Economizing With Smallbores

[Urban Coyote]

I'm getting back into the smaller bores. Right now I'm playing with a cute little .36 caplock, it couldn't weigh more than 6lb. My last range session, this week, ended with some pretty fair grouping at 25 yards, .350 ball, red stripe ticking spit lube patch and 25 grains FFG. I cast up just shy of 100 .353 roundballs today to try out. I'd planned to shoot today but found my range closed for a three day event.

With powder at today's cost and in short supply I'm trying to stretch my shooting dollar but I'm also finding revisiting the guns I bought with shooting small game in mind a lot of fun.

It would be interesting to know what other smallbore folks are shooting and the loads being used in them.

 

[rchas]

My flint .36 really likes a .350 ball, .015 patch and 35 grains of 3f powder. On a good day I can get 3 shots on a quarter at 50 yards off a bench. Unfortunately, the older I get, the fewer "good days" I get....

 

[Ninering62]

I'm getting back into the smaller bores. Right now I'm playing with a cute little .36 caplock, it couldn't weigh more than 6lb. My last range session, this week, ended with some pretty fair grouping at 25 yards, .350 ball, red stripe ticking spit lube patch and 25 grains FFG. I cast up just shy of 100 .353 roundballs today to try out. I'd planned to shoot today but found my range closed for a three day event.

With powder at today's cost and in short supply I'm trying to stretch my shooting dollar but I'm also finding revisiting the guns I bought with shooting small game in mind a lot of fun.

It would be interesting to know what other smallbore folks are shooting and the loads being used in them.

Awesome thread topic. Thanks for posting it. I'm just getting back into percussion sidelock shooting in the last 3 yrs. I'm getting into the small calibers ( custom barrel/ custom fast twist ) myself & I'm super excited about it.

 

[Ninering62]

My flint .36 really likes a .350 ball, .015 patch and 35 grains of 3f powder. On a good day I can get 3 shots on a quarter at 50 yards off a bench. Unfortunately, the older I get, the fewer "good days" I get....

Thats nice shooting. Cool!

 

[Bassdog1]

I love small bore and shoot a 32 Seneca and a 32 Cherokee. 15 grain loads with .010 patching and .315 balls. Over 450 per pound of powder makes them easy on powder. Been working on dry patch method lately with good results. Small bore is a great way to sharpen shooting skills while saving money.

 

[ohio ramrod]

My youngest by had a 36 caliber t.c. cherokee that liked a .350 ball ten tousands patch and 30 grain FFF. It was the best paper shooting gun I ever shot, but I made the mistake of selling it to a friend for his daughter when my boy got older and moved up to a 45.

 

[Grimord]

Both my .32 guns (one cap and one flint) like 22 grains of 3f with a .315 lubed .015 patch. the shoot dime sized groups at 25 yards. My two .36 caliber guns (one flint and one percussion) seem to like 35 grains of 3f with a .015 mink oil lubed patch and a .350 ball. I can hit golf balls pretty regularly at 40 yards with these guns. I also have a .22 caliber percussion gun that I made from an old .22 rf barrel. This gun shoots 1/2" groups at 25 yards using 5 grains of 4f with a 30 grain air rifle slug. Very economical and a great teaching tool for kids, which is why I built it.

 

[babstooge]

I bought an eibar spain 36(9mm) from a guy who said it was his grandpa's gun. It was very dirty , I it cleaned up, shot it . It likes 30 grains fff (swiss) .18 pillow ticking. 350 ball. light rifle shoots good, but I'm still working with it

 

[BP Addict]

While I've been shooting a 40 cal for about a year now, I recently picked up a Traditions 32 caliber Crockett rifle. It is dead-on accurate and cheap to shoot; 30 grains of 3F BP, .018 Lubed Pillow Ticking patch, and .310 RB. The only thing is, it's a caplock. Flints are easier to come by right now! I'd love to have the same sized rifle 40 cal and flint!

Here are my first three shots right out of the box (after the initial cleaning, of course) benchrested.

Walt

 

[30coupe]

My Pedersoli Frontier in .32 likes 25 grains of 3f behind a round ball on ticking. It’s a cap lock and a blast to shoot. My grandsons love it!

 

[hanshi]

I shoot small bores much more than anything larger. Both my .32 and .36 flint SMR shine with anything between 20 grns of 3F and 30 grns. So I usually end up shooting 20 grns, canvas patches with either TOW mink oil or Hoppes BP Lube/Cleaner.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I’m bouncing between my .54’s and the .45 and the .40…I love my .54 calibre guns, but with today’s awesome economy…Yeah, White House press secretary said this economy is awesome. It’s just not feasible to be out shooting it much, it drains your resources.

So yeah, love shooting my .45 calibre guns…I have found renewed respect for the .45 it’s really captured my heart. Both my .45’s are shooting really accurately, and it’s been fun shooting such a nice light recoiling gun for a change.

My .40 calibre has been such fun gun to shoot, that I just ordered a Kibler SMR in .40 calibre…and as another project, that I need time to get finished…I’m converting my Pedersoli percussion .32 calibre to flintlock…so I can shoot it, with out draining my dwindling supply of #11’s…

It’s been a busy summer…

 

[babstooge]

I really like my 36 cal light to carry, accurate as the aimed. I've been thinking about a Davy Crockett 32 cal. good for both squirrels and paper. I'm still trying to figure out how to clean a target? Bruce