second gun: short or long or which lil' bore?

[WadePatton]

Of course I plan to have a full-rack of charcoal spitters after a few years of hacking 'em together...and who knows maybe I'll trade my way into one or two, BUT THAT,

What about nummer 2?  Assuming I get my big-game rifle done anytime soon, I'm torn between a pistol to back it up and a squirrel/small game rifle.

As much as i love big-bore pistol shooting, practicality has me leaning toward a pea shooter.  but then i get all corn fused on picking a caliber. 

32 leaves an awesome gap between rifles.  40 is dang near almost FAT for a squirrel gun, but makes a bigger hole when points count.  36 makes a 32 or 40 nearly redundant.  I'm leaning 40, as it's "deer legal" and could be used as a backup in deer season (yes, at reduced ranges and optimum angles-i'm not the sort who shoots every deer he sees).

I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who own at least  2 if not 3 (or more) of the 40 or smaller bores, and uses them on critters.  I think i've talked me out of the pistol for now.

Hey, let's go put some more curly chips and shavings on the floor.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I'm working on a .36 for small game. I was torn between .32, .36 and .40 like you but here is my thinking. .32 was just too small on cold days I have trouble picking up a .50 cal ball. The ram rod would have to bwe 1/4" that'd be like ramming a ball with a noodle, way too small. I also looked around at ammo. I Like to cast my own and I couldn't find a mould for .32 from the usual places. .40 cal was getting too close to .50 so rulled that out. I settled on a .36. 5/16" ram rod. ball moulds available from the normal sources. and you can also get 000 buck shot for ammo as well. It's coming along well, I'm about at the point of decoration in the build. Squirrel season runs till the end of February here, may be able to get out with it this season.

[Standing Bear]

.32, .40, .50 and .54 make a nice spread.
JMO
TC

[Steve-In]

.50 -> .54 -> .45 -> .54 flint -> .36 in rifles
16 -> 12-> 18 -> 10 in shotguns, no longer have the 16 and 12.
My next planned build is a 16 or 20 smoothbore.

[WadePatton]

a smooth is down below pistol in my list.

i'm going for completion 54 then 40 then a shortie (or two) and then maybe 32 or 45 if not of course 62 or so... the 54 negates most "need" for a 50 and having a 54/45 each would completely eliminate the need for a 50-but for if i just _wanted_ to build one.

  if my rate continues the first two won't be done before 2015 or so.  Lot of time to mull it over eh.

[Dphariss]

In small game hunting the primary difference in 32-36-40 is the weight of the ball. 40 make take a lot more powder to shoot its best.
There really in no valid argument for the 40 for small game. The 32 is plenty adequate. I used all three when I was a kid. All require head shots only on anything wanted for eating.
32 can use buckshot for roundballs.
32 can use a 5/16 rod scraped down a little for clearance, if needed.

Dan

[northmn]

That is my 25 squirrel gun.  I like it better than a 32 as the 32's I had were about as destructive as a 22 mag holow point.  Lots of people like the 32 and start thinking they would be a good deer gun, but I kind of question that.  The 40 cal is not all bad for squirrel and I have used one for that.  In some ways it is not any more destructive than a 32 as it is accurate with a lighter load.  One problem with small bores is that they seem to like to be loaded fairly hot for accuracy.  Deer hunting with a 40 has been discussed, and I think it would depend on where one hunts deer.  I would feel kind of silly if I had one and a 200 plus pound MN buck came through.  In some states where the deer are fairly large at 100 pounds it woud be OK.  Of all the calibers I have shot I have never played with a 36.  Really cannot comment on one but I cannot see where there would be any magic between it and a 40.  My 25 is kind of fun and uses #3 buckshot for a load.  Other users have described them as a "super charged 22 short".

DP

[hanshi]

I'm fortunate in that I own a .32, .36 and .40; the .32 is percussion but the .36 and .40 are flint.  I discovered early on that the .32 was the honey hole when it came to squirrels; but I no longer take it to the woods.  My .36 is now THE small game rifle in my battery.  I use the same powder charge in them both.  Our .40, on the other hand, makes a fine target rifle and I hope to soon make it a deer rifle.  I see no reason the .40 can't make a good small game round but the same can be said for our .45. 

The .36 at work.

[northmn]

Actually I find the 45 to be about as good a smallgame/deer rifle as you can get.  At one time I shot more than a few squirrel with a 45 and it really did little more than a 32 as far as a head shot.  again they tend to shoot with lighter charges at lower speeds.

DP

[hanshi]

Actually I find the 45 to be about as good a smallgame/deer rifle as you can get.  At one time I shot more than a few squirrel with a 45 and it really did little more than a 32 as far as a head shot.  again they tend to shoot with lighter charges at lower speeds.

DP

You are so right about the .45; I own two (one's retired).  It has been my favorite caliber for going on 50 years.

[HardBall]

Actually I find the 45 to be about as good a smallgame/deer rifle as you can get.  At one time I shot more than a few squirrel with a 45 and it really did little more than a 32 as far as a head shot.  again they tend to shoot with lighter charges at lower speeds.

DP

I can vouch for a .45 shooting well with light charges.  My .45 caplock gives about 1050fps with 25gr of 2F and about 1150fps with 25gr of 3F.  Using either load I can create a quarter sized ragged hole from a kneeling position at 25yds.  Plenty accurate for close range squirrel shots.

I can't comment on how destructive that load would be since one cannot hunt squirrel with anything larger that a .36 round ball in my state.

[WadePatton]

As we keep inching up on the caliber, i suppose i can head shoot and bark squirrels with the .54...

Point of clarification, two really:  36 is deer-legal here, and my little gun would only be going to the woods for deer _in the case of problems with the 54_ or lack of lead or broken spring or somesuch "trailside" emergency.  I have killed one 200# buck, but there may be another one, and i don't care to be caught by any one of them with my "powder" down. 

Any more 25's out there, or 28 or 33 or 38 the odd-bores?  I met a guy local who made himself a 22 from a discarded 22LR bbl when he was a kid.  He really liked it, but has sold all his shootin' stuff.  I tried to love some 25 centre-fire BITD, but finally got over it

[Pete G.]

A long .32 Tennessee squirrel rifle. 5 lb of buckshot is almost a lifetime supply. When you finish that one, start collecting parts for a .40.

[northmn]

One reason we "inch up" in caliber is that the discussion ivariably seems to get into use on deer.  In this day and age where we tend to own more than one gun, use a squirrel rifle in a small bore for squirrels and a deer rifle for deer.  My latest deer rifle as and will be an English style 58 as I see no need to mess around with small bores on deer.  Should it break down I have a 20 ga smoothbore for a backup (or a 38-55 or 35 Remington as I do not like the ML season).  The smooth bore is a better "all around" gun for me as it can be used with shot for small game and ball for deer.  Mostly it sees shot as a rifle will outshoot a smoothbore at longer range without half trying a load development.
I gnerally just hunt squirrel when I squirrel hunt.  Were there other critters around, such as wood chucks, I would consider the 32 and 36's as better than my 25.  When you throw in the use for deer then you need to look at a deer caliber and head shooting squirrel.  A 45 is about a minimum deer caliber and one should not really use anything else unless as stated the deeer are smaller as in some Southern states where a 100 pound one is a fairly large one.  Then a 40 might be considered.  The small bores are better for squirrel as they do not travel so far and are not as destructive.  When I retire and get time I have a fast twist 33 barrel that I need to make into a small game getter.  Another option for destructiveness is to mix a little tin in the cast.  Some of the buckshot these people use is "hard" buckshot that contains antimony and may not blow like the cast pure lead ball I used in my 32's.

DP

[WadePatton]

yeah i've wondered about the hard-shot application to lil' bores.  s'pose it's just another variable in the load-working-up process. 

yes 32 it is--then when i split the diff between 45 and 36 i get 40!  i'll go smooth after three rifles and a pistol.  Be fun for a dove shoot or a gobbler.  Probably be dropping some gobblers too-they're gettin' thick as coyotes 'round here and i want to double smoke*one-first with the the long gun and thence, much more thoroughly with the pure hickory-fired sort.

*feel free to use that one-for fun and profit.

[hanshi]

If squirrel, rabbit, turkey and maybe chucks would be all I'd hunt, a .32 or .36 would be all I'd ever need.  I love the .45 as a deer round and a small game round and have enjoyed great success with it in both rolls.  I have to admit, though, that even larger rounds can be made to serve well for both large and small game. 

At one time, long ago, I owned a .58 Zaouve.  Mostly I cast and fired minies for plinking.  I did do some prb shooting and even took it hunting a few times.  I killed a couple of squirrels with it and the one I remember the most was a fox squirrel.  Shooting prb I fired at his neck and he, of course, went DRT.   An examination revealed a slit on both sides of the neck where the ball went cleanly through with no destruction.  This bodes very well for large caliber small game hunters.

[WadePatton]

well to be sure i love a big bore.  i used to hunt with a 375 H&H/300-grain pills, rarely did the bullet slow or expand on the little deers and one bobcat i shot with it.  I mainly carried it to knock the bragadociousness offa the 7mm and 300 mag toters.  It was very "easy" on the meat of a deer.  But enough about nitro...

The taxidermist ruined my bobcat, but now i skin and tan my own stuff.

may come down to what bbl i run across a deal on when the time comes.  i'm still leanin' toward the 40 in a po' boy.

[Gene Carrell]

I think you would  not be  wrong to build on whatever  caliber you want. Just learn  its limitations and appetite  and go have fun. I've  a 25, 30, 32, 36 and  40.  I enjoy  them all and  have used  each for squirrels.  Load for accuracy and hold on their  head.

[WadePatton]

... build on whatever  caliber you want. Just learn  its limitations and appetite  and go have fun. I've  a 25, 30, 32, 36 and  40...

yes, nothing is wrong with any--but which one of these five do you hunt with the most_and why_?  ALSO, If you had to sell three of them, which two would you keep?   thanks.