.32 Cal. in a short barrel?

I am looking at the .32 Cal Flint offerings from Pedersoli and am having trouble thinking about the "best" barrel length for this caliber. I have very limited muzzleloader experience as of now and only with a .50 Cal. What should I consider or expect with different barrel lengths? Are there meaningful differences in powder, velocity, and/or accuracy? The 3 versions on the table are the Pennsylvania (41.5" barrel), the Scout Carbine (28.5" barrel), and the Kentucky (35 9/16" barrel). All are 1 in 48" twist.

Note: Got my total length and barrel lengths mixed up on the original post. Still, with a 13" difference between the shortest and longest barrels, the basic question hasn't changed.

Increasing barrel length allows more powder to burn before the projectile exits the muzzle. So by increasing barrel length, you will increased velocity.

With a .32 calibre, you’re not usually burning an appreciable amount of powder to begin with, most loads will be between 20 grains and 30 grains of powder…so barrel lengths beyond 36” will most likely not produce significant increases in velocity, as most of the load will be consumed in the 1st 36” of the barrel.

Unless your barrel is swamped, you’ll really notice .32 calibre guns getting significantly barrel heavy as your barrel extends beyond 33“ or 34“ in length. I’m assuming 13/16ths barrels.

I think you have your barrel lengths wrong. I looked on the Pedersoli site and the Kentucky has a 35 9/16" barrel. The scout carbine isn't offered anymore but I found a pic and it's short....30" or so. The Pennsylvania has a 41 5.8" barrel. Edit....I found the scout 28 3/8" barrel

That being said I read a pretty large chart/experiment somewhere....I think on ALR.... and the difference isn't enough to be noticable just hunting squirrels or punching paper. In fact I might prefer the lower velocity of a shorter barrel for squirrels....less meat damage if you body shoot em'.

One thing to take into consideration is your ability to focus on the sights. The longer barrel provides for a greater sight distance and generally that translates into more precise shooting, but not always the case. I prefer the longer sight radius for my aging eyes, that coupled with a rear peep sight has kept me shooting irons sights with reasonable accuracy.

I doubt barrels in the lengths you listed will have significant difference in performance and would more be a matter of taste and balance. Even sight distance won’t make much difference. With a .32 you are mostly target or small game shooting. Neither required large high velocity charges to get the job done. If you were comparing a 26” barrel like my little Traditions Deerhunter has compared to a 40”+ barrel then there might be performance changes. I would go with what appeals to you.

martin9 said:

I think you have your barrel lengths wrong. I looked on the Pedersoli site and the Kentucky has a 35 9/16" barrel. The scout carbine isn't offered anymore but I found a pic and it's short....30" or so. The Pennsylvania has a 41 5.8" barrel. Edit....I found the scout 28 3/8" barrel

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Thanks for checking. Got my numbers off the Dixie Gun Works site rather than the actual Pedersoli site. The Kentucky barrel is in fact listed as 35 1/16" on the Dixie site vs 35 9/16" on the Pedersoli site.

Just get which gun you overall find to your liking. With the parameters you stated performance shouldn’t be an issue.
One question I have is are you thinking about going to a rondezvou or doing a historical trek?

Jeffery Roberts said:

Just get which gun you overall find to your liking. With the parameters you stated performance shouldn’t be an issue.
One question I have is are you thinking about going to a rondezvou or doing a historical trek?

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Haven't really considered going to a rendezvous yet. Quite frankly I don't know much about them and not sure if they happen here in PA. Will have to do some homework. What impact would it have if I had said yes? Probably only going to shoot the rifle at our local range and do some hunting on a small lease I have in Virginia.

The only .32 rifles I've had any experience with are a Traditions Crockett (not sure of the barrel length) and my .32 SMR flintlock. The SMR has a 38" tube. I've shot and hunted far more with the Crockett than the SMR so far. I've never chronographed either one so can't comment on velocity. The Crockett could easily group 5 shots in under an inch at 44 yards. The SMR just needs more shooting but so far they both look close. With a barrel at least 24" long you might appreciate how handy and accurate it is in the woods and how well it shoots at the range. My load for both is 20 to 30 grains of Goex 3F or Swiss 3F.

If you want a longer barrel, I have an original .32 full stock with a 46.5" barrel available.

If hunting in thick woods a shorter barrel (35) might be easier to use.

sportster73hp said:

If hunting in thick woods a shorter barrel (35) might be easier to use.

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I have and use my CVA .32 percussion Grey Squirrel for hunting snow shoe hares in VT in the thick Balsam swamps. It has a 25" barrel and is nice and handy when ducking under snow laden Balsam limbs while on snow shoes.