Flints or Caps for squirrel rifle????

[Skychief]

If you had a 32 caliber barrel to build a dedicated squirrel rifle with, would you choose a halfstock percussion,-or-, a fullstock flintlock?

I can't decide, and, need a little nudge one way or the other.

Remember the intended target....grey squirrel heads amongst the treetops.

Any suggestions appreciated, Skychief.


BTW, the barrel is 42" by 13/16"......plenty for the fullstock flinter, or, could be shortened for a halfstock percussion.


HELP!

[roundball]

grey squirrel heads amongst the treetops.

IMO, that doesn't matter...if you're into Flintlocks, make it a Flintlock...they shoot squirrels just like a caplock does

[ottawa]

ooooo that's a tuffy just get and build 2 rifles me I think I would go flint but that's just cause I would like one. but what have you  shot  and like  ?if you like shooting flint then go that way . I have all cap locks because I could never find real BP only the fake stuff till I found this site .fake wont work in the pan of a flint.
just my 2bits

[wvmtnman]

You could make a nice Ohio style fullstock with a percussion lock.  No need to shorten the barrel.  I have one in .36 caliber.  If you build an Ohio, just remember to only leave the bare minimal amount of wood on the stock.  Most of the original ones I have seen look anorexic. 
As for flint or cap for squirrel, it is whatever you personally want.  I have hunted with both and see no major difference, as long as I am familiar with the rifle
                                                                  Brian

[Skychief]

what have you  shot  and like  ?

I have both and shoot both.   I like both.

Been shooting BP for ~25 years.

[Leatherbelly]

  Do both! Shoot flint and wear a nice cap, Morgan Shea makes a nice cap!

[SCLoyalist]

I'd probably go through the ALR "Virtual Museum" looking for squirrel guns and see if there was one there that really struck my fancy and swayed me towards one ignition system or another. 

If my math is right, for the straight barrel you have, a halfstock may offer a weight and balance advantage.  A 42" barrel in 13/16 width ought to weigh about 87 oz, so the whole gun, lock stock and barrel, ought to weigh in at about maybe 7-1/2 to 8 lbs in fullstock flint.  A 36" halfstock is going to have about 70 oz of weight in the barrel, a little less wood, so maybe 6-1/2 lbs of weight total? 

I have a fullstock 36 flinter, Southern mountain style, with a 44" swamped  barrel - it only weighs 6-1/2lbs.   Part of the reason I bought it was that it was representative of the region some of my ancestors lived in, they would have been familiar with and used similar guns, so in a sense I was shootin' jes' like great-great-granddaddy used to.   If my ancestors had been from Ohio (there but by the grace of God...) I might have leaned more towards one of them pretty little Vincent percussion guns.

Good luck, and happy building.  SCL

[Dave K]

Depends if you are hoping to recreate something, that may be important to you. The family has the old family gun. As far as we all know, it was purchased new by my family. It is not by any means a high dollar, but it does have family sentiment attached to it. It is a James Bown & Sons,  percussion 1/2 stock in 34cal. Of course these in only one gun for the family. I have kicked around the idea of duplicating it. After all, I have a very good model to copy off of.

[Daryl]

If you had a 32 caliber barrel to build a dedicated squirrel rifle with, would you choose a halfstock percussion,-or-, a fullstock flintlock?

I can't decide, and, need a little nudge one way or the other.

Remember the intended target....grey squirrel heads amongst the treetops.

Any suggestions appreciated, Skychief.


BTW, the barrel is 42" by 13/16"......plenty for the fullstock flinter, or, could be shortened for a halfstock percussion.


HELP!

I bought my .32 (13/16" x 38" bl) full stocked squirrel rifle from Jim Chambers (consignment) last year at Dixon's. It was caplock as found on the rack - but before it was sent to me here in British Columbia, Jim converted it to flint - which is only proper for that period squirrel rifle.  I suspect if I had a long barreled slim 1/2 stocked gun like on Ned Robert's book's inside cover page, I'd have it cap lock.
Just bought 4 tins of caps yesterday for my big game hunting rifles and Tracy's little .45 caplock.  $7.29 per 100.  FLINT'S FOREVER!!!!!!!!

[northmn]

Depends on how much you want for a challenge and how much you like squirrel.  I built mine flintlock as that suits my use for a muzzle loader.  We had flintlocks for about 200 years, caplocks for about 40 or so and then cartridges.  When I hunt with a shotgun I either use the flintlock fowler or a double barrel double hammer cartridge gun.  I really never could see much difference between the old double hammer cartridge and a percussion and I have shot grouse with both.

DP

[willyr]

Skychief,
      Since you are having so much trouble deciding what to do with that .32 douglas barrel, just send it to me. I know exactly what I would do with it if I had it.
Be Well,
Bill

[Waksupi]

What is this "percussion", of which you speak?  

[George Sutton]

Caps are for kids:)

Centershot

[ottawa]

ouch thanks centershot     

[Candle Snuffer]

I personally would build that .32 in flintlock.

Why?

Because I like flintlock rifles.

[J.D.]

The only difference I have seen between hunting squirrels with a caplock vs flint is that if you get too close when hunting with a flintgun, the little beggars can either swap ends to run back up, or down, the tree, or slide around to the back of the tree before the gun can fire, in the case of a slight hesitation or hangfire. Yeah, the little gray streaks are that fast.

I learned that it's best to stand back and shoot 'em from a longer range with a flintgun. Up close, they can jump the shot, farther away, they are more likely to freeze or ignore the flash and smoke.

While I prefer shooting those gray tree rats with a flintgun, shooting them with capguns is fun too. 

God lbess

[Bill of the 45th]

What are caps?

Bill

[Ky-Flinter]

What are caps?
Bill

A covering for one's head.

I vote fullstock flintlock.

-Ron

[TNrifleman]

A .32 caliber Vincent caplock would make a dandy dedicated squirrel rifle. But then I really like the styling of the Vincent rifle.

[Skychief]

I have decided it shall be a flintlock fullstock.

Thanks for all your thoughts gentlemen!

Skychief.

[T.O.]

Great idea, I know it would be flint if it was mine.

[Mike R]

...got in on this late, while I love my flintlocks, I grew up seeing perc squirrel rifles still in use in the southern highlands.  So I had one built like I knew as a youth--a .32 Tenn style percussion.  It is a great little squirrel rifle and it bothers me not in the least that the flint snobs turn their noses up at it.  If you see any large collection of original southern squirrrel rifles you will find few that are still flint and many that were never flint.  Mine is PC...

[R.W.D.]

I agree with you Mike.  I feel there is a reason most flinters were converted to percussion.  I own, hunt, and shoot flintlocks and enjoy them a great deal but I mostly hunt with caplocks.  The period of time that the percussion southern mountain rifle represents is where my main interests lie.  I have some family heirlooms that date from the late 1800s so my percussion rifle just seems to fit.

[Skychief]

...got in on this late, while I love my flintlocks, I grew up seeing perc squirrel rifles still in use in the southern highlands.  So I had one built like I knew as a youth--a .32 Tenn style percussion.  It is a great little squirrel rifle and it bothers me not in the least that the flint snobs turn their noses up at it.  If you see any large collection of original southern squirrrel rifles you will find few that are still flint and many that were never flint.  Mine is PC...

 

[hanshi]

Flint; there's a reason the percussion era was so short.