Smallest caliber

[mushka]

I'd be interested in knowing his load. Powder and bullet.

 

[45man]

This is small.

Wowzer, love it. I need to change from a gunsmith to a watch maker. Smallest I ever built was a .36 for tree rats, flint of course and I had to make head shots. Fox squirrels but all we have here are grays and they never stand still.
Now the very smallest I had was a gun that shot caps and took number 6 shot. Useless is the word but fun for a kid.

 

[Mark Herman]

I have both a .22 and a .29. Another local fellow has several .25's.

 

[Bernard Streeter]

How do they shoot. What kind of load do you use? Pictures would be nice.

 

[Mark Herman]

No pictures but the typical loader are:
.22 use a .22 longrifle case full of 3F Goex.
.29 uses 20 grains of 3F Goex.

 

[Rockvillerich]

Ron Griffie and I made several .25 barrels, riffled 1:48, and they were impressive performers. Clay Payton chronographed a 40" caplock at 3,200 fps with 65 grains of FFF. We also made a couple in .29 cal to shoot buckshot. I also riffled a few barrels made by H&H Barrel Works in .25 since their sine bar machine wasn't set up for anything that small.

 

[Rudyard]

Years ago I picked up a barrel of 290 cal stamped' G Tyler' evidently home made it had its plug it was uniform octagonal but I swamped it .We have no Squirells but such small bores where once made in Europe for shooting small game & birds . A catalogue of the Visser Collection illustrated just such a Baltic flint rifle so I made it up like you would and went with an old Parker Hale cleaning rod , Made a mould for ball and picket and about 20 grains other than a few shots that's as far as I've got.
I should add a photo will try later Rudyard

 

[Rudyard]

Shot it to day 15 grains three F , Only 25 yards indoors but shot well with patched ball. But three Lorenze / Wilkinson type compression bullets all key holed . Rudyard

 

[Zonie]

Shot it to day 15 grains three F , Only 25 yards indoors but shot well with patched ball. But three Lorenze / Wilkinson type compression bullets all key holed . Rudyard

Doesn't surprise me.
To stabilize a bullet so it doesn't keyhole a certain rotational speed is needed. Think, "revolutions per minute (RPM) ) The longer the bullet is in relationship to its diameter, the faster it needs to spin.

Even in a fast twist barrel, if the velocity of the bullet is too slow, this needed rotational speed will not be reached so, the bullet tumbles.

 

[Rudyard]

The pitch is 1 in 48" the bullet is just under 1/2" and much deeply channelured on the Lorenze Wilkinson plan. I don't doubt your notions of formula . But Ide say there isn't enough wieght in the projectile or its not being pushed hard enough to upset . Dos'nt matter overly we try these things could be a bit undersized I might recut my mould or make a picket bullet mould .No real need the ball is fine but I have an experimental nature . Regards Rudyard