muzzleloader cal .22 possible?

[Sandro_Ventania]

Hello friends.
The smallest caliber in muzzleloaders that I see is the .32 cal. Is there any reason why smaller calibers don't exist?
I know round balls would be too light, but conical bullets would make up for it.

 

[Togo]

They do, it's the North American Arms 22 revolver, a couple different guys were just selling them on this forum.

 

[64Springer]

Make yourself a barrel with a .250 bore and have someone make you a .240 mold and have it.



People can have any caliber they want if they put their mind to it and think outside the box.

The world is awash with perfectly suitable barrel quality steel tubing.

Stop waiting on other people to provide you with what you want.



Generic you. Not member specific you.

 

[Urban Coyote]

A company called Rocky Mountain Arms made one several years ago.

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2021/08/rmac-22-caliber-breechloading-black-powder-rifle-part-2/

 

[SmokepoleSam]

My wife has a .30 cal Flobert woman/kids rifle. It shoots .295 rb from Lyman mold

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Biggest problem with .22/.17 bores is that they are so small you have trouble ramming the projectile without bending/breaking the ramrod. This is less of a problem with handgun-length barrels.

Maybe this is a silly question, but as a muzzleloader, what can a .22 do that a .32 can't do?

 

[user 48679]

A company called Rocky Mountain Arms made one several years ago.

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2021/08/rmac-22-caliber-breechloading-black-powder-rifle-part-2/

Rocky Mountain morphed into North American Arms, who currently makes the black powder .22 Companion Mini revolver, as posted above.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Here's a thread from a few years ago about a .20 caliber muzzleloader:

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-smallbore-20-cal.103377/

 

[david w]

Biggest problem with .22/.17 bores is that they are so small you have trouble ramming the projectile without bending/breaking the ramrod. This is less of a problem with handgun-length barrels.

Maybe this is a silly question, but as a muzzleloader, what can a .22 do that a .32 can't do?

Not only is there a big chance of breaking a ramrod that small, I think a rifle would foul so quickly, that one would have to clean between each shot. I would think 4f and about 10 gr. Swiss would be close a max charge.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I made a 22 muzzle loading rifle using a 22 rifle barrel. The ramrod was a brass welding rod and I use BB size lead shot for ball. It shot very well on an indoors 50 foot range. It was fun to build and cheap to feed. Over all it was a silly gun and I lost interest in it quickly. That’s was the stupid type of things I did as a youth.

 

[david w]

I made a 22 muzzle loading rifle using a 22 rifle barrel. The ramrod was a brass welding rod and I use BB size lead shot for ball. It shot very well on an indoors 50 foot range. It was fun to build and cheap to feed. Over all it was a silly gun and I lost interest in it quickly. That’s was the stupid type of things I did as a youth.

You quit doing stupid things when you were young? I still occasionally wonder what in the heck was I thinking!

 

[Colonial Boy]

The late Lynton McKenzie, of gun engraving fame, had a .22 insert barrel that he’d made to fit a duelling pistol; loaded with a pinch of 4f and a skirted air gun slug it was very accurate.
Using ‘hot’ caps (shotgun primers without anvils) and no powder it shot just as well.
We used to target shoot it in the basement of his parent’s home.

 

[Sandro_Ventania]

Make yourself a barrel with a .250 bore and have someone make you a .240 mold and have it.



People can have any caliber they want if they put their mind to it and think outside the box.

The world is awash with perfectly suitable barrel quality steel tubing.

Stop waiting on other people to provide you with what you want.



Generic you. Not member specific you.

Yes...I intend to!
but I came to ask the wisest. Maybe the answer would be..."it doesn't work for this or that reason".
I would learn and not waste my time and money, plus frustration!
Do you agree?

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Now the way to do this would be to make it a breech-loader like a Sharps, use .22 airgun pellets as Minie balls and not have to ram them. You could start with a break-action pellet gun, make a breech plug and use something like a T/C Cherokee lock. Ah.... words of the Good Idea Fairy!

 

[Sandro_Ventania]

Biggest problem with .22/.17 bores is that they are so small you have trouble ramming the projectile without bending/breaking the ramrod. This is less of a problem with handgun-length barrels.

Maybe this is a silly question, but as a muzzleloader, what can a .22 do that a .32 can't do?

This question falls into a vicious circle, what a .22 can that a .32 cannot...what a .32 can that a .36 cannot...what a .36 can that a .40 cannot , etc., etc.
I'm laughing here...kkkk
but it's not true?

 

[Grimord]

I made a .22 BP rifle from an old .22 RF barrel. I shoot 30 grain air gun slugs out of it using 5 grains of 3f. The gun has a brass ram rod for loading. I found air gun pellets could not be used as the skirts got blown off in the barrel and had to be scraped out. The slugs work great. I get dime sized groups at 25 yards, and the slugs go completely thru a 3/4" pine board at that range. I have taken a few squirrels with the gun. Lots of fun and economical to shoot. I only wish i made it in flint.

 

[Sandro_Ventania]

I made a 22 muzzle loading rifle using a 22 rifle barrel. The ramrod was a brass welding rod and I use BB size lead shot for ball. It shot very well on an indoors 50 foot range. It was fun to build and cheap to feed. Over all it was a silly gun and I lost interest in it quickly. That’s was the stupid type of things I did as a youth.

Phil, what was the barrel twist?
I think instead of RB, use heavy projectiles like 40, 55 up to 80 grains.
It would be more interesting, don't you think?

 

[Sandro_Ventania]

Now the way to do this would be to make it a breech-loader like a Sharps, use .22 airgun pellets as Minie balls and not have to ram them. You could start with a break-action pellet gun, make a breech plug and use something like a T/C Cherokee lock. Ah.... words of the Good Idea Fairy!

I think about using heavy bullets. over 55 grains.

 

[Sandro_Ventania]

I made a .22 BP rifle from an old .22 RF barrel. I shoot 30 grain air gun slugs out of it using 5 grains of 3f. The gun has a brass ram rod for loading. I found air gun pellets could not be used as the skirts got blown off in the barrel and had to be scraped out. The slugs work great. I get dime sized groups at 25 yards, and the slugs go completely thru a 3/4" pine board at that range. I have taken a few squirrels with the gun. Lots of fun and economical to shoot. I only wish i made it in flint.

Excellent!
What is the barrel twist?
did you ever test heavier bullets?

 

[64Springer]

Yes...I intend to!
but I came to ask the wisest. Maybe the answer would be..."it doesn't work for this or that reason".
I would learn and not waste my time and money, plus frustration!
Do you agree?

I do not agree.

Wasting time and money is the best way to find out why something doesn't work.

If a person wants something or wants to try something they should just do it and fully disregard what other people think about their idea.

The guy who invented the airplane had no one to ask questions of. The guy who invented the submarine had no one to ask questions of. They just did it. Until they had successes.

As for frustration, nothing irons out bugs in a project more than frustration. Frustration spurs people to find a better way of doing things.

Get busy building that barrel and post pics of your progress. It may inspire others to do the same.