Which do you like better, 36 or 40 cal ?

[nkbj]

I've been threatening for the longest to get him to make one to shoot these hollow base bullets. It would work with .380 round ball too. But, seems there's not time enough to take care of what's already on my plate.

 

[Tinker2]

Well you asked “Which do you like better”
In my case that would be a .36
At this time I have two rifles and one smooth bore in .36

Nothing wrong with my .32’s I just prefer my .36’s
My 40s and .45 are just ho-hum to me and rarely shoot them.
Nothing wrong with them, it’s just me. I like the .36s
.36 is number one, .75 is number two.

It is unlikely you will be unhappy with whatever you get.

Good luck
William Alexander

 

[smoothshooter]

What kind of accuracy do you get at various ranges with your .36 smoothbore?
Rested or without a rest?

 

[Tinker2]

What kind of accuracy do you get at various ranges with your .36 smoothbore?
Rested or without a rest?

I have owned a number of them through the years
I think of them garden guns. I shoot more shot then round ball.
I do have .36 rifles too.

Most of the smooth bore of what I had, had front sights only
The only time I ever bench rested one, front sight only, I could hit a quart can at 65 yds. Consistently.

They are bunny busters and pigeon poppers for sure. I really like hunting doves.

The only one that I have now, I have not shot yet, an inexpensive Spanish percussion.
I have all the barrels, stocks, lock for two more”¦”¦.. If I ever catch up”¦”¦

Rice barrels makes very fine .36 smooth bore barrels.


William Alexander

 

[Tinker2]

 

[smoothshooter]

Wow that is really interesting information. I never would have guessed you could get 25 or 30 shots out of a 32 without fouling it. My 50 fouls out at about 5 rounds. No one will probably believe this but I had a Numrich Arms 36 cal flinter back in the 80's Bicentennial era. I got in a steel target match and fired 110 rounds and never cleaned the gun. Back then I didn't even know you needed to. I won the match shooting out to 100 yards. The 36 couldn't knock them all down but I could make them ring and that counted that day.

hoyt can make .38 barrels.as well as other in between calibers. such as .42 .46 and .52.

Sounds like your .50 needs either to be lapped out, or a lube change made.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I had to decide between 40 and 45. I picked 45 because that is the smallest hunting caliber allowed.
I still wished I had built a 40.
I dont like smaller calibers, shot them, did not like them.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Has anyone noticed the OP dates from 2015? Likely he has made his choice by now, and if he's like the rest of us, has probably acquired them all.

 

[Tn poor boy]

When faced with the same decision recently, I went with .40 based on it's popularity in competition.

I like wise did same

 

[smoothshooter]

I have owned a number of them through the years
I think of them garden guns. I shoot more shot then round ball.
I do have .36 rifles too.

Most of the smooth bore of what I had, had front sights only
The only time I ever bench rested one, front sight only, I could hit a quart can at 65 yds. Consistently.

They are bunny busters and pigeon poppers for sure. I really like hunting doves.

The only one that I have now, I have not shot yet, an inexpensive Spanish percussion.
I have all the barrels, stocks, lock for two more”¦”¦.. If I ever catch up”¦”¦

Rice barrels makes very fine .36 smooth bore barrels.


William Alexander

Maybe what you have discovered about smoothbores of 50 caliber and under is more proof that quite a few of our ancestors did just fine without having the added expense of rifling in their guns.