Southern Mountain Rifle caliber?

[1861 Springfield]

considering having a SMR in flintlock built for target shooting on the bencj and off hand.what caliber do you recommend and what caliber are they usually made in as far as popularity?

 

[GANGGREEN]

My guess is that if you're interested in historical accuracy that at least the later period for southern rifles involved smaller calibers like .36, .38 and .40. Earlier perhaps larger calibers, but those were also likely more akin to PA or Moravian/hybrid guns than what most of us consider typical southern guns.

 

[.36Rooster]

Man if target shooting only, I'd go with a .40. If you want to do a little squirrel hunting though I'd go with a .32 or .36. You might still stick with the .40 though. You won't be able to do any body shots with it however.

If you want to venture out for deer go with a .45. It's still pretty flat..., and packs enough oomph for deer.

I vote for the .40 for your purposes though. I wish I had one!

 

[dave951]

40 pretty much is the hot ticket for target work but a tad light for deer and a bit heavy for squirrels.

 

[user 34300]

I have a 45 and a 36.

The 45 is easier to load. It is lighter and balances nicer. The balance for off hand shooting on calm day is very special.

If I get another it will be a 40. I like 40 for club shoots. I Have several and like the 40 very much. Any smaller and it get fiddley to load.

Out of sheer morbid curiosity I have an interest in 32. Loading the tiny ones is difficult as one gets older. The rifle will probably feel muzzle heavy to my sensibilities.

 

[Art Caputo]

For targets exclusively, I like the .40 cal. As others have mentioned, it’s easier to load and clean, exceptionally accurate, and is a good compromise in balance and weight given constant exterior barrel dimensions.

 

[GANGGREEN]

This is a .40, for what it's worth. I think it's kind of nifty.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have several friends who are .40 devotees, between them I don't think they have ever lost a deer and have killed a pile of them out out 90 yards with their .40s. They are all very good shots as well.

One of them, now deceased shot shot REAL bullets in his .40 for deer in his GM barreled gun with a 1 in 48 twist. His gun would shoot a cloverleaf at 50 yards with this combo. I think the weight of his bullets was around 175 gr which would put it in the class of a .50 round ball.

I have the same GM barrel on my .40 but REALs don't shoot well for me.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Eric Krewson, You can "Beagle" your 40 Cal REAL molds. Beagling is the use of a paper shim between the mold blocks. The paper will be replaced as the paper is consumed during the casting process. The Beagled REAL bullet will be a few thousandths larger in diameter and fill the grooves better.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

So I have a .40. They are fine for squirrels and because they can be highly accurate, one shoots the squirrels or the rabbits in the head. Very accurate so good for targets.

In my state they are also OK for deer by law, BUT...., some states say that you must use a large caliber for deer. In that case .45 is the way to go.

LD

 

[Butler Ford]

40! Accurate, easy to load, easy to shoot, easy to clean. More than adequate for deer if you're a hunter, find something else if you're a shooter.

 

[tenngun]

Many were made in small caliber and up to deer a .40-45 is more the adequate with in range. The museum of the fur trade has a .54 very classic SMR
The slim zephyr weighted gun of that basic design might be .28 or so. But some were made with inch barrels or bigger in .36 or so. So zephyr weight wasn’t always seen

 

[mushka]

I would suggest that your use of the rifle would dictate the best caliber.

 

[hanshi]

If you only want to shoot targets then either a .40 or a .45 will do wonders. For specializing in squirrels a .32 or .36 is the correct medicine. If you want to do it all, targets, small game and deer then get a .45.

 

[Ames]

Well, I go for deer exclusively. I built a SMR in 45, and its fine for the purpose. But the last one I built over last winter is a 54 straight octagon.
Shoots like a son of a gun and blew the steel target off the chains at 50 yards, 85 grains 2f. HC not. Hunting gun for sure.
The weight wont bother me because the place in the woods I'll take it is a quarter mile out the back door and an all day sit.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

.40 or .45 either would do nicely .

 

[jfahlingsr]

I used a 42" Getz barreled .40 flintlock for years, 40 grns 3f for squirrel and 70 for deer, Forty is legal in KY and I killed many deer with it, all clean kills, all double lung at less than 50 yards. My friend and I were hunting the late (Dec) season on the primitive hunting area off Cave Run lake, he was using a flintlock 40 and took a shot at a medium sized buck at about 35 yards. The bullet hit a 1& 1/2" sapling he hadn't seen. The buck had been very close to it and the round ball had hit the sapling straight on. That shot was a double lung with no exit wound and very little external bleeding. That was a canoe camping trip with primitive tent, super cold one night with a skunk at the flaps at 3:00 am. Would have been serious situation if it had sprayed us as it was zero that night.

 

[FishDFly]

considering having a SMR in flintlock built for target shooting on the bencj and off hand.what caliber do you recommend and what caliber are they usually made in as far as popularity?

Since you said the rifle is to be used for target shooting, off the bench and off hand, any consideration for hunting is not needed.

I would go with a .40. There is no inherent accuracy from one round ball caliber to another. Reason for a .40 is it will be a touch easier to clean and not knowing where you are located, a .40 will buck the wind better than a .32 or .36. Some say go with a .45 if wind in your area, is a major factor.

Wind is not much of an issue in Friendship, but in parts of Texas or Arizona wind is a major factor.

 

[M. De Land]

I think you can't go wrong with a .45 cal bore. They shoot nearly as flat if not as flat as a .40, are a bit bigger ball and easier to handle, very little recoil increase and they drift less in the wind. It also is a better caliber if you should ever decide to hunt deer or bear with it.

 

[Adkarcher]

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!