What good is a 40 caliber?

[Skychief]

I have a chance to be given a 40 caliber barrel to build a rifle with. What do I need a .40 for? :hmm:

 

[ohio ramrod]

40 caliber rifles have long been used by target shooters. My nephew's youngest boy has shot over 18 deer with is fourty caliber and only two went more than ten yards. So I would say that a fourty caliber is usefull.Many of the older Douglas barrels were fourty caliber. If the barrel is a new Douglas you might want to consider selling the barrel for CASH.

 

[Old Salt]

I have a chance to be given a 40 caliber barrel to build a rifle with. What do I need a .40 for? :hmm:

Just for fun. :grin:

Salt

 

[Little Wattsy]

I have a chance to be given a 40 caliber barrel to build a rifle with. What do I need a .40 for? :hmm:

Just for fun. :grin:

Salt

Yep!

 

[El Lobo]

A .40 caliber barrel is not good for anything. Send it to me and I will dispose of it for you.

Lobo

 

[Skychief]

C'mon fellers. I left this wide open for you to talk me into building a 40 caliber rifle.

Wait though.....aren't they too big for squirrel hunting? My .36 is easier on powder and lead for informal shoots. Plus, the minimum to hunt deer here is 45 caliber. :hmm:

Again, why on Earth should I even consider building a 40 cal.? :idunno:

 

[Skychief]

Many of the older Douglas barrels were fourty caliber. If the barrel is a new Douglas you might want to consider selling the barrel for CASH.

It is a Douglas barrel. It is an older one that measures 32" X 7/8".

 

[nkbj]

Well, with RB it pretty well does anything a 36 to 45 does. Love the way it echos on a misty morning.

 

[outdoorman]

Lots of people seem to like 40 caliber rifles.

Build it and you might come in to a little extra income!

Outdoorman

 

[bwhoffman]

inherintly accurate, cheaper to shoot, less recoil, and all the stuff fore mentioned!

I got one and no regrets whatsoever!

 

[Otter]

C'mon fellers. I left this wide open for you to talk me into building a 40 caliber rifle.

Wait though.....aren't they too big for squirrel hunting? My .36 is easier on powder and lead for informal shoots. Plus, the minimum to hunt deer here is 45 caliber. :hmm:

Well, here in Arkansas, a .40 is the only ML caliber you can use for small game (skwirrels and sich) and deer sized critters. Beats carrying two rifles. I have a .40 x 15/16 x 32" GM IBS for one of my eyetalian Hawkens and it shoots really well. If ya don't want to build a rifle with that barrel, let me (and several others here) know what ya want for it and I bet ya won't have it for long. I like the .40, myself, for several reasons, including economy, range and velocity. I think you'd like one too . . . if you built one . . .

 

[nchawkeye]

Are you serious???

First off, with a .40 you can go with a 3/8 ramrod, no problem with breakage because it can't bend in the barrel...

Any squirrel hunter worth his salt will tell you that you shoot squirrels in the head so you don't damage the meat...Plus, you can't tell the difference between a .350 hole in a squirrel and a .390...

My .40 is sighted in dead on at 25 yards with 25grs of FFF...Most use that much powder or more in their .36 calibers...

A .40 may not be legal in some states for deer but it will kill a deer if that ball is placed properly...

 

[Skychief]

My .40 is sighted in dead on at 25 yards with 25grs of FFF...Most use that much powder or more in their .36 calibers...

.

Hey nchawkeye.....With this load sighted for 25, where does it hit at 50 yards? Just curious what a 25 grain loading will do as far as trajectory.

Thanks, Skychief.


Thanks to everybody for your thoughts! More welcomed!!!

 

[bwhoffman]

I shoot 30gr for everything.
25yd zero, about an inch low at 50 and less than 3 inch low at 100.
pretty flat, way less than my 50's and 58.

 

[nkbj]

Got a fast twist and a slow one and love them both. If I had time I'd get a 40 medium twist.

 

[dbutch]

inherintly accurate, cheaper to shoot, less recoil, and all the stuff fore mentioned!

I got one and no regrets whatsoever!

What he said twice!..40's Rock...I can even see the sprue on the .395 roundball... :rotf:

 

[cowpoke1955]

C'mon fellers. I left this wide open for you to talk me into building a 40 caliber rifle.

Wait though.....aren't they too big for squirrel hunting? My .36 is easier on powder and lead for informal shoots. Plus, the minimum to hunt deer here is 45 caliber. :hmm:

Well, here in Arkansas, a .40 is the only ML caliber you can use for small game (skwirrels and sich) and deer sized critters. Beats carrying two rifles. I have a .40 x 15/16 x 32" GM IBS for one of my eyetalian Hawkens and it shoots really well. If ya don't want to build a rifle with that barrel, let me (and several others here) know what ya want for it and I bet ya won't have it for long. I like the .40, myself, for several reasons, including economy, range and velocity. I think you'd like one too . . . if you built one . . .

The same in the Wildlife Management Areas here in Alabama. The .40 is the only caliber you can hunt small and large game with.

 

[Problem Child]

On Mississippi management areas small game calibers only go to .40 cal and deer start at .45 cal,but during the last small game only season,you can take a hog with whatever caliber is legal for small game.So.....build the .40cal and come on down here and we'll go hunt squirrels/hogs. :thumbsup:

 

[Tom Compton]

Damn few people can eye ball the difference in a .40 and a .45 especially without one near by of known caliber.

Hunted w/ a .40 often in Louisiana where I believe .44 was min. 'Course .40 was not stamped on the barrel and the balls were in a leather bag so .395 didn't show up.

 

[SAJones]

Well, I have rifles from .36 to .58, plus a few smoothbores of larger size. To me, a free rifle barrel, especially a good one, is reason enough to built another rifle, regardless of caliber.