Squirrel Rifle

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I pulled the trigger so to speak and ordered the .32 traditions crockett Rifle today. Opted not to get the kit for not enough time to assemble and get it sighted in befor Squirrel season opens here in Wisconsin. Cant wait for it to arrive from muzzleloader.com couldnt beat the price on it either. My question is what should i do for patching this is my second ml and first side lock percussion cap and ball rifle. My other ml is a cva accura pr. Any info to help get me started on the right path would be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't have a .32 but I would suspect a thin patch would be good, .310 or .311 ball, and 15-20 grains of fffg black powder.
 
I was going to try t7 fffg. I ordered some .310 balls from Ballistic products. 8 pounds of .310 for 37.99 before shipping. Read about that place on namlhunt.com. lots of good reading on that page all about muzzleloader shooting and hunting. Also getting some of the hornady also in .310 but looking for patching. Would bore butter be a food lube for patches? And what would be a good patch thickness to start with?
 
In my Sidleock 50 cal and both my .32 inlines I used Pillow Ticking. You can get it by the yard at Some Walmart's but I go to JoAnn Fabric. JoAnn near me had 3 different Bolts of It, one was red strip and the other blue and those felt thicker than one of the other blue striped bolts they had. I use the thick one and .315 Hornady RB. I buy a yard at a time and then wash the material whole, dry it, wash again and then tumble it mostly dry then hang it. It helps Fluff it up and removes the sizing treatment. You can buy PreCut Pillow tick and even get it prelubed. I use Hoppes #9Plus for my lube, dampen a section of ticking and roll that up and sort of squeeze and wring it so it is just damp. I have never used Bore butter so can't comment there.

To patch a ball, Cut or rip the ticking in strips wide enough to cover the width of the muzzle. Place a strip on the muzzle and lay the ball on the ticking over the bore, Short start it just below the crown, then pinch up the ticking away from the muzzle and take your knife and cut it off across the muzzles crown. Perfectly patched ball every time. This is how and old timer taught me many moons ago and so its how I keep doing it. Works great for me.

The Marathon is a little tight with the .315 and the ticking I use. I first tried .310 in it but one range session I had run out of .310's so tried some of the .315's and they shot bout the same or A little better most likely because they loaded a bit tighter. I like to have them tight enough that you have to start them with a short starter. I have used Pyrodex P but have shot T73F too and both work very well. I swab between shots with a little spritz of Windex on a cotton patch. Youcan pick up a small spray bottle of Cleaner for eyeglasses at Walmart or drug store, use that till its empty and then use Windex. The Small bottles fit in your pouch or pocket easily.

For Round balls sizes the rifle will have to tell you what it likes. The combination of Ball diameter and patch thickness have to work together for the right fit. I mostly see .310 and .315 for sale online from popular retailers. You can also get molds made too if you are into casting. One day I plan to get a Moose mold in .315.

I'll be watching for your report on the Crockett, I have thought about getting one too. Never really be a fan of Tradition rifles but that one is one I do often think about looking into.

Have you bought any RB yet?
 
ShawnT,

thank you for taking the time to help me out. After reading what you said im going to order both .310 and .315. I have monday off so im going to try going on the hunt for some pullow ticking and see if i can find some of Varying thickness. Then ill be looking for some hoppes #9 plus. Again i greatly appreciated the the help. And no i have not ordered any RB's yet. Just the rifle and ball starter. After it arrives i will be looking into a differnt ram rod, ive read that it comes with a wood and ive also read that it comes with a "Synthetic" of some sort. Ill find out when it arrives. And yes i will post how things are going with it as soon as i can get everything i need and time to go out to the farm.
 
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Do you have a JoAnn Fabric Store near you?

When I went I did not think to take my caliper with me. I was surprised to actually see that the one near me had 3 different bolts. I found one (Blue stripe) by itself first and then the other 2 (One Red and one Blue) in a different part of the isle. I took the first bolt over to the other 2 and it just felt thinner to me. The red and blue next to each other felt the same. I guess each store could have different stock.

Since I never seen the traditions Who knows how tight or loose the bore will be. The Oregon Barrel on my custom was on the large side so it did not shoot well with the .310s, I could almost start the ball with my thumb, yet my Marathon was tighter. I had picked up some Pre-cut/Pre-lubed ticking patches somewhere. They proved to be much to thin for my Custom the weight of the ram rod would almost push the ball down.
 
bore butter works fine as a patch lube just use sparingly dont cake it on your patches work a small amount in patch between your fingers.
Hoppes #9 plus black powder works great also as Shawn stated..lots of stuff makes good lube just do a search on google and will come up with tons of different recipes for it.
Pocket drill material is also good patch material, used for making jean pockets etc.
There is a guy on gunbroker Ive bought .32/.36 rb off of at good prices and they shoot good. Just do a search for .32 round ball and he should come up cant remember his handle but he sells them by the 100 or 500 also.
 
Well the .32 crockett showed up today and im in love with the feel and looks. Fit to finish could be a little better but i kind of like the little things with it. Kind of makes me think of old guns that were all hand made and no 2 exactly the same. Its the definition of hair trigger imo using the set trigger. Cant wait to get out and shoot this little gem.
 
Well the .32 crockett showed up today and im in love with the feel and looks. Fit to finish could be a little better but i kind of like the little things with it. Kind of makes me think of old guns that were all hand made and no 2 exactly the same. Its the definition of hair trigger imo using the set trigger. Cant wait to get out and shoot this little gem.

Sounds good. Post some pics if you can.
 
Just thought I would post a few photos of my squirrel gun I built a couple years back. It's a lefty .40 cal, which is also the smallest legal deer caliber here in Missouri.

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Curtis
Just thought I would post a few photos of my squirrel gun I built a couple years back. It's a lefty .40 cal, which is also the smallest legal deer caliber here in Missouri.

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Curtis

I am a lefty too
Looks to nice to take hunting
 
Thanks Dennis! No rifle I build is too nice to go in the woods, it gives the hunter something to study while waiting for squirrels to come out of hiding.... ;)

Curtis
 
Might attract the squirrels too.
What do you think a lefty flinter like yours would sell for.
 
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Just thought I would post a few photos of my squirrel gun I built a couple years back. It's a lefty .40 cal, which is also the smallest legal deer caliber here in Missouri.

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Curtis
Just thought I would post a few photos of my squirrel gun I built a couple years back. It's a lefty .40 cal, which is also the smallest legal deer caliber here in Missouri.

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Curtis
Do you think Rod Gates could build one that nice ? We alll live in Missouri
 
Might attract the squirrels too.
What do you think a lefty flinter like yours would sell for.

For a rifle similar to this one I would probably start prices at about $3500. I don't know Rod Gates personally, but what I have seen of his work I think he would have no problem building such a gun, he does nice work! No idea what he might charge.

$3500 sounds like a lot, but parts alone are about a grand or more.

Curtis
 

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