Which cal 32,45,50

y2k

y2k

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Looking for a muzzle loader for sport/fun shooting NOT hunting. Which caliber u recommend 32,45,50. I will cast my own rounds
 
The 50 is the most common and easy to find components for. If your casting your own balls and making your own patches the rest is easy to buy. We shot a lot of steel gongs at our club and the two calibers used are 45 and 50 due to being able to here when they hit. The 32 doesn’t move the gongs much and if others are shooting you can’t hear it hit.
If your buying projectiles and patches go with the 50 due to availablity.
 
A lot depends on the style of muzzle loader that appeals to you plains,long rifle ,civil war rifled musket etc.Here s my favourite muzzle loader a replica of an 1851 Swiss feldstutzer in 41 cal

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I found the 32 just a little fussy, 36 is much better and wife settled on .40 'cause you can hear it hit- not so much the smaller ones especially with our semi-deaf ears now with plugs and all.
 
50 cal would be the cheapest to buy, cheapest and easier to get balls, pretty much the best to get into it. You can always load it down, you do not have to load hunting loads to shoot it.

I have a traditions Kentucky rifle, got it just to play around, ended up taking it hunting and getting a big fawn a few years back. For accuracy, clover leaves at 50 yards with iron sights, no complaints here.
 
I have a 32 but it is fussy about powder charge and perhaps more importantly, is a royal pain to clean because it requires such a small brush and rod. If you are shooting gongs on a trail, I like a 50 cal because it moves gongs well and uses less powder and lead than the larger calibers. If I were going for a smaller caliber, it would be in the 38 - 40 cal range, in part because we have squirrel matches here and 40 cal is the largest accepted for the competition

cheers mooncoon
 
I built my oldest daughter a .36 a few years ago and I shoot it waayyy more than her. Surprisingly potent and accurate. Fun as heck to shoot. I've got a couple .54's and just gave away a .50, I found it too easy to show up with the wrong roundballs. But I enjoy the .36 more, I just get a "kick" out of it.
 
I use my .32 CVA Squirrel for plinking loaded between 7 gr and 14 gr fffg with 00 buck, or home cast ball Super accurate from 15 to 30 m. Those pop cans do not stand a chance. Can also reach out to 100 m with a 30 gr charge, but only really do that on calm days, as accuracy will suffer with a breeze blowing that little ball around
 
I had a .32. It was economical, accurate,etc. But you absolutely HAD to wipe between shots or you wouldn’t get the next ball down the bore. I hated that. The only gun I ever had to do that with. Smallest I own now is a .50.
 
You could do alot worse than to compromise with a 40 cal. Easy to load and to clean, any can be very accurate. And many late era longrifles were 40 cal.
 
tumbleweeds13 said:
I had a .32. It was economical, accurate,etc. But you absolutely HAD to wipe between shots or you wouldn’t get the next ball down the bore. I hated that. The only gun I ever had to do that with. Smallest I own now is a .50.
Click to expand...

I get half dozen shots between a wipe patch, and i plink with 20 grains of fffg pyrodex. After 6 or 7 it’s tight.
 
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round ball moulds can be had from almost anywhere, amazon, Kal tool & die, Jeff Tanner, Track of the Wolf ,Buffalo Arms, Boomers Bullet Moulds

I would support local in Canada.... Kal Tool & Die and or Boomers first, then Jeff Tanner in the UK
 
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