.36 vs .40 cal rifle?

[Vaino]

Eeny meeny miney moe.....for small game, either would do and do it well.....Fred

 

[roundball]

Personally...repeat, personally...I always worried that a .32 / .36cal would be too limiting in terms on the ROI to get one. I settled on the .40cal as the smallest ML I would own and have never had any regrets whatsoever.

SQUIRRELS:
IMO, anywhere in the front of a squirrel is fine as the only thing worth the time to clean/cook are the hindquarters...so size ball/body damage is not an issue.

DEER
The .40cal/200grn R.E.A.L. is deadly on deer.

Couple Photos:

 

[nkbj]

roundball, I had a .36 and ended up turning it into a .46. Now, that .36 barrel had a bulge that made every other shot squirrelly, or maybe not able to be squirrelly, that prompted the change to start with but since obtaining the .46 I couldn't imagine wanting the .36 back. Uh, unless it was a medium twist.

 

[Birddog6]

If I could onw only 2 rifles, it would be a .40 & a .54.

The .40 for small game & target. Awesome caliber, can download it accurately & upload it accurately for very flat shooting at 100 yards, and still topple the plates at the Territorial matches. Also easier to handle the ball on cold days when yer fingers are old & still, vs. the .32 or 36. cals.

.54 for target & deer hunting. Great deer caliber & have killed allot... of deer with it.

Those two calibers will pretty much do it all, IMHO.

Keith Lisle

 

[Snakebite]

Birddog6, a man after my own heart.

I too have a couple .54s and a .40, never felt under or over gunned.

 

[nchawkeye]

I only have 2 flintlocks, a .40 and a .54...

The reason my .40 is a .40 is because it was a .45, with 3/8 inch thimbles...

I can't imagine in a hunting situation for small game the critter would be able to tell the difference...

As far as ammo, buy a mold like any good frontiersman... :grin:

 

[ray j.]

DEER
The .40cal/200grn R.E.A.L. is deadly on deer.



Where at did you find a .40 cal r.e.a.l...200grainer.?..that be the weight my .45 r.e.a.l. mould throws..

 

[Greebe]

Ah man. Now I am thinking I might want to go with a .40 cal. Earlier I was thinking .36 because of using less lead, but now I am thinking .40 because of the lighter barrel, 3/8" ramrod, easier loading perhaps, and a little more power.

Also I saw that "roundball" mentioned using a 200gr .40 cal Lee R.E.A.L. bullet. This would be nice however I have not been able to find anything about that.

What am I doing?

Anyone have a picture of a .36 and .40 next to a .54cal round ball?

 

[hanshi]

Here ya' go!

.32, .36, .40, .45, .50, .54, .62.

 

[azmntman]

GET THE .40 ! NO MORE DELAYS, gonna talk yerself into a pepper box before ya know it! :shocked2: :blah:

 

[hanshi]

The forties are nice and kind of a "do it all" caliber.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Or go your own way and have someone do you a .42" bore...won't be another like it on your block! :wink:

 

[roundball]

Where at did you find a .40 cal r.e.a.l...200grainer.?..that be the weight my .45 r.e.a.l. mould throws..

Sorry, just seeing this.
MLF Member 'oldnamvet' had a custom mold made a couple years ago and I really enjoy trying new stuff out.
He was nice enough to let me twist his arm into making / selling me a few so I could do some range & field testing in my .40cal Late Lancaster...and the result were outstanding.

 

[scotsman]

Hey deputy dog, I just saw your post stating that your doe limit is 3 per day!? Did ya mean 3 per day or is it 3 per season? Three per day, wow! that's a lotta meat. cheers

 

[hanshi]

In my native Georgia it is 12 per season.

 

[Many Klatch]

Yeah, but with those southern deer it takes two to make a sandwhich :grin:

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hey Trapper Tom,
Up here in Canada we call white tail deer that size, "cotton tail"! :grin:
Fred

 

[scotsman]

I've shot a few "cotton tails" and some real big bunnies too! cheers

 

[hanshi]

I think you'd be surprised. I've killed 200 pounders and know of others weighing upwards of 400lbs. If you go down to extreme South Georgia or Florida they do tend to be about the size of pronghorn. Otherwise they can be BIG and with BIG racks.

 

[davescott]

If ya want venison, come hunt Indiana. Last I counted we can take around 300 does a year plus a buck. Even more if you get drawn for a park hunt. :blah: