Colorado Turkey with a .32

[Sean Gadhar]

I know you can hunt fall turkey with a rifle in Colorado BUT there's always a but **& here's the rub**

"must be a minimum of 38 grains with Manufacturer's rating of at least 110 foot LBs at 100 yards from the muzzle."

It says it can be a muzzleloader "Rifles & handguns can be muzzleloader"

Before I start in with DOW have any of you fit this fight already?? If you got a yes or no, do you have the name of the officer that gave you the info??

 

[FishDFly]

"must be a minimum of 38 grains with Manufacturer's rating of at least 110 foot LBs at 100 yards from the muzzle."

From the Lyman book, a .36 cal. which is 71 grains from a 43" barrel length with 70 grains of powder has 181 foot pounds at 100 yards.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Got a nice email today saying if I can get a .32 prb to graph 2100 fps from my guns muzzle then I'm golden for fall turkey in Colorado. Really nice email from them and they put real time into looking at it. Vary cool of the Colorado DOW

 

[jamesthomas]

That's smoking!! Your lead might be melting at that speed! Just hope it groups good if you can get it to go that fast.

 

[stinkyfeet]

Got a nice email today saying if I can get a .32 prb to graph 2100 fps from my guns muzzle then I'm golden for fall turkey in Colorado. Really nice email from them and they put real time into looking at it. Vary cool of the Colorado DOW

What are they gunna do have you shoot through a chrono in the woods, to see how your guns loaded. To me that's a crazy rule using speed as a rating. They have a rule at Fort Knox on base its shotgun only but muzzleloaders of all types are legal but you must use less then 100 grains of powder. So once my gun is loaded how would they know unless they made me pull a ball in the woods and dumb the powder out so it could be measured. The rule made no sense and is a integrity rule more then anything I am sure like the speed rating.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I can not say this as fact, but I came away with the feeling that they looked at a book or two, most seem to start at .36 cal or even .40 and they set a rule. I come along with a .32 and :stir: .

One e mail at the start said something like * * your caller (me) should have little problem most muzzle loaders reach the 110. lbs with normal loads. The 36 cal shows loads that should be fine. There is a .32 cal but these are almost never seen.*** That's not a quote, but it is the gist of it.

I sent him an email stating that I was in fact using a .32 and as I said they took time to come up with a real answer :grin:

Much better then the blow off or made up answers I experience with other state offices!

And yes, he said I should graph my load and keep the result & a copy of his e-mail with me in the field. :idunno:

 

[Billnpatti]

It has been my experience that the .32 is a nice gun for small game and can be made to shoot very accurately. Properly loaded with a load that it likes, it can do a number on a squirrel head. But, they are a bit more fiddly than most of the larger calibers when it comes to finding a load that it likes. It has been my experience that until you find a load that it likes, it will scatter balls all over the paper. But when you find that load that it likes, it can be a tack driver. I'd prefer to have a tack driver when hunting turkeys, or any game for that matter, than to have some arbitrarily specified velocity that may or may not be what my rifle wants in order to be accurate.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

:thumbsup: Yep. My .32 loves 25 gr. Of fffg, shoots better than I can see at 50 yards and ragged holes for a 5 round group at 25 yards (if I lay off the coffee and do my part). It looks like I will be around twice that to reach 2100 fps :idunno:

Guess I'll work up slow & if it gets past my comfort zone, I'll just call it quits and take a 45. I sure want that little .32 with me though.

 

[Squeeze]

is it all about the speed? maybe try some TC maxi balls. at about 103 grn. if you can get the accuracy, it may at least for legal sake,from a ft/lb standpoint, eliminate a lot of questionables. Hmm..it states manufacturers rating. doesnt say actual tested data.. kinda leaves a pretty big loophole for legal interpretation.

 

[stinkyfeet]

Well then drop 75 grains down the barrel when they want you to fire it off it will clear the 2100 mark even if not hunting with it. :idunno: ok do the right thing :slap:

 

[nchawkeye]

How about double balls and about 50grs powder???

 

[MattC]

Question: How much powder in that little .32 before the pressure is too high? Is that a consideration here?

 

[bubba15301]

did you get your turkey?glad we do not have minimum energy rules here in pa . smallgame id .40cal and under .big game .45cal and up . turkey any caliber rifle

 

[Sean Gadhar]

did you get your turkey?

:shake: Nope work got in the way, Our shop has been running a Skeleton Crew about half of which are new guys The veteran Movers (of which I rank) are almost to a man, working hurt trying to hold things together. I think we have 15 men, of which 6 are out hurt or working under restricted duty due to injury :td: