32cal hunter said:
Hello,my name is Ryan I'm from MO.I've hunted and fished all my life but I don't really know much about black powder rifles.I recently came across a 32 caliber percussion kit gun I'd like to buy in the near future,but there is allot I need to learn.
Okay here goes.Can you buy 32 cal bullets or do I have to use balls? also how do I tell what patch I need,what type of powder,how much powder to load and where do I go to buy all of the above.Can anyone reffer me to a book to learn all this and more possibly on 32 caliber muzzleloaders only?
Is there anything else I will need like accessories or is there anything I'm leaving out?
I am getting this gun to squirrel hunt with I always thought it would be kind of cool.
thanks
First off, what kind of rifle? Flintlock? Percussion? This will determine what kind of accessories youll need.
As far as bullets or balls, that depends on the twist for that rifle. Fast twist barrels like bullets, slow twist like balls. Im gonna guess its a patch and ball gun as ive never seen a "fast twist" small caliber like that.
If you plan on shooting patches and balls (patch is not needed with conical bullets) you can either buy pre-cut/lubed patches, or make your own. The pre-cut/lubed types come in several thicknesses, from .005 to .020 that ive seen. Make sure their lubed. I make my own patch lube, and just buy pillowticking from wal-mart to make patches out of. This is where the fun comes in, what thickness works best for you depends on the gun and load. Its best to just shoot a bunch of different combos or powder charge, patch thickness, and ball size. In general, a tighter ball/patch combo gives better accuracy, but is harder to load, a thinner patch is easier to load, but often doesnt give the best accuracy. I like to find a combo that offers good accuracy as well as easy loading.
For powder, I would recommend the "real" stuff, real black powder can still be had via the internet at places like powdersinc.com, and certain cabelas stores still carry it. I like goex, in that caliber you would want to shoot a FFFG granulation (finer grade) of powder. If you opt for the "substitutes" I would go with P grade pyrodex. If the rifle is flintflock, forget about using the subs, only real black powder works well in flints.
Accessories can be had at most sporting goods stores, cabelas, bass pros, I buy alot from
www.trackofthewolf.com (great site).
Lyman has a good book on muzzleloading basics as well as load information for many different calibers.
Al
