is 32 cal underpowered??

[TrevorAaron]

hello,
i had got a new 32 and now that ground hog season has came around i have been using it alot. i dont understand why the 32 with prb wont kill a ground hog. i have shot 4 so far that i have walked up to the hole and heard the blood filling there lungs. one of the shots one was looking right at me and all there was to aim for was head. i shot and he walbbled to his hole and i heard him breathing blood. i feel like i shouldnt be using this gun if im not making a good clean kill like my 50 cal new englander does.? any one have any advise how to hunt ground hogs with 32. my load is 25 grains of fffg with .310 ball

thanks aaron

 

[Dave K]

I shoot them the same as I shoot my c-fires that I use on them. I aim for the head, same as I do for squirrels as well. Never lost one yet to a good head shot.

 

[grizzy adams]

I have a 32 cal , shooting .310 rb , .015 pillow ticking patch , using 20 to 25 grains of fffg , I have shot coons , tree rats , rabbits etc , havnt shot a ground hog yet just place a shot in the head dats all it takes , havnt had no complaints of the critters dat got shot. There pushing up daisys :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

In terms of equivalent modern ballistics I consider the .32 muzzleloader on par with a .22 Magnum. It will reliably kill woodchucks, but not always anchor them. A .36 will usually anchor them. A .50 definately will.


If you want them dead at the moment of impact I can recommend a .270 Win with 110 gr hollow points or a .223 Rem with 52 gr hollow points. Never had one walk away from an impact from one of those. Sad truth of a round ball is that it can take about seven seconds to kill an animal with a body shot - 200 lb. deer with a .50 or a 25 lb. woodchuck with a .32,; that's why head shots are preferred with a .32 - it is not much in the way of ballistic energy.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Sounds like the shot in the face just hit the nasal passages, side of the head is what you need :thumbsup:

Brits.

 

[trent/OH]

The next one you shoot, take the time to cut it up so you can really understand the anatony of the species. Do you truly understand where the heart and lungs are when he's on all fours, and when he's standing up? How far below the skin is the backbone located? Are there thick parts of the skull that you should avoid in favor of thinner bone?

If you are having a hard time with being there as the animal expires, reload right after your shot. By the time that minute goes by and you walk up to the animal, it'll be dead. If you missed or just glanced a ball off the skull, you can't reload fast enough for a second shot anyway.

Lastly, know the limitations of your shooting and your rifle. How far is too far?

 

[gordy]

Head shots are the way to go on chucks ! They are one tough animal to anchor with body shots . You'll even lose a few with head shots if their right on the hole . Darn good eating !!!! :thumbsup:

 

[J.D.]

All of the above, plus more powder.

An acquaintance shoots heavy charges of 50 or 60 gr FFFG in his very slow twist, 32 cal barrel.

I wouldn't recommend those charges for most guns, but when using a 32 for larger, small game, more is better, as long as it's still accurate.


God bless

 

[jethro224]

I wouldn't recommend those heavy loads in the .32 Crockett. IIRC that's the rifle thomp shooter just got. I think the manual lists the max load at 25 or 30 grains of FFFg.
Get close and aim small.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Iuse my .32 Crockett for everything from rabbits, turkey, smallish wild hogs, whitetail doe, sika, and fallow doe and have found that shot placement is everything. Get close and aim true.

 

[ozark57]

Groudhogs are hard to kill. I have hit them with a .22-250 and blown half their insides out the exit wound, and still have them run a few feet. A friend of mine and I shot 27 on the farm last year. A .32 will kill them fine, but they may run to their hole. It doesn't bother me, I don't have to put up with the dogs dragin' them up in the yard that way. They dig in and under my hay bales and ruin a lot of hay. They've also scratched out under the approach to my bridge.I get them any way I can.

 

[bubba15301]

i load 40 gr pyrodex with a ..310 rb in my tc cherokee

 

[paulvallandigham]

I think the .32 should be used as you would a .22 LR, and sometimes, as a .22 Magnum. No more. If you want to shoot a heavy animal like a Ground hog, take head shots only. Same with coyote. Body shots will kill the animals, but not very quickly.

The Ball for this caliber weights about 45 grains, depending on diameter actually used. It simply does not have much MASS(weight) to fight air and wind for very long. Its a good 25 yard caliber, but more than that, and you are asking too much of it. For the larger animals, I would use at least 30 grains of FFFg powder, not your 25 grain load, and get well inside 75 feet before shooting. For squirrels, and rabbits, stick with the accurate target load, and limit your shots to 25 yards and LESS. Again, its not hard to get closer to rabbits, and you can wait out squirrels until they come down out of the upper branches of tall trees.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Thats my hog load for my crockett.

 

[Shine]

We used to just wait by the hole with a hockey stick.

 

[jaw69]

With respect . A 32cal with 30 grs of 3f. MV is around 1700fps with a ME in excess of 300ft lbs the power of a 22 long rifle at the muzzle is 1260 fps with 141 ftlbs of energy I have take squirrel over 75 yard with a 22 they are dead right there head or body shot. I would think a 32 would be good to 75 yards. If you can see that Far

 

[rabjr]

Well, I have to say I put .177 RWS pellet from a scoped RWS gun, in the ear of a ground hog once and it killed it deader than hell. Now if that little tiny pellet can do that, I would imagine a .32 pushed with a handful of powder can do the same thing.

 

[Celt5494]

A .32 is plenty enough rifle to kill a ground hog or just about anything else in it's range. What you may want to look at is you are killing something and killing isn't pretty. If it was more folks wouldn't be so damaged by it. Some of the guys mentioned head shots which will bring a quick stop to the animals life but I think that's what were all after in the first place and take no pleasure in causing suffering. If you don't feel comfortable with head shots practice up a bit and you'll get there.

 

[gizamo]

Jesum Shine!!! :grin:

I about laughed myself silly over the visual on that one...

 

[paulvallandigham]

The .22 maintains its velocity and energy levels because its shooting a BULLET. A RB sheds velocity faster than a stripper sheds her clothes! Seriously, you cannot compare the ballistics of a .32 Cal. RB to that of a .22 bullet. 25% or more of your MV is lost at 50 yards, with the .32 RB. at 100 yds, more than 40% of the MV is lost.

Worse, from the point of hitting what you aim at, the little , 40-45 grain RB in a .32 has so little mass that its easily blown about by any level of wind speed. THAT is the reason we consider it a 25 yard rifle, and can't recommend it for longer shots. Can longer shots be made? YEP! Have they been made??? YEP! But we are not talking average guns or average shooters, either.

With a .32 RB, you generally will do well staying within the yardage where you can expect to have the ball strike within 1 INCH or LESS of your POA. That is the reason its recommended for use on Small game, like Squirrels, or Rabbits, and for varmints, like SITTING crows, and other nuisance birds, and head shots on ground hogs and larger varmints. MOST shooters cannot hold tight groups in the field, using iron sights, out past 25 yards with these small bore guns.

Those who can, know who they are, and know their abilities. General advise given here is intended and meant for the rest of us mere mortals. :shocked2: :thumbsup: