.32 twist rate

[camerl2009]

well since i cant get my double done for a bit im looking into getting .32 barrel made for a flintlock

i see most have a 1 in 48 but what would be the best for round ball in .32

[BrownBear]

1:48 works great with RB in both of mine.  Pretty standard "slow" twist for small bores as far as I've ever heard.

[northmn]

I have to get to it again but I have one that was made in 1-33.  Cannot say how well it shoots but I bought it because I always felt the 1-48 was a bit slow.  I had made 32's out of douglas barrels with a 1-66 and others witha 1-48 and they did shoot, but tended to want heavier loads as in about 25 grains give or take.  25-30 grains in a 32 really makes them bark and hits about like a 22 mag HP out of a longer barrel.

DP

[camerl2009]

I have to get to it again but I have one that was made in 1-33.  Cannot say how well it shoots but I bought it because I always felt the 1-48 was a bit slow.  I had made 32's out of douglas barrels with a 1-66 and others witha 1-48 and they did shoot, but tended to want heavier loads as in about 25 grains give or take.  25-30 grains in a 32 really makes them bark and hits about like a 22 mag HP out of a longer barrel.

DP

hmm heavy loads could be the thing to use for wolf and coyote

so what twist for light charges say 15gr for squirrel,rabbit,racoon, the rest of the small game and furbearing game

[billd]

Bobby Hoyt told me a good starting rate is 125% of the caliber.

Bill

[BrownBear]

so what twist for light charges say 15gr for squirrel,rabbit,racoon, the rest of the small game and furbearing game

I started with 25 grains of 3f for snowshoe hare, and it was entirely too much if your shots wandered into the neck rather than the head.  Shoulders were blood shot beyond rescue.  I dropped to 20 and that was better.  I'm now shooting 15 and it's reminiscent of a 22lr, but I'm honestly curious about 10.  My shots are all inside 50 yards, and more typically 30 or less.  Accuracy is outstanding.

[camerl2009]

Bobby Hoyt told me a good starting rate is 125% of the caliber.

Bill

so some where like 1 in 40" id like to have a one hole group at 25 yards or what ever yardage i want to sight in at
probably 25 to 50

i know 1 in 48 works good with light loads in .50 it dose not like hot loads but still enough to kill a deer at 100 yards

but i hear the small bores are opposite hot loads for slower twist and light loads for fast twist now that said id like to use both types for all small game in ontario that includes wolf and coyote

[billd]

I bought a 1 in 32 twist .25 caliber from Bob Hoyt but its not in a gun yet so I can't say how it shoots. 

Bill

[camerl2009]

I bought a 1 in 32 twist .25 caliber from Bob Hoyt but its not in a gun yet so I can't say how it shoots. 

Bill

.25 thats kind of pushing it for flintlocks  id go as low as .22 in percussion and as low as .17 in inline(.209 primer no powder) but flintlock i draw the line at .32 i see no point of haveing a main charge less then the priming charge   

[northmn]

The 25 is a very effective little caliber on small game and its efectivenes is similar to a 22 LR at close range.  Some call it a supercharged 22 short.  It also suffers from too slow a twist in most barrels.  Mine is a 1-48 and needs a charge of about 20 grains of 3f which drives the little ball at about 1700 fps over the chronograph.  When you want a more "all around" caliber as in for larger varmints then a 36 or 40 isn't all bad either.  As to twist rate, it is the angle of the twist in the bore that is the issue.  A 1-48 twist in my 25 would be a 1-96 in a 50.  Explains why they use a little heavier powder/ball weight ratio.  I have shot game with my little 25 flinter.

DP  

[Daryl]

My .32 has a 48" twist. Unlike perhaps many guys with these little calibers, I actually tested mine at 50 and 100yards to find loads that would work at longer than point blank ranges.

With only 20gr.of powder, this littlest flinter (on my rack) will put 5 consecutive balls into a .36 calibre hole-however, that load opens to 2" to 2 1/2" at 50 yards due to spreading grouping and fliers. Upping the powder charge to 30gr., closes the groups to 1 1/2" at 50, and another 5gr. at 35gr. closes them further to 1"- again, at 50 yards.  40gr. opens the groups back up to 1 1/2", so I stay with 35gr. for all shooting.  As with most of my guns, zero'd at 25 is also zero'd at 50.

I didn't try 40gr. charge at 100yards, however 35gr. did give me a nice round, 3" group at that range. The next time I shot at 100yards, I was rewarded with another 2 3/4" to 3" group.  I have since increased the thickness of the patching to .025", but haven't paper tested that load yet.  My rate of hitting on the long range gongs on our bush trail has increased, so I feel it shoots a bit better than the thinner, .020"ticking or .0225" denim patch. The only way to make sure, is to bench test on paper, of course.

[Birdhunter]

I've had 3 or 4 .32's over the years & the best shooting one was a Douglas barreled  one with 1:66 twist. It liked a heavier load of 30 gr. 3f & .319 ball. My present .32 has a Colerain bbl. with 1:48 twist & likes 20gr. 3f & .311 ball.
Curt

[northmn]

The issue of accurate loads in these small bores depends of course on their use.  A 32 is fun to shoot at BP events and makes a good squirrel rifle.  I mainly test my 25 at 25 yards or a little better as my old eyes may not be that good on squirrels with open sights beyond that.   Add the extra wiggle I seemed to have picked up and that about as good as I really can expect.  That would hold for any caliber used for squirrels.   20 Grains of 3f at closer ranges is still pretty effective in a 32. 

DP

[camerl2009]

The issue of accurate loads in these small bores depends of course on their use.  A 32 is fun to shoot at BP events and makes a good squirrel rifle.  I mainly test my 25 at 25 yards or a little better as my old eyes may not be that good on squirrels with open sights beyond that.   Add the extra wiggle I seemed to have picked up and that about as good as I really can expect.  That would hold for any caliber used for squirrels.   20 Grains of 3f at closer ranges is still pretty effective in a 32. 

DP

ya i dont want too much meat damage and meat daage comes from high velocity im looking for about as low as 1200fps for game im going to eat and small fur bearing game and as high as 2000fps for wolf & coyote

[bob in the woods]

I checked Ed Rayl,  Colerain, Green Mountain, and Rice. All advertise their barrels in .32 cal as having a 1 in 48 in twist.  Since they make barrels for a living, that's good enough for me. I had a ,32 with a Green Mountain barrel,and it shot very well, but I switched to a .36 since the little balls and my large hands /fingers didn't get along.

[camerl2009]

I checked Ed Rayl,  Colerain, Green Mountain, and Rice. All advertise their barrels in .32 cal as having a 1 in 48 in twist.  Since they make barrels for a living, that's good enough for me. I had a ,32 with a Green Mountain barrel,and it shot very well, but I switched to a .36 since the little balls and my large hands /fingers didn't get along.

im getting a barrel made from Oregon barrel co/the gun works  i dont knoow what OD i want 13/16" or 7/8"

i mite go for the 7/8"  for added weight

[Daryl]

The feel really tiny if really freezing cold weather.  My cold weather gloves are at my daughter's getting modified so only the end-digets of the index finger and thumb of the right hand are exposed.  The glove can be moved foreward to retract those fingers for warming up.