38 cal. 46" barrel...a wt or b wt??????

[WaterFowl]

Looking  for advise...planning a build  using a 46" bbl 38 cal. flint....squirrel rifle....for balance should I use a swamped A wt. or B wt. Thanks for your time    

ash stock 13 3/4 lop
slim and trim.
50 yard range.

[Kermit]

Not much advise here, just similar plans. I already have a curly ash blank and a barrel. Mine's a Rice A-wt .40 x 46". Plan to make it long and slender. I'm thinking pretty plain, letting the wood and the architecture speak out.

Do you have a lock in mind? What "school" are you thinking of?

[E.vonAschwege]

For what it's worth, I'd go with an A weight - but I'm inclined towards most things light weight. 

[tallbear]

I would defiantly go with a tapered and faired barrel.The most accurate offhand gun I ever owned was a .40 b weight.Offhand I preferred the extra weight of the B over the A which seemed a little whippy to me.But then I'm not a little guy so that may have some bearing Hope this helps.

Mitch

[Long John]

With 38 caliber you better keep the shots to the head if you are hunting gray squirrels!  With a 36 there is little need to gut them if you hit the body.

Mine has a 42 inch A weight barrel and weighs about 8 pounds.



It is deadly on everything up to coyotes.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[billd]

Rice makes a 46" A weight??

[Kermit]

Rice makes a 46" A weight??

Yup.

[JDK]

Don't see it listed on their site.  The Golden Age 46" is only listed in "B" and "C" weight.  Are they a special run?  J.D.

[WaterFowl]

Charles  Burton will make one.

[Osprey]

I would ask how you squirrel hunt?  Walk all day?  Stump sit and wait for them to come to you?

If you walk and move all day go with the lighter A weight and find a branch or tree trunk to rest on for shots.  If you tend to sit a lot or shoot offhand then the heavier B weight barrel will steady your shots.

I always tend to err on the lighter side for hunting guns.  Always seem able to find a branch to rest on for a shot and after a long day hunt I'm not wore out.   

[WaterFowl]

Currently shoot a 42"GM A wt. 36 in ash.
This will be a taped flared barrel...
Only concern is the extra 4" of slim  waist using an A wt. barrel.
Trying to stay away from excessive nose weight.
Still hunt.sit move sit....small wood lots.
Not opposed to adding weight under the butt plate for balance.
All input welcome...Thanks...Dan

[hanshi]

Thinking in terms of carrying it a lot through the woods with plenty of "rests" to shoot from, the "A" weight makes a lot of sense to me.  It will be a bit nose heavy anyway with a barrel that long.  Swamped makes sense.

I'm looking to build a .32 x 42" poor boy squirrel rifle.  The Rice barrel I've chosen isn't cataloged either; it's their "squirrel" barrel and is swamped.  I like light weight, within reason, for carrying purposes.  A rifle can gain weight fast after the sun has been up a bit.

[David R. Pennington]

Recently acquired a 48" straight 13/16 .45. While not exactly squirrel rifle I'm trying to come up with an inspiration for this build. I'm thinking plain iron mount. Definitely "long and  slim". Anyone ever build a four footer? I've squirrel hunted with  .45 and .50. Definitely head shots or "bark" them. All that's left after head shots is a flap of hide and a couple ears. My grandmother would not have approved. She treated squirrel brains as a delicacy!. 

[Kermit]

That'll be a nose heavy rifle. I have one that's a .50 x 48" x straight 3/4" deHass barrel, and it took a little getting used to. Dang thing shoots the best of all my dlintlocks though, and I'm acustomed to it now. Not a gun to take on a long day's still hunt. I'd be tuckered before lunch.

[jamesthomas]

 A .50 caliber with a 3/4 inch barrel? your sure about that? I thought the minimum was 7/8ths? I would not think ANYBODY would dare make a barrel that thin! you barely have a 1/4 inch of spare metal  . Talk about soldering the sights an barrel lugs on!!.

[bob in the woods]

I believe that Getz used to make a 13/16th  .50 cal barrel.

[Kermit]

James, I doubt my own memory myself several times a day, so you're in good company. So I just checked, and you'd be right. It's 7/8". Getting my rifles mixed up. Guys like me shouldn't be allowed to own guns!

 

But I DO have an A-wt .40 x 46" fer sher.