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.40 vs .36?

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Joined
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Guys I am writing up my order form for a TVM Tennessee rifle, and guys I can't pick if I want a .36 or a .40!! :hmm:

I was going with a .36 so I could use 000 buckshot for cheap and also for small game hunting. But now I find myself in the Mojave desert, with long ranges and some strong winds sometimes. I feel as if the .40 could be less affected by winds. I also have an apartment with an appropriate place to cast balls so might go that route, largely negating the cost difference.

So guys, I am now torn between these calibers! When I head back east I'd like to squirrel and small game hunt, but here, there is really not much of that to do at all so this will mostly be for target shooting, mainly offhand.

So what would you go with guys? This is my first semi custom rifle and I don't want to get the wrong caliber! Thanks!

:hatsoff:
 
No ball bucks wind real well. The .40 will give you a little less but I don’t know that it will help you much. I find bigger is easier for old fingers to operate.
You might want to run your own ball. You get about eighty ball for a pound and it’s a lot of fun to cast your own. You can do it on stove top if you lay down a cover of foil to catch spills on.
 
Keep in mind, not every state has a 45 or 50 cal minimum.

Also, I believe PA has a maximum sized muzzleloader size you can legally small game hunt with.

I'd go with a 40.

Also, if you really get into it, you're going to do metal gong competitions. IF the gong doesn't trip over, or move much, it's a miss. I know some really good shooters who have to aim at certain parts of targets to get a dicernable "hit". 40 will help.

Even if you don't cast .40 roundball is cheap...
 
I own both. For small game I much prefer the .36; but loaded down, the .40 does very well. If range is needed, the .40 is easily capable of very high velocities and it holds up a bit better than smaller balls. The .40 is also "suitable" for deer where legal. Small game; I vote .36. Small game and other uses might suggest the .40.
 
What kind of small game you plan on shooting here? I' haven't seen much sitting game you could hunt here with a rifle but then again I really haven't done much. I did go after jacks a couple times but you didn't really see them until they was on the move. Personally I like the 36 for some reason but like said, there is no one right or wrong answer here. Either one has advantages and disadvantages.
 
Your comment about the effects of wind drift on a .36 or .40 caliber roundball sounded interesting so I fired up my computers roundball trajectory program.

I chose a muzzle velocity of 2000 fps and a 15 mile an hour crosswind, directly across the line of the shot.

A .36 caliber gun shooting a .350 diameter ball found the ball drifting sideways 6.5 inches at 50 yards and 24.8 inches at 100 yards.

A .40 caliber gun shooting a .390 diameter ball found the ball drifting sideways 5.9 inches at 50 yards and 22.7 inches at 100 yards.

I know this doesn't answer your question but it gives a bit if information that might be useful to you.
 
What is the wind drift figures on a .45 cal ball and .54 cal ball.
The .54 always shows less drift than my .45 on paper at 100 yards but wonder what the charts say.
Course I'm not shooting them in the same match so conditions would probably change but the fact remains I have less windage problems with the .54.
Two inches less windage between the .36 and .40 is significant at 100 yards for target shooting!
 
I have and like both. If I had to choose just one ... .40. Is that a surprise considering my on line moniker?
 
I have a good friend that does well and Friendship and really likes his .40. I think it is interchangeable , flint to percussion, Hawken style half stock.
 
M.D. said:
What is the wind drift figures on a .45 cal ball and .54 cal ball.
The .54 always shows less drift than my .45 on paper at 100 yards but wonder what the charts say.
Course I'm not shooting them in the same match so conditions would probably change but the fact remains I have less windage problems with the .54.
Two inches less windage between the .36 and .40 is significant at 100 yards for target shooting!

? I dunno, ya still gotta use KY windage for over 20". My eyes cannot determine 20" vs 22" at 100yds when shootin :idunno:
 
In my humble opinion, the .40 would be your best bet. It will buck the wind just a tiny bit better than a .36 and will still be a good squirrel gun. Admittedly, it is on the large side of squirrel calibers but it will still work if you limit your shots to head shots. Another advantage to the .40 over the .36 is weight. The bore of the .40 is slightly larger than a .36 meaning that any barrel of a given size will weigh less with the bore being .40 VS .36. If weight is a factor, keep this in mind. If you can afford it, I recommend a swamped A weight barrel for your rifle. It is lighter and looks much better than a straight or larger barrel. That's my opinion, anyway. :thumbsup:
 
Depends on what you want to use it for. If for small game like squirrels, I'd go a .36. If you want to move up in size of the game, I'd go .40.

The good news about swamped barrels is they balance better, the bad news is if the barrel is commercially produced, you're pretty limited in length to two measurements, 42" being one (with a Rice barrel) and the other one shorter.

My favorite squirrel rifle is .32. At the time I bought mine, a friend bought a .36 and says he wishes he'd bought a .32.

As for the BC of a round ball, it isn't much and before wind comes into play, you've probably exceeded your sight ability to get head shots, anyway.

If I were shooting coyotes mostly and squirrels occasionally, I'd get a .40. Or coyote size animals, although I can't visualize anything that size except coyotes.
 
My .40 has a "B" weight swamped barrel and my .36 has a 3/4" X 38" straight barrel. Truthfully, you can't go wrong with either.
 
The .36 has a lot of fans. Maybe less so currently than in years past. Dunno why. :idunno:
But, I would go for the .40. A reason not mentioned is the difficulty finding good ramrods for the tiny .36. A wood rod breaking and going through the hand while in the field could just ruin yer whole day. :shocked2: I've never used a .36, but believe loading with the larger .40 would be less problematic. Go with a fast twist, no slower than 1:48".
 

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