Anyone making smaller caliber Kentucky rifles?

[Float Pilot]

I have only ever owned 4 or 5 black powder rifles.
A 54 caliber Lyman Great Plains (which I used to harvest a couple caribou )
A 58 caliber Kodiak double.
a 577 caliber Enfield
a 58 caliber Zouve carbine
and a 69 caliber Brown Bess re-pro.

Well I have been thinking about another, but I do not see the need to blow off huge amounts of powder and even harder to find lead.

SO...... I was thinking of something like a traditional squirrel rifle in something like 36 caliber.

Does anyone make a small caliber traditional long rifle these days ?

 

[4v50 Gary]

Private builders will.

I forgot which company, but they imported a .36 cal half stock squirrel gun.

 

[ROAshooter]

go visit the "Dixie Gun Works"...they have several choices in smaller caliber bp rifles...both flint and percussion.....32...36...45

 

[moonpie]

Armslist has three listed. one of them is listed as nib Gander Mountain Traditions . i liked the CVA squirrel rifle posted below it .

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The original CVA Squirrel rifle was a darn nice little 32 cal. They generally bring more now than when new. The barrels are light and short, so, not quite the thing if you are accustomed to longer heavy barrel traditional length guns. Had one until someone visited my house when I was away. Guess they needed it more than I did.

 

[StrawHat]

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/sch...-frontier-frontier-maple-flintlock-model.html

32 and 36, from the factory. 45 also available and still a small bore.

 

[loose noose]

Strawhat, I've got the Pedersoli in the .32 flintlock, it is a really sweet gun to shoot, very accurate and casting the .310 balls is very easy. I bought the kit from Dixie and it was nothing at all to assemble.

 

[Rojelio]

Cabelas sells a Traditions Crockett rifle in .32 cal. Not a long rifle, more of a Hawken style.

I've never owned one, but, people who have say they are good shooters.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Trad...black+powder&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

 

[Float Pilot]

For some reason the Dixie web site is not letting me see anything except this months sale items...

 

[LeonCarr]

A buddy has two small caliber muzzleloader squirrel rifles...a .32 and a .36, both caplocks.

He uses cast pure lead 00 Buckshot to load the .32 and cast pure lead 000 Buckshot to load the .36. He neck shot a turkey at 42 yards last year with the .36.

He bought both of his from Dixie Gun Works kits. I think they are both Euroarms (Italy).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[44 Dave]

Years ago I built a Dixie squirrel rifle, still have it. I chose .4o because if I ever wanted to deer hunt with it .40 is the smallest Wisconsin allows for muzzle loading deer season.

 

[CraigC]

I've got a Pedersoli .32.

 

[Float Pilot]

Hmmm, Float Pilot Like....!

 

[Jaymo]

I bet they don't make it in a southpaw version.

 

[Float Pilot]

Craig,
how did you manage to find a 32 caliber? Cabelas only list them down to 45 caliber and I can't find a 32 listed anyplace other than the Pedersoli web site.

What type of velocity can the little 45 grain round ball achieve from that rifle?

 

[StrawHat]

I built a flintlock 32 caliber with a 37 inch barrel. I have never shot it over a chronogragh so I can not answer your question. I have used cast and swage balls in it and also the appropriate buckshot and all shot good enough to hunt small game. Is building your own an option?

If not, 32 or 36 caliber barrels are available from some of the sutlers. Find a barrel and put it in one of the rifles available from the manufactures in larger calibers. The 32 is a small hole so I would suggest something with a 13/16" barrel or smaller.

 

[CraigC]

Craig,
how did you manage to find a 32 caliber? Cabelas only list them down to 45 caliber and I can't find a 32 listed anyplace other than the Pedersoli web site.

Got it from Dixie Gun Works. Never chronographed it and have shot it very little.

Here's one:
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_92_186_191&products_id=11601

Here's mine:
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_92_186_191&products_id=11603

 

[Float Pilot]

I just figured out why Cabela's prices are lower. Their Pedersoli made offerings are less fancy and lack the patch box. They must have made a deal with Pedersoli to make economy models.

 

[Float Pilot]

Is it true that Flint locks cannot use fake black powder like pyrodex??

Deciding on ignition type....and true black powder is kinda hard to get in Alaska

 

[mykeal]

Synthetic black powders are not reliable in flintlocks. They have a higher ignition temperature than real black powder and may, repeat, may, not ignite from the hot gas produced by the pan primer. One work around is to use a duplex charge of 5 to 10 grains of real black under your regular charge of synthetic powder. You still need real black, but it'll last a lot longer.

 

[swopjan]

They can use substitutes but in my experience that equals much slower ignition time. My first black powder rifle was a flintlock in .45 and the first time I fired it was at the TMLRA shoot this past March. I was shooting a substitute and getting a lot of fizz-bang, one of the guys there suggested I try real black and let me use his, ignition was instantaneous as if I were shooting a cartridge gun.

Since the subs have a hotter ignition temp, I guess the priming powder takes a noticeable amount of time to get to that temperature. I only use the substitutes in my percussion revolvers since there's no delay there.

 

[ThomasT]

Float Pilot this rifle has been the object of my desire for several years now. It also comes in .32 caliber but not the .36 caliber for some reason. I have owned a couple of .36 caliber guns and they are fun. I like to shoot 38 hollow based wadcutter bullets in them. I think that bullet would cleanly take a deer and the RBs would be for small game and plinking. I had a TC Seneca in 36 cal and like a real dumb b*tt sold it. But I know where its at.:banghead:

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_92_186_191&products_id=5914

Pedersoli makes excellent guns. I had a 50 cal Blue Ridge from Cabellas. Nice gun but I wish I would have got the 45 caliber.

The .45 is my favorite of all the BP bores. I have a Cabellas Hawkin I bought in kit form for $129 plus shipping about 1997. That has been a really fun rifle. Big enough for deer especially with 200gr Lee REAL bullets and with a light load it works for small game hunting. But its heavy. Like 9 pounds. The rifle in the link weighs around 6 pounds.

I have never owned flinter but have shot a couple. I see where they could be very addictive. If I could figure out how to knapp my own flints I would have one muy pronto. Actually the first one I shot I had to knapp a flint for. I worked OK but not perfectly like it would have with a proper flint.

 

[mike.h]

I have the little CVA 36 cal percussion....hmmm, that reminds me, I never finished it.
Sweet, a new project!

 

[Float Pilot]

COPIED FROM MY OTHER THREAD OF QUESTIONS:

Besides the lack of a patch box. Are there any differences between the Pedersoli Kentucky and the Pedersoli Frontier ?

I really like the patch box on the Kentucky.

I have been price shopping....

For the Pedersoli Kentucky the high price on my list was $780 for percussion and $820 for flint.
The low price was $635 for percussion and $680 for flint.

For the Frontier Rifle the high was $795 percussion & $815 flint and the low was $549 percussion and $599 flint.

 

[Armored farmer]

The guys at my b/p club have been building .36s and .40s for squirrel hunting. They claim they shoot 'cleaner' than the .32s. I have a CVA .32 Squirrel Rifle, and it does foul with only a few shots. I have taken a bunch of squirrels with it though.
I did a pre-1840 camp/squirrel hunt last year on our property. Hope to do it again this year.