Author Topic: most popular caliber (Read 7087 times)

hortonstn · « **on:** February 27, 2016, 01:56:20 AM »

im getting ready to build a flintlock for sale, what caliber is the most popular, style,
length? I know this depends on a lot of things this rifle will be shot off hand, benchrest,crossticks
what would you concider the perfect usable rifle?
just thinking
paul

Stophel · « **Reply #1 on:** February 27, 2016, 02:14:20 AM »

.54. Everybody wants .54. I've made 20+ guns, and looks like 14 of them were .54! (rifled AND smooth).

oldtravler61 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 27, 2016, 02:26:16 AM »

Will the gun be used for hunting? An for what kinds of animals? If not, never seen a target I couldn't kill with my 40 or 36 except for the steel targets at long range. Otherwise to me I'm just wasting alot of lead. Just my $.02. To each his own.

rsells · « **Reply #3 on:** February 27, 2016, 02:37:05 AM »

I build three cal most common. It depends a lot upon the type of rifle. I use .54 on Hawken and early long rifles. My mountain rifles are mostly .40 cal. with some .32, .29, or .30 depending upon the customer wants and barrel availability.
Roger Sells

Dennis Glazener · « **Reply #4 on:** February 27, 2016, 02:38:42 AM »

Quote

.54. Everybody wants .54. I've made 20+ guns, and looks like 14 of them were .54! (rifled AND smooth).

I agree with Stophel, my first choice is a .54 but as much as I dislike them (it goes back to a old percussion half stock that I could NEVER get to shoot inside a bushel basket at 50 yards with anything, anyhow) a 50 caliber is a good choice. Probably more 50 caliber ML rifles sold than any other caliber.
Dennis

Ky-Flinter · « **Reply #5 on:** February 27, 2016, 03:06:34 AM »

I agree with Dennis. .50

-Ron

hortonstn · « **Reply #6 on:** February 27, 2016, 03:10:33 AM »

Thanks I agree on 50 or 54

Mark Elliott · « **Reply #7 on:** February 27, 2016, 03:32:42 AM »

I have a small production, but I believe that I have made more .54s that anything else. I think a 44" C 54 is just a nice looking and well balanced barrel.

WadePatton · « **Reply #8 on:** February 27, 2016, 04:32:30 AM »

Thinking that a bbl maker could give you a solid guess based on bigger numbers.

IOW they make/sell more bbls than most gunmakers make guns in a given year.

okieboy · « **Reply #9 on:** February 27, 2016, 05:43:32 AM »

if I only had one rifle to do everything, it would be a .45. I have taken squirrels cleanly (about 20 grains of 3F) and done reasonably well at chunk shooting (about 70 grains). It can really flex up and down.

sz · « **Reply #10 on:** February 27, 2016, 05:55:16 AM »

Depends on where your market is.

I live in Wyoming.
In Wyoming and Montana as well as Idaho, the 62 is the most popular caliber that my customers order. I have sent quite a few to Alaska too. The common game in the northern Rockies is elk. 50s and 54s can do the job, but 58s and 62s seem to do it better. In Alaska people want moose guns.

In most other states the most popular calibers are 54, 50 and 40.

I have done some as small as 25 and the biggest one I have done was a 2 bore.

But in 46 of the 50 states I's guess it will be 50 or 54 as a 1st place tie, and then 40 cal in 2nd place.

Lucky R A · « **Reply #11 on:** February 27, 2016, 02:49:26 PM »

Here in the east where the most common game hunted with a front loader is the whitetail the 50 and 54 are the choices. I have built nearly 300 guns and 80-85% of them have been 50 cal. The 42-44" B weight is the choice in this caliber. In PA we need to use a 44 cal. or smaller for small game, so using your deer rifle for squirrels, etc. is not a legal option. Many who are not higher end buyers also like that they can walk into a sporting goods store and buy a box of 50 cal. balls---not so with many other calibers. As you can see from the answers you will have to know your likely clientele to know what to build on spec.

Good luck
Ron

bob in the woods · « **Reply #12 on:** February 27, 2016, 03:28:12 PM »

What is the rifle used for , and where are you ? Here in the woods, I've built more .50 cal B weight swamped barrelled rifles than anything else. 1/2 38 inch and 1/2 42 inch

WKevinD · « **Reply #13 on:** February 27, 2016, 04:12:47 PM »

My personal favorite is a .54 smooth but the majority of my customers are either a .50 rifle (B weight) or a .62 smooth (Octagon-round). 42"-46" the usual for both.

BOB HILL · « **Reply #14 on:** February 27, 2016, 04:19:28 PM »

I've built more 45's than anything else. Second to that would be 50's.
Bob

thimble rig · « **Reply #15 on:** February 27, 2016, 04:59:17 PM »

Oh that's a good question.Hmm I would say if for target shooting a 45.small game 40 and below and lets not forget .62 for all around use.Just depends what the gun will be used for.I do think a lot of people underestimate the 45 cal.

Robby · « **Reply #16 on:** February 27, 2016, 06:23:27 PM »

When you include all the production guns, I would think .50 is the most common. Maybe some of the barrel makers could chime in. I know when I'm at the range what I usually hear it, 'got smoke pole hah, zat a fifty', no matter what caliber. That is just my anecdotal experience, but I'll stick with fifty.
Robby

Oh, my favorite is .58

WadePatton · « **Reply #17 on:** February 27, 2016, 06:43:37 PM »

Quote from: hortonstn on February 27, 2016, 01:56:20 AM

im getting ready to build a flintlock for sale, what caliber is the most popular, style,
length? I know this depends on a lot of things this rifle will be shot off hand, benchrest,crossticks
what would you concider the perfect usable rifle?
just thinking
paul

Methinks as good question in this case might be, "Have you ever had difficulty selling a rifle because of caliber?"

Also that the caliber should be appropriate to the style, and to whom do I expect to market this gun?

As I don't personally care for 50 (I have an odd twist against average/common

), and as such I made my first build a 54-but it "upset" a few TN gun guys who want everything Hoggish.

I don't think you can really go wrong with 50, but that I'll probably only ever build 45's and 54's for General Purpose/Built on Speculation guns and only experiment with some "odd" ones when I get ballsy.

Personally I have a 54 done, 40 and 30 in the earliest stages (not for market) and also 45 and 36 on hand-to build to sell. Just need a piece of wood to start the 45...

I'm guessing that the guys/gals who are looking to buy guns from "unknown" builders are looking for their "first" non-production rifle and may be drawn to the middle of the road 45-54.

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #18 on:** February 27, 2016, 07:29:45 PM »

I built 6 16 bore guns in the past year....must be popular too.

Majorjoel · « **Reply #19 on:** February 27, 2016, 10:44:59 PM »

I have also noticed that the barrel lengths have gotten longer over the past few years. A while back a 42" was about as long as you could find unless you placed a special order and waited for a very long time. Now days I see a whole lot of 44"++ on the market. The barrel makers are putting out some very nice stuff in extra lengths standard these days!

jerrywh · « **Reply #20 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:40:23 PM »

Quote from: hortonstn on February 27, 2016, 01:56:20 AM

im getting ready to build a flintlock for sale, what caliber is the most popular, style,
length? I know this depends on a lot of things this rifle will be shot off hand, benchrest,crossticks
what would you concider the perfect usable rifle?
just thinking
paul

For the purpose stated I would make a 54 cal.

Daryl · « **Reply #21 on:** February 28, 2016, 09:23:44 PM »

.69 is my favourite ----- calibre.

Bill in Md · « **Reply #22 on:** March 01, 2016, 04:37:47 AM »

Perhaps the less popular calibers are better for nothing more than being different? A 41 vs a 40. A 46 vs 45. Why not a 52 instead of a 50?. Building longrifles in, and of itself is a break from the road most travelled. Expanding upon it only sweetens the experience

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Author Topic: most popular caliber (Read 7087 times)

thimble rig

Bill in Md