Small Caliber Smoothbore for Small Game?

[Daryl]

12 gauge for squirrel seems a bit too much wouldn’t you say?? Lol.

Some people just use what they've got.
I shot one with the .69, once. 482gr. round ball. Worked.

[rich pierce]

I have downed a lot of squirrels in my years.  Never one with a shotgun/fowler.  I'd want a small bore rifle with the best barrel rifling I could find.  There is a Green Mountain swamped .40 in a tube here to be made into a squirrel rifle some day.  When I think squirrel, I think precision.  That said, I dated a girl whose mom said, "Oh you are quite sporting using a rifle.  I use a 12 gauge."    :-)

12 gauge for squirrel seems a bit too much wouldn’t you say?? Lol.

In a smoothbore, gauge means little. It’s the shot load that counts. A one ounce load in a .54 smoothbore and a one ounce load in an 8 gauge is the same load. It’s the same load if it’s in a .40 smoothbore. Or a .32 smoothbore.

[Panzerschwein]

I have downed a lot of squirrels in my years.  Never one with a shotgun/fowler.  I'd want a small bore rifle with the best barrel rifling I could find.  There is a Green Mountain swamped .40 in a tube here to be made into a squirrel rifle some day.  When I think squirrel, I think precision.  That said, I dated a girl whose mom said, "Oh you are quite sporting using a rifle.  I use a 12 gauge."    :-)

12 gauge for squirrel seems a bit too much wouldn’t you say?? Lol.

In a smoothbore, gauge means little. It’s the shot load that counts. A one ounce load in a .54 smoothbore and a one ounce load in an 8 gauge is the same load. It’s the same load if it’s in a .40 smoothbore. Or a .32 smoothbore.

Thanks, Rich. I’d love an 8 gauge side by side muzzleloader. It’s a dream of mine.

[alacran]

An 8 gauge would be illegal to hunt migratory birds in the US. In most states it would be illegal to use for small game of any kind with anything other than round ball.
Having shot skeet, trap and sporting clays for years, I have to disagree with Rich Pierce. What you want in a smoothbore/shotgun is a square load.
A one ounce load is physically the same in whatever gauge gun you put it in.  However, its performance would not be. That one ounce load would work best with the 12 gauge.
With a smoothbore/shotgun, Gauge means everything in relation to the shot load. But I would sure like to see high speed photography of a .32 SB shooting a one ounce load of shot.

[Daryl]

That would likely be a LOOOOOONG shot string with very low velocity akin to shooting a 437.5gr. slug in that little bore.

[rich pierce]

I am guilty of hyperbole. 

[Pukka Bundook]

What Rich says in post 26 is right.

Actually, for best Patterns, a ten bore shooting an ounce of shot will produce likely the most even pattern, better than all the smaller bores.
This has been demonstrated many times.
What folks forget who tout a small bore firing a heavy for bore charge, is that the shot Column is very long.
 In a small bore, Much more than 50 percent of the pellets are in contact with the barrel wall.
When the charge is fired, the rear pellets are crushed up into the forward ones, causing damage, plus abrading against the barrel wall.
Its also a known fact that these damaged pellets produce the fliers in a pattern,, and also produce less energy. It is the undamaged pellets that fly true and make up the centre of the pattern.

all the best,
Richard.

[Panzerschwein]

What Rich says in post 26 is right.

Actually, for best Patterns, a ten bore shooting an ounce of shot will produce likely the most even pattern, better than all the smaller bores.
This has been demonstrated many times.
What folks forget who tout a small bore firing a heavy for bore charge, is that the shot Column is very long.
 In a small bore, Much more than 50 percent of the pellets are in contact with the barrel wall.
When the charge is fired, the rear pellets are crushed up into the forward ones, causing damage, plus abrading against the barrel wall.
Its also a known fact that these damaged pellets produce the fliers in a pattern,, and also produce less energy. It is the undamaged pellets that fly true and make up the centre of the pattern.

all the best,
Richard.

Interesting, makes a lot of sense.

I am now also desiring an 8 gauge English style percussion fowling piece. I have discovered there are far too many muzzleloading guns I want in my life for me to know what to do! Lol.

[Pukka Bundook]

What about a  Tubelock single in 8-bore, Panzer?

I have an antique barrel in fine order !