muzzle loading squirrel rifles
- Thread starter brybenn
- Start date
You'll have to define "small caliber."
Many years ago I had a percussion .32 CVA squirrel rifle (kit) it was fun to build however shooting it was a bit of a challenge. I practised with 30 grs. of 3f seemed I had to clean every second shot. After I shot my first bush bunny with a full load I quickly reduced my charge to 15 grs. there wasn't much left of my bunny.
You could get a custom barrel cut in just about any small caliber you want, even a 25.
Do you plan on casting your own round balls? If not you may want to see what's available before you decide on an odd ball caliber. Likewise for jags, ball pullers etc - if you move away from the 32/36 calibers you may have to get your accessories turned for you by someone with a metal lathe.
The smallest caliber I personally shoot is 38. It's a "little odd" but I can still get roundballs from Hornady or Speer since the 36 caliber "cap/ball" revolvers shoot a .375" ball which fits my 38 nicely and the cleaning jags etc for them also fit just fine.
If you are looking for a black powder squirrel gun you could always opt for a smoothbore. A smooth 50 cal works out to about a 36 gauge - would work fine for squirrels and upland birds as well....
Do you plan on casting your own round balls? If not you may want to see what's available before you decide on an odd ball caliber. Likewise for jags, ball pullers etc - if you move away from the 32/36 calibers you may have to get your accessories turned for you by someone with a metal lathe.
The smallest caliber I personally shoot is 38. It's a "little odd" but I can still get roundballs from Hornady or Speer since the 36 caliber "cap/ball" revolvers shoot a .375" ball which fits my 38 nicely and the cleaning jags etc for them also fit just fine.
If you are looking for a black powder squirrel gun you could always opt for a smoothbore. A smooth 50 cal works out to about a 36 gauge - would work fine for squirrels and upland birds as well....
My buddy had one in .36, it was fun on targets and gophers. I liked it enough to get one made in .45. They are both flint locks but he made a inter changeable cap lock. Rabbits with a 45 are great fun, make sure it is a head shot. If I was to do it again I would do the 45 again.
Most provinces require 45 cal or bigger for big game and a 45 will kill deer for sure but is more than you need for small game. A 25cal is not practical and is the smallest I have ever known to be made - and it would be a custom barrel now = $$$. My experience with 32's convinced me they require too much special equipment like a 1/4" diameter ram rod and they foul up quicker than a larger bore. Think 36 or 40 cal: and most "Squirrel Gun" competitions are limited to 40 cal or smaller but 40 is a super compromise for convenience and power, and also can be super accurate. Mine likes 44 grains of FFFg and a .390 patched RB. With the 40 cal you can use a 3/8" ramrod which is hard to break, whereas the 36 cal requires a 5/16" ramrod. Also, 36 and 40 cal barrels will both likely be 13/16" across the flats so the larger bore makes for a lighter weight barrel and nicer overall balanced rifle. My experience.
Check out these two sites as well;
Jim Kibler has squirrel rifles.
http://www.jimkibler.net/
http://www.flintlocks.com/
Jim Kibler has squirrel rifles.
http://www.jimkibler.net/
http://www.flintlocks.com/
maple leaf
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
I use my .54 deerstalker flintlock as a 28 gauge shotgun
I would lean towards a 36 cal; I have a 32 and while I can shoot 20 or so shots without cleaning, the small diameter makes the gun a nuisance to clean when I am finished shooting. I also found that the gun is fairly sensitive to powder charge and shoots most accurately with 25 to 30 grains of 3F powder
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
for something different, what about a .22 or .25 caliber spring piston airgun? otherwise, as said before, you're going to have problems with powder fouling.
where'd you hit em? in the body? lol
As much as I love the 25 cal I'm moving away from air rifles. Black powder offers its own unique challenges and that's what I'm really interested in. I have enough rimfires to cover all my small game needs I just like to be different
Wasn't a good day for Peter Cottontail a 47 gr ball @ 2000 fps. under the chin through the body made a puff of white fur, the remains looked like bloody white sock.
I have two Pedersoli Frontier flinters, .50 & .32
Both are great to carry and shoot accurately.
Like said the .32 requires cleaning/swabbing after every shot. I've broken my wooden ramrod (it came with a fiber glass rod) which I prefer over the fiberglass one that came with as it irritates my hands. I made a ramrod from brass round stock with threaded ends, much better and works perfectly.
I cast my own balls and use the same casts for buckshot.
Here's a Saskatchewan gopher I nailed at 30 paces with 30grs Goex 3F.
Both are great to carry and shoot accurately.
Like said the .32 requires cleaning/swabbing after every shot. I've broken my wooden ramrod (it came with a fiber glass rod) which I prefer over the fiberglass one that came with as it irritates my hands. I made a ramrod from brass round stock with threaded ends, much better and works perfectly.
I cast my own balls and use the same casts for buckshot.
Here's a Saskatchewan gopher I nailed at 30 paces with 30grs Goex 3F.
