SMALL CAL. QUESTIONS

[hortonstn]

i'm thinking about building a small cal flintlock for my grandson
either a 25,30 or 32 one big question is where do i get balls or moulds?
are these small calibers accurate?
any thing out of the ordinary i should know 40 cal is the smallest i've built?
paul

[Dphariss]

i'm thinking about building a small cal flintlock for my grandson
either a 25,30 or 32 one big question is where do i get balls or moulds?
are these small calibers accurate?
any thing out of the ordinary i should know 40 cal is the smallest i've built?
paul

Too small is not all that good. Tiny loading rods, tiny balls etc. 32-36 is a better choice.
The 25, from accounts, is far less effective on animals the size of a woodchuck than a 32.

Dan

[JDK]

How big a lad is he?  Those small calibre barrels get awful heavy an any barrel substantial enough to give you decent architecture in the typical longrifle.....smaller hole=more steel=heavier gun.

If recoil is a consideration you can always load a .45 or .40 lighter but can only go up so high in .25-.36.  The small calibres are not versatile at all, IMHO.  J.D.

[hortonstn]

thanks,thats the kind of thoughts i was looking for, i think i'll go 40
paul

[JDK]

Paul,  From what state do you hail?  When I was growing up in Ohio it was legal to hunt deer with a .40 but here in PA .45 is the minimum so that it what I chose for my daughter.....versatility.  J.D.

[Ezra]

#4 buckshot for .25 caliber ball.  It is .240.


Ez

[David Rase]

Another thing to consider when building a small caliber rifle for a youth is that the smaller the balls, the harder they are to load.  It has been my experience that a .45 caliber rifle is a great caliber for a youth.  The bore is large enough to make the barrel lighter than a smaller caliber and with a .45 you can adjust the powder charge to suit the age of the shooter.  Also, .45 caliber balls are easier to grab for smaller hands and fingers.  My 2 cents worth.
Dave

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I agree with David Rase.  It's not recoil that's going to be the determining factor, but barrel weight.  A .45 or .50 cal with pistol loads works just fine.

[J. Talbert]

Ditto, on the barrel weight rather than the recoil as the biggest factor.

Jeff

[The other DWS]

I just bought a .29 it uses nominally#2 buckshot.  however since they are round balls they weigh less than a 22 rimfire bullet and they will have the limiting ballistics of a really really light round ball. It's pretty much a treetop rifle; and forget shooting it in a cross wind.  It will be a real challenge I fear at 100 yards in a dead calm.  50 yards is a more practical range I imagine.  (I may be off base on that--time will tell)
The 40 or so inch barrel is 1" across the flats and with that little 29 cal hole down the center its darn near a sold bar of steel--not a gun for a kid or a weak adult to handle.  Don't get me wrong I LOVE it but is is a very heavy special purpose gun.  not something to use as a youngsters entry level flinter.
  IF i were to build a more general purpose "small bore"  I'd probably build one to use something like double ought buck at minimum  that's make the whole casting ball making thing a lot easier.   I'd agree that a lighter short 40 or 45 would make a better entry level youth gun

[JDK]

Let me see if I read this right, 1"x40"x 29 caliber?  Exactly how heavy is this gun?  J.D.

[kutter]

I'd go with a 40cal in a 3/4" accross the flats bbl.
Pretty light weight bbls
About the lightest bbl in a caliber I can use w/o dropping the components all over the place.
It's got to be easier for a youngster to handle too.
I just can't see myself much less a kid trying to westle with a 1/4" dia ramrod and those tiny lead ball projectiles.
Hats off to those that can and get good results with them!

Load the .40 down, recoil is no problem.

I've got one GM and one Rayl bbl in those specs. One is going onto one of the childs full stocks from Fred Miller when time permits.
It uses one of the 'Becky' F/L's

TOTW sells,,or did sell,, a pre carve for a childs rifle. It takes a 13/16 bbl IIRC. I'd go with a 45cal in that to keep weight down

[J.D.]

A 36" or 38" A wt Swamped barrel in 40 cal might  be the way to go.

[Dave K]

In my opinion, since every one should have a 22 rimfire. Everyone should have a small bore Ml'er for the same reasons. I have 33cal. through 40cal. that I call small bores and love them all. I wouldn't want to go to small though as some have mentioned and I agree, the ram rod gets pretty skinny. I know some of thrown out about shooting deer, but to me it is again like a 22 rimfire. Still need that small bore to plink with. If I were to worry about anything, I would just make sure it was allowed to be used for small game in your state. The next gun, can be the deer gun. We are allowed to have more than one gun for a reason.

[The other DWS]

JDK,  Let me see if I read this right, 1"x40"x 29 caliber?  Exactly how heavy is this gun?  J.D.

Just checked,  barrel is 40 3/8 long   weighing myself on my digital bathroom scale 4 or 5 time each holding the rifle and not I get a weight (for the rifle of course) of between 11 and 12 pounds, a couple times on sometimes the other.  I love the little rifle but it is decidedly muzzle heavy.   
And it was built using an original antique .29 cal percussion barrel by one of our members who, if I recall the story correctly, bought several antique barrels at an estate sale.  I have not had a chance to shoot it much, but I'll be spending all this next week camping at a rifle range for a schuetzen match, and I'm taking it along and plan on shooting it a fair amount before the matches begin midweek.

[JDK]

ToDWS - Thanks for going to all that trouble.  11 or 12# isn't the heaviest gun but with that length barrel it's allot out front.  Enjoy your trip and let us know how it handles when you get back.  J.D.

[Glenn]

Smaller caliber would be good for him but keep in mind they tend to foul faster and more often than a larger caliber.  I dont know if that would be an issue or not but I did want to put this out there.

[David R. Pennington]

I did one for my son and made it to fit him at the time. The mistake I made was to put too little drop in the stock. He quickly out grew it. It fit him very well when I first made it but because of the proportionally small drop on this diminutive rifle it is difficult for any one of normal size to get their line of sight low enough to shoot it well. I would also recomend leaning a little on the larger bore size, at least .40. You can always start out charging light for close ranges on beginners. Another thing to consider is if he might want to deer hunt with it. In our state .39 caliber is the min. for muzzleloader deer.

[54ball]

 I love a .45.  If you are considering a .40, you might as well go .45.
  A .45 is a great deer caliber to 80 yards or so.

[bob in the woods]

Go to the "Cabin Creek" website [ Brad Emig } and take a look at their Boy's Rifle. It is sweet 
They use a custom sized swamped barrel, in .45 or .50 cal. It is a gorgeous design, and I have pretty much decided to build something like it for my wife. Definitely worth a look.

[Ezra]

Go to the "Cabin Creek" website [ Brad Emig } and take a look at their Boy's Rifle. It is sweet  
They use a custom sized swamped barrel, in .45 or .50 cal. It is a gorgeous design, and I have pretty much decided to build something like it for my wife. Definitely worth a look.

Mrs. Ezra has one of those "boys or ladies" rifles from Brad Emig.  It is a .40 caliber and always gets more attention when we go shooting than anything I have with me.  It is an awesome little rifle.  Here is a picture of Mrs. Ezra at the 2010 Pacific Primitive Rendezvous in Idaho with her little rifle.





Ez