Squirrel Rifle

[Bob Roller]

There were 30 caliber Whitworth rook rifles and boy's rifles and I have seen and handled them.
Exquisite craftsmanship with small 4 screw locks. A lot of the long range muzzle loaders had pistol grip
stocks but there were others that didn't. Maybe Taylor or Daryl can post some pictures of this type
of rifle. It can be made into a flintlock easier than a caplock for a small game rifle.
I pulled up pictures of various English target rifles last night by typing <Whitworth rook rifles> and hitting "search" and
there they were.This design can be scaled down and a straight grip stock is fine. High quality locks and seldom ever a
set trigger with the are exception of a single set on the caplock versions. The full size match rifles in .451 are single trigger only.
 
Bob Roller

[Kermit]

Occurs to me that if small balls are proving difficult to handle with big fingers in cold weather, you simply need to resort to the use of those two thoroughly documented and completely HC items, the bullet board and the short starter.
 

[iloco]

When those of you that talk about fouling how many shots before its hard to load a ball.
  Is it because of the smaller bore in the 32 or is it the powder.

[Pvt. Lon Grifle]

You can take a fired 38 Special case or a 357M case and put your charge in the case and then close the mouth with a patched RB. Very easy to pull the patched ball, charge the gun and run the ball down to seat. HC in the very late flintlock era.  Lon

[Daryl]

Bob- this is my .32- that Jim Chambers converted to flint for me. An especially fun rifle to shoot.

[hanshi]

When those of you that talk about fouling how many shots before its hard to load a ball.
  Is it because of the smaller bore in the 32 or is it the powder.

Neither, actually.  It's the lube that makes it possible along with a snug fit of prb in the bore.

[david50]

When those of you that talk about fouling how many shots before its hard to load a ball.
  Is it because of the smaller bore in the 32 or is it the powder.

Neither, actually.  It's the lube that makes it possible along with a snug fit of prb in the bore.

what Hanshi said. i just dont get all the talk about fouling in these small bores,i've owned more .32's than i can remember and have never hade a problem with it. i use mink oil or Hoppes #9+ for lube,dependant on the weather.

[Dogshirt]

The wife has a .32. Using pre-screwed patches it has to be wiped every 3 shots. Using spit patches she can do a 32 shot trail shoot with out swabbing. It's ALL in the lube.

[stone knife]

I had a .32 for squirrels but now I like my .62 smoothie with 6's like stated before no worries about a single projectile going astray.

[northwoodsdave]

I hunt small game with a .36.  It gives me more leeway on game size than a .32, and it also is easier to load.  My .36 was also coned some time in the past, so loading without a short starter is easy.  I have to admit not knowing when that was done, since all the metal parts date to the 1870's or 80's, including the lock and barrel.  Only the maple stock is modern.

  

[gunmaker]

English "rook" rifle 1/2 or full stock.  Late Ketland flint by Chambers---or Roller.  Nice walnut blank.  .32 cal. 3/4" swamped bbl by Mr. Rayl.  just a thought.     ....Tom

[Daryl]

When those of you that talk about fouling how many shots before its hard to load a ball.
  Is it because of the smaller bore in the 32 or is it the powder.

I find my rifle easy to shoot - all day. The smaller the ball, the easier it is to conform to the rifling and with a normal lube, it loads easily- even with a bore sized ball .320" and .0235" patch. I also use a .311" ball and the same patch- still easy loading, fouling never builds up. I use 35gr. 3f for most shooting but sometimes load 40gr. for the shots around or over 100yards.  Whether I use WWWF with some Neetsfoot oil added, straight Neetsfoot or TRACK'S Mink oil for lube, loading is easy and the 80th shot goes down as easily as the first. With the oils, loading is actually easier with the 2nd through the 80th, than the first one. Yes- I use a short starter, but - it isn't absolutely necessary, I can push the patched ball into the muzzle with a choked up on, loading rod - it's just quicker and easier with the short starter.

[Daryl]

Sounds like a perfect squirrel rifle to me, Tom - although I'd rather have a 7/8" bl. of 34" to 36" for that 1/2 stocked squirrel gun.
My own 38" X 13/16" bl. feels too light, for me, unless I run the 5/16" steel rod into it's pipes. The 3/4" would be way too light, for a man, ie: this man is 6'1" and 240 lbs. It takes some weight to settle me down, I guess.

[Kopfjaeger]

One of my .32 caliber Southern Rifles is my favorite squirrel rifle.  42" barrel and 3/4" across the flats. Small siler flintlock. All the metal is browned, stock is plain maple. It has double set / double phase triggers. I shoot a .310 ball with a .015 patch lubed with mink oil and a 35 grain charge of 3F Goex. Fouling hasn't been a problem with this load for me. Accuracy ( off bench ) at 50 yards varies between 1/2" to 3/4" if I do my part. It's not a real fancy rifle, but it shoots good and it's light in weight. I don't know exactly what it weights but its a lot ligther than my Lancaster or my two early Virginia rifles. I had a .36 caliber poor boy one time that was a nice rifle I shouldn't of sold it. Hind sight stinks.

[Old Bob]

[WadePatton]

I've got a 46" 30cal A-wt on order from Mr. Burton.  and a Manton to light it.  thinking cherry or walnut, steel, early TN.

(working like nuts on my deer rifle now.  maybe this is the year  )

[gunmaker]

My idea of an Indiana style .32 squirrel rifle. 13/16" X 36" bbl. TC lock & set tgrs., Nice Washington state wood blank, brass trim, silver squirrel PB.  Shoots a ragged hole @ 25 yd. 20 gr 3f .310 PRB .018

[David R. Pennington]

Hey Bob, good shootin with that pea shooter. The difference in it and my .50 with head shots is with the .50 all that's left usually is a flap of hide and two ears.

[Old Bob]

Thanks Rick. I'll probably bring it out next Saturday. Ain't shot it since last squirrel season and need some practice. I never did get around to changing those sights yet. The front one is too low and hard to see in poor light and you know I just can't bring myself to ask those rats to sit still in the sun. By the way, how'd your Pappy like his new play purty? Has he shot it yet? You oughta bring 'em both out next week.

[moleeyes36]

When talking about what type and length of barrel for a .32 think about the weight.  A long, straight octagon barrel in .32 can be pretty nose heavy if it's more than 3/4 inch across the flats.  That's a mighty little bore with a lot metal around it.  Some shooters like a lot of weight up front, but I like a better balanced rifle.  Also, for some of us old guys it can make for a heavy rifle that's no fun when carrying it in the woods all day.

I'm in line with the English Rook Rifle suggested by Bob Roller and Tom and I'm currently gathering the parts for one myself.  A shorter 3/4 inch swamped barrel in .32 inch caliber, as Tom suggested, should make an nice half stock squirrel rifle as would a tapered barrel.  I'm going to use an Oregon .32 caliber, 28 inch barrel tapered from 7/8 to 3/4 in my English Rook Rifle.  It should be a nice handling squirrel rifle I can hobble with through the woods all day. 

Florida is one of the minority of states that allows .40 caliber rifles for deer hunting.  That's probably because our white tailed deer aren't very big.  It's certainly a lot more rifle than is needed for small game hunting but will work okay if you're careful about where you hit them.  I'm going to be hunting deer this season with a .40, but I'll let a big wild hog alone when I'm hunting with it.  I've been treed by a big boar hog in the past and I don't want to do that again.

Don Richards

[hanshi]

Originally, I used a Traditions Crockett .32 for squirrels and it was/is a superior small game rifle.  Years later I got a .36 SMR flint and now use that for small game.  My squirrel load in the .36 is 20grns of JBP or Goex 3F and a .350" ball.  The Crockett likes 20grns to 30grns of the same powders and a .311" ball.  Both can do under an inch at 50 yards, which is farther than I shoot, now.

[Old Bob]

When talking about what type and length of barrel for a .32 think about the weight.  A long, straight octagon barrel in .32 can be pretty nose heavy if it's more than 3/4 inch across the flats.  That's a mighty little bore with a lot metal around it.  Some shooters like a lot of weight up front, but I like a better balanced rifle.  Also, for some of us old guys it can make for a heavy rifle that's no fun when carrying it in the woods all day.

I'm in line with the English Rook Rifle suggested by Bob Roller and Tom and I'm currently gathering the parts for one myself.  A shorter 3/4 inch swamped barrel in .32 inch caliber, as Tom suggested, should make an nice half stock squirrel rifle as would a tapered barrel.  I'm going to use an Oregon .32 caliber, 28 inch barrel tapered from 7/8 to 3/4 in my English Rook Rifle.  It should be a nice handling squirrel rifle I can hobble with through the woods all day. 

Florida is one of the minority of states that allows .40 caliber rifles for deer hunting.  That's probably because our white tailed deer aren't very big.  It's certainly a lot more rifle than is needed for small game hunting but will work okay if you're careful about where you hit them.  I'm going to be hunting deer this season with a .40, but I'll let a big wild hog alone when I'm hunting with it.  I've been treed by a big boar hog in the past and I don't want to do that again.

Don Richards

That's why I cut off 4 inches of the 42 inch 13/16 GM barrel I used. I knew I was eventually going to use a brass rod for hunting. It extends about 5 inches past the muzzle. I made a wood rod for it but sometimes I get clumsy when I'm hurrying to get another shot loaded. The wood underrib trimmed a very small amount of weight, not enough to notice. Besides, this is a halfstock and I think 38 inches is the maximum length for it to look right. It balances quite well for me.

In West Virginia we can use .38 cal. rifles but I'm not in favor of it. I've used a .40 and have not been real impressed. I did kill one once, but it was with a .41 Mag cast for a pistol. I've had 2 .395 balls pass straight through (one at extreme close range) and the deer walked away. I believe in shock power and a .40 ain't got it. For squirrels, it's too much if you get a body shot, but I've killed a bunch with it. I have two of them and I like 'em. Great target rifle though you have to be able to dope the wind at 100 when it's windy. When I have the time I'm going to experiment with slugs in the .32 and see what it can do at 100 yards.

[moleeyes36]

The deer in the northern states like WV are a lot bigger than the typical 100 - 110 pound buck taken in FL.  A .40 caliber rifle is quite sufficient for an animal that size.  In some of the northern states that allow smaller caliber rifles than .45 have deer a lot larger than FL and hunters there use the smaller caliber rifles with success.  I think it's more about where you place the shot when using a .40 caliber rifle for deer hunting.

Don Richards

[Daryl]

My idea of an Indiana style .32 squirrel rifle. 13/16" X 36" bbl. TC lock & set tgrs., Nice Washington state wood blank, brass trim, silver squirrel PB.  Shoots a ragged hole @ 25 yd. 20 gr 3f .310 PRB .018

Mu .32 Tenn. rifle did that as well, gunmaker - putting 5 into a slightly oblong ball sized hole at 25 yards with 20gr. I found, though, that at 50yards, that .311" ball and 20gr. spread out to over 2", but with 35gr., it held onto a 1" group. Any less, or more would start spreading out. This is rest shooting, of course, just as you would in the squirrel woods , but there, of course, it would be off a log, tree, branch or whatever - to hit that little head.

[Old Bob]

The deer in the northern states like WV are a lot bigger than the typical 100 - 110 pound buck taken in FL.  A .40 caliber rifle is quite sufficient for an animal that size.  In some of the northern states that allow smaller caliber rifles than .45 have deer a lot larger than FL and hunters there use the smaller caliber rifles with success.  I think it's more about where you place the shot when using a .40 caliber rifle for deer hunting.

Don Richards

They're great for head shots. The two I lost using a round ball were both lethal shots or should have been. One from the front in the heart area at about 15 yds. and the other from the side behind the shoulder  in the heart at less than 10 yds. I was able to track the last one for quite a ways and after a fairly heavy initial blood loss, the trail petered out to a few scattered drops to none and by that time the deer had gotten into an area where tracking was impossible due to a large amount of fresh tracks of other deer. Neither deer was big, no more than 110 to 115 lbs. I prefer a heavier ball. I can't be guaranteed a clean head shot.