Small game caliber choice

[Spot Shooter]

I may be a bit ahead of myself here but what's the best caliber (if one exist's, or maybe it's the choice of gun) for an accurate small game rifle.

I'm looking specifically for something my kid and I can use to hunt squirrel, turkey, ....

I haven't looked to see if they make a GPR in a .32, .34, or .40. I'm leaning to the light end on this one, but thought I should ask those who may have experience with the different bore sizes.

Spot

 

If I had my druthers, an I do, I'd 'ruther go with the .40.
I've owned a couple .32's and learned that they MUST be swabbed every shot as the little bores foul badly. That's 'cause they have a smaller hole don'cha'know.
The .40 is a dandy size and can be loaded light enough for squirrels and a little heavier for turkey.
The problem will be finding one. The only .40 factory made rifle that I'm aware of is the Cleland target rifle made by T/C and they are a little pricey, around 600 bucks.
I'd rather have one built for a bit more money. Anyone else out there know of a .40 factory built rifle?
If you have a T/C I believe Green Mountain makes a drop in barrel that will fit. I've read that the G/M barrel will fit the Lyman GPR with a bit of work on the barrel key slots.

 

If you are unable to find a .36 or .40, a good .45 can be loaded with 15 to 25gr. for small game shooting & that works just fine.
: The .36 will allow a 5/16" rod which is plenty strong enough, but the .32 would require a 1/4"- probably & kinda whippy(weak). With a bit of sanding, the 5/16" rod might work in the .32, but I haven't tried it. It also might not fit in the rod hole, depending on the thicknes of the stock for re-drilling. A .32 would be very nice & to use Hornady buckshot, etc, but again, I personally haven't tried it. I have shot light loads in the .45 and that does work well & is very accurate to 40yds. or so.
Daryl

 

[musketman]

.36 to .40

Just in case you need to shoot a coyote or two...

.32 are fine for squirrels and such...

 

[roundball]

I had a day off today and just got back from the range sighting in a .45cal TC Hawken round ball flint rifle at 25yds, to try squirrels this fall...I don't have a smaller caliber and am already gun poor so I didn't want to invest in still yet another caliber. (PS: we can't use rifles on Turkeys here).

So today I tried 40grns Goex FFFg and it was just deadly at that distance...so if I do my part, I should be able to take a squirrel in the head at that range.

I was thinking that a lighter load would also probably work but if a buck happened to come strolling along while I was out for squirrels, I'd like to be able to put a ball in his ear a little farther away if I had the chance.

 

[Deadeye]

I like the .45, it' fine for small game and still good for deer. 20 grs. of 3F, no recoil, good accurate load for small game and targets. I have had both a .36 and a .40 but sold them both in favor of the .45 still have a .32 and use a 1/4" brass rod, it's kinda fun but for hunting small game I'll use the .45. or a smoothbore.

 

[djnye]

hey folks,

i have mentioned this before, but it is worth repeating here i think. last summer i built a .45 GM barreled with patent breach and ampco liner. in developing loads and truing the sights i found that 50 gr. of fffg was point of aim at 25 yds., and 55gr. of fffg was p.o.a. at fifty yds, and 60 gr. of fffg was p.o.a. at 75 yds., and 65 gr. was p.o.a. at 100 yds. i now use 50 gr. for anything close, like most small game and nuesance critters like red squirels, etc. the report is gentle and the recoil almost nill. my second load is 65 gr. and i use it for deer or anything from 30 yds or so out. i have a charger that throws 65 gr. and is marked inside to also throw 50 gr. when needed. i am content with one rifle that has these two very different options. next i'm building a fowler that has it's own two options and then this poor man will have a two gun arsenal that covers everything i need.

take care, daniel

 

Years ago, my bother came across a fine little English patent, hooked breech .40 that had a rotten bore. The stock, beautiful English Walnut, had a 14" pull which was about perfect although there was little drop in the stock. We lined the 28" barrel with a piece of Bauska .36 barrel I had laying around, and now with 25 to 30gr. 3F, that little guy (gal) plops 5 rounds into a 1/2" cal hole at 25 to 30yds.
: Before I switched to shooting flint, I used it for hunting snowshoe rabbits during the month of March, when the weather is turning towads spring, and snow melting during the day. We had to hunt on snowshoes for these snowshoe rabbits as there was still some 6' to 8' of snow in the bush. The nice thing, was that all the underbrush was covered, and the rabbits were all above ground on nice sunny days. About 8 of use would go out and collect up to 30 to 40 rabbits for 1/2 day's shoot. Only head shots counted & that little .36 with a meager 30gr. 3F & .350 ball, would take the head completely off, much cleaner than the .50's and .54's using rduced loads. We were running fairly high vel. in the .36, and she created red mist many times.
: I guess what I'm saying, is that if you find a good deal, it's always possible to re-barrel or re-line the barrel to whatever you want in calibre. You aren't held to the calibre the gun is originally in. For a 'sub cal' it would be a good idea if the barrel was between 13/16" and 15/16". A .36 or .40 on a 28" to 30" X 7/8" or 15/16" would hold very nicley. In the smaller barrel, 36" to 40" would be about perfect.
Daryl

 

[Rocky Johnson]

I have a 32 cal.Traditions deer hunter that I hunt squirrel with. I use 22gr Pyrodex P & PRB,it dose a lot of damage so shot placement is important, so if you have to head shoot anyway what diferants dose the size of the gun make. I don't have to swap between shots with this rifel.What ever you decide it will work. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Plains99]

Anytime you go below a .45 you run into limited projectile choices. I've hunted with .36 and .32 round ballers and they are tons of fun! But I'd recommend going with a .45 for something that can work for both small and medium sized game. You can always load a .45 down as was suggested earlier and have a nice low recoiling and effective small game rifle.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Plains99 - You are right about the limits on projectiles. My 32.don't shoot anything but RB's well. But if all you want is a squirrel rifel its great. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[buckknife]

Spot i got a 36 coming my way of the brown truck any day here.I chose the 36 cause you can shoot 000buckshot.Its .350 ball,at 10 to 12 bucks for 5lbs thats over 500 balls.Im getten this gun for squirrel,rabbits and maybe even a pheasant.It ert to even set a jackylope back on its heels ::

 

[Herb]

Buckknife is right on. Track of the Wolf sells .350 swaged buckshot at $8.50 for a five pound bag, which is 550 balls. Then you pay shipping. I bought a box of 100 Hornady .350 balls for probably about $5.50 locally, then add almost 40 cents tax. I just built a Samuel Faries .36 flintlock Green Mountain barrel, 38" barrel, and shot it but can't remember the load maybe about 30 grains of 3F. Have it in an art show this month, with my proof target. I think I'll like .36 caliber. I have built three .40's and am finishing another now. I really like .40 caliber. Built a Green River .45 Leman in 1978, shot it a lot, but I just like .40 better. These .36 and .40's develop really high velocity for a muzzleloader unless you cut down to maybe 20 or 25 grains. Will test and chronograph both calibers soon with Goex 3F and Swiss 3F. (Buckknife, I am originally from McGregor).

 

[Spot Shooter]

Guy's,

Great info, especially about the swab'n stuff. I like
Pleasure of use - so I'm now think'n about the .45 cal, or the 40 at the smallest.

I'm start'n ta think I may jest see if I can weasel some more advice out of RollingB this coming winter and try'n build a real nice mid-bore flinter.

I might jest try workin' some of these fancy tricks on regular wood afer I try if fer real. Keep yer eye's peeled on the bench, cause I'll be askin' fer tips' on how to make a workin' beauty.

Spot

 

[buckknife]

Herb good info on the 36,will keep it in mind.McGregor,thats up in the north east by the waters of the big muddy aint it.Im down in the south east around Washington[url] area.Nuthin[/url] here but corn and bean fields,with big fat whitetails,and a few jackalpoes :bull: ::

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use .54 with a light charge of 42 gr FFFg for squirrels and bunnies. Not the best, but It's what I've got. I shot lots of critters up to woodchuck and raccoon size with an old .36 Seneca (which, being a fool, I sold). A .40 would be the best of all I imagine.

 

After reading all these good replies I remembered a friend that used the only muzzle loader he had for deer and small game. He had a .58 flinter that shot light charges of 3fg out to 30 yards or so with fine accuracy. He shot many squirrels with that rifle and the light load did not blow them to bits. Velocity is what causes so much damage to small critters. A slow large ball, even a .58, won't ruin much meat.
If I could have only one flinter for deer and small game I think I'd go with a .45 or .50 roundballer and tinker with loads.
Really 30 yards is a long shot in the squirrel woods and I generally sight in for 25 yards even with my Ruger heavy barrel .22.
By the way, thanks to you critters I haven't fired a modern firearm in quite a while! ::
Nothing, absolutely NOTHING is as addictive as black powder.

 

[Herb]

Spot Shooter, here comes TVM to save the day! Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading at Corinth, MS ([email protected]) has what you want. At least 11 authentic styles, all available in cals from .32 to .62, Rt or Lft hand, either cap or flint, length of pull and barrel length as options. Each hand made to order. I've seen them at Fort Bridger, they are very good. My last catalog (No.6, couple of years old), they started at $650. Jack Garner at Tennessee Valley Mfg. (related business) has cut some stocks and supplied parts for me. I recommend them highly. They advertise in Muzzleloader Magazine, probably others.
Lyman BlackPowder Handbook(1975) shows a .36 CAL, 37" barrel with 35 grains of 3F giving 1644 fps, and 65 grains giving 2272 fps. .40 CAL: 43" bbl (shortest shown) with 35 gr 3F gave 1474 fps. .45 CAL: 36" bbl w/ 35 gr 3F showed 1381 fps. My Green River Leman .45 with 32" bbl and 35 grains 3F gives 1455 fps, and I won enough shooting matches with that load the first year to pay for the parts at the Green River shop. (High velocity flattens the trajectory and makes hitting easier, but 25 to 50 yds, this is not important). PROJECTILES: You said "small game" which means roundballs. Lyman's Black Powder Handbook and Loading Manual by Sam Fadala (2001) shows 35 gr of 3F Goex giving 1644 fps (.36 cal 28" bbl). Also a 125 gr Buffalo H.P. Conical with 70 gr Goex 3F giving 1943 fps. These Buffalo Conicals (our Wal Mart has them in .54) are wonderful bullets and they stabilize in my 1/66 or 1/70" twist .50 and .54's with fine accuracy at least to 100 yards. .40 CAL not listed in this book. I know of no conicals for .40 ML. I talked to Buffalo Bullet Co., they don't make them. Too bad, because .40 is a minimum caliber for deer in quite a few states. Here in Utah, 150 grains is minimum ball weight for deer and antelope, and a .40 conical would make it, at maybe close to 2000 fps. I am working on locating a .40 conical. Can anybody help?

 

[riarcher]

Herb, would a .38 cal. "dead soft" wadcutter or semiwadcutter and paper patch work? Just a thought, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[riarcher]

Herb,
Is this what you want?
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/2,68.html
SAE62638 @ 225 gr.
SAE62401 @ 190 gr.
Say "thank you" :haha:
That's where I got mine, I'm happy :applause:
Caution, slug and mic. your bore first.