What makes a good squirrel rifle ?
- Thread starter Spencer_Murphy
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My .36s work just fine for bigger game, I have a TC maxi ball mould, so I load my .36s up for larger game, like you load your .40 down. I was lucky enough to get the mould from a member here on the forum. You should see what that maxi does to a ground hog at thirty yards. I am thinking about trying to call in a coyote or two, they have been howling a lot lately.
hanshi
Cannon
I guess I should have responded by saying that a good squirrel is one with a good squirrel hunter controlling it.
I have taken 3 coyotes in the last 3 years using a .36 flint lock with PRB. A hit in the vitals ( at reasonable range less than 50 yards) with a .36 PRB will put the dogs down right quick.
What makes for a good tree rat rifle ? Do you hunt in the cold ? Several things you need to think n ponder over on this. When i was younger i had a .32 T/C perc. it was real picky of powder charge n the wind while shooting at any distance past 30 yds. Never owned a .36 but had thought about it. I used to have a .40 cal that Jack Garner made for me back in 1979, boy that was one tree rat killing rifle. I fell on some bad hard times n sold it, regret that to this very day.. It was small enough for small game n was big enough to kill tick toters. Was easier to clean than the .32, it liked 30 gr of 3 f Goex. I can't remember the total tree rat kill the 1st year but i spect it were over a 100 of them. Twas a fine rifle n a fine cal. In the end you will choose what you want n don't really need any pumping up of your choice. Me i take a .40 n never lose a moments sleep
Well, you gotta be able to hit a golf ball reliably at about thirty yards. .32 and .36 caliber guns get the job done with patched round balls if you can do your part (putting the ball into the target). I've got a T/C Cherokee in .32 and a T/C Seneca in .36. I seem to be able to shoot the Cherokee better, though I could not say exactly why that is the case.
.32 caliber guns require only a tiny amount of powder and don't make your ears ring without ear plugs. There is virtually no recoil and the smoke clears rapidly so you won't have trouble finding the squirrel. A .36 is perhaps more versatile if you hunt something like foxes, coyotes and bobcats, but you don't absolutely need it for squirrels.
One nice thing about .36 caliber guns is that you can shoot a .357/.358 paper patched cast lead bullet in them. The jury is still out on how well this works, but I must have fifty pounds of those things laying around the attic that have been scavenged over the years. This could make for very cheap shooting. I plan to wait until spring to do some load development for this type of projectile.
.32 caliber guns require only a tiny amount of powder and don't make your ears ring without ear plugs. There is virtually no recoil and the smoke clears rapidly so you won't have trouble finding the squirrel. A .36 is perhaps more versatile if you hunt something like foxes, coyotes and bobcats, but you don't absolutely need it for squirrels.
One nice thing about .36 caliber guns is that you can shoot a .357/.358 paper patched cast lead bullet in them. The jury is still out on how well this works, but I must have fifty pounds of those things laying around the attic that have been scavenged over the years. This could make for very cheap shooting. I plan to wait until spring to do some load development for this type of projectile.
Thanks to this thread I now know what the engraving reads on my .32 percussion Southern Mountain Rifle (42" bbl) from TVM. M. is for Matt. M. Avance. I ordered it years ago semi-custom from TVM just like the earlier flint lock I bought from Jack Garner. On the latter .32 Jack's name, engraved on BBL top, could be easily recognized. My son has the flint lock. It shot dead on! The M.A. shoots a tad to the right. I am now building a Pecatonica River late Lancaster percussion with a .45 swamped barrel. In doing this I am frequently "consulting", hands on and personal like, the M.A. and a .45 percussion 36 inch long barreled Pedersoli.
I built that .32 squirrel rifle I posted in this thread in 2022 back in the 80s and last winter built my .36. The joke was on me as I had the .36 H&H barrel lying around since the 80s and thought it was a .40. I built the whole rifle and got around to ordering balls for it and found out it was a .36. Now it has become my favorite rifle of any to shoot. Haven't tried it on squirrels yet.
Nice I have a 36 and love it for squirrel I did have to add a peep sight for my older eyes.
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I have squirrel rifles in .30, .36, and .40 calibers. They all work well, but all will tear up a squirrel if loaded too hot. I like the .40 caliber loaded with 15 grains 3F and .395 round ball best. If I miss the head and hit the body, it just punches a hole through with minimal meat loss. Plenty accurate at the ranges I can hit a squirrel with a flintlock. The .40 is actually legal for everything up to and including deer in my state of Tennessee.
