useful (to me) for other endeavors that I'm way more often involved in. I can and have hunted squirrels with 45 caliber round ball guns and I like the fact that I can take a turkey, when legal, should I get the opportunity. A muzzleloader in deer calibers can be effective on small game by halfing the powder charge, but of course you would have to work out the specifics on point of impact at the range. Maybe even go down to substantially less than half of the regular deer load.

 

[Ian Straus]

What do you think about getting a .32 vs a .36 to teach a grandson to shoot muzzle loaders? He is just turning 7, his father and i would not actually start til he is at least 8. But obviously I want a small rifle with little recoil, it's no use teaching him to flinch.

 

[Pilgrim]

I have a Kibler .32 SMR and like it. I built it for small game and it hasn't disappointed. Distance is around 35 yds or less depending on the load and prb combination used. Hope this helps some.

 

[Gtrubicon]

What do you think about getting a .32 vs a .36 to teach a grandson to shoot muzzle loaders? He is just turning 7, his father and i would not actually start til he is at least 8. But obviously I want a small rifle with little recoil, it's no use teaching him to flinch.

My 36 has really no kick, that being said I’m not an 8 year old. It’s a TC Cherokee, they are pretty small and very light if you’re not familiar with them. I think he would be fine with what little recoil he may feel unless he’s timid and the noise has him perceive it’s more than it really is.

 

[sheriff john]

Having done about every dumb thing possible with a muzzle loading firearm, I write with authority when I tell the tale of a broken .32 wooden ramrod partially down the barrel. Dixie .32 mountain rifle flintlock - hardest to clean gun I ever owned-stuck a patch, tried to ram it down further by pushing against a tree. Story gets worse, but suffice to say larger calibers provide more options to get stuck stuff moving again. Sold that puppy quick.

 

[reddogge]

I built one of each but sadly haven't shot them enough to comment. They are beautiful, trim, little rifles capable of great accuracy and use little powder and ball. I would say I enjoy shooting the .36 more at targets.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I have both and enjoy both. I tend to shoot the 32 more for just plinking. I’d liken them to the difference between a 22 and a 22 magnum in hunting scenarios. Both are fun. A 32 is just plain fun for plinking and doing stuff out to about 50 yards max. Both are cheap to shoot except for caps if it is percussion.

 

[ZUG]

For a youngster starting out any caliber up to 54 would be good. The three calibers I would suggest would be the .32, .36, and .40. Whatever caliber you settle on make sure the gun fits them or they will not enjoy shooting it.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I have no experience with a .36 but I do own a .32. My .32 is a tack driver at 25 yards. I use it for squirrels and head shots are easy. I like that I can make several days worth of hunting ammo with just a few ounces of lead. Can't do that with a .40 or larger.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I have a .32 in cap lock & a .36 in flint. The .32 is named HOS which stands for Hell On Squirrels. With enough powder it will eviscerate them. Of course the .36 will do the same.

The .32 is youth sized traditional longrifle which is hard to find. The guy selling it offered a deal I couldn’t refuse. So I didn’t have a choice in caliber. If given a choice of the same gun in different calibers I would go for .36. The main reason is I don’t like how a 5/16” ramrod just barely fits in a .32 bore. The very first .32 I owned I wore out the crown from erosion by the ramrod. A .36 just has a wee bit more clearance.

 

[ETipp]

I’m a strong proponent of a .32 caliber. It’s very economical on power and lead, and it doesn’t do too much damage to a squirrel or rabbit if the charge is not increased above what it needs to be. There is a considerable difference in damage done to a squirrel when going from 20 grains of powder to 30 grains. The increased noise level is very apparent as well. With 20 grains, it’s pretty darn quiet on the shot. This is extremely important to this old boy while squirrel hunting and has payed off quite a few times.

Overall, I likin the .32 to be on par with a .22 LR if 20 grains of powder is used. With 30 grains, it basically turns it into a .22 WM. Both in noise and damage done to a squirrel. Yet I’ve found no advantage to using .30 grains.

Having old, numb, bumbling fingers can sometimes make it difficult to handle that small .310 RB. This is especially true during cold conditions. However, I’ve found that by use of a loading block, it rectifies the situation. I simply load the block at home before heading out on a hunt. The use of a loading block has changed things more than I ever thought it could.

I do not squirrel hunt in strong wind so drift matters not.

With that said, if I had to do it over again, I might opt for a .36 caliber but I really don’t see much to be gained from it.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I’m a strong proponent of a .32 caliber. It’s very economical on power and lead, and it doesn’t do too much damage to a squirrel or rabbit if the charge is not increased above what it needs to be. There is a considerable difference in damage done to a squirrel when going from 20 grains of powder to 30 grains. The increased noise level is very apparent as well. With 20 grains, it’s pretty darn quiet on the shot. This is extremely important to this old boy while squirrel hunting and has payed off quite a few times.

Overall, I likin the .32 to be on par with a .22 LR if 20 grains of powder is used. With 30 grains, it basically turns it into a .22 WM. Both in noise and damage done to a squirrel. Yet I’ve found no advantage to using .30 grains.

Having old, numb, bumbling fingers can sometimes make it difficult to handle that small .310 RB. This is especially true during cold conditions. However, I’ve found that by use of a loading block, it rectifies the situation. I simply load the block at home before heading out on a hunt. The use of a loading block has changed things more than I ever thought it could.

I do not squirrel hunt in strong wind so drift matters not.

With that said, if I had to do it over again, I might opt for a .36 caliber but I really don’t see much to be gained from it.

You are correct. Too much powder will turn a .32 into Hell on squirrels - my son and I learned that our first time out.

But if we tone down the powder charge it performs more like a .22lr.

 

[tenngun]

I’ve had a .36, was a tack driver and could shoot all year on a pound of powder and couple pounds of lead. And what a joy running ball. The pot barely went down.
Paper don’t care what you shoot and small game won’t know the differnce…. But them little bitty ball and little bitty ramrods was a big PIA for my fat fingers

 

[Grimord]

I have been hunting squirrels with black powder for over 45 years. As I said in my earlier post, I like the .32 (I have flint and Percussion guns) for early season when the leaves are still on the trees. 20 grains does the job for me. Once the leaves fall I switch to a .36 of which I have both flint & percussion guns. The 36 gives me alittle more range, and also works on any coyotes I call in. For pure fun, I sometimes use a .22 black powder percussion gun that i made from an old Stevens single shot .22 LR rifle 5 grains of 4f and a 30 grain air rifle slug gives me dime sized groups at 25 yards that will penetrate a 3/4" pine board. Plenty for squirrels, like using a .22 short. See photo of the rifle.