Southern Mountain Rifle caliber?

[M. De Land]

I went with a .54 cal, but I hunt with .54's and just plain like the caliber....a little bigger than the typical SMR but it is what I wanted!

That's what counts ! I love my .54 as well but it's accuracy load for match work is 90 grains of 2F Goex and that pounds on you over a 30-40 shot match.

 

[Adkarcher]

That's what counts ! I love my .54 as well but it's accuracy load for match work is 90 grains of 2F Goex and that pounds on you over a 30-40 shot match.

Yeah that is a lot for match work. I shoot 70 gr and not being a bench guy, shoot it a few times a year plinking around and then hunting, so the shoulder doesnt get abused!

 

[david58]

.40 is great for deer on down to whatever. Building one myself, but here in NM .45 is the minimum for deer. Prime use will be target shooting - less recoil, less lead, less powder than my .50 or .62.

 

[ZUG]

I am a BIG fan of the .45 caliber and I find it is a great all around caliber for targets & medium size game. It will ring the steel targets better than a .40 and does well in a moderate wind. If I was ONLY shooting paper out to 50 yards I would probably go with a .40 as I have seen these .40 calibers do amazing target work. Your mileage may vary

 

[Ricochet]

In my state, .40 is the smallest legal caliber for deer. So during deer season, one can't legally go out squirrel hunting with a caliber smaller than .40. I would rather squirrel hunt than deer hunt these days so my choice was simple. I got the Kibler in a .40 and have killed a few squirrels with it. It is accurate enough to hit them in the head but sometimes I aint. I have yet to tear a squirrel up with a body shot, just two holes.

 

[Red Owl]

Word of caution, muzzle loading never went out in the Southern Highlands. Hacker and some of the other builders were making them right up to the revival of muzzle loading. What happened was percussion caps stopped being manufactured so these highland builders went back to flint. Some of the rifles they built were huge, made for resting on a log or chunk of wood. All sorts of calibers. Then there were "hog" rifles, most around 50 caliber built in the 1870's to early 1900's. A lot of them were percussion. So a lot of wiggle room.
The Southern highlands is a really fascinating area, totally self reliant. Everything they had they built/made/grew themselves. A certain amount of pride well deserved in that. Plus beautiful country- I really like visiting in that area.