the big black powder shoot in Madison Indiana is this month and I'm off work.

last year I was torn between a .45cal tc Cherokee and the .36 and .32. they were percussion cap and looked new. now I have a few inclines and a tc hawkin .50 but was thinking squirrel hunting with a small cal would be fun( I don't really like eating squirrel a lot) and we kill more than I want to eat.

I thought the small cal would be great using less powder and lead but I'd could still legally deer hunt with a .45 min in IN.

then I start thinking a flint lock would be cool...c


then reality hits and my eyes and open sights on a squirrel may just be nothing but frustration. I did shoot a gray with my .50cal when I was a teen. it made its head like a peez dispenser. I moved up the tree when I shot and hit it in the neck.

a .32 may be a pain with more fouling I was thinking but have no experience with them to be sure.

what would you smoke pole guys recommend. o ans the 36 and .32 were also 250 to 300 more in cost.

40 cal is sweet ....lots of balls to the box ...or if your like me...many balls to a pound of lead.

50 grains of powder too

We can shoot deer in NH with a 40 cal muzzleloader too.

Nice plinking cal

I've never owned a .32, but I do have a .36 and really enjoy shooting it.

Yep, Nessie's played the game..Had a .32 flinter Dixie Gun Works TN Mtn squirrel rifle, and a
.36 flinter built by Jack Garner of TVM and loved them both, but the .40 is the sweet spot on less fouling, and can also be used on larger game.

Very versatile, sorta like a multi-species trap so to speak.

PF, I thought the blackpowder nationals were in Friendship, IN?
..
At least they were in the 90's when I attended for a few yrs....Seems like Madison was close by though.

I had and sold a .32 and now have a .36, a .50, and a .62. I wish the .36 was a .40 or .45.

your correct I was drawing a blank and Madison is what came to mind. I had a rough night with bad headache and I never get those.

sounds like maybe stick with a 45 then so it would still be legal to shoot deer with. sounds like I was right guessing the smaller cals would foul quickly. bonus is it will be cheaper. I used to love casting its getting time to slow down and start enjoying life again. Black powder is a great was to do just that.


old tc precision cap or flint lock and if flint lock what do you looked for. I know nothing about them.

No problem, it's a great atmosphere there...My first year we arrived early in the morning and slept in the car on the ridge above the valley where the event is held...Right at daybreak they opened up at the range, and the sound of all those black powder rifles going off made me think this has to be similar to how a civil war skirmish might have sounded.

Many years ago the event was held over in Rising Sun, IN. near the OH river.

anyone ever make their own powder? just on the other side of my property lime is a cave that's been chisled out and looks to have been used for that purpose.

Know someone who made it...The problem with that is black powder is hygroscopic, meaning it pulls moisture from the atmosphere rendering the powder useless in humid environments.

The powder needs to be glazed to seal the granules, and it's much more complex than making the powder itself.

I own a .36 cal poor boy flinter that has been tuned and is a tack driver. Too small for deer but that's what my .50 cal Jager is for.

25gr FFFg under a patched .440 round ball is crazy accurate at 25 yards and will easily take a squirrel

so then you did use a little more lead but a little less powder and you have a gun that can shoot squirrel to deer and even a red coat general off his horse at 325 yards.

this is why 46cal were so popular in 1775 one gun with different loads could shoot it all

My recommendation would be get all the above

Personally, I would build my own or have one built with a flint lock....Flinters just have more charm, plus Indiana is full of flint nodules you could knap and always have ignition independent of manufactured caps if needed.

Another thing is if you build a.40 or.45, go with a barrel 13/16" across the flats if it's a longrifle, to keep it light, nimble, and well balanced...Also, would want a 3/8" ramrod.



If it's a Hawken or plains rifle build, go 15/16" barrel flats to retain the beef & strength of that design.

Check out the rifle makers at Friendship, those builders will fill you in as to what qualities, parts, etc. have stood the test of time...The neat thing about building a muzzleloader is you control the variables & end up with a much higher quality result than a T/C, CVA, Lyman or other factory cookie cutter brands, IMO.

This stinks to hear. like said above or below a flint lock would alow us to not rely on needing caps. one of the dry creeks where I hunt Is full of flint. so just some education then practice knaping and I will never be at the mercy of the primer or cap manufacturers.

now if I only had my 20 year old eyes again fot the open sights.

wider blade out front and a peep rear

I have the marbles bullseye on a couple MZLDRS it fits in the 3/8 dove tale most rear sights go in

now I am not sure they will let you shoot in traditional competitions with it but it works nice

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1828132532

Move that rear sight ..towards the front blade...for those old eyes

Just came back from a dove hunt. Side by side 12 cap lock. Dont hunt till your tired then drive an hour and a half. Still have to clean it when your done.

Small bore muzzleloaders are great fun. I have shot and hunted squirrels with 32s and 36s, both do the job very well. Its head shots only, both are pretty tough on the squirrel if you hit a shoulder. Similar to 22 mag damage. They definitely save on powder and lead. Are very low recoil. If you use a good liquid lube, you can shoot at the range all day with no more fouling issues than larger bores. For hunting i have been using rendered coon grease, and that lets me get 8 to 10 shots easily before i notice any fouling buildup.

As to prices. In my kind there is no such thing as an economy flintlock. Mass produced flintlocks are hit or miss as far as lock reliability. And nothing will sour you faster on flinters than a poor lock. Soft frizzens, poor springs, bad timing and incorrect geometry, seen them all on commercial flintlocks. Save your pennies and find a good used custom. Built with a good lock. Siler, Chambers, most L&R's. Those are good locks.

As far as sights, move the rear sight forward. Many originals have evidence of the sight being moved forward multiple times. A wide notch also helps.

Or, get a fowler. Load it with 6's for squirrels and rabbits. 4's for turkey and a big ol roundball for deer.

Had a 36 seneca shot well and since that was long before the internet with all its advice I ran boxes of .358 hornady 158 grain lead slugs thru it with excellent accuracy It was illegal for deer Actual reg was roundball only 44 cal. or larger at that time so i sold it Now own a 45. cal. seneca and love it