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GM .40 cal RB Barrel

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Anonym

36 Cal.
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I'm in need of some opinions about a potential purchase. I have the opportunity to pick up a 38" long Green Mountain drop-in barrel for my Renegade in .40 caliber. This is a slow-twist roundball barrel and I'm thinking it might be useful for a coyote hunt (.40 is too small to hunt whitetail here in Indiana) and possibly get me into "chunk gun" shooting/competition.

Traditionally, chunk guns shoot .45-.50 caliber balls, but there are no caliber restrictions so the .40 is legal. For those who don't know (and from what I understand), this is a competition of precision done from a supported prone position at 60 yards.

So what are your thoughts on the effectiveness of the caliber/barrel for this type of shooting? Will it be too much barrel to make it practical for anything other than paper punching? Just curious what your thoughts are considering the .40 was/is popular with a lot of original pieces.

Thanks in advance.
Anonym
 
Anonym said:
I'm in need of some opinions about a potential purchase. I have the opportunity to pick up a 38" long Green Mountain drop-in barrel for my Renegade in .40 caliber. This is a slow-twist roundball barrel and I'm thinking it might be useful for a coyote hunt (.40 is too small to hunt whitetail here in Indiana) and possibly get me into "chunk gun" shooting/competition.

Traditionally, chunk guns shoot .45-.50 caliber balls, but there are no caliber restrictions so the .40 is legal. For those who don't know (and from what I understand), this is a competition of precision done from a supported prone position at 60 yards.

So what are your thoughts on the effectiveness of the caliber/barrel for this type of shooting? Will it be too much barrel to make it practical for anything other than paper punching? Just curious what your thoughts are considering the .40 was/is popular with a lot of original pieces.

Thanks in advance.
Anonym


Larger calibers will buck the wind better.
The 40 is a good caliber and with load development should be very accurate.

For Coyotes I woudl sight for 100 then check impact point at 50.
Some 40s like as much s 60 grains or more of blackpowder for best accuracy.

Dan
 
.40's to me are kind of like the .270's of muzzleloading. With the right load it is a relatively flat shooting barrel. I have two of them in 1/48 twist. That twist handles both roundballs and short conicals very well. I won a chunkgun match a couple of years ago using a .40 longrifle.

The only real drawback target wise is that it doesn't take much wind to push a .390 or .395 ball off target. That's one reason I use a .50 for most chunkgun matches. If you're good at doping the wind you can make one work.
 
Anonym said:
I'm in need of some opinions about a potential purchase. I have the opportunity to pick up a 38" long Green Mountain drop-in barrel for my Renegade in .40 caliber. This is a slow-twist roundball barrel and I'm thinking it might be useful for a coyote hunt (.40 is too small to hunt whitetail here in Indiana) and possibly get me into "chunk gun" shooting/competition.

Traditionally, chunk guns shoot .45-.50 caliber balls, but there are no caliber restrictions so the .40 is legal. For those who don't know (and from what I understand), this is a competition of precision done from a supported prone position at 60 yards.

So what are your thoughts on the effectiveness of the caliber/barrel for this type of shooting? Will it be too much barrel to make it practical for anything other than paper punching? Just curious what your thoughts are considering the .40 was/is popular with a lot of original pieces.

Thanks in advance.
Anonym

Sir,
I have one of those very same barrels, 38" on the Renegade. It is a lot of barrel, suitable for bench rest, tire changing and stump removal. Seeing as I still have it, I too have thought about coyotes. Being the proud owner of a .50 caliber Dixie Gun Works southern rifle with 43" barrel for about 25 years, can't say as why I have the big .40. Been threatening to get it rebored now about three years.
 
I bought a GM .40cal drop-in barrel for the T/C Hawken several years ago for hunting and plinking at the range.
Even in the slimmer 15/16" version I was worried that a 38" would weigh a ton and be too heavy for still hunting...got the 32" and glad I did as it was PLENTY heavy.

So I would think a full 1" x 38" x .40cal barrel would "weigh a ton" for certain...and be way too heavy for any kind of still hunting where it had to be carried much...but the weight would be a huge plus for bench shooting, over the log shooting, etc.
 
It's a bench gun and cries out for a tang sight. Really have thought long and hard about a rebore, .47 or .50 caliber.

By the way, the 28" barrel on the Renegade is nice.
 
I shouldered a 38 and bought the 32 inch, put it on a hawken stock, never looked back, have yet to be disappointed and certainly one of the wisest firearm related purchases I have ever made!

38 inches of steel in a 40 bore is a lot of weight out front, shooting off hand.
 
I have 2 42"x13/16x .40 rifles and they don't feel heavy at all. The last rifle I built has a 38"x 13/16 barrel in .32. Lightest gun I have. I thought it would feel much heavier. Originally the barrel was 42", but I only had enough wood for a halfstock and that just wouldn't look right with that long of a barrel. Besides, I want to make a swage out of the cut-off.
 
I have a .40 GM 15/16 inch barrel that's 32 inches long, and it is plenty heavy. Wouldn't want a 38 incher myself. My 32 incher is very accurate.
 
I have that same barrel and use it in over-the-log matches. It is superbly accurate and has at times made me look like a much better shooter than I actually am, but when it's windy, you get blown off-kilter quite badly. I swore last year after the York shoot that I'll never take it back...unless the forecast says there'll be no wind. :thumbsup:
 
Rat Trapper said:
I have a .40 GM 15/16 inch barrel that's 32 inches long, and it is plenty heavy. Wouldn't want a 38 incher myself. My 32 incher is very accurate.

That's 1/8" bigger in diameter than mine and would be a good bit heavier in a 38" or 42". 13/16" is about as big as I would want in a long barrel. That size balances good and you can keep the forearm slender.
 
My .40cal Late Lancaster has a straight GM 38" x 13/16" barrel and I had a devil of a time holding down muzzle wander while trying to improve my off hand shooting skills...so I added a solid 3/8" brass ramrod to put more weight out front for less muzzle wander to see if it helped and it did.

And after a few 40 shot range sessions I like the extra weight enough to stay with it permanently so next trip will be to file down the front sight a tad to get the POI back up in the center of the bull.
 
40's to me are kind of like the .270's of muzzleloading. With the right load it is a relatively flat shooting barrel.

I would'a said ".25-06" :haha:

But seriously, the caliber is known for not liking distances out past 75 yards when windy, but otherwise is also a well known target caliber. I have a brand new .40 myself 1:48 twist GM barrel on a long rifle.

It should be pretty hefty, and I have found the weight of the rifle diminishes when you start seeing game. Otherwise, you should consider a tang sight as suggested.

LD
 
roundball said:
My .40cal Late Lancaster has a straight GM 38" x 13/16" barrel and I had a devil of a time holding down muzzle wander while trying to improve my off hand shooting skills...so I added a solid 3/8" brass ramrod to put more weight out front for less muzzle wander to see if it helped and it did.

And after a few 40 shot range sessions I like the extra weight enough to stay with it permanently so next trip will be to file down the front sight a tad to get the POI back up in the center of the bull.

You probably ended upwith about the same weight I have with a 42" barrel or close to it. The .32 I just finished has what was originally a 42 incher. I figured with the thicker barrel walls a 42 may be a bit muzzle heavy, besides, a long barrel on a halfstock just doesn't look right in my opinion. So I cut it back to 38" and it balances very good. I've had some problems with my shoulder and there's no point in straining it any more than I have to so it all worked out.
 
I've done pretty well out at 100 yds with my .40's even on windy days (under 15 mph). As with any gun I'm shooting I try to shoot between gusts, but sometimes I'm stuck with having to dope the wind and hold over one way or t'other. This is when target shooting. As for deer hunting, I long ago learned that it's not the best caliber at any range with a RB unless I can be sure of a head shot. I've had two deer walk away with direct hits in the boiler room, both hit at under 15 yds. I did drop one later with a .41 mag conical. I know there are some on here who claim to kill regularly with a .40 RB and I can say more power to them. I won't be trying it again without a clear headshot.
 
:confused: If weight is a concern, buy a sling. If out front weight is a problem, they're called cross sticks. Coyote hunting is done by walking a while, then sitting a while. If your moving, the chance of seeing a coyote first, and close enough to take an offhand shot, is nil. The 40 will do the job supremely well with minimal powder and lead, buy the barrel and enjoy. :slap:
 
Well, you have all done a fine job of getting me excited about this barrel, but sadly my deal has fallen through. I would like to try chunk shooting so maybe I won't have any troubles with my GM .50 in 32". Would have liked the extra length and weight, but I get my preferred caliber and I know this barrel can shoot! Thanks again, guys!
 
Although a longer barrel is more desirable for chunk gunning, you can do pretty good with a short one. I did fair my second time out at the York shoot with a 30" Douglas barrel. Try to make it down to the York shoot on the 24th of next month and you can get some good ideas about chunk guns.
 

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