IF U HAD YO PICK .32CAL. OR 36CAL. WITCH GUN WOULD U PICK AND WHY PLEASE? I KNOW I COULD GO A LITTLE BIGER AND DROP DOWN ON POWDER AND ALL OTHER STUFF. THANKS FOR REPLY. LANEY
squirrel rifle
- Thread starter LANEY REECE
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
longcruise
70 Cal.
It wouldn't make any difference to me, I guess. They both will do some damage to a squirrel if you hit them wrong. If it came down to it, guess it would be the .36 but no particular reason why.
ITS GOT TO BE BETTER THAN PICKING ALL THOSE PELLETS OUT OF THEM,I USE A 20 GA. I HAVE SQUIRREL DOGS AND WOULD TO HUNT THEM WITH MUZZLER LOADER, I GOT 22S BUT JUST LIKE SHOOTING MUZZLER LOADER WITH OTHER PEOPLES BACK UP
Comfortably_Numb
The Evil Mike Brooks
I hunted with a .29 and a .32 for many years. Both were fine guns. But , if you don't hit them in the head you'll mess them up.
I'd choose the .36 it's easier to load and will carry a little further and hit a little harder. but the main reason is it is easier to load. .310 balls are damn hard to handle and even harder to find if you drop one.
Treestalker
Treestalker
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2014
- Messages
- 4,051
- Reaction score
- 3,748
- Location
- Third Pond from the Great God Helios
Many moons ago Max Vickery had an article in Muzzleloader IIRC that was entitled "Shagbark Squirrels' in which he described his .32 longrifle and his preparations for the next day's hunt; checking supplies in his shooting bag, cutting patches out of denim using a penny for a template, ensuring enough powder in his horn, counting out the wee balls. His description of his rifle gently glowing in the corner of the kitchen as he sat at the table doing this by the heat of the wood stove on a frosty morning was a mental picture I still cherish, and have emulated many a time. The .32 is the squirrel hunter's caliber; if you love it, you don't want anything else, and it will nurse a pound of lead and a pound of powder for along time. I sold my .32 years ago in a moment of weakness; I might just have to build another one, my experiences with .36 rifle and straight bore shotgun lack something; small is beautiful, and there is just nothing else like it for those deadly little bags of teeth and claws that threaten the unwary sojourner in the twilight depths of the eternal forests beyond the garden gate. George.
shane a gress
40 Cal
What is the weight of a 32 and 36 round ball?
I only aim for the head. That means only accuracy is critical to me. little else matters.
I think a person just has to decide what they want and what they think will work best for them, their hunting style, and their location.
I think a person just has to decide what they want and what they think will work best for them, their hunting style, and their location.
Dang Treestalker, You make me want a .32 again. You should sell muzzleloaders for a living.
.36 cal are 65 gr
My .318 RB weighs out at 48 grains.
I went with the .32. Hyper accurate (group shown is 5 shots at 25yds on a 1" circle.) Works just fine on squirrel and rabbit at any reasonable range. Not really all that hard to handle, though I did have to make my own rawhide ball bag for the smaller ball.
That’s a trueism. If it’s chilly at all them little balls and toothpick sized ramrods can be a pain. I might even think .40.
A .32 is a killer for small game. There ain’t nothing wrong with it, but them four hundredths make a big difference in handeling, it works sour to about 20% bigger.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2019
- Messages
- 467
- Reaction score
- 160
the post about a .36 being a little heavy is most likely right. a local precussion shooter got his deer every year for several years with a .36 until some one told him the gamewardens were going to nail him one year. he didnt realize it wasnt accepable as it has to be a .45 here. so he switched to a .45. never got caught with the .36.
I use both the .32 and the .36. In the early season, when the leaves are still on the trees, I use the .32. With 15 grains of 3f, that 40 gr pill is the equivalent of a .22 lr for velocity. My shots are usually under 30 yards. Once the leaves fall off, the squirrels seem to be more skittish. I then switch to the .36 as it has more range and wind bucking ability. I use 36 grains of 3f and a .350 round ball at 65 grains. this load is pretty close to .22 magnum velocity s. I strive for head shots only, and I have tweaked my loads for my guns to shoot at least 1" groups at 30 yards. Where I hunt, we are not allowed to use a muzzleloader of greater than .36 caliber for small game with round ball only. I like the .36 the best cause I combine squirrel hunting with predator calling and the .36 does a better job on called in coyotes.
I HAD RATHER EAT THE HEAD THAN THE FROUNT SHOULDERS
Tom Compton
54 Cal.
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2008
- Messages
- 1,893
- Reaction score
- 193
