CVA Squirrel .32 was pretty petite!
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CVA Squirrel .32 was pretty petite!
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In reply to size of Crockett rifle. I stand 6' 3", wear a 36" sleeve. The rifle fits me.
I purchased a Crockett for my son, disappointed that it doesn't have a hooked breech.
We have a pair of CVA Squirrel Rifles, only problem is not enough drop in the stock.
The Squirrel Rifles have a 25" barrel compared to the Crockett's 32" barrel,
much easier to maneuver through the woods with.
"only problem is not enough drop in the stock" that's a a big 10-4 on that one. Picked up a cap and a rock lock years ago sight unseen and cannot get my fat punkin head down in sights. Was debating scope but oiled and stuffed awaiting growth of two grandsons.
Hi guys, I just got my first warning within 30 minutes of registering and posting my first post, so I guess this is my first post as the other was deleted. I found this forum and post because I was looking to find out more information on my CVA 32 cal Squirrel rifle. I have found via this post that there is a lot of interest in the rifle that I was not aware of. I've never shot the thing in the ~30 years I've had it because 1) if I got all the stuff to shoot it and didn't like it I was out the money and 2) my wife doesn't like rabbit or squirrel. I've recently gotten into reloading in earnest and began looking into possibly casting my own bullets (my recent procurement is a 45-70) which got me into thinking about the 32 cal again. Besides plinking, what's the use of this rifle?
10-25 grains a pop sure makes a pound of powder last a long time. Tap-O—Cap makes your caps real cheap; Lee makes the mould for it. Can’t shoot cheaper than this!
Best fun ever!!!
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as far as the use of it - it's named "squirrel rifle" for a reason! Tree rats, rabbits and other critters . . . . it will do the job.
The .32 can blow holes through small game and the balls are fast & powerful enough to even kill coyote at a considerable distance.
They say to aim for the head of smaller game to leave some meat left for the pot.
It's a little ball that can be pushed very fast.
Just keep the barrel clean for best accuracy.
I think that 777 3F is a good clean powerful powder for small bores like the .32.
It's also a perfect turkey rifle.
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That's a good question because it depends on shot placement, the size of the coyote and the projectile.
Reading a lot of posts by .32 hunters, I've found a range of opinions on what constitutes a humane kill on coyotes if there is such a thing since
they are known to eat people's pets in my state, and they can grow as large as 50 lbs. or so.
At a range of about 40 yards, a .31 ball can pass through a large coyote's chest and then only run 50-75 yards.
And that's a large one, that could perhaps cover 10 yards per second after being shot.
Since a .32 can generally shoot a 1" group at about 50 yards, which is good enough to be able to hit a target as small as a squirrel,
a .31 ball should be able to produce a lethal head or neck shot on a coyote.
Another .32 hunter described shooting clear through woodchucks at ranges from 70 - 90 yards, with one at 97 yards, for a total of 38 woodchucks.
I recall one .32 hunter who told a story many times about how he took a long shot at a coyote at 125 yards and hit it in the ear which killed it on the spot.
Also, Track of the Wolf sells a .32 Maxiball bullet that weighs 125 grains which retains a lot more energy at a longer distance than a .31 ball that weighs 45 grains.--->>> https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/...1/BALL-32-MAXI
Someone ran a ballistics calculator on the .32 round ball and this is what he found:
"Shooting a .31 diameter roundball (about 45 grains weight) loaded over 35 grains of powder out of a 26" long, 1:66 twist barrel would produce about 2006 fps muzzle velocity. (Based on Lyman data and some interpolation.)
At the muzzle, that gave a energy of 401 ft/lbs
At 20 yards the velocity was down to 1599 fps and 255 ft/lbs of energy.
At 50 yards the velocity was 1153 fps and 133 ft/lbs.
The energy at 50 yards for the .32 muzzleloader is greater than a .32 auto produces at the muzzle and IMO, shooting a coyote with one of these pistols at point blank range should be more than enough to dispatch it."
A lot of these .32 hunters were discussing their Traditions .32 Crockett rifle that has a 32" barrel which can increase performance somewhat.
Others hunt with .32 rifles with even longer barrels such as the woodchuck hunter who was shooting a flintlock.
But the point is that basically, there is not a particular distance limitation for coyote hunting with a .32 except that
it depends on shot placement, eyesight, a person's shooting ability, their load and how well it shoots.
A lot of people use calls to bring the coyote into shooting range.
Last edited by arcticap; 02-28-2019 at 12:48 AM.
The little .32 is one of those rifles like the 6.5x55 that hits all out of proportion to its diameter size. I know I had one and was surprised at hard it hit when I first got it. Sadly like a lot of other guns I should have kept, I sold it in a moment of weakness. james
Who would've thought.. Thanks for the info. In all projectiles of course the shot placement is the number one point with load being the second. I'm familiar with coyotes.. we have plenty here in Iowa. Besides this post I haven't seen much info on these particular rifles. We have black powder hunting season here, but most shoot .45 or .50 for deer. I've got extensive experience with "modern" firearms, but no feel at all for blackpowder..
Think .22 of bp.
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Dandy looking little rifle in the pix. Didn't know the Crockett rifle came with set triggers until now.
Kind'a resembles a T/C Seneca wo/a patch box.
Seem like my Goggle search only listed a traditional 1-48 twist in those few aftermarket & factory barrels I checked on.
I have to add that I think it depends a lot on the tenacity of the individual animal. Shot one thru the chest and it took out a lung and 1/2 of the rib cage. It was found the next day by another castboolit forum member. Quite always from where I shot it too. Shot it with a Lyman 429244 moving close to 1800 FPS out of a .444 Marlin. One tough critter!
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |