Squirrel Rifle

[iloco]

I have three 50 caliber rifles and one 45 caliber rifle.
 I am thinking about a smaller caliber for small game.

I found a nice 40 caliber that I like but am wondering if that might be to big for small game like squirrels.

 Maybe a 32 or 36 would be better.  What is your opinion on my question about the 40 caliber.
 Here in Va a rifle has to be 45 caliber or larger to hunt deer so a 40 would be out for that kind of hunting.

[Bob Roller]

A 40 caliber for squirrel is a bit much. In a bullet gun,it is at least
a caliber for deer or even extreme ranges in target shooting.
A 40-90-450 come to mind. The 32 is ideal for a small critter'but the
tiny round balls can be a bit of a pain to handle with cold fingers.
Does anyone make a .34 caliber?  I have never seen one in new
made guns and it makes a bit more sense to me than a .32 or .36.

Bob Roller

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I used a 44 inch .32 caliber flintlock for squirrel hunting for two years and finally switched to .36 caliber. While the .32 was a wonderful gun and caliber for squirrels and other small critters here in the mountains Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee, it was hard to handle the tiny round balls in the cool mornings.  It fowled, it seamed, more on foggy damp mornings and was hard to load due to the fowling.  I broke several ramrods and switched to a heavy brass rod because of that.  I probably bagged a few hundred squirrels with that rifle though. The .32 was cheap to shoot- I used buck shot as balls!

The .36 is a little better, but much the same in handling.  But the tiny bit of difference eased the loading and handling just a bit for me.

they are both very easy on powder.  I carried a small flat horn in my coat pocket and that horn full of powder would last all season.

[Gaeckle]

I use a 40 for squirrels and shoot 30 grains of 3f.

[Carper]

We would have starved out if not for selling squirrel rifles back in the old days. I can tell you for a certainty that almost all of the squirrel rifles left the Carper shop at .32 caliber. That little caliber was plenty in the days much taller timber and would still be great for today. Having hunted in south West Virginia and south western Va  my entire life treeing squirrels with dogs, I always wanted to launch the lightest projectile possible since it could fall back to earth say a mile away. I figured an acorn or hail stone weighed more than a .32 and having survived being hit on the head by both I was little concerned about colateral damage. The truth is shooting a squirrel in the head, it makes almost no difference the caliber as far as meat loss( unless you are one of those fellows who likes brains with his eggs) I have seen hundreds of squirrels with a clean shot off head by a .45. BTW when my little fiest died at 15 years old , she had a little over 1000 squirrels shot out to her during her life. Most by longrifle. Get yourself to point where you can hit a target the size of a ping-pong ball while resting aside a oak and shoot for the head. A good dog, a broke saddle mule, a heavy half stock cap-lock  and a patch of hickorys thats my second day in heaven. Johnny

[wattlebuster]

I have a 40 cal virginia and it does just fine with 30 grns of fffg and as already said no meat loss with head shots. They are easy on powder, lead, and your shoulder AND you can use a 3/8ths ramrod and not worry about breakage. Shoot a squirrel in the body with a 32 or 36 and you will lose some meat just the same as a 40. Its a headshot game whichever cal you use.

[iloco]

Carper we might be neighbors.  Where in South West Va do you live.

[sqrldog]

Carper I couldn't agree with you more. A squirrel dog and a good 32. cal. flint gun go together just fine. I have hunted with both a .32 cal and a .40 cal. for my money I'll take the .32 cal. Of course really cold weather isn't a big problem in south AL. I hunt with a little TN rifle made by the late Frank Bartlett. The rifle is super accurate with a .315 ball .010 pocket drill and 27 1/2 grains goex fffg. Frank was a close friend and the rifle still brings great memories of our friendship when I use it. From my handle you can see I like sqrl dogs. Tim

[roundball]

I have three 50 caliber rifles and one 45 caliber rifle.

That's an unusually large amount of 50cals.....just as a possible alternative, you could have one of those 50's bored out to a .54cal / 28ga smoothbore for under $100 and you'd have a whole nuther world open up for you...squirrels, doves, deer, turkey, etc.
And using a 28ga with #5 shot, there's no worry about launching projectiles up in the air.

[hanshi]

Many years ago I started off with a .32 for squirrels and it was a doozy.  Contrary to what many report I found that body hits simply gave in and out holes with no more destruction than a .22LR.  I never shot for the shoulder or the hindquarters and that may have made a difference.  20 to 30 grains of 3F was super accurate and efficient.  IMHO the .32 can't be beat for a pure squirrel/rabbit and even coon rifle. 

A .36 flintlock also lives in my stable.  Using the same powder charges I use in the .32 makes it just as good a squirrel rifle as the smaller bore.  But it can be souped up even more than the easily souped up .32.  Just keep the shots on the head or mid body.

I have found neither small bore to be at all more fouling prone than my .50.  No explanation comes to mind why some find them dirtier than the big bores.  I can shoot the .32 all day long and the 50th shot seats as easily as the second.

My .40 flintlock stretches the "squirrel rifle" definition but not by all that much.  Keep the velocity low, say not over 1000fps, and it will do as well as the smaller bores.  I once shot a squirrel with a .38spl HBWC and thought I'd missed.  I crept closer for another shot but when I stopped to fire again he fell off the side of the tree.  The 148grn wadcutter had drilled a clean hole through the skull; a 90grn .40 would do as well.  If your velocity is very much higher you best avoid body shots.  I even once put a .58 prb through a fox squirrel's neck with only a clean, pinky size hole in and out.

[northmn]

This one is my favorite as I tried 32's, 40's and 45's.  Often to get good accuracy a 32 is kind of sudden.  The rile pictured is a 25 and takes #3 buckshot and about 18 grains of 3f at a chronographed 1680 fps.  It works fine.  Only thing is I would not make a poor boy again, but the caliber takes squirrels.  As to fouling, Grafs powder fouls less for this rifle than others, except possibly Swiss.

DP

[Daryl]

I use a .32 flinter for trail walks and the 'squirrel' competition at our rendezvous which dictates .40 or smaller.  My .32 is fairly accurate with either a .311" ball or lately, I've been shooting .320's. The .311's were capable of 1" at 50yards for 3 shots from a rest.  I haven't targeted the .320" yet.  With the .311's it needs 35gr. 3f to shoot well at 50yards or further. If wanting only to shoot 25 yards, 25gr. 3F will stack one ball on top of the other, but that load opens to 1 1/2" at 50yards.

The .25 would be fun, but strictly a close range hunting rifle, for me. The larger .32 works for general rifle trails and has no problem ringing the 100yard targets, if you hold her right.

Taylor has the 'parts' to build a beautiful little .25, but has yet to become motivated to build the piece.

[iloco]

This has been a very interesting discussion which I have lernt a lot from it.

 I have been trying to find a 32 caliber but its like looking for a needle in a haystack.
  I guess I will have to have one made.
What type rifle would make a good 32 caliber.  I already have a poor boy so would prefer something else.  Don't need anything fancy. Just a good plain shooter in either percussion or flint.

[Old Bob]

I built a .32 year before last that does a pretty good job on squirrels. I bought the last .32 GM barrel that Fort Chambers had (42" long), cut it down to 38" and put it in a McCoy half stock. Wood underrib and Manton Waterproof lock. Shoot a .315 ball over 15 grs. of fffg. I like it. The small ball is harder to load with big fingers like mine in cold weather, but I manage. Even if I miss the head and get a squirrel in the body, meat damage is pretty minimal which is a lot better than the mess I left with a .40. I'm probably going to make a peep for it to replace the rear sight.

[Bob Roller]

An English styled half stock in flint or percussion would be a neat thing.
Shotgun butt and compact dimensions and if the maker knows what he's doing
this type of rifle is a fine one to own even if not used.

Bob Roller

[2lookindown]

I built a .32 cal that shoots great.... I have killed nothing but targets so far but it shoots real good... It will shoot a dime group at 25 yards... I have a .29 cal. build in the making it should do the same... I just got the barrel done...But I like my .32 cal real well....

[Kermit]

Roundball--I have two .50's. One is a rifled 48" de Haas barrel, the other a smooth 44" Longhammock. The smoothrifle is great with shot on sitting grouse. That's how I hunted them in our brushy timbered country. My 44" .25 is fun too. When this tin hip is worked out, it'll be grouse season again. BTW, grouse are legal rifle quarry here in WA.

[Dphariss]

With 50 and  45 cals already a 32 is a perfect choice.
If loaded for best accuracy most 32s will be very destructive.
I did use 15 grains, once, for short range rabbit shooting around brush piles in our grove it just pokes a hole in a rabbits head. But used 30-35 for Squirrels. I had a 32-36-40 all at the same time when I was a kid really could tell little difference in them and used head shots exclusively.
With a good load they are accurate enough for squirrels to 40 yards or more. Some 40s need a lot of powder to shoot best from reports.

Dan

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Bob, getting back to your question about the .34 cal...I built a squirrel rifle for a friend in the early '70s' using a straight tapered barrel by Les Bauska that had a bore measuring .33 cal.  It shot balls from a weird Lee mold that cast .323".  He had the opportunity to kill a feral cat from his second floor bedroom window early one frosty morning, that was hassling his chickens.  He said that he was surprised to find that the critter's head all but disappeared.  I have no idea what his load might have been, but I doubt it was a light load.

[Mike R]

This has been a very interesting discussion which I have lernt a lot from it.

 I have been trying to find a 32 caliber but its like looking for a needle in a haystack.
  I guess I will have to have one made.
What type rifle would make a good 32 caliber.  I already have a poor boy so would prefer something else.  Don't need anything fancy. Just a good plain shooter in either percussion or flint.

The classic would be a Tenn rifle or other southern mountain style, but I have always admired the Bedford styles and most were small calibers...my own .32 is a small [scaled down] Tenn style that would make a good kids rifle. Shoots a .310 ball with 25 gr fffg.   

[Jim Thomas]

Several years ago I picked up a traditions crocket rifle just to see if I would like a small bore.    Last year, by the end of the season, the lock was getting iffy.  While at the Lewisburg show,  I picked up a half stock blank from Dunlops.       

I used the barrel, butt plate, and pipes  from the crocket.   Added an old TC Hawken trigger guard.   With some modification to those components and a new  RE Davis Goucher, and DST's.....it became an Ohio rifle.   Well, not an absolute perfect example.....close enough for a gun to knock around with.   

I use 25 grain FFF with a .319RB.     Out to 25 yards it's head shot deadly on squirrels.    Beyond that the group starts to open up but I have no doubt if I worked up a load I could get 40 yards from it.  I've successfully taken body shots at that distance.   

Sometimes you find one on a trade blanket.  If guy can get it right and the barrel is good...it doesn't take a lot to make a nifty little "Ohio style" hunting rifle from it.       

[Pvt. Lon Grifle]

FWIW you can set your sights dead on @ 50 yards with your most accurate load, the  check at 25, 30, 40, and yes, 60 to know the trajectory of your rifles load. From muzzle to 50, 32s are pretty flat shooting. Not all guns will allow this though. Where it is harder to sight well because of distance, shoot squirrels in the lower ribs. It is a humane shot and not very meat damaging either. I carry several bread bags, and clean bagged immediately, and they ride home in the haversack.  It is helpful to set up with a sapling or two close enough to use as a rest.

This works well in late season eastern hickory groves where the squirrely rascals maybe  foraging on the ground coming to you, or are sitting on a limb watching you and the brush is not thick.

Good Hunting   Lon

[Bob Roller]

Taylor,
That sounds like a 45 or more grain load in that .33. My old friend
Bob Wilson and I took out a couple of mean dogs years ago but I
had a Tower carbine in 58 caliber and he had an 1884 Springfield
45-70. I have a 10" section of a 32x13/16 barrel I want to make a flintlock
pistol from. Make a good back up piece in case of a mean squirrel charging.

Bob Roller

[xring2245]

FWIW, I shoot all three "squirrel" calibers mentioned here and all will take the lil' critters.  One thing that I recently started to do was to shoot SWISS powder in all three guns.  Accuracy was somewhat improved, but fouling was greatly minimized.  Cleanup time was cut in half.

James

[northmn]

An English styled half stock in flint or percussion would be a neat thing.
Shotgun butt and compact dimensions and if the maker knows what he's doing
this type of rifle is a fine one to own even if not used.

Bob Roller

Looking at that type of design for a fast twist 33 barrel I have.  Would be very scaled down, but kind of fun.  Very anti English as they liked a 60 as a small bore and would ahve considered anything less than a 50 probably marginal on squirrel

DP