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.I like a throttled back .40 cal. for squirrels. Loaded down , it's accurate and doesn't vaporize excess tissue. Loaded up , coyotes , groundhogs , foxes can fall to it's power. Very accurate , reliable caliber. The .40 cal. flint longrifle , I am blessed with , has a 3/4 " octagon straight barrel 38" long. Rifle is copied from an old walnut stocked , iron mounted Pittsburgh made gun. I'm going to put a cobbled up tang mounted peep sight on the gun. My eyes can't see the sights and targets w/o peep. Have use a .36 cal. before the .40 , but prefer the.40 cal. , due to it's versatility. The.36 tended to fall short on power for larger critters , while it was good for squirrels...........oldwood
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.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.
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.The bulk of my squirrel hunting is late season(cold/snow), with the opportunity for coyote. Like others, I use a 40 cal, agreeing to the easier loading and greater flexibility. Most all my squirrels are shot at under 25 yards, with the 40 cal being accurate enough for head shots at this distance. My rifle is a TVM/Southern Rifle(M. Avance). Fast ignition and reliable, I also like the weight and balance of a longer barrel. Note attachment ;Misspell- TVM, not TVA)
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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.
It is Beautiful.
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