.36 Caliber Fans?

[bore_butter]

put in a pic of the free range i shoot at for pleasure yesterday but it disappeared for some reason.

 

[david w]

put in a pic of the free range i shoot at for pleasure yesterday but it disappeared for some reason.
View attachment 140443

how in the blue eyed blazes is one supposed to shoot in the first lane?

 

[Ray-Vigo]

The .36 isn't a bad caliber at all, provided you go with a lighter barrel. I like my .36, but it is heavy because it was the same barrel a .45 or .50 would use, but bored smaller. The result is a very heavy barrel and a nose-heavy gun. My .36 fouls faster than my .50 or larger bores. It is very accurate and economical otherwise.

 

[bodark]

The .36 isn't a bad caliber at all, provided you go with a lighter barrel. I like my .36, but it is heavy because it was the same barrel a .45 or .50 would use, but bored smaller. The result is a very heavy barrel and a nose-heavy gun. My .36 fouls faster than my .50 or larger bores. It is very accurate and economical otherwise.

i have been looking at a 36 as of late but was worried about it being too front heavy. Do you know if the Pedersoli frontier is a good production gun for that or would I be disappointed in the balance?

 

[Crazy Jay]

I ordered some.358 balls to try out in my 36 Seneca. Has Anyone else tried them?

 

[Ray-Vigo]

i have been looking at a 36 as of late but was worried about it being too front heavy. Do you know if the Pedersoli frontier is a good production gun for that or would I be disappointed in the balance?

It's not bad. The claimed weight is 7 pounds, though the ones I've handled felt maybe a little heavier, but not a whole lot. A full custom with a A-profile barrel would probably get a little lighter and better balanced, but the Pedersoli isn't bad.

 

[gvandersluis]

My TC Seneca .36 40gr of 3fg and a lubed wonder patch equals pinpoint accuracy at 25 yards on a pistol target.

 

[R Ellis]

I am building a 36 cal with a 3/4 inch octagon barrel it seems like it is going to balance really well

 

[Gtrubicon]

I just bought a 36 Cherokee a couple of month’s ago. What a shooter! I’ve had 3 range sessions with it and am having a ball with it.

 

[Van1955]

I own three ,36s and two .32s, they are all a hoot to shoot but I might be a little prejudiced.

 

[Timber Wolf]

how in the blue eyed blazes is one supposed to shoot in the first lane?

Don’t you see the holes in the sign?

 

[smoothshooter]

I thought that there was very few places where a .36 was legal for deer,

You are correct.
.40 caliber is legal for deer in more states than .36.

Been shooting my 36 for many years now. Excellent shooter, very accurate ..at least to 75 yards, which is where I consider my limit with it. Neve had a problem with excessive fowling. Not legal to hunt big game in Wy. You must shoot at least a .40 for that. But it is an excellent turkey gun! Pure misery on coyotes, squirrels and other small critters.

What kind of bullet expansion and penetration do you get on coyotes at different ranges?

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Until I came to this site…I had never heard of the .36 being legal for deer

 

[springfield art]

36 cal is legal for deer in most places. Think like 38 cal. The main con is that you have
to keep an extra loading stock and mold if you cast your own. Remember you can light
load a 45 cal and it is fine for youth and petite ladies too. The economy is becoming
a major consideration at the range. On the hunt ,think sufficient velocity for humane
kill. Often the smaller caliber proves more accurate at reasonable ranges (-100 yds).

I would question the statement that 36 cal. is legal for deer in most places. I believe that most States require at least .40 cal. for deer. But I'm not a hunter, maybe some more knowledgeable guys will post. Thanks, all.

 

[david w]

40 is the smalllest caliber allowed in Arkansas for deer. 36 caliber is the largest for squirrel.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I’m used to the .40 calibre being the smallest for medium big game (deer & antelope)…to me the .36 has always been a squirrel calibre. But if you drop a maxi ball down the bore…that would be a game changer.

 

[smoothshooter]

i have been looking at a 36 as of late but was worried about it being too front heavy. Do you know if the Pedersoli frontier is a good production gun for that or would I be disappointed in the balance?

I like some muzzle heaviness for a steadier hold when shooting offhand or some field positions. Especially with a flintlock.
For shooting from a bench, none of that matters, but for every shot I shoot from a good, solid rest, I probably fire over 50-75 offhand.

 

[Dixie Flinter]

I have always wanted a .36 calibre, but got a .32 calibre…because the .36 calibre was unavailable. My dad has several .36 calibre rifles, and they are very fun to shoot…no doubt about that…

I’ve shot the .32 calibre for most of the past 30 years. After spending quality time in the field using my little .32 calibre, I just never felt the need to spend the cash and get a .36 calibre. Out to 50-60yrds, the .32 calibre has been a top performer; incredibly accurate with that little lead pill. The .32 can be a finicky calibre, as changes in powder, and seating pressure will have significant impacts on accuracy. So the .32 has definitely taught me consistency in my shooting skills.

Both calibres (.32 & .36) sip powder, with a pinch of lead; great way to stretch your shooting dollars. My sense is that shooters tend to acquire one or the other, some of us have both. These smaller calibre firearms (.32, .36 & .40) are very economical to shoot, and powder & lead are NOT getting cheaper or easier to find when you need them. The Squirrel calibres are definitely fun to shoot, I love both my .32 Percussion and my .40 calibre Flintlock. My .32 calibre uses both 32 & 20 grains of fffg very accurately for a .311 RB; while my .40 calibre uses 40 grains of fffg, under a .390 RB, and 30 grains fffg under a .380 or .375 denim patched RB.

For the last 20+ years I’ve become more & more of a Flintlock shooter, and that is primarily due to the rising cost/lack of availability of Percussion Caps. Reloading components, for modern smokeless, are becoming almost non-existent, and it’s been slowly spilling into our blackpowder hobby for years now. With a Flintlock…my main limiting factor is powder. With Percussion…my main limiting factors are powder and caps. So my solution is to become skilled with a Flintlock and have only one Achilles Tendon to worry about…The time is coming soon where I’ll be converting my .32 to Flint.

I will say that my .32 calibre will foul when shooting; it fouls more often than any of my other calibres. I usually swab the bore after every 3 to 5 shots. If the day is hot and humid, I will have to swab the bore after every shot. My .40 calibre doesn’t seem to foul much at all, and I don’t really recall having to swab my .45’s, .50’s & larger calibres at all. I’ve been working my new .54 calibre a lot lately…I have not had any fouling issues at all. Though (again) if it’s hot and humid…then yeah every few shots I’ll be swabbing the bore.

These are my Tennessee rifles built by Roger Sells, and the top one is a .36. The barrel is an H&H (Hoppy Hopkins) and it takes a .360 ball. With 40 grains of 3f Goex and wonder-lubed or spit patched pillow ticking, it is a tack driver at 50 yards. I am usually able to shoot 8 to 10 times between swabs.

 

[david w]

These are my Tennessee rifles built by Roger Sells, and the top one is a .36. The barrel is an H&H (Hoppy Hopkins) and it takes a .360 ball. With 40 grains of 3f Goex and wonder-lubed or spit patched pillow ticking, it is a tack driver at 50 yards. I am usually able to shoot 8 to 10 times between swabs.
View attachment 142075

Hoppy's barrels were considered top of the line. I had a .36 in a Bedford County. It too, was a tack driver.

 

[Dixie Flinter]

The only .36 I've ever owned is the one I have had for years. It's a flintlock SMR and as plain as day old bread. It's iron mounted and will always live with me. I shoot this little rifle a lot and it never fails to please. My marksmanship no longer does it justice but this little dude is flat-out, sho-nuff, old fashion, country accurate!

A friend and I took it out to his place and set up a one liter coke bottle at a bit over 80 yards. We shot standing off hand, seated and every other way without a rest, just us holding onto the rifle. Well, shooting 20 grains of 3F we just couldn't miss as long as we held high enough to compensate for the prb drop.
Here it is, all 6 lbs 4 oz of it.

Graceful simplicity, Hanshi. Love it!