Interested in hearing .25 Cal input

[WyomingWhitetail]

So ive been getting fired up about muzzleloaders again. Right now im working on a .45 Cal flintlock but the thought of really small flintlock has captured my attention. I would really like to hear from anybody who has had experience with this ridiculous size of frontstuffer. Mostly doing research for a future project as i need to finish my 45 first and probably a .54 after that. Any way i know there are a few old threads that i found about the small ones but would be interested in any info available on where to get barrels or what to use for projectiles. Pictures are good to.

 

[Keb]

I've got a .25 rifled flintlock. Not shot it much but it is accurate. 15 gr.fff .240 ball w/.010 patch.
Also have a .20 smoothbore. I've not shot it.
Here is the .20

 

[WyomingWhitetail]

a .20 Caliber. Now that is seriously small caliber. That's even small caliber for cartridges and a muzzleloader that small makes my head hurt. I know said you hadn't shot the .25 much but how quickly does it foul. Faster than say a .36 or with the right load is it just like any other muzzleloader.

 

[BrownBear]

I've got a 30 rather than a 25 or 20, but my experience is worth adding to your thoughts.

Fun as heck, but below 32 cal you've moved off the charts for everything. You have to hunt high and low for jags, much less for ramrod ends to fit them. And with such skinny ramrods, it's a dandy idea to have a few replacements handy. But find them first!

I'd sure track down those details before slapping cash for a "sub" caliber. Nothing at all against the subs shooting-wise, but it would be a shame to have yours out of action for months if you suddenly needed spares and couldn't find them in any store or standard online source.

BTW- My 30 cal uses a .290 ball. That meant getting a Jeff Tanner mold. Not a big expense or hassle by any means, and the mold is terrific. But just one more thing on your to-do list.

Yet another BTW- I picked up an 8-pound jug of #2 buckshot (.290) from Ballistic Products for $34.90, just cuzz I needed to fill out my weight allowance on another order. Talks about a whole lot of "30 caliber" balls! I was a little leery because they're not pure lead, but my gun doesn't care a bit. You'll note on that page that they also sell #4 buck (.240") and BBB (.190") in 8 pound jugs. That's even more "round balls" with no casting required, should your gun not object to alloy balls.

 

[Keb]

I'm no small caliber shooter so I can't really say about the fouling issue. Let a youngster shoot it at the ONWT rondyvoo woods walk last summer. He went thru the event without wiping. I can't say he did good but he did hit a few. Not really bad for never shooting it.

I do have a lot of #4 buckshot for the .25 & BB's if I ever shoot the .20.

Having a steel or brass ramrod is a must for either one of them. The .20 carries a steel rod in it's pipes.

 

[WyomingWhitetail]

The only experience i have had with a smaller caliber was a friends 32 and it was terrible at fouling. I think it must have been the load or something because it would rarely make it 10 shots wiping between shots before was completely plugged up. That has always made me worry about small calibers but from what i have heard from more experienced shooters that gun was an exception.

As far as the ram rods and stuff im thinking that most of that would have to be custom made on the lathe or something and make four or five of every thing. I have heard the buckshot for shot many times and i think that would be the way to go. Cheap, easy to get (at least for now until they outlaw lead completely), and it would save have a custom mold. Plus round ball that small would be insane to cast.

 

[BrownBear]

Plus round ball that small would be insane to cast.

And here I thought you said you didn't know much about small calibers! :rotf:

I find small caliber balls more fidly to cast. Mold temp and lead temp have to be just right, and those Tanner molds don't have a sprue plate/cutter. You have to nip off each sprue with a side cutter, and in such small balls it pays to track down a flush-cutting side cutter rather than using one from your local hardware store.

As for fouling, yeah, that sounds like a definite load problem. Easily overcome by finding the right combo for your particular gun.

 

[WyomingWhitetail]

Well i have cast for 22 caliber centerfire which is about as small as i would want to try, but at least bullets are long enough you can get a hold of them.

 

If you're serious about a .25, Stonwall Creek Outfitters, has .25, .30, and .32 cal 3/4" Ed Rayl barrels, and slim Precarves for them. I'm working a .32 with a L&R Bailes lock right now, almost done with it. It's very light and will make a fun Tree rat killer.

Bill

 

[MSW]

Keb, that's a fine looking rifle!

 

[WyomingWhitetail]

Yea ive been looking at stonewall and thinking up all kinds of things. The 3/4" .40 cal barrel has me thinking of a sweet handling super light woods rifle.

 

[BrownBear]

My 30 cal is a Rayl, and I couldn't be happier unless I had a 25 in the rack beside it! :grin:

 

[WyomingWhitetail]

So you got any pictures of that .30 or are you just going to keep teasing me?

 

[Keb]

Here's a .30 that's not finished. Needs sights & a touch hole. Also one of the inlays fell out :/

 

[BrownBear]

So you got any pictures of that .30 or are you just going to keep teasing me?

I confess to making a serious tactical error with my 30. I bought it in the white here on the board, and decided to try shooting it before doing the finish work. That was a year ago, and I still haven't got around to it! Keb's photos have me all inspired to get on with the job, but dang. It's the heart of snowshoe hare hunting right now and I don't want to take it out of action yet.

Of course, snowshoe hare season runs 12 months with no bag limit up here, so I'm developing a taste for unfinished rifles! :rotf:

 

[rcbelding]

Years ago, my brother got an original caplock .25, probably made for a kid's 'starter' gun. Works fine, fouling is a problem, but its really not practical other than the "Hey look what I've got!" factor.

------------

Flintlock, round ball and black powder - Life is sweet.

Notice on powder container -"Be certain no embers are smoldering in the barrel before loading", so I ALWAYS blow down the barrel after firing. Its easier than wet swabbing each time.

 

[Ppanepinto]

I was thinking (I know, my wife says that's always trouble) What about using steel tubing (for strength) inside a brass tube for a ram rod. The brass tube to cut out sparks and protect the rifling? A .25 sounds like a hoot to shoot for squirrel and rabbits out to may be 30-40 yards away with head shots, or am I thinking too much again?

 

[WyomingWhitetail]

Kind of what i was thinking. a .25 would be even cheaper to shoot than a 32 and it would work for general plinking around. Sure sounds fun to me but some say i have odd tastes.