Most everyone who knows me understands my opinion of the .45 caliber. And the .36 when it comes to general shooting and small game. I confess that the .32 keeps banging on the door to be with his .36 brother. What about you guys?
I like the .45 and the .40 , I`ve never owned a .36 , but did have a .32 for a while the one thing I can say about them all is they are accurate , and cheap to shoot ! and I`ve seen many a deer that was taken with a .45 !
.45 and .50 for me. I don't squirrel hunt with a rifle just a shotgun. I have a .54 but never hunted with it.
All of my guns are strictly for hunting or self-defense. I am not aware of any black powder clubs in my area and I am basically a loner. I don't play well with others.
Quote from: Patocazador on January 04, 2023, 02:54:28 PM
.45 and .50 for me. I don't squirrel hunt with a rifle just a shotgun. I have a .54 but never hunted with it.
All of my guns are strictly for hunting or self-defense. I am not aware of any black powder clubs in my area and I am basically a loner. I don't play well with others.
The .45 is my favorite, of course, but shooting the little guys is just so much fun...and cheap. I've killed a lot of squirrels with the .32 but the .36 is my small game/varmint and knockabout rifle. Don't like small game hunting with a shotgun and have always preferred a rifle. I was a loner too and that's the way I liked it.
...and I don't mind being thought of as mean and unsociable. (https://i.ibb.co/ZBNDdWC/weak10-1.jpg)
I can miss with any caliber. I bet I can miss with a bigger caliber than you blah
Quote from: bmtshooter on January 06, 2023, 10:22:14 PM
I can miss with any caliber. I bet I can miss with a bigger caliber than you blah
Try a shotgun .. very hard to miss on a close shot.
Quote from: bmtshooter on January 06, 2023, 10:22:14 PM
I can miss with any caliber. I bet I can miss with a bigger caliber than you blah
No way! I have a talent for missing with any kind of device that makes noise and fires a projectile. That also includes BB guns, pellet guns, slingshots, axe/knife/rocks and sticks. I can even miss when I cast aspersions.
The .45 was a nice discovery for me a couple years ago when I came into an older percussion cap, longrifle type model.
Less powder and less recoil, generally, compared to the .54 I have used for years. Not that the .54 has objectionable recoil for me, it doesn't. But the .45 is a bit "daintier" I would say.
Both are great, as are are the other calibers being mentioned here. Keep 'em shootin', friends.
I love my 40s for paper targets but I usually use 50, 54 and 58 for hunting and targets.
When shooting gongs or where the edge of the ball is scored I prefer the 54 or 58.
The 40 makes the cleanest most easily scored holes and my 32 works but will not shoot accurately with more than 18 grains of 3f so I stopped using it when I got my first 40.
I haven't hunted small game like rabbits and squirrels in years but a 32 or 36 is better for them unles you can reliably shoot for the head every time.
I've killed deer with my .54 U.S. M1841 & the .62 smoothbore & prb. I also have killed many with various .50 rifles and I love that rifle. But the .45s have carried most of the weigh. The latest rifle I've bought, and that was several years ago, has a beautiful tiger striped stock and a nice Rice swamped .50 barrel. It is only a few oz heavier than my .45. It's never hunted, and since I no longer hunt myself, it will remain a jewel in my collection. That .50 weighs 7 lbs & 2 oz. The go-to .45 is 7 lbs even.
With my fat, fumbly, arthritic fingers 50cal is about the smallest I fool with. And two of my three remaining guns are 54cal.
I like the pee-wee shooters not only because they are accurate but also because a pound of powder and a pound of lead lasts and lasts. They go bang and produce lots of smoke like the big ones and make holes in targets, small holes, but holes nonetheless.
Quote from: Hanshi on March 14, 2023, 08:58:34 PM
I like the pee-wee shooters not only because they are accurate but also because a pound of powder and a pound of lead lasts and lasts. They go bang and produce lots of smoke like the big ones and make holes in targets, small holes, but holes nonetheless.
another plus , they are generally lighter in weight , and easier to carry for those of us who have damaged shoulders or backs ! my .45 southern half stock rifle weighs in at 6 lbs , that`s with a 34 inch douglas barrel , curly maple stock , and iron mounts ! now that`s not to say they are all light weight , I owned a hopkins and allen under hammer with a 1 1/8 inch diameter barrel that was 42 inches in length ! it needed wheels ! lol , do not think I could shoot it today without something to prop the barrel on !
Yes, the .45s are generally a good bit lighter than many other calibers. I do have another fine .45 that was originally a .40 until a bore accident that Bobby Hoyt fixed. As a .40 it weighed well over 8 lbs with the 38" X "B" weight GM barrel. After being made into a .45 barrel it now weighs 7 lbs 11 oz.
Quote from: Hanshi on March 24, 2023, 09:35:57 PM
As a .40 it weighed well over 8 lbs with the 38" X "B" weight GM barrel. After being made into a .45 barrel it now weighs 7 lbs 11 oz.
Not much of an improvement but with that small increase in diameter, I wouldn't expect the barrel to be much lighter.
Slightly off the subject, I had a Ruger rifle with a bull barrel that was a tack driver. It was ungodly front-heavy so I had the barrel fluted. It didn't lose any accuracy but is now sorta well-balanced. Since most muzzleloaders are octagonal, it probably wouldn't work to flute it BUT it might be worthwhile to make it into a round barrel to decrease the weight. [hmm]
The .45 -that use to be a .40 - is still the heaviest flintlock rifle I own. My smoothbore is a flintlock and weighs barely a few oz more.