Confused between a 45 or 32 caliber

[dan d]

If you cannot tell by my posts I'm all over the place when it comes to black powder handguns.

I am enjoying this new found hobby, but I want to narrow my focus as I have a terrible habit of diving in way too deep & then bailing out. I have been around blackpowder for the last 30 plus years. (I'm 50 years old) I always enjoyed hunting with my old 45 cal long gun, I hated cleaning the beast as it has the long stock with multiple pins & I insist to tear it down after shooting to do a through cleaning & it drives me nuts trying to make certain there is no moisture left in the bottom of the barrel. In the winter I can sit the barrel next to the wood stove to dry, but in the summer I go crazy trying to figure out how to dry the barrel & therefore I do not shoot the gun or practice.

My friends dabble with blackpowder, a friends Dad travels to the shows & events & is always tinkering in the blackpowder shed with different bullets/ balls/ loads/ patches & guns. I am always fascinated with this as I used to dabble around reloading shells. While tagging along with my friend we went to a gun shop & I saw a 45 cal pistol for $50. I really liked it & brought it home with me. Shot it a few times, saw how easy it was to clean (I actually enjoyed it ! ) the barrel easily slips off, i can easily clean it in the sink without banging everything up like I did swinging that longbarrel around (the porcelain sink has a few scars from them adventures ) & I didn't have no paranoia of moisture left in the short barrel as I just sat the little thing on top of the heater vent to dry.

So now I am going to a blackpowder show tomorrow (they are kinda rare in this part of Mich. ) I want to get the trinkets I need tomorrow as used is much cheaper than buying new on the Internet.

With all that said, I'm thinking I'm better off finding a 32 cal to play with rather than a 45 My reasoning for that is I'm just playing & tinkering, I might take it rabbit or squirrel hunting just to get out in the woods for some fresh air & exercise (probably won't be able to hit anything with a pistol, but that is fine :wink: )

I want to get various supplies tomorrow (maybe even bullet / roundball molds) but Im still confused between a 45 or 32 caliper ! My brain is leaning heavily on a 32 cal (I would sell my 45 tomorrow at my friends / dads table at the show) I just think the 32 is a touch cheaper to shoot, would be better for rabbit hunting, less recoil (even though the 45 is like a bb gun to me) but then I read the bigger is better posts here (for whatever the reason is for that) the only reason I see bigger is better is it sounds like you need to swipe the barrel clean after each shot on the smaller caliper guns.

Help me out guys, I have a little bit of fun money burning a hole in my pocket for tomorrows blackpowder show but I don't even know which direction to go

Don't tell me to get both as I don't want to head down the ole road of having to much stuff, I don't need 2 piles of different round balls, 2 piles of different molds & accessories as I'm an accessory junkie & will come home with multiple molds, patches, speed load tubes & whatever other trinket there is & I don't need 2 different calipers. I know I can easily sell the 45 tomorrow, but I am just not 100% certain on the 32 cal.

All advice to help me get my head screwed on straight is appreciated :youcrazy: :grin:

Dan

 

[pargent]

No offence intended but you need someone to show you the proper way with cleaning and maintaining your b/p guns, realy it is so f ....simple it is not an issue for the majority of the guys and gals on this site, please stick with it ask questions and do take peoples advice on board .

 

[swathdiver]

Use of near boiling water will leave no water in the barrel when you're done cleaning, it will all evaporate.

Stick with the .45, it's a far more versatile caliber.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

Hey Dan...You going to the Lapeer show? I`ll be there as well.

As far as your pistol, I`d stick with the .45cal you`ve got. A .32cal is going to be hard to find unless you plan on having a custom built. Small bore pistols don`t show up that much other than the little pocket types that are about useless if you want to hit anything at distance. The only factory .32 I can think of offhand is the Traditions Crocket.

 

[dan d]

No offense taken, it's a mental issue for me, plain in simple. I have been shown & know the proper way to clean a blackpowder rifle. I'm an ole mechanic & have seen what leaving a crankshaft laying on the workbench overnight on a spring or fall day (where you have temperature swings creating humidity) the cranks will have a haze of rust overnight. I am now a machinist and we need to be real careful how we ship product on days with cold nights & warm days ( again causing humidity) metal can rust overnight. Like I said mixing water & metal is a mental challenge for me, not that anyone has not shown me the proper way.

With that explanation, Im still curious to read as much advice as possible on the 32 verses 45 question.

Thanks for the advice, I do take it all in and use it !
Dan

 

[dan d]

I am going to Lapeer tomorrow for the first time, I do not know what to expect but I need to get my head screwed on in regards to what caliper I'm looking for. It's an hour & a half away so it will be 3 hours of total driving for me. I will be taking a little bit of money to stock up on supplies. I hope the have real powder there as shipping can be expensive for that & I do not plan on replacing my pyrodex supply with pyrodex :wink:

The 32 traditions Crockett is what has my attention & I thought of buying it online if I don't find one there, with that said maybe the good folk here will convince me a 32 is not what I want :idunno: I have 20 hours to figure it out

Dan

 

[rodwha]

Many people use large calibers for small game. Just use a little less powder. Many claim their best accuracy is with 15-25 grns of powder, which seems about ideal for little critters.

The .44/.45 will be more versatile as you can hunt bigger things too. Plus it just sounds better!

Not ton mention you already have it.

If not the .44/.45 how about a .36? Plenty of those to choose from.

Although I have a .45 cal Old Army I'll be looking for a .36 cal Pocket Police/Navy for small game. But I think I may look into lighter loads with the .45 just for such...

 

[Robert Egler]

I have taken a .44 on trapline and I can say that on a raccoon/possum sized animal the damage you actually get from a .44 round ball at point blank range is a lot less than you would expect given that its ".44" caliber. Pretty much straight through with little expansion; .44 in, .44 out more or less. Might be a bit large for body shots on squirrels, haven't had that chance yet, that's a goal for next year.

 

[pargent]

Ok same as steam cleanig parts in the shop , then drying and oiling down the parts to keep the rust away , checking the next day etc.. :thumbsup:

 

[Poor Private]

hey dan,
Wait until the 16-17 of this month (march) and go to Kazoo living history show. It is at the kazoo fairgrounds. Look it up, there is nothing there pafter the 1860's all weapons must not be cartrdige guns. They have clothing, food, tents, gosh you name it. It's time period is from pre revolutionary thru the civil war. A bunch of vendors will be there like Jas Thousand, Ted Cash, The Jag Shop, many gun builders and suppliers. Many molds, bullits, caps both for guns and your head, blacksmiths.Bring you wife since there is alot stuff for them as well(some even like guns). Fabric, soap, cooking supplies(for yourself included). Period toys for the kids I'll be there both days. And when you get done there, if you go out West Main street and on the other side of US131(western side) There is one of the largest Gun shops in Michigan. called "On Target".

 

[dan d]

Sounds like fun, I was just at the Kalamazoo traditional archery show a few weeks back, might have to go to the blackpowder show. I have been to on target, I know the K-zoo area pretty good as I used to go to Eaton in Galesburg & spend the night in K-zoo.

 

[George T.]

One more thing to think about is that the Quality of Cap and Ball revolvers is very good this day and age. I have three and after tuneing the sights I would not hesitate to hunt with any one of the three. I just like the thought of having 6 shots if need be. They are all accurate and at 25 yards head shots are no problem.

If I were going to get a single shot I would get one that would use the same ball and patch your rifle does. That would make it easier to buy bulk components. All three of my revolvers are 44 for this reason. Good Luck! Geo. T.

 

[dan d]

That is good advice that could confuse me more as my rifle is 50 cal, now that has to be too big for rabbit & squirrel plinking or are you guys gonna tell me a 50 is the way to go :shocked2:

That logic of keeping it all the same makes sense, oh my, less than 12 hours before the show to decipher this all :surrender:

Lol, thanks for the advice guys !
Dan

 

[cynthialee]

let me start out with I have not shot squirls or rabits with a .50 but I do know that plenty of guys have
stick to head shots and you won't waste the meat