selecting a caliber for hunting? small game vs big game

[Loyalist Dave]

Hi, I am new to the MlF. I am looking to purchase my first flint lock rifle. I am thinking of a 36 or 40 caliber to be used for plinking and small game like rabbits or perhaps coyote. 45 , 50 or 54 for deer or possibly Elk. What do you recommend? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various calibers?

So you've gotten a lot of very good answers. The problem is, the answers will differ depending on where you are in the world, even if you're only doing one type of hunting.

For me, IF I could only get one muzzleloader, and that was a flintlock..., where I live and hunt, and where I'm likely to do so, I'd get a 12 gauge smoothbore with an extra barrel in .54, or larger. It would allow small game hunting, upland birds, some waterfowl, and turkey, and with a round ball is going to work on everything in the deer family up to moose (though I likely would switch back to the 12 gauge barrel and a round ball for the moose).

But I'm not limited to only one gun. I am limited in caliber for deer in my state with a .40 caliber minimum when it comes to muzzleloaders.

So..., I have a .40 flintlock rifle. With a patched round ball and 30 grains it's fine on squirrels and rabbits, and with deer at the close range that I get my shots at, BUT I also scored some .40 conicals, so could go for deer out at 100 yards and for coyotes, because most .40 caliber barrels like mine are rifled 1:48 twist with groove depth that will work with a conical.

BUT some states have oddly worded regs that you need to check, and I think at one time Louisiana (iirc) had regs with an upper limit for small game set at under .40, and a minimum for deer set at .45.., which meant in that state .40 caliber rifles and some of the early factory production rifles which were .44 caliber, couldn't be used for hunting of anything.

I have a 20 gauge smoothbore flinter for birds and squirrels and rabbits. Mostly birds.

I have a .54 rifled flintlock for deer and other large game, plus a couple muskets that are much larger smoothbores, though I haven't gone hunting with those..., yet.

As long as you're obeying hunting regs, AND what you're using is accurate to the distances that you're going to shoot, there is really no single answer. Everything has limits and problems to solve.


For example my "one gun" solution would "work" if all that I had was my 11 gauge musket, just using birdshot or ball as the need arose..., but for something like a moose or a coyote, I'd need to be close, and that could be tough to accomplish on a moose and near impossible on the coyote. Pronghorns, if I lived out West would be a different problem, too. If I was in big bear/cougar country or overseas where an apex predator might choose me to vary its diet, or where the big game is also called "dangerous game"..., I'd be looking at a SxS caplock, and probably some sort of backup pistol OR a guide who was also armed.

So ... there's no single answer.

LD

 

[Urban Coyote]

The "one gun solution" might be nicely be covered with T/C New Englander with a .54 and 12 gauge barrels, if you're a flintlock shooter perhaps not so.

Big game, I'd vote .54.

Small game, shotgun or one of the smaller bores like .32 or .36

When I lived in Missouri I hunted cottontails with a 12 gauge Pedersoli double. Later, living in Montana, where cottontails were more likely to sit still I used a rifle. I shot a few with my .36 flint Southern Mountain rifle but I mostly used a .45 caplock using head shots. At that time I didn't own a caplock small bore.

I've killed deer with .45, .50 and .54. I've never killed an elk with a muzzleloader. If limited to one gun for big game it would be a .54.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Late reply but if there are no caliber restrictions where you live I would recommend just buying a .54 caliber for both big game and small game. Take the money you were going to spend on a second gun and buy powder, lead and flints. Then practice.

Years ago I shared some small game hunts here using .54 and .58 caliber guns with reduced loads. I always go for head shots on small game. I've found with reduced loads in big bore guns there is less bloodshot/meat damage when your shots off a little than with a .32 caliber gun.

One benefit of this is that you will become very familiar with your gun. You'll get in a lot of practice loading out of your shooting bag in hunting conditions. This will build your confidence when you hunt big game.

This makes so much sense.

 

[Mike in FL]

I like one flint lock that can do both small and big. That means a Fowler or a 45 or 50 rifle that I can load weak or strong. I use a 50 only.

 

[tenngun]

.45 for ants, chipmunks, squirrels and groundhogs, .80 caliber rifle for everything else. Welcome to the movement, where debate is 6/7 of the action

Had an .80 rifle. It could kill everything in the woods out to five hundred yards.
However by the time I could get myself off the ground, and my eyesight back after shooting it buzzards had devoured all my kill.

 

[Ballshooter]

I would get a .58 smoothbore Kibler colonial. Bunny's to bear!

 

[Zutt-man]

Checking your local and destination regs will be in your favor. As stated before, .40 and below will serve you well for small game. I’ve shot Kansas whitetail with a .40, .54 & .58 and have yet to make a follow up shot. None have gone more than 50 yards.

I have, however, harvested an elk with a .54. My first shot happened to be a hangfire so I hit him back and it required follow ups. 3, in fact. All in the boiler room and one within 10 yards. The bull still got up and tried to walk away (perished 40 yards later).

Hunting elk is tricky with a muzzleloader. Penetration can be difficult and, well, they some of the toughest animals on the planet. I have personally seen a bull in Montana take 6 rounds with a qualified unmentionable, all kill shots, but refused to go down. With elk, you shoot until they’re dead, not until they’re down. Placement is everything when it comes to an elk imo. I upgraded to a .58 for a little extra punch.

I’m not a big fan of using round balls for small game. I don’t mind them for ground dwellers, but generally I’m an opportunist when hunting for small game. I will not shoot a round ball at a squirrel, coon or bird in a tree, because Lord knows where that thing is going after it clears the game.

You may consider a smoothbore as you’ll get several opportunities to hit your target, especially when they’re on the run. This will also give you the chance to develop loads for a round ball for big game as well. Plenty of loads are shared on here for big game smoothbores out to 75 yds and more.

It all comes down to how and where you hunt (I did not scroll through the whole thread, so it may have been mentioned). If you can afford two routes, go for it. I did and they’ll all be utilized. I have a .40 I started out with 20 years ago and now that I have a .58 rifle and a .58 smooth, I can’t see myself using it much more and will pass it down to my boy.

Best of luck!

 

[hanshi]

While I've killed deer with a variety of calibers - I never hunted elk - my go-to deer rifle is a .45 flintlock "longrifle". The barrel is only 36" and the total weight is 7 lbs. IMHO small game rifles start with the .32 & .36 and end right there. The .40 is arguably a good small game and deer caliber.

Yes, the large calibers can be made to do an excellent job on small game. But two criteria must be kept in mind. First is the load and unless you never hit the body instead of the head even a "too powerful" load will work. Second is where the shot is placed on the target. The head or neck is the "safest" target. I was deer hunting once and had seen nothing for hours except a fox squirrel sitting on a limb maybe 20 yards distant. My rifle was a .58 loaded with a prb for deer. So I decided to shoot the fox squirrel just as a test. I aimed right where the neck began so that I had some leeway on either side. The squirrel fell at the shot and I walked over to see the results. I admit to being surprised at the neat slit the huge ball made going in AND exiting the neck. I was so impressed that I had the beautiful squirrel mounted.