[ed dixon]

My next BP purchase is likely to be a long gun for squirrels. Does the .32 or the .36 better fit the job?

[Chawbaccer]

If yo are gonna eat them it won't matter much because anything other than a head shot just makes a mess of the critter. Go with the 36, it will be easier to load.

[Brian Williams]

Go with a 36 and be able to do head shots or get a 45 or 50 and learn to bark them. Barking a Squirrel is done by shooting just below the belly of the squirrel and hitting the tree bark just so that the shock or impact of the bullet hitting the tree will knock the squirrel out and if done right it will kill them with out breaking the skin. When you learn to bark squirrels you will soon learn to approach them with your knife out and when you get to the down squirrel you cut off it's head while it is laying on the ground. They sometimes wake up after being stunned like this and bite.

[Bandit01]

A S&W 500 :neener:

[countertop]

Barking squirrels is great. Get a .45 Pennsylvania rifle and do it the right way.

[Cap n Ball]

Yep, barking is the tried and true method.

[Brian Williams]

It can be done with a 36 but tis harder.

[HighVelocity]

edit: sorry, missed the BP part.

[Vern Humphrey]

The .36 was the traditional squirrel caliber. A lot of old timers chose it for squirrel hunting, and as the barrel wore out (usually rusted out, due to poor cleaning) would have it "freshed out" to a larger caliber. Hence you find a lot of squirrel rifles in larger calibers, but they usually started as .36s.

I used to use my Bob Watts .45 flintlock for squirrels, but Arkansas law makes that illegal.

[Tinker2]

I have had .32 .34 .36 CAL SQUIRREL RIFLES.

I liked the .32 the best, .34 next

[1911 guy]

I use a pedersoli .36 cal flinlock and like it. Only 20 gr of FFF and I get good results. Just remember that you'll probably have to swab out every couple shots, as smaller bores foul faster. That's one reason all the military BP guns were larger bore.

[arcticap]

Although I have not muzzle loaded for squirrel yet, I plan on using my muzzle loading shotgun before I use my .36 percussion rifles. (I also prefer using my .410 shotgun instead of a .22 rifle.) I've found that even a single ball of #6 shot to the head or chest can kill a squirrel. A small moving target like a squirrel (in a leafy tree) would give the shotgun several advantages. However, if you prefer a rifle, the .36 may provide some advantages over the .32 if you decide to hunt small game larger than squirrel while in the woods. Also, I have been reading that #000 buckshot has a diameter of .350 and is identical and cheaper than regular retail .350 round balls (by a mile!).
Note: Remember that every animal dies with it's eyes open. If they are closed, it's only unconcious. :D

[wdlsguy]

Am I the only one creeped out at firing a rifle up into a tree? What goes up must come down. The only thing I'm willing to fire into the sky is a shotgun.

[Brian Williams]

Round balls do not go far when using to bark squirrels, besides it is half way there with a Pennsylvania rifle to do it.

[Zeke/PA]

I shoot a T.C. Seneca in .36 cal with good results on squirrels.
I also use my Ruger Old Army with deadly results.
Squirrels cook up with a excellent rich dark brown gravey that goes good with homade biscuits.
Respectfully, Zeke

[Tinker2]

I use a .32 cal flintlock and love it. I use FF in the barrel and pan.
The FF is more consistent shot to shot and more reliable in the pan.
I use Birchwood casey black powder bore solvent as my patch lube
and my bore is not fouled any more then if I only shot it once.

Zeke/PA

I use 15 gr. FF and the same volume of oat meal in my Ruger Old Army.
offhand pop cans at 100 yards.

P.S. The oat meal is on top of the powder.

[Zeke/PA]

Tinker,
That is an interesting load for the Old Army and I will try it soon.
My pet load is 25grs of fffg with enough corn meal to seat a .457 round ball about 1/16" from the face of the cylinder.
As in my previous posts I'll say it again, the Old Army is the most accurate handgun that I own and I do in fact use it on squirrels with super results.
Respectfully, Zeke

[oneshooter]

I use a 36cal 3/4stocked flint rifle w/25gr 3f and a PRB. Good for 75yds. Another old trick is to use a "squirrel dog" who is trained to go to the other side of the tree and bark. The squirrel will come to your side to hide from the noise. BANG. :evil:

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

[1911 guy]

This is a great way to hunt! Like I mentioned before, I use a .36 flintlock to hunt squirrels and my lab wouldn't know what to do about a duck. She's broke in on squirrels and I love it. When she was a pup, about 8 years ago, I'd put a skin in a paper bag and play with her and the bag. To her, tree rats = fun! Chases them with a vengance. Keeps them out of my bird feeders, too. I agree about barking them, and also about round balls losing velocity fairly quickly in reference to shooting up. I'm far more concerned about a .22 LR, the traditional squirrel gun. I understand about not buying many different powders, but I use FFFF exclusively in my pan, 20 gr. FFF under the ball.