Pictures of sub-32 caliber rifles please!!!

[whitebear]

Well, I guess a guy could always just go with a 1" straight barrel to avoid the too small look.  .25 cal, 1" straight, yeah it would work...
Ez

Untill you tried to pick it up and tote it a couple hundred yards.

[Kermit]

A .25 caliber bench gun maybe?

[Daryl]

Gentlemen,

Alan Hoeweler and I just returned from the Denver Gun Show and on the way back stopped to shoot a few gophers and  prairie dogs in the Platte River canyon. Alan was using a .25 flinter and I had a .32 Vincent. Prairie dogs were hard to kill with the .25 beyond 25 yards, picket pins could be killed cleanly a little further out. The .32 nailed them...my longest shot was 82 steps and the 'dog never moved. We didn't find any rock chucks, but last year on the same trip I got several out to 70 yards and the .32 killed them clean...much better than when using a .22 rimfire with hollowpoints.

None of the prairie dogs that Alan hit showed exit wounds...the .32 would shoot clean through. Alan's powder charge was 25 grains of 3Fg Swiss and I was using 35 grains of 3Fg Swiss in the Vincent. The .25 works to about 40 yards maximum for 'dogs...beyond that, it is iffy.

Steve 

Wish Taylor would get at his .25 project, however it might be a while yet - like a year or more.  I've been quite impressed with my little flint .32 over the last Winter on the trail - it gives up little if nay to the other shooters on gong targets, right ot 100yards. 

From what I've seen of it's capabilities I'd have not qualms of shooting Rock Chucks or Eastern Woodchucks with one to about 100yards.  the accuracy is there to stay in the chest, which should gaurantee a quick kill. For a big Hoary Marmot though, I'd prefer a .36.

[BrownBear]

No pics to share yet, but thanks to all who have posted theirs.  I'm finishing a 30 cal right now, and have drawn lots of inspiration from your examples.  I bought it in-the-white here on the site- cherry stock, Rayl 42"x3/4" barrel, Bailes lefty lock, Davis triggers and iron fixtures.  It has very clean lines and  approaches "elegance" for its simplicity to my eye.  I shot it a little before disassembling to do the finish work, and I am more than a little impressed.  20 grains of 3f shot well but seemed hot for my low velocity needs.  15 grains cut a ragged hole at 25 yards and didn't open up much at 50 yards on the rare windless day I shot.  Since most of my shooting will be inside 30 yards, I'm strongly inclined to try 10 grains.

Someone asked for comparisons with 32 caliber and larger.  I've shot a 32 for 5 or 6 years now, and a 36 for two years before that.  I sincerely doubt I'll notice any difference in game performance, but certainly due to the Rayl barrel compared to production barrels on the other two, the 30 is the accuracy winner by a large margin.  The up side to a 32 or larger is the availability of rods, rod accessories and more over-the-counter.  A 25 caliber might be a little easier to supply than a 30 because it appears marginally more common than the 30, but I can't imagine it being any more accurate....  Or less effective for edible small game at normal hunting ranges.  A head shot is a head shot is a head shot.  If you can hit the head.  

[northmn]

I have used 1/4" rods in a 32 as a 5/16 seemed a little too tight but can be sanded down.  I found a 32 is best with a 1/4 tip and a rod of about 9/32 diameter.  The 30 can probably use a 1/4 rod.  If a Rayl barrel I am assuming it will take a .300 ball like my 25 can shoot a .25.  If I had a good 32 I would not sell it to get a 25.  I hold pretty much to the philosophy that as you said, a head shot is a head shot.  On fur like squirrel and rabbit that is what we try for anyway.  Sometimes I can even pop a grouse with a head shot.  These are probably the only rifles where a 25 yard sight in makes sense, although I used about 35 yards for the 25, as that would be the likely maximum distance.  I should really take out the 25 and do a little more work with it as I am not quite happy with my load yet as far as accuracy. Still wants to walk upwards.

DP

[Daryl]

Not sure I understand your statement about sighting at 25 yards, David.  I sight all my rifles for the trail at 25 yards. That makes them about 1/2" to 1" high at 50 yards and on again at 65/70yards where most of our steel targets hang.

Works for me - even with the .32, which seems zero'd at 25, zero'd at 50 and about 5" low at 100 yards. I use a light charge, only 35gr. 3F GOEX in it as that's what it wants at 50. Shots cleaner, the more you shoot it - no wiping. Actually that's bull-tooee - it doesn't foul is what I should have said - 75th shot loads as easily as the 1st.  I use a 5/16" steel or hickory rod - or a coated 1/4" steel cleaning rod twith te .32 jag attached.

[northmn]

They used to preach that one should sight in rifles at 25 yards and that they would be on again somewhere down range depending on caliber.  I like to "rough in" a rifle at 25 yards because they usually hot the paper at that range, and then move out to a longer range, again depending on what I am shooting.  My 20 gauge smoothbore at 75 and rifles at 100 with the appropriate charge.  First off is the fact that even a smoothbore will shoot very well at 25 yards.  Desired accuracy and precision is determined by the range one uses the rifle.  As I use the 25 at closer range a 25 yard sight in is fine, but my 58 gets sighted in at 75 yards and tested at longer ranges to see point of impact.  MY 50 was sighted in at 100 yards, etc.  I have seen some very interesting points of impact with a 25 yard sight in as a bit high or a bit off to the side is magnified at longer ranges.  I sight in a group anyway, but also as you have mentioned with your 32, a load at 25 can really open up at 50 or longer range.  My 50 can look pretty good with pyrodex or 777 at 25 yards.   At 100 I could just as well shoot buckshot.  One individual on another site was talking about testing cast bullets out of a microgroove barrel.  When he mentioned 25 yard groups I stated my position.  Some got upset but that individual shot up some loads to get cases and admitted that about everything he shot looked pretty good at 25 yards.  In a small bore I would want my 32 performing at 50 yards and my 40 can look pretty good at 100 yards with the rifgt load.  All my shooting goes back to my bulleye shooting experiences.  One reason that for general target shooting I switched from a 32 to a 40 in that a light weight ball just does not consistantly hold up at longer ranges as well as a heavier one.  For most small game, one has to know at what range can I hot the head, or for some of the larger varietys at what range will a body hit work.
A squirrel head is about as big as what a 50 cent piece?

DP