I am probing an area where I have little experience. I want to copy a boy's rifle sitting here on the desk. It's a cute thing built on the lines of a late Pennsylvania rifle, originally flint, but now percussion. The .32 caliber barrel is 36.5" long, and 0.75" across the flats.
The issue is this: First, I will never shoot the new gun, as it will be scaled for a boy or small lady. I really don't want a .32. I could build the new gun as a .36, but I have a .36 cal. rifle that I have never really enjoyed. I can't put my finger on it, but it just has never been enough of anything for me. That makes me wonder about a .40 cal., my thinking that it might be more versatile than a .36. So, would the recoil from a working load in a .40 cal. gun be too much in a 5.5# rifle?