What Cal. Next After a .54?

[Dak47]

Contemplating the next move, I have a .54 inbound - Where to now? Was thinking a .36 Leman style rifle and the .36 cap & ball revolvers are just that much easier to find at the moment , too boot, plus less wear and tear on the frame. Jumped in with both feet, so just trying to plan the next move. Bandied about the thought of a .32 but have my reservations....

Have a CZ 550 .375 H&H for when in Moose / Grizz territory lol, for those going the opposite way.....

[GARD72977]

Sounds lke you are addicted.

[waksupi]

Of the smaller caliber rifles I have, I find the .40 to be the most accurate, and carries well to longer range. The smaller bore sizes demand more bore cleaning when shooting.

[stubshaft]

I have to agree with Waksupi. The 32's are fun but can be persnickety to the point where I had Bobby Hoyt punch out one if my Southern Mountain's to .40 cal.

[mooman76]

I started with a 45. Back then the majority of them you seen were 45. Then I picked up a 50. After that a 58 for bigger game like elk and Moose. Then I went with a 32 to economize. After that I got a 36 so it would have a little more umph. And somewhere in between I picked up a 54, not because I wanted a 54 but because I always wanted a T/C Scout and I picked it up at a gunshow at a good price. You might as well just get them all, you eventually probably will anyway.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

You might as well just get them all, you eventually probably will anyway.

They are addictive, I started with just 1 and went from there. My smallest is a 0.46 target rifle with a fast twist. The most accurate is a Parker Hale 0.451 Volenteer which regularly shoots a 500gn boolit into 2MOA most days.

[rfd]

20ga smoothbore fowler.

[sharps4590]

Were you thinking of matching a 36 cal. rifle with a revolver? Your second sentence is a bit unclear. The rifle generally takes a .340-.350 round ball where the revolver takes a .375.

BA Wallace has a point, which many will attest to.

What's you're poison? Small game, varmints, calling predators? As rfd says, there is much to recommend a 20 bore fowler or Trade Gun.

I tried 32's and for squirrels or rabbits I don't know they can be bettered....but, after using both the 32 and 36 for a considerable time I sold the 32's. I just like the 36 better. 40 cal.? I want one but that caliber always struck me as neither fish nor fowl. Yes, it can be loaded down but, you're still busting a squirrel with a 90+ gr. round ball and it's destructive unless a well centered head shot is made. Some say shoot the rib cage and the front legs don't have much meat anyway. Well, the front legs and back of a squirrel happen to be my favorite pieces, thank you very much. It's a bit light for deer and not legal everywhere though it is in Missouri. I also wouldn't use it for deer, legal or not.....but I still want a 40 in either a Vincent Bros. Ohio rifle or a Bedford County flinter.

What's next? Fun deciding, huh!

[bedbugbilly]

All depends on what you want to do with it. I have built and owned .36 and .40 and the .40 is a good squirrel, small game, woodchuck, possum and target caliber. I sold my .40s and kept one .36 . . . I should have kept one of the .40s. Doesn't seem like much difference between a 350 and a .390 ball . . but once you have shot both, the difference is noticeable.

A .20 gauge smoothbore is also nice. I have a 20 gauge flint Fusil de Chasse and I use either a .600 or a .610 ball - depending on what patch material I use and what I'm shooting. Plenty big enough to take good size game and still ver versatile to use with shot loads for small game.

All in all, a smaller bore rifle is nice to have for small game, plinking and fun shooting. Less lead, less powder and less wear and tear on the body. If I wee getting one in these times - I would get a flintlock. With the shortage and prices of percussion caps, all you need to worry about is having fints. Ideally, if I were building one now, I would build it with interchangeable locks so I could have both flint and percussion as desired.

One option that you could do . . . is to go with an under hammer rifle and that would give you the option to change out barrels of various calibers, including a smoothbore barrel.

All depends on what "you" want and what you want to do with it. There are lots of options out there. Good luck and enjoy. Sounds like you have been bitten by the "bug".

[indian joe]

I have a 32 ball gun - no more pernickity than any others at my house - but its a shallow groove rifling - copy of a wesson - its a tackhole shooter to 50 yards - biggest problem has been finding thin patch material, we started out using cotton japara but cant get it anymore - other part of that problem is we shoot swaged buckshot in it - a mallet fit with a thin patch - 9 kilos of it left, dont have a mold, dont want to fool around casting little balls either. Somebody suggested jeans pocket material - anybody used that for patches?

[sharps4590]

indianjoe, I have not heard of "cotton japara". Might I ask what that is?

I've not used jeans pocket material but for a couple decades my work shirts were Wrangler denim, western cut, snap front shirts. They aren't made of denim nearly as thick as jeans. When they were worn out I'd save them for patching material for my 36. I suspect jeans pocket material might be similar and I'd think would work fine.

[marlin39a]

Look for a TC Big Boar in .58. It took me years to find a good one, and I found it here.

[Hanshi]

I have .32, .36 and .40 longrifles and wouldn't be without the .32 & .36. My .40 is nice and I like it but doesn't get fired as much as the two smaller calibers. The .40 caliber is very accurate but no more accurate than a .32 and .36. The two small rounds can shoot well out of their league and are more forgiving if a shot strays on a squirrel's head. I use .024" patches in all three and never have to wipe between shots. The .40 is deer legal where I live but I have a .45 for that purpose. Small game is better taken, IMHO, with a smaller ball than .390"/.395". I admit that the .40 (where legal) is a natural for turkey and varmints, but the .32 & .36 do very well in that role too.

[nightwolf1974]

look for a tc big boar in .58. It took me years to find a good one, and i found it here.

yes!!!!

[scattershot]

20ga smoothbore fowler.

^^^^^^[this^^^^^^

[carbine]

.58, I love my muskets

[megasupermagnum]

A 54 caliber rifle covers 98% of all land animal needs from coyote to deer to elk. A 58 caliber is neat, but not a worthwhile step up from 54, unless you just want one. I'm not a fan of rifles for small game like squirrel and rabbit, and they are not legal in every state. Instead, you should get a shotgun or fowler, which will cover all small game needs. If you were ever in a location for bigger game that favored close range shots, a shotgun can not be beat, especially if you can use buckshot. Lots of guys go with a 20 gauge first. I'm a big bore fan, I like my 10's. For handguns a 36 caliber cap and ball isn't worth much in the hunting world. Instead, consider a muzzleloading pistol. Sometimes called horse pistols, they can be had in larger calibers like 54, and are a great addition to any hunter.

[beemer]

I have a .32, .40 a and a .50, built all of them. I started with a.45 and have had a .54. The .32 is a flintlock that I built several years ago, it shoots well but is a little fussy. My favorite is the .40, good for target work and game from tree rats to deer, that's all I need around here. They are also easy on powder and lead.

I went to Rice Barrels in Mocksville, NC and bought a 13/16 " X 42" .40 cal. barrel to build a flintlock. Due to family concerns I don't have time to work on them right now but I do like my BP rifles, especially the long ones.

[725]

Like mentioned above, depends on your desires. Want to collect them all or go hunting with some? I just love the .54, but that's me. What I've managed to take with a .54 round ball is wonderful. Never (yet) had a wounded or running deer with the .54. Usually they pile up DRT or within a short distance. The ML pistol is a good option. If you can find a T/C Scout pistol, they came in .45, .50, & .54. Have hunted with that too, and it has dropped wild boar with authority.

[rbuck351]

I have 32, 45, 54, and working on a 69cal rifled gun. I don't hut with them, just have fun shooting them. My 32 came with two GM barrels and two locks, flint and cap. and it's the one I like to shoot. People say they foul faster than the larger bores but I haven't had that problem. I have only shot 15 or so rounds without swabbing the bore.
What you get will depend on why you want it. I like the 32 flint gun the best as it's more fun to me and is very cheap to shoot.