Lets discuss small bore guns

[gunlove92]

I'm interested in a 32 or 36 for small game and for young shooters to use. What are the general opinions of the Crockett 32 cal? Is there a good 36 cal option being manufactured currently? Did TC ever make a 36 cal

I'm interested in a 32 or 36 for small game and for young shooters to use. What are the general opinions of the Crockett 32 cal? Is there a good 36 cal option being manufactured currently? Did TC ever make a 36 cal hawken?

something similar https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1052659680

 

[tom in nc]

My collection includes a .32 caliber CVA squirrel rifle and an unbranded Spanish .36 caliber, as well as .45s, .50s, and .54s. I enjoy shooting them all especially the .32 and the .36.

 

[ETipp]

My Crockett fits me very well and I find it balances very nicely. I love the sights too, very crisp. Good for squirrels. I like to hunt squirrels to harvest their meat for eating. It has a smooth, wholesome flavor.

Only thing I don’t like about it is I’m sure it’s not destined to last as long as something higher quality like a custom. Also the fitment of the lock plate to the stock and how the barrel interfaces with it makes for a very tight arrangement, and I managed to tear out some wood from behind the lock one time.

I added some tacks to mine. I’ve also got the little Crockett .32 pistol as a companion piece. It’s a fun little shooter for sure.

View attachment 338349

With all of that being said, if I were in the market for a small bore I’d get one of Kibler’s mountain rifles in .32 or .36, but those are flinters.

I have found that on my first Crockett squirrel rifle that when I first got it, the lock fitment was very tight. After a few times of removal for cleaning, it now fits just about right.

On my second Crockett everything fits like it should. IMO, there can definitely be differences from rifle to rifle, at least with stock fitment of parts.

 

[ETipp]

I have a 32 Crockett and a 32 CVA Squirrel rifle and the CVA is a lot lighter, decided I didn't need two 32s so I have the Crockett advertised for sale on the forum here.

I’m not so sure I would want a squirrel rifle any lighter than a Crockett. My testing has shown that after I added a brass ramrod, my offhand accuracy improved a fair amount. In short, with the longer barrel of the Crockett, it definitely holds more steady with a little additional weight distributed properly.

 

[smokepolehall]

Talk about small bores, i shot my Under Hammer .40 this morning. Now i have a red dot on mine & it's a 4moa, it's all i have at this time. I shot at 25 yards off my table with a sand bag. 5 shots no swabbing until i cleaned it. 40gr Goex 3F with ww over powder & a sized .397 200 hard cast conical. 3/4" c to c for the 5 shots. Twas a Hoot to shoot !

 

[nkbj]

For hunting I always preferred light weight long guns that are long enough to be steady. Something that goes to my shoulder about like Grandad's Remington .22. That's influenced my taste in muzzleloaders somewhat. Drop-in barrels for Traditions rifles such as the flintlock Deerhunter are easy to come by and you can pretty much have your choice of exterior contours, caliber and rate of twist. I settled on an octagonal to tapered round 31" long half inch smooth bore, a critter getter for bird shot or round ball. But I'd have fun with a barrel to shoot .32 round ball like a .31 Colt too!

 

[ETipp]

Talk about small bores, i shot my Under Hammer .40 this morning. Now i have a red dot on mine & it's a 4moa, it's all i have at this time. I shot at 25 yards off my table with a sand bag. 5 shots no swabbing until i cleaned it. 40gr Goex 3F with ww over powder & a sized .397 200 hard cast conical. 3/4" c to c for the 5 shots. Twas a Hoot to shoot !

Sounds like a deer getter to me, Mike.

 

[smokepolehall]

Sounds like a deer getter to me, Mike.

I am going to try it on one or more starting Oct. 11-13 antlerless gun season. In the morning i am going to up the charge to 45 gr & everything else stays the same. I have just enough 19 year old Goex to do the 5 shots of 45 gr each. Then i will have to go to my Graf's 3 F

 

[smokepolehall]

I was out early this morning, just trying out loads as in grs to see how the Butt stock feels for recoil & angle as i go higher with my charges. I shot 45 & 50 & 55 grs. Recoil is fine. The Butt angle isn't exactly what i am liking. Will modify it this week.

 

[Rebel bull]

I have had both of the cva squirrel rifles 1 ea 32 &36 but sold them only because I came across a pair of t/c's 32 & 36 with presentation grade wood other then that theres no difference in the weight between t/c and cva or length of pull or accuracy t/c has the advantage of set triggers but cva has a better lock with a adjustable sear and parts are still available the t/c's lock is non existent any where and parts are almost a machine shop item. none of the other locks will fit the inlet the cva's you can fit a l&r if you desire I wouldn't but have done it for customers that demanded it and still kicked their butts every time they bring it to a shoot

 

[rodwha]

I'd bet even your twenty grain load is approaching .22 Mag velocity at squirrel shooting range and the ball is heavier than the typical .22 cal bullet at around 45-47 grains !

According to the P-Max calculator it shows 20 grns of 3F Swiss pushing a 45 grn ball through a 32” barrel indeed should achieve in the neighborhood of 1813 fps with 328 ft/lbs at the muzzle. It shows you’d need to reduce it to about 12.5 grns to get 223 ft/lbs.

 

[MAC1967]

I had a Crockett and was disappointed in it. Part of it was me. It was my first ML rifle and I have learned a lot since then.. .but I could never get it to group well no matter what combos I tried. (I sent it back to the factory and their group was worse than mine, but that's another story.) I bought it used, but the barrel looked quite good. . .not sure when it was made.
On the plus side, they have a pretty good reputation. They are a great size and have many great points. I shot it several hundred times and it never misfired.
My issue other than accuracy, which happened with some, was that there was a burr of some type, (perhaps the drum screw in the breech) that snagged patches all the time like some nasty troll under a bridge when I cleaned it. I drilled a hole in the ramrod to put a finishing nail in it so I could clamp it and yank on the rifle to get the rod out . . . I had to do that a couple of dozen times.
I loved the .32, and almost sold the Crockett to buy a Pedersoli .32. Instead I found a builder and we built a TVM Late Lancaster in .32 flint left hand.

 

[ETipp]

I had a Crockett and was disappointed in it. Part of it was me. It was my first ML rifle and I have learned a lot since then.. .but I could never get it to group well no matter what combos I tried. (I sent it back to the factory and their group was worse than mine, but that's another story.) I bought it used, but the barrel looked quite good. . .not sure when it was made.
On the plus side, they have a pretty good reputation. They are a great size and have many great points. I shot it several hundred times and it never misfired.
My issue other than accuracy, which happened with some, was that there was a burr of some type, (perhaps the drum screw in the breech) that snagged patches all the time like some nasty troll under a bridge when I cleaned it. I drilled a hole in the ramrod to put a finishing nail in it so I could clamp it and yank on the rifle to get the rod out . . . I had to do that a couple of dozen times.
I loved the .32, and almost sold the Crockett to buy a Pedersoli .32. Instead I found a builder and we built a TVM Late Lancaster in .32 flint left hand.

That burr may or may not have been the issue. However, it took me some time to figure out how to properly hold the Crockett squirrel rifle. Mostly where to place the crescent butt stock on the arm. It is not like a regular rifle stock. Unless that is established and used every time, consistent accuracy will suffer.

Not only arm/stock placement but angle/stance position as well when firing from a standing position. Facing 90 degrees from the target does not work for me. Directly facing the target does not work. What does work is about a 45 degree angle stance to the target.

In short, and to sum this up, at least for this ole boy, placing the crescent stock just at the edge of my biceps and a 45 degree angle stance from the target has proven to be the sweet spots for shooting form with the Crockett. This is for both sitting and standing positions.

Also, I went through a change with loads. For an undetermined reason, my Crockett’s accuracy appeared to have declined some. After finally establishing the proper stance/hold, I wound up changing over to Swiss from GOEX. In addition, I went from a .015 patch up to a .018 patch. The combination of the two helped tremendously.

It also took a little experimenting to find the best and most steady hold for offhanded shooting. Nothing difficult. One of the most conducive aspects was getting a brass ramrod, which added a little more weight in the right location for a steadier hold.

I’ve been shooting since the 60’s and with many different rifles. The Crockett was my first crescent stock rifle I had ever shot. Its much, much different than any of the others, in terms of hold/and facing the target. It’s nothing difficult once you figure it out.

I will add that my GPR (with a crescent stock) does not seem to share the same traits as my Crockett’s, in terms of establishing that sweet spot.

 

[smokepolehall]

I started sighting in with my peep & fiber optic red front sight. Took 10 shots with adjustments along the way. I am now hitting the orange dot 1.5" dia. at 25 yards off my sandbag. My front bead covers the dot at 25 yards, i have not set target out to 50 yet to see the view.

 

[Don Wilson]

I purchased a Crockett last year.
I am very pleased with the fit, balance and how it shoots.

 

[bpd303]

If you can find and old CVA varmint or squirrel rifle they are light and have shorter barrels.

I have a CVA 32 cal "Squirrel" rifle made in '83. It out shoots my friends Corckett with either of us shooting them. I have never seen a 36 caliber that would shoot better groups than my grandfathers original Ohio Vincent flintlock.

 

[ETipp]

I have a CVA 32 cal "Squirrel" rifle made in '83. It out shoots my friends Corckett with either of us shooting them. I have never seen a 36 caliber that would shoot better groups than my grandfathers original Ohio Vincent flintlock.

It takes a little time and experimenting with a Crockett rifle to figure it out. Not only with the best load combination, but how to actually hold the rifle during the shot. I’ve owned and shot many rifles in my days, but none has been as challenging to figure out as the Crockett. However, once it’s figured out, it will shoot as accurate as anyone can shoot.

There is, of course, sometimes exceptions out there.