Small enough for squrriel, big enough for deer?

[TN.Frank]

Now that I've got what I think is the perfect smoothbore(ERA Cumberland Fowler in 75cal/11ga.) I'd like to consentrate on getting a single "do it all" rifle. Currently I have an Austin n' Halleck 50cal Flint Mt.Rifle that shoots like a house a fire and a Poorboy 40cal that a guy in Nashville built in the mid 80's(also a tack driver). Some think that the 40cal is too light for deer and I think that the 50cal is too big for squrriels so that leaves my options at either a 44 or a 45 cal, which are both about the same. Since I'm getting a percussion Ky.Pistol in 44cal from Rebel I'd like to try and find a 44cal flintlock longrifle to kind of match with it(different ignition systems but same bore size) to keep my bullets and patches simple but I can't seem to find any 44 cal flintlocks for sale anyware. Even Dixie doesn't list a 44 cal barrel or I'd pick up a 13/16's and it fit to the poorboy. Does anyone have any info on where I could find a 44cal fiintlock rifle?

 

[roundball]

Now that I've got what I think is the perfect smoothbore(ERA Cumberland Fowler in 75cal/11ga.) I'd like to consentrate on getting a single "do it all" rifle. Currently I have an Austin n' Halleck 50cal Flint Mt.Rifle that shoots like a house a fire and a Poorboy 40cal that a guy in Nashville built in the mid 80's(also a tack driver). Some think that the 40cal is too light for deer and I think that the 50cal is too big for squrriels so that leaves my options at either a 44 or a 45 cal, which are both about the same. Since I'm getting a percussion Ky.Pistol in 44cal from Rebel I'd like to try and find a 44cal flintlock longrifle to kind of match with it(different ignition systems but same bore size) to keep my bullets and patches simple but I can't seem to find any 44 cal flintlocks for sale anyware. Even Dixie doesn't list a 44 cal barrel or I'd pick up a 13/16's and it fit to the poorboy. Does anyone have any info on where I could find a 44cal fiintlock rifle?

I've always been a little surprised at the different size balls some pistols shoot compared to the same caliber in a rifle...I used to have thought about getting a .45cal BP pistol to be able to use my .440 roundballs in it as well...but found it actually uses comething like .457s or something.

Do you know for certain what ball diameter & patch you'd be using in the pistol?

PS: a throttled back .45/.50/.54cal ball with a 30-40grn powder charge is accurate & effective on squirrels...many say caliber doesn't matter if you take heads shots anyway, makes a lot of sense.

I've only shot one squirrel with a .45cal flinter and without thinking, lined up on it like is was a mini deer...the ball really didn't destroy any edible meat passing through the heart/lung/diaphram area.

 

[gmww]

If that .40 poorboy is rifled, you might consider a conical to use for deer. The added weight of the conical would get you a better down range ballistics. Just a thought. Course if you need an excuse to buy another gun please disregard the above! :rotf:
In Wa. State .40 cal is the minimum for deer in ML.

 

[Russianblood]

All you need is your Cumberland fowler. 1 to 1 1/2oz #6 for rabbits and squirrels. 1 1/2 to 2oz #4 for turkey. .715 - .735 patched round ball for deer.

One gun to do it all.

 

[Vaino]

Built a flint .45 w/ 1:66 twist in 1982 and it has taken many squirrels and a few deer. A patched RB w/ 70 grs. 3F is the deer load and 30 grs. 3F w/ the same ball and patch is used for squirrels w/ no sight adjustment. Lucky on this! Of course the squirrel load has to be more accurate, but the deer load POI suffices. Don't like "beat up" meat so the squirrels don't have heads when they hit the ground and this also aids in skinning. Snow shoe rabbit hunting in the snow w/ this same rifle is just as addictive as going for squirrels and both are equal in the pot.....Fred

 

[TN.Frank]

It's just that I like to apply the "K.I.S.S." principal to my shooting gear so that I'll only need to cast one ball for whatever rifle I have, it just makes it smipler that way. Right now I'm having to cast .395,.490 and .690 round balls and with getting the 44cal pistol I'll have to cast .433's as well. If I could find a 44 cal rifle then I'd just need to cast two balls, the .690's for the smoothbores and a .433 for the pistol and rifle, that'd keep it simple.
I know the fowler is really all the gun that I need but I'd still like a rifle of somekind to play around with too. In my modern guns I only have a shotgun, no rifles, because that's all I need. I'll kick this idea around some and maybe someone will have a 44cal flintlock they'd like to swap. Thanks. :hmm:

 

[Stumpkiller]

PS: a throttled back .45/.50/.54cal ball with a 30-40grn powder charge is accurate & effective on squirrels...many say caliber doesn't matter if you take heads shots anyway, makes a lot of sense.

I use .54 in both percussion and flint for squirrel (and bunnies). Light loads of 40 gr +/- are very accurate and will knock their lights out just fine. I'd rather cleanly miss a hundred squirrel when attempting head shots than lose one marginally hit deer. Small game hunting with your deer rifle is also EXCELLENT practice and extends the useful seasons for a gun. Using one caliber for all is a very sensible practice. There is no one perfect caliber for animals that weigh 100X different. You can always load a big rifle down, and the .54 is (IMHO) the perfect caliber for my local deer body size (200# field dressed, when I'm lucky) and hunting conditions (woodlots and field edges). So, I have a perfect rifle for one game that is easily adaptable to others.

As a personal challenge I went for two years using only a 62# recurve for all my large and small game hunting. Makes any firearm now seem like a miracle weapon. :haha: Headshots at squirrels at 15 yards are not all that difficult if you are a patient hunter.

 

[TN.Frank]

I think mainly I'd like to stay as small as is practical for deer in order to save lead. Those big .690 round balls for my fowler take a lot of lead so I'd like a rifle that takes as little as possible so I can plink and hunt more with it and save the fowler for shot loads using an occasional .690 round ball for deer or hog. :hmm:

 

[BS]

Use the 50 with light loads.....get close and shootem in the head. :grin:

 

[Russianblood]

I shoot my squirrels in the mid-section. The only meat on a squirrel is the 4 legs anyways. Nothing lost with a "middle" shot and it's a bigger target (when it presents itself).

 

[BS]

Do you have to count them as one or two squirrels, toward your limit? :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Regulis7]

Check your game laws before using the larger calibers for small game hunting, especially when big game gun/ML season is not open. Some states do have caliber restrictions for small game, especially when the big game shooting seasons are closed.

In my state we can only use the .32cal during small game only season. Once big game season opens we can use .40 and under for small game and .36 and up for big game.

Dont matter how little powder I use in my .45 or .50 because I cant legally use it to take squirrel or rabbit during any hunting season. One of my co-workers got a nice little fine for squirrel hunting with his old CVA Kentucky .45cal a few years back. Thats when i did a good double take on the game regs and ML caliber requirments.

Regulis7

 

[TN.Frank]

I don't think we've got any regs on caliber size for small game here in Tennessee but for deer/large game min. is 40cal. In keeping with my "all smoothbore" concept I guess I could sell off my rifles and try and find a nice 20ga fowler, that'd be killer on small game and still be good for deer but on the other hand I really did want to try and keep one rifle to play around with. I'm sure that I'll figure it out with time. :hmm:

 

[Hoyt]

I'm in the process of developing some blackpowdersquirrels. The process makes them into a big fat target.

 

[TN.Frank]

I think if I could get a nice flintlock rifle in 40,44 or 45cal I'd be "good to go". My poorboy shoots well but comes up short in the looks dept., I'd like a nicer looking rifle. If I could sell the Poorboy and Austin n' Halleck I'd probably have enough to pick up a nice J.Brown or TVM or even ERA flintlock rifle. Or I could maybe even find someone that'd swap one for both rifles. I wish there were more traditional shooters in my area, all the dang pawnshops(don't have any real gunshops here) have is inlines.

 

[gmww]

I suppose a smaller caliber roundball in a sabot is out of the question. :hmm:

 

[TN.Frank]

While it'd probably work it wouldn't be "PC"(funny, me talking about PC,LOL) and a sabot would just be something extra that I'd have to end up buying from the store. I have yards of good patch cloth at home so why buy something else? I think I'll just look around for a nice 40-45 cal flint rifle and try to make a deal in the way of swap or swap and part cash or if I sell off my other two rifles then total cash. Most of my shooting is just plinkin' and playin' around anyway so why throw a boat load of lead at a paper target when less will do just as well. When I do get a chance to deer hunt I like to go for small, eatin' size deer anyway and where I hunt shots are going to be close, well under 50 yrds. If there's any takers on a swap shoot me a PM and we can talk. Talk to ya' later. :hmm:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I think mainly I'd like to stay as small as is practical for deer in order to save lead.

Ah, then that would be a .50 (but that's just my opinion :haha: ).

The cost of a new rifle is hard to regain in lead savings. I get most of my lead free, or in exchange for a 12 pack of beer. Shoot into a dirt backstop and your target lead can be recycled eternally. (I'm still digging out .650" musket balls from 15 years of shooting a 16 bore to re-melt into .54's :winking: ).

If you buy from places like Cabela's: 100 .45 balls cost $8.99, while 100 .50 OR .54 balls cost $9.99. A whopping big 1¢ per ball savings. No additional cost to shoot the .54 over the .50 :hmm: I use the same powder charge in my .54 as I do my .50, and have lately been using slightly less 3F by weight over the prior 2F I was shooting.

 

[Runner]

Lay hands on a nice 32 or 36 caliber squirrel gun. Ease it up and pick a spot on a limb. Squeeze the trigger. The recoil with light loads lets you see the hit if the smoke doesn't block you. 36 caliber balls are 10$ for five pounds.

I have killed squirrels with several 50's over the years. I tried to make sure the ball would hit solid wood also so I wasn't shooting a dangerous sized chunk of lead up into the air to land where ever. The little 36 with 25 grains of 3f and a roundball is my muzzleloading squirrel gun. I have a nice light 12 shotgun that is good squirrel medicine, but the challenge is not quite up to rifle standards.

Sounds to me like you need a 32 and a 45!

 

[flintlockmdj]

You might find a used CVA Kentucky rifle on one of the auction sights. They were originally made in 44 cal. Another option is get a .45 and make a different loading block for it.