Suggested starting load for .32 cal, plus powder measure rec...

[Sidney Smith]

My. 32 caliber squirrel rifle is nearing completion. Just wondering what a good starting load should be. I'm going to be using .311 diameter, 45 grain balls.

Also, who sells a powder measure for light loads as used in these guns? Thanks.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Is it flint or percussion?

A good starting light load might be 20 grains, but best accuracy will probably be in get 40gr range

 

[Dibbuk]

Just my opinion: I would start with 25 to 30 grains of 3F, and work up if needed.

 

[bradly_tx]

More details on your gun, barrel and lock combination. Also the type of powder your planing on using.
I personally use .310 balls, lard soaked patches with pyro and #10 caps. I also use pistol measure and powder flask. I would also start with 15 grns to
start.

 

[Sidney Smith]

The gun is a Flintlock, 42 inch, Rice barrel. It's in a 1/48 twist IIRC. I wanted a double cavity ball mould and the Lee moulds are for some reason .311 diameter. I'll be using 3fg powder.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Both Track of the Wolf and Jedediah Starr (and others) sell a small capacity measure.

Here's the link to the TotW 0-50 Grain Measure. You can order a funnel as an option.

Jedediah Starr sells virtually the same measure with swivel and funnel here.

I like a funnel to prevent spills of powder and after I pour the powder, I can leave the measure resting with the funnel in the barre so I have a visual indicator I have poured powder while I get the ball and patch or get distracted. I would use a straight 1/2" cylinder such as the TotW measure in a revolver or rifle and the swivel with funnel in a rifle.

 

[mushka]

My .32 Crockett does well with 15 or 20 grns of 3F. Never found the need to use more in it, it's a short range squirrel rifle. I made my own measures.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I think the powder measure from Deer Creek products with more graduations is an excellent choice for the small caliber rifles and pistols.

http://www.deercreekproducts.net/store/p1074/Revolver_Powder_Measure_-_A1260.html

 

[mooman76]

I also would start at 15gr. You could actually go lower for plinking loads. Some where here I believe is a chart that different calibers of brass can be used for a measure. T/C has a measure that is adjustable for minute variations.

 

[hanshi]

My two .32 rifles shoot very well with 15 grns, 20 grns, 30 grns and 40 grns. One liked 40 grns and the other liked 30 grns. But unless you're a very good shot you may find that your .32 shoots well with just about any 3F charge.

 

[deermanok]

My own Crockett 32 is a 1/48 twist. I use a .310 round ball, a .10 thick patch and 10 grains of 3f black powder.
The booklet that came with the rifle recommends that the max load for 3f powder is 35 grains. Again, that's for 3f. I don't remember about 2f.

 

[Bassdog1]

I would start with 15 grains and go up from there. I use a .315 ball and a .010 patch but if you have deeper rifling you will probably want a thicker patch. As far as powder measure go I use a brass flask that I have milled down several tips to specific measures of 3F. I never load directly from a flask so I took a tip off a deer antler and drilled it out to hold the powder from the flask and it pours nicely into that .32 barrel. I keep the flask in my hunting pack and wear the small antler around my neck. A fellow on here sold me a box of 50 small plastic tubes that hold about 40 grains of 3F and I load those from the flask using the appropriate size spout for the gun I am shooting and use those at the range and they are small enough to also load easily.

 

[Zonie]

It's too bad, Lyman didn't test any small powder loads for the tests they did with the .32 caliber rifle barrel so they could print up the results of powder loads below 30 grains.
In their BLACK POWDER HANDBOOK, 2nd edition they show the following velocities for a .310 diameter, 45 grain, patched roundball over loads of GOEX 3Fg powder:

30 gr = 1940 fps
40 gr = 2072 fps
50 gr = 2203 fps
60 gr = 2238 fps
70 gr = 2273 fps.

Using these values I plugged them into some pretty complicated mathematical formulas and found the expected velocities for powder loads not listed.
These values are not very exact but they are probably good enough for talking purposes.

10 gr = 1754 fps
15 gr = 1805 fps
20 gr = 1857 fps.

These show that even with the small 10 grain load, that little .31 diameter ball is moving along at a respectable speed.
I guess that's not totally unexpected. Consider the black powder .22 long rifle. It was loaded with just 5 grains of black powder.

 

[William O.]

My. 32 caliber squirrel rifle is nearing completion. Just wondering what a good starting load should be. I'm going to be using .311 diameter, 45 grain balls.

Also, who sells a powder measure for light loads as used in these guns? Thanks.

I suggest you start at 20 grains of 3f. Shoot a string of three shots aiming at the same spot, swabbing between each shot. Increase by 5 grains and repeat until your groups are nice and tight. Since this is a small caliber you might want to reduce the increments to just 2 grains but keep everything the same so you're only changing one varible. Just about any muzzleloader supply shop will have powder measures but get one with that is graduated in one grain increments in case your rifle does it's best at something like 23 or 24 grains. Get a metal one too as plastic ones are dung.

 

[lprgcfrank]

I use 20gr of 3F with pillow ticking patches - groups under a half inch at 25 yards

 

[AZbpBurner]

Both Track of the Wolf and Jedediah Starr (and others) sell a small capacity measure.
View attachment 38391
Here's the link to the TotW 0-50 Grain Measure. You can order a funnel as an option.

Jedediah Starr sells virtually the same measure with swivel and funnel here.
View attachment 38392

I like a funnel to prevent spills of powder and after I pour the powder, I can leave the measure resting with the funnel in the barre so I have a visual indicator I have poured powder while I get the ball and patch or get distracted. I would use a straight 1/2" cylinder such as the TotW measure in a revolver or rifle and the swivel with funnel in a rifle.

I have the little pistol capacity measure from Jedediah Starr and it works just fine. At the time they didn't have the swivel funnel model, which would be very handy. I do have the bigger rifle length measure with a swivel funnel & I highly recommend one.

 

[Col. Batguano]

7.2 grains would be the absolute minimum charge that would fully cover the interior cone of a touch hole liner.
Maximum depends on how long your barrel is and you can still fit a ball in the muzzle

 

[nhmoose]

It's too bad, Lyman didn't test any small powder loads for the tests they did with the .32 caliber rifle barrel so they could print up the results of powder loads below 30 grains.
In their BLACK POWDER HANDBOOK, 2nd edition they show the following velocities for a .310 diameter, 45 grain, patched roundball over loads of GOEX 3Fg powder:

30 gr = 1940 fps
40 gr = 2072 fps
50 gr = 2203 fps
60 gr = 2238 fps
70 gr = 2273 fps.

Using these values I plugged them into some pretty complicated mathematical formulas and found the expected velocities for powder loads not listed.
These values are not very exact but they are probably good enough for talking purposes.

10 gr = 1754 fps
15 gr = 1805 fps
20 gr = 1857 fps.

These show that even with the small 10 grain load, that little .31 diameter ball is moving along at a respectable speed.
I guess that's not totally unexpected. Consider the black powder .22 long rifle. It was loaded with just 5 grains of black powder.

Good post Zonie. It looks like anything over 50 grains is a waste of powder for what speed is gained. With that little ball speeds going to drop fast anyway.

Your figures from 10-20 is all anyone could need for small game, and WOW lot of shooting for 1 can of 3f 350 to 700 shots per pound.

I think I'll get a 32 flinter! Thanks for that post.

 

[Col. Batguano]

At these very small charges you can wind up with close to the same amount in the pan as you do in the bore!

 

[hanshi]

This target group includes a flier (my fault) but is still barely over an inch. Without the flier it measured, IIRC, about 5/8" or thereabout. load was a .311" ball and 30 grns of 3F. When I dropped the charge the accuracy stayed the same.