36 caliber VS 32 caliber flintlock rifles for squirrel hunting which one??

[Fyrstyk]

I have hunted squirrels and rabbits for may years with muzzle loaders. My state allows .36 caliber and under with PRB for small game on state owned land where I do most of my hunting. I generally use my .32"s, of which I have several, in the early season. My favorite is a custom .32 NC flint rifle. Once the leaves fall off I usually switch to a .36 in flint or percussion depending on my mood. I like the .36 in the late season because I usually combine predator calling and squirrel/rabbit hunting in each outing. I call for predators (Coyote mostly) from dawn till about 10 AM. Then I switch to squirrel and or rabbit hunting, depending on the location. I find the squirrels like to sleep later in the winter, and the rabbits like to get out in the sun on cold days. I limit my Squirrel and rabbit shooting to head shots. All of my guns are sighted in to be 1" high at 25 yards, which generally puts them dead on at 50 yards and that is about as far as I can shoot accurately with iron sights and my older eyes.

 

[CraigC]

Played with a Pedersoli .32 for a little bit but it fouled so fast it took the fun out of it. Gotta new Kibler .40cal kit to finish for next year. Along with the .62 smoothbore I 'may' get to the woods with this year.

 

[eastbank]

my three little girls from TC, ex small game rifles. .32,.36 and .45. if they had made them in flintlock I would have bought three of them too.

 

[midland man]

well guys I finally taken my first flintlock squirrel here just before deer rifle kicked off last month using that david pedersoli dixie deluxe cub in 36c from dixie gun works and I bought the kit you have to finish and so mine worked out great one shot hit in the neck area and he went down dead right there! now I am hooked on hunting squirrels with a flintlock rifle! p.s. I forgot to add but I also purchased first the traditions Shenandoah rifle in 36c from deer creek and then the dixie deluxe cub just after that and both are very nice rifles but having both I like the pedersoli dixie deluxe cub a bit better than the traditions Shenandoah.

 

[Risky buisness]

yep that cub looks nice I wonder if anyone here has one or had one and their experiences with it??

I've had one for years, it's a .40 flinter and my favorite walk about rifle. Its short. Great lock, and with .390 patched can run with different charges, anything I need for a small - medium game rifle.
As with many other posters. I agree the 32, while fun is in my mind aggravating, due to the size of the components and the fouling and would opt for the 36.

 

[Newtire]

yep that cub looks nice I wonder if anyone here has one or had one and their experiences with it??

I have a caplock Dixie Cub but in .40. Well made and as accurate as they come. Slick rifled bore.

 

[Flintshooter]

I have a .32 Kibler rifle that I love. Since most of my shooting is done with a .65/16 gauge smoothbore, shooting that little .32 with its pftttt report instead of the boom I’m used to is a special treat.
I always shake my head when people talk about .32s fouling up quickly. Years ago when we were all blowing down the barrels after he shot maybe that was a problem. If you swab between shots it isn’t. I don’t believe for a fraction of a second that the squirrel ever lived that is fast enough to move in the time between the ignition of the prime and the main charge. But even a fat, slow fox squirrel is usually going to be gone before you can reload after a miss. Wipe twix shots and there is no problem.
The only .36 I have is a nice little Ohio style halfstock in percussion. As has already been mentioned, the .36 might have a slight advantage with game a little bigger than squirrels like groundhogs. But the .32 is just about ideal for a muzzleloading rifle where squirrels are the quarry.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

I've never shot a .32, I do have a .36 flinter. A couple of years ago I took it out hunting Jackrabbits, shot one at about 40 yards, that little 60 grain pill almost took off it's head. The damage done was surprising.

 

[skeeterfogger]

Shotgun. Shooting bullets up not good idea.