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.36 or .45

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Troyfairweather

40 Cal
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If this would be better elsewhere please move it.

This will be for the future some time, could be this fall or next year.

I'm looking at getting a kibler, southern mountain rifle. Only thing is for deer we need .44 cal or bigger to hunt deer, but I really want to .try a 36 I really like squirrel hunting. I probably do more small game then big or at least more day small game hunting.

The .36 I guess would be better for target shooting or just shooting stuff for fun. But I've seen guys use .45 or bigger for small game, like barking squirrels and such.

So what should I get the .36 I really want or the .45 can use for both small game and deer.
Oh just to say, I really like .45 I've owned more mz in 45 then anything else. It just seems big for the smr.
 
A .45 makes a fine squirrel rifle. It also has the ability to take deer, and is easier to load and clean IMO. No need to "bark" them just aim for the head, A 45 tears them up equal to or less than a 22 mag.
A .36 is more economical to shoot. You might squeak out better accuracy with a .36 but that really depends on the shooter.
Start saving your pennies, You'll probably want both and a .32 and .40 as well.
 
Carbon 6 said:
A .45 makes a fine squirrel rifle. It also has the ability to take deer, and is easier to load and clean IMO. No need to "bark" them just aim for the head, A 45 tears them up equal to or less than a 22 mag.
A .36 is more economical to shoot. You might squeak out better accuracy with a .36 but that really depends on the shooter.
Start saving your pennies, You'll probably want both and a .32 and .40 as well.
Click to expand...
Ya I kinda figured the 45 would be accurate enough for head shots, I don't know how far, but if I can shoot the head of a squirrel up a tall tree that good enough.

I can cast balls and won't be shooting to many so that's not to much a problem either.

Hope he comes out with a 62/20ga Fowler that would be a do all gun for me.

I normally go for percussion guns, but caps are harder to get every year, for powder I have to drive out of state to get the real stuff, but I'm 6 miles from PA and Nj.
 
If you're set on hunting both game species with the one gun, then I'd say go for the .45. You could also get a larger caliber for deer and the .36.
 
If you’re looking for a all around long gun for almost any situation then it’s 20/62. Other than that trying to find a compromise, well it’s just that a compromise! I do everything I need to do with a .32cal (squirrel, hog and deer) but that’s just me. YMMV.
 
bradly_tx said:
If you’re looking for a all around long gun for almost any situation then it’s 20/62. Other than that trying to find a compromise, well it’s just that a compromise! I do everything I need to do with a .32cal (squirrel, hog and deer) but that’s just me. YMMV.
Click to expand...
we need to have 44 or bigger for deer, I need to look at some 62 Fowler kits, I don't have many tools tho. I just really like them kibler kits.
 
The beauty of ML'ers is that you can vary your charges quite a bit to make them do different things. A larger bore can be loaded down to be an excellent small game gun, whereas it's harder to get a smaller caliber gun to get loaded up to perform adequately on large game. That said, a 35 calibered center-fire (in a big case like a 35 Whelen) most would consider entirely adequate. If you have a fast enough twist, maybe a Maxi ball or Minie ball could be stabilized to work for you. (Assuming it's legal in your state of course.)
 
Col. Batguano said:
The beauty of ML'ers is that you can vary your charges quite a bit to make them do different things. A larger bore can be loaded down to be an excellent small game gun, whereas it's harder to get a smaller caliber gun to get loaded up to perform adequately on large game. That said, a 35 calibered center-fire (in a big case like a 35 Whelen) most would consider entirely adequate. If you have a fast enough twist, maybe a Maxi ball or Minie ball could be stabilized to work for you. (Assuming it's legal in your state of course.)
Click to expand...
Has to be 44 or bigger for large game hunting.
 
If it's has to be .44 or larger, that kind of settles it.

Even without that requirement, I would opt for the .45 for paper, it bucks the wind better.
 
Everyone needs minimum of 3 m/l rifles. One should be a .40 , as it can be stoked up for large small game at a distance , and throttled back , so it doesn't atomize tissue in smaller game like squirrels , and rabbits. It 's accurate w/ most loads as well. Just fun to shoot. ......oldwood
 
Depends on the twist rate of the barrel. Faster twist barrels usually work better with smaller charges than slower twist. To some extent, whether you have round bottom or square groove rifling makes a difference too.
 

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