Squirrel hunting with a flintlock?

[LHolden]

Do you? What do you use?

 

[roundball]

I've taken some with a throttled back .45cal rifle, and .28 & .20ga smoothbores...hoping to christen a .40cal rifle on some squirrels this fall after the rut.

 

[rabjr]

Yep, a .36 cal flinter works fer me. :thumbsup:

 

[Swtodd]

See Swampy's thread in the hunting section. It's a fun one.

steve

 

[david50]

.32 flinter

 

[wattlebuster]

Im using a 12 ga flint smoothbore right now but by next season I will be finished with a Isaac Haines .40 cal flintlock an will give it a go :thumbsup:

 

[Browning_68]

What brand is that .32 of yours two old crow?

 

[nchawkeye]

Yep, .40 with 25 grs FFF Goex...

 

[Trench]

Sure! You can kill just about anything with a flintlock. I use a .36 flinter for small game. I've taken squirrels, raccoon, and even a big ol' snapper turtle.

 

[Linc]

I currently have 2 smoothbore flinters. One is a Jackie Brown .58cal and the other is a .53cal that I made from a collection of parts. Both have loads of #6 magnum shot. Neither have made meat yet. When I can get around to it I have a .45cal percussion halfstock Kentucky rifle that I want to work up a squirrle load for. Then again the only squirrels I am seeing is in front of my house 10yds from a busy road. May have to get a pelletgun. LOL.

I would dearly love to have a .32 or .36cal flinter someday. Maybe if I start collecting parts I can build one before I am too decrepped to get into the woods with it.

 

[Roy]

.32 :thumbsup: Just built a .62 smoothie that I will probably end up taking a couple with too. Just have to pattern it a bit more.

 

[kbuck]

Forty caliber rifle, but my favorite is twenty gauge fowler.

 

[Canerod]

16ga. fowler with a jug choke.

 

[juancho]

Early in the season my Bess 70 gr Fg and 100 gr (by volume) of #4 , later in the season when the leafs are gone , my flinter .45 with 25gr FFFg.
Thinking of getting a custom flinter .40 for small game.
Got a double 20 gauge flint last year, but it turn out to be just another piece of indian ... you know what :barf:

 

[BrownBear]

Though I'm hunting snowshoe hare rather than squirrels, I'm going to pipe up with an insight.

Using flinters didn't really "come together" for me until I started using them on small game- regardless of caliber. And I use my larger cals lots with reduced charges. There's just so much more shooting compared to big game, and lots more days in the field. Lots of different conditions too.

Miss a shot at a squirrel (snowshoe hare) due to a misfire or mis-aim, and it's no big deal. Laugh it off and chalk it up to experience, then try again. Not so on big game hunts.

These days I'm shooting a 30 cal flinter rather than reduced loads in my bigger bores. I have no issues with the bigger bores, but this little guy (.290" ball) is just a whole lot more fun to shoot. Honestly, I'd be just as likely to make a squirrel safari to some distant state with this thing as I would spend the same money on a big game hunt.

 

[Supercracker]

Not so on big game hunts.
.

Hiding on the ground, 10 or so yards from a well toothed, smelly boar that's big enough that you can't see over him when you're squatted down. The sound of the flint hitting the frizzen with no accompanying flashbang is the loudest sound in the world. lol

These days I'm shooting a 30 cal flinter rather than reduced loads in my bigger bores. I have no issues with the bigger bores, but this little guy (.290" ball) is just a whole lot more fun to shoot.

a bit OT, how loud is the small bore? Similar to a .22?

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have use a .45 ca. Rev. period transitional longrifle flinter for squirrels. Also have used my Brown Bess for them. Both work. As much as I love my longrifle (now retired), I find the 'Bess is more funner for squirrely hunting. :grin: Dunno why, jes is.

 

[BrownBear]

a bit OT, how loud is the small bore? Similar to a .22?

My go-to load is 10 grains of 3f. Someone standing to the side could speak up better, but to my ear it falls somewhere between 22LR and 22WMR.

I could probably get by fine with even less powder for less noise, but with my current spread of measures 10gr is "convenient." I.e., when I get around to more testing using my little brass adjustable pistol measure, I'll make a measure if I find something lower works just as well.

As it is, it feels pretty good to get around 700 shots from a pound of powder and over 150 balls from a pound of lead. Even at the $23 I paid for my last can of Goex, that's only 3 cents a shot and my lead is free. I can't even shoot my 22LR for that.

 

[hanshi]

always used a .32 Crockett until I got a .36 SMR flinter. Haven't really got to use it on squirrels but did take a coon with it. Got a couple or three with my .45.