Next rifle--.32,36,40???

[hanshi]

:thumbsup: Sounds like .36 country to me.

 

[kopfjaeger]

Take the middle road. .36 caliber

I always favored the southern flintlock longrifles. TVM makes a nice one.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I have had and hunted with all three calibers and for a good all around small game rifle you can do not better than a 40. On the properties I lease I have a wide variation of terrain, conditions, and game and the 40 has been the most reliable caliber I have used. It bucks the wind better than the other two because it is a heavier ball but you can still shoot it at a very high speed which is the predominate reason it bucks the wind better.

By far the 40 has been the least finicky caliber about the load. From 30 to 60 grains it just keeps shooting the same little cluster of holes in the target. If you look for some of my old post you will see groups I shot at a hundred yards in a pretty stiff cross wind and they are in 2 to 3 inch size, excluding my wind misreads. To say the least, I am a great fan of the 40. Whenever I head out to one of the properties I lease, with no particular purpose in mind, I seem to always grab my 40 as my companion.

 

[Swamp Rat]

If I were you I would at the 36 or 40. You can still find stuff for the 36cal (balls/Conical/Rifles).
40cal your ordering ball or making them.
I'm building my 40 cal. rifle, hope it comes out.

 

[Erzulis boat]

I own just about every caliber sans the .32, and the .40 is the sweetheart size IMO. Just enough to kill something bigger than 5 pounds, and with light loads has virtually zero recoil. Talk about deadly accurate.

 

[mooman76]

Nothing wrong with any of them but 32 is nice but doesn't carry very far. Maybe 50y. I'd go with the 36. It carries farther but is still small enough to be a good plinker. Something about the 36 I really feel like I must get it some day. Maybe it's just because it's one of the few I don't own. I don't have a 40 either but it's almost a 45 so I have a desire to get a 36.

 

[410-er]

I have a 32 and 36.The 32 is my favorite squirrel/bunny caliber.The 36 is a bit overkill and more suited for chucks,turkey,yote,etc.

 

[Erzulis boat]

I have a 32 and 36.The 32 is my favorite squirrel/bunny caliber.The 36 is a bit overkill and more suited for chucks,turkey,yote,etc.

I gotta' ask..............how do you deal with that thing? My .36 looks tiny, and I went to a brass ramrod after the wood article gave up the ghost pronto.

 

[jamesthomas]

That's one of the things I like about a .40 cal. you can use a 3/8ths inch ramrod or range rod and not worry about breaking the thinner ramrods of the .36 or .32 calibers.

 

[mligon]

Dear Sirs: I have a .40 cal and I shoot .36 cal round ball out of it with about 40 grains of bp. It is extremly accurate.

Sincerely,
Myron Ligon

 

[mooman76]

What do you use, a real thick patch or what?

 

[stinkyfeet]

one of each

 

[mligon]

Dear Sir: I use a .018 patch made of pillow ticking. And .380 buckshot as my round ball.

Sincerely,
Myron Ligon

 

[Swamp Rat]

000 buckshot is .36 not .38 and with .018 patch it would not even fill the bore of my 40 barrel.
Do you pour your own that are .38 or could they be .390?

 

[mligon]

Dear Sir: I get the buckshot from Ballistic Products.com. If you look down the list of buckshot you will see.380 dia. buckshot.

Sincerely,
Myron Ligon

 

[Swamp Rat]

Gotcha that is 0000 buckshot. :thumbsup:

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I’m fascinated by the perception people have about caliber and the difference they make in the real world. As an example; a .395 ball weighs 93 grains and the .350 ball weighs 65 grains. The 395 ball is .045 larger, that’s about the difference of 6 hairs, and 6.41% of an ounce (of an OUNCE!) heavier and some consider the 40 as overkill.

 

[gard72977]

I’m fascinated by the perception people have about caliber and the difference they make in the real world. As an example; a .395 ball weighs 93 grains and the .350 ball weighs 65 grains. The 395 ball is .045 larger, that’s about the difference of 6 hairs, and 6.41% of an ounce (of an OUNCE!) heavier and some consider the 40 as overkill.

There are some big differences in those numbers! 65gr versus 93gr is a lot. I agree the 40cal is overkill but I have one im waiting on :wink:

 

[750k2]

There are a lot of 40 cal questions on various sites over the years.
Almost without exception all the negatives come from people who have never owned one or fired one.
Anyone who spent time with a 40 will soon discover why some
stick with it when they have tried it.
I had quit sticking up for it for a long time but couldn't help
myself.
I'll vote go for the 40 it'll do what the others will and much more.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

You are quite correct on that. Having shot all the calibers mentioned, and having had overwhelming evidence that the 40 is so far superior to the others, I get a bit over wroth trying to get my point across. I need to chilax.