32 flint or cap

[Tasbay]

Thanks for the info guys. I think im set on the flint. Now im second guessing whether i want the 32 or 36. The more i read bout the 36 it might be a little more versatile. The only thing i will be shooting with it is cans paper and snowshoe hair.

If you looked at something like the Pedersoli Hawken or Kentucky rifle they have generic locks that are common on a few of the Pedersoli firearm range ,so the flintlock can be swapped for the Caplock by just switching the vent/flash hole for the drum and nipple. I have one of each of the above rifles and just swap locks as I feel the need. When I got My Kentucky second-hand it arrived with both the Flint and percussion locks. Certainly removes the dilemma of flint or percussion.

[toot]

I hallways discharge all of my weapons be fore i exit the woods when done hunting at the end of the day. never bring any of them home loaded, i know a cap lock is considered unloaded with out a cap and a flinter unloaded with no powder in the pan! but when you discharge them they are unloaded!.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

The flintlock depends on low-pressure powder gases entering through the vent, so you can't reduce the vent much below normal diameter. If you tried to make a .17 flintlock long gun, I wouldn't be surprised to find so much gas from the charge leaking away, that either the projectile wouldn't make it out of the muzzle, or its velocity would be excessively unpredictable.

A .32 wouldn't be anywhere near that bad, and would probably be a very satisfactory firearm for many purposes. But I can't imagine it giving the accuracy of a larger calibre. A percussion firearm, on the other hand, normally seals the nipple, and even with exceptionally high-pressure rifles, which lift the hammer, the hole in the nipple is too small to materially affect pressure and velocity.

[mooman76]

Actually when accuracy starts to drop off one of the cures is to replace the nipple as the nipple hole gets enlarged from firing.

[Nobade]

I just find 32s exceptionally difficult to shoot at much distance. I have a Dixie 32 Cal flintlock, and at 25 yards you can cover the groups with a dime. At 50 yds it's more like a baseball. It seems like it shouldn't open up that fast but it always does. My larger caliber rifles are much more consistent. I also learned that the 32 ball goes so fast that it blows up squirrels, unless you load it really light. A 40 or 45 causes a lot less damage to them.

[fiberoptik]

I just find 32s exceptionally difficult to shoot at much distance. I have a Dixie 32 Cal flintlock, and at 25 yards you can cover the groups with a dime. At 50 yds it's more like a baseball. It seems like it shouldn't open up that fast but it always does. My larger caliber rifles are much more consistent. I also learned that the 32 ball goes so fast that it blows up squirrels, unless you load it really light. A 40 or 45 causes a lot less damage to them.

How about backing down your load to say, 15-20 grains instead of 30ish?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sharps4590]

32-36....I've tried more than a couple of both. I settled on the 36 simply because I liked it better and, as you mentioned, felt it would be just a bit more versatile. Between the two, I could discern no difference in the accuracy or how destructive either was on small game. Paper ballistics give an advantage to the 36 but the advantage is mostly on paper. Some say cleaning the 32 is more of a pain but I never came to believe that if proper jags and size patches were used. Pick the one you like best and be happy.

[midland man]

is the ramrod on the 36 bigger than the 32??

[Nobade]

is the ramrod on the 36 bigger than the 32??

They're both going to need 5/16" rods since the next size up is 3/8". Unless you could find a metric size between the two.

[scattershot]

Like the old mountain man said,” Them newfangled cap guns will never catch on. With a flinter, ‘long as ye got rocks, ye got fire.”

[Dvedw]

How about backing down your load to say, 15-20 grains instead of 30ish?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep with my 32, 15 grains goex fffg out to 25 yards on squirrel, around 1/4" grouping.

[stubshaft]

Like the old mountain man said,” Them newfangled cap guns will never catch on. With a flinter, ‘long as ye got rocks, ye got fire.”

Amen Brother. Rocklocks rule!

[midland man]

Amen Brother. Rocklocks rule!

i just sold my last percussion rifle now i only own a 45 caliber kentucky rifle in flintlock and soon gonna add a squirrel rifle flintlock only!!

[fiberoptik]

Anyone converted a Dixie poor boy (.32) from cap to flint? Can you go back and forth?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mooman76]

I have converted it from flint to cap, they sell a kit or at least used to. Some day when I have more time and can get into flint seriously, I will convert it back but I wouldn't want to do it all the time. It would put wear on the parts.

[lead chucker]

I got the 32 flint the tracking number says it's out for delivery at the post office. Have to wait till Monday to pick it up. I cast up a bunch of balls last night. Should be fun when I take it out. We have a lot of snowshoe hairs here and spruce hen. I will have to put it to work this fall.

[Good Cheer]

Reading this thread is giving me the itch for another smallish bore.
Maybe something that could shoot round ball but also use .357 molds?

[Nobade]

Reading this thread is giving me the itch for another smallish bore.
Maybe something that could shoot round ball but also use .357 molds?

I have given some thought to getting a custom barrel made that could do that. You'd have to think hard about twist rate, probably keep it as slow as possible and stick with lighter bullets. Get the blank extra long so you can use part of it to make a pre rifling die to size and groove your bullets so they don't need to bump up to seal. It should be workable, just takes money.

[Good Cheer]

Don't think something like a 358311 cast straight lead could work well, lubed or paper patched?

[Nobade]

Probably. Of course you have to keep in mind roundball rifling should be a lot deeper than bullet rifling ideally.