.32 caliber and smaller rifles

[Ezra]

Sitting here thinking about one of my future projects.  I’m gathering components at this point, I got a nice Ash stock from Allen Martin, and Bobby Hoyt has my barrel order, it’s a 48” swamped .25 caliber barrel. As for rifling twist, I just asked Bobby to use whatever twist he thought best for patched roundball.  I plan on using #4 buckshot (.240) with an as yet unknown patch w/spit or Ballistol lube.  Looking at a late Ketland flintlock as this is planned to be a SMR small game rifle.
My question to you guys who shoot the smaller calibers (.32 and smaller) is, have any of you just forgone using rifling at all and just gone smoothbore instead?  My thinking to support this is, for me anyway is, the ranges to be shot will be less than 100 yards, probably less than 50 so this may(?) mitigate the need for rifling.  Cleaning should, theoretically, be easier and quicker.
Your thoughts would be much appreciated.


Ez

[martin9]

Never thought about that before but now that you mention it that's a neat idea. I killed a dozen or so squirrels last year with my .36 and I doubt any were over 20 yards. Squirrel season comes in sept. 20th here and being in the south there's so much green foliage at that time you can't see very far much less see a clear shot at say 50 yards.

That being said I do enjoy shooting my small caliber guns at all ranges for fun and am not bothered with running a few more patches down the barrel so I'd prefer to have rifling.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I built a .25 cal rifle on a Rayl barrel (.255" bore) and use buckshot and .018" denim patches.  It is a very pleasant rifle to shot, is accurate enough out to 50 yards to satisfy me, but I doubt I'd be happy with a smooth bore in that calibre.  The rifle is a peach to clean.

[Nordnecker]

Why do you think cleaning would be easier?

[Ezra]

Why do you think cleaning would be easier?

Actually, my wording should have been “quicker”, not easier.

Ez

[Daryl]

Still only takes 10 minutes to clean. Of course Taylor removes the barrel for cleaning.

[hanshi]

I always looked at the pee wee calibers as sub 1" group rifles at 50 yards.  I know my .32 rifle will do that or at least close to that; but with a smooth bore I just don't know.  I guess I just like spirals.

[Fyrstyk]

My little .22 muzzleloader rifle will put all if it's bullets into a dime at 25 yards all day long.  two or three solvent soaked patches, a drying patch or two, and a patch with Barricade is all it takes to clean up.  Of course I do remove the nipple and clean that in my ultrasonic cleaner.  Super fun shooting.  I don't think a smooth bore would be as accurate.

[L. Akers]

The first rifle I built was a .38 cal. smoothbore (I couldn't afford a rifled barrel).  With it I could hold my own in competition with rifled barrels at 25 and 50 yard ranges.  The advantage shifted to rifled barrels by 100 yards.  For smoothbore accuracy the ball must be driven HARD.  Expect to use at least twice as much powder to obtain accuracy comparable to a rifled barrel.

[Levy]

I have an SMR flintlock rifle exactly as you describe in .25 cal.  Same lock and same barrel.  It has worked well for me here in FL at ranges from 25 yds. to 10 yds.  I haven't tried any shots at 50 yds.  As the man said, the thick greenery here in FL inhibits long shots, as does my eyesight.  The first year that I got the rifle, I got 38 squirrels with it. I used it exclusively that year.  I had it on display at the Knoxville Show this year.   James Levy alias Sparkleberry Jim

[Magungo1066]

I use my smoothbore almost exclusively. I do not feel handicapped in anyway, and would be confident using that gun for squirrel to moose. Plenty of people love those really small calibers, but I am not one of them. I would take a smoothbore any day of the week. Having said that, you would probably be very happy with a small caliber rifle. Like I said, plenty of people swear by them.

[Daryl]

The first rifle I built was a .38 cal. smoothbore (I couldn't afford a rifled barrel).  With it I could hold my own in competition with rifled barrels at 25 and 50 yard ranges.  The advantage shifted to rifled barrels by 100 yards.  For smoothbore accuracy the ball must be driven HARD.  Expect to use at least twice as much powder to obtain accuracy comparable to a rifled barrel.

Last two sentences are very important here.

[R.J.Bruce]

I can recall Hungry Horse's posts in regards to bare ball shooting, in the many threads about the same, and he was quite specific to ALWAYS state that it takes a lot more powder than most people unfamiliar with bare ball shooting in a smoothbore are willing to believe is necessary in order to achieve anything like acceptable accuracy.

When you think about it, it makes sense. Without rifling to impart back pressure against the forward face of the breech plug, it is going to require a lot more powder in order to achieve the same back pressure, which is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY in order to send the exact same diameter/weight ball out of the muzzle at the same, or higher, muzzle velocity, in order to make the ball coming out of a smoothbore behave in the same way as it would coming out of a rifle.

At least, out to a range of 50 yards. Which seems to be the accepted distance where a rifle becomes advantages over a smoothbore

[Daryl]

Most smoothbore shooters use patched balls.
Your point about HH'S posts about the larger powder charges for RB shooting are spot-on.
I was going to test his bare-ball theory, but as yet have not done that.
One of these days I expect to.

[WadePatton]

Most smoothbore shooters use patched balls.
Your point about HH'S posts about the larger powder charges for RB shooting are spot-on.
I was going to test his bare-ball theory, but as yet have not done that.
One of these days I expect to.

I hadn't thought of bareball shooting a tiny smoothie, but am too curious if HH's technique works for tiny bitty balls.  As I recall 20 thou under, so a .230-ish ball over "large charge" for the caliber, might still be economical and fun and effective.

But the tiny bore wouldn't be much good for shot, I'd think.  'Cept for sittin' on the porch popping "wood bees" as I heard them called the other day--but powder only might be enough for the range needed in that case. 

Anybody bare ball something under 40? 

[Tim Crosby]

   James Levy alias Sparkleberry Jim

  "Sparkleberry Jim"...there has to be a story that goes with that.

      Tim

[Daryl]

Most smoothbore shooters use patched balls.
Your point about HH'S posts about the larger powder charges for RB shooting are spot-on.
I was going to test his bare-ball theory, but as yet have not done that.
One of these days I expect to.

I hadn't thought of bareball shooting a tiny smoothie, but am too curious if HH's technique works for tiny bitty balls.  As I recall 20 thou under, so a .230-ish ball over "large charge" for the caliber, might still be economical and fun and effective.

But the tiny bore wouldn't be much good for shot, I'd think.  'Cept for sittin' on the porch popping "wood bees" as I heard them called the other day--but powder only might be enough for the range needed in that case. 

Anybody bare ball something under 40?

Haven't hear much, if any of bare ball shooting, other than here on the forum - in care of HH.
Years ago (1979 to 81ish), I had .44 smoothbore that I lapped a mild jug choke into using a brake cylinder hone. Yeah, I know, can't be done - OK if you believe that - but you'd be wrong.
With 1/2ounce of 7 1/2's I won our local rendezvous trap shoot from 16 yard line, with 10 straight. There were 12's and 10's to shoot against. The little gun patterned very well. It also shot
patched .433" round balls well, too, well enough to head shoot snowshoe hares to about 30yards. I tried it with just card wads, one in front, one behind the bare ball and the groups looked like
patterns.
I have no experience with smaller smooth bores.
If in normal sizes, as in .35, .25, or .22, they might shoot waisted pellets OK if show slow enough, but those designs of bullets (pellets) normally do not do well at super sonic speeds.

[WadePatton]

No doubt about brake-honing in a jug here. I'm not beyond such an act myself  (but I'd rather hire it out).

Wow on your shooting with that 44 against big guns.  If I get a smoothie done up you'll hear me checking out BB as HH teaches for sure, but I'll bet you beat me to it.

The tiny bores would prolly be just the medicine for a rattlemoccasinhead if'n he was comin' right atcha! 

[Daryl]

No doubt about brake-honing in a jug here. I'm not beyond such an act myself  (but I'd rather hire it out).

Wow on your shooting with that 44 against big guns.  If I get a smoothie done up you'll hear me checking out BB as HH teaches for sure, but I'll bet you beat me to it.

The tiny bores would prolly be just the medicine for a rattlemoccasinhead if'n he was comin' right atcha! 

The would be plenty accurate enough at snake striking distances.

[Shopdog]

   James Levy alias Sparkleberry Jim

  "Sparkleberry Jim"...there has to be a story that goes with that.

      Tim

Legend around these parts sparkleberry bushes were once all limbed with branches straight as an arrow - folks prided themselves on who could grow the straightest sparkleberry bushes but then one day Sparkleberry Jim showed up - some say he was neither man nor beast but the devil himself .  Whatever the case ol Sparkleberry Jim cut every straight branch he came across and thats why from Sopchoppy to The Ecofina their aint a straight sparkleberry branch to be found no mores. 

[JCKelly]

Only thing I didn't care for about my .30 rifle is my wife outshot me with it.

Use a modern octagonal breech-loader barrel.