I know this is a good gun for squirril. Here in Florida a muzzleloader is legal for most seasons but I am sort of adverse to using a 54 caliber on small. medium game, even with reduced loads because I could be cited for illegally hunting deer. So... I have been thinking about the .32 Crockett. How large a critter can you shoot with this gun? Yotes? Racoons? What about Turkey? Head shots on smaller hogs?
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32 caliber Crockett
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:v The Crockett is .32 calibre and light loads of fffg---I wouldn't even consider using that gun on anything larger than a Squirrel or Rabbit. If you want to shoot game that has a little more muscle to it, then don't even go there with a Crockett. If you want to tick off bigger game and have to climba tree to escape it's wrath---DON'T use a Crockett. If you want a wee bit more muscle, but once again less htting power then go to a .36 or .40 or stick with the .54. So IMHO a Crockett is a good choice for an inexpensive and fairly reliable gun for squirrels and SMALL game. :hatsoff:
I think you could use the crockett it would be a fine rifle to use on anything that you would normally use a .22 long rifle or maybe a .22 Mag depending on the charge and whether you use PRB or conical. That would make it fine for squirrel and rabbit, Ok for turkey, a little light for coyote unless the range is short. IMHO
Fox :thumbsup:
Fox :thumbsup:
Rebel
Cannon
I killed a coyote with one shot from a .32 Crockettt, at close to 150 yds. It hit him in the ear and dropped him in his tracks. I wouldn't try that long a shot on deer, but i don't care for coyotes. With 35-40 grs of Pyrodex P or Goex 3f, they are as good or better than a .22 magnum.
An acquaintence regularly kills coyotes with a TC .32, loaded with 50 gr FFFG, and a 110 gr Maxie.
He reports that the coyotes drop in their tracks.
Another acquaintence shoots HEAVY loads in a custom, slow twist 32 RB barrel. The twist is something approaching 1:90. He reports velocity is so high that it won't register on his chronograph. I'm not sure I believe that, but that 32 shoots a long ways, and it shoots flat and accurate.
If you stop and think about it, a ML .32 shooting 50 gr. of powder behind a maxie should be in the same power range 32-40 cartridge.
I have shot my Petersoli 32 with the 50 gr load, just to see what it will do. The maxi caused a 2 liter soft drink bottle filled with water to explode with some force.
The same rifle loaded with 30 gr Swiss FFFG and a patched .315 ball will penetrate two water filled, 1 liter gatorade bottles, passing into the third, and denting the plastic on the back side of the third bottle. I might add that Gatoraid bottles are double or triple the thickness of standart 2 liter soft drink bottles.
The ball expanded to about 1/3 larger in diameter, retaining nearly all of its weight.
Hotter loads will, probably perform better on game than the 30 gr load performed on water bottles.
Now for performance on squirrels. A 32 loaded with 20 gr of FFFG will take the back of the head off of a squirrel at 30 yards. A shoulder hit will destroy its share of meat, so don't count the 32 with hot loads in the same class as a .22 longrifle.
With that in mind, the lowly .22LR has probably accounted for more deer than any other caliber.
J.D.
He reports that the coyotes drop in their tracks.
Another acquaintence shoots HEAVY loads in a custom, slow twist 32 RB barrel. The twist is something approaching 1:90. He reports velocity is so high that it won't register on his chronograph. I'm not sure I believe that, but that 32 shoots a long ways, and it shoots flat and accurate.
If you stop and think about it, a ML .32 shooting 50 gr. of powder behind a maxie should be in the same power range 32-40 cartridge.
I have shot my Petersoli 32 with the 50 gr load, just to see what it will do. The maxi caused a 2 liter soft drink bottle filled with water to explode with some force.
The same rifle loaded with 30 gr Swiss FFFG and a patched .315 ball will penetrate two water filled, 1 liter gatorade bottles, passing into the third, and denting the plastic on the back side of the third bottle. I might add that Gatoraid bottles are double or triple the thickness of standart 2 liter soft drink bottles.
The ball expanded to about 1/3 larger in diameter, retaining nearly all of its weight.
Hotter loads will, probably perform better on game than the 30 gr load performed on water bottles.
Now for performance on squirrels. A 32 loaded with 20 gr of FFFG will take the back of the head off of a squirrel at 30 yards. A shoulder hit will destroy its share of meat, so don't count the 32 with hot loads in the same class as a .22 longrifle.
With that in mind, the lowly .22LR has probably accounted for more deer than any other caliber.
J.D.
walruskid1
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buffalo bullets sells a ball-et. not quite a conical, but heavier than a ball.
Unless you can get good accuracy with a conical, I'd not use a .32 for anything larger than groundhogs. Lyman lists a maximum load of 70 gr. Pyrodex P with the 45 grain ball at muzzle velocities exceeding 2400 fps and over 600 ft.lb of energy but at 100 yards it is down to about 1000fps and 100 ft.lb. At short range that load would knock the stuffings out of a coyote but at 100 I'd not consider it humane. I'm also not sure the gunmaker would approve 70 grains of "P".
The 32/40 cartridge used bullets of 165 grains or more and that required a 1 in 16" twist to stabilize. I don't think you could duplicate that with any ML rifle fit for roundball use. :shake:
The 32/40 cartridge used bullets of 165 grains or more and that required a 1 in 16" twist to stabilize. I don't think you could duplicate that with any ML rifle fit for roundball use. :shake:
Blue Grouse sells .32 maxies, but don't tell him you plan to put them through a foreign made gun, or he won't sell 'em to you.
[url] http://underhammers.com/[/url]
At close range a RB, with a sufficient powder charge, should do well enough for turkeys and game up to and including coyote. The only way to find out what it will do is to do it.
I wonder how many of those who are doubting the killing power of the 32 have used one? I have found that the 32 is a potent little gun, used within its limitations. I suspect that friends and I stretch those limitations a bit, but we have done it successfully.
While the 32 firing 110 grain maxies may not get the same penetration of the 165 gr 32-40 bullet, it does produce higher velocities with the same powder charge. That alone should account for something.
Blue grouse also sells a 32 minie, but I suspect that it's a solid base bullet. I don't know the weight of their minie, but that might be worth an order to check them out too.
If they are heavy enough, they might put that little 32 equal to or a bit above the 32-40 in power and range.
I wonder how many deer the 32-40 has accounted for over the years? I wouldn't recommend a ML .32 for deer, just wondering how many deer have been killed with the 32-40? Probably almost as many as have been killed with a .22LR.
That said, anyone who is not comfortable pushing the limits of the .32 would do well to get a .36 or 40. They are fine calibers too. All three calibers produce fine accuracy and sufficient killing power, within their limits. Even if one does stretch those limits a bit. ;-)
J.D.
[url] http://underhammers.com/[/url]
At close range a RB, with a sufficient powder charge, should do well enough for turkeys and game up to and including coyote. The only way to find out what it will do is to do it.
I wonder how many of those who are doubting the killing power of the 32 have used one? I have found that the 32 is a potent little gun, used within its limitations. I suspect that friends and I stretch those limitations a bit, but we have done it successfully.
While the 32 firing 110 grain maxies may not get the same penetration of the 165 gr 32-40 bullet, it does produce higher velocities with the same powder charge. That alone should account for something.
Blue grouse also sells a 32 minie, but I suspect that it's a solid base bullet. I don't know the weight of their minie, but that might be worth an order to check them out too.
If they are heavy enough, they might put that little 32 equal to or a bit above the 32-40 in power and range.
I wonder how many deer the 32-40 has accounted for over the years? I wouldn't recommend a ML .32 for deer, just wondering how many deer have been killed with the 32-40? Probably almost as many as have been killed with a .22LR.
That said, anyone who is not comfortable pushing the limits of the .32 would do well to get a .36 or 40. They are fine calibers too. All three calibers produce fine accuracy and sufficient killing power, within their limits. Even if one does stretch those limits a bit. ;-)
J.D.
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I haven't tried minis or maxis in the Crockett yet, but haven't really had any call to.
I've bapped two coyotes and four foxes with it (40 grains FFF and PRB), all broadside lung shots at 50 yards or less. No running, no fuss, they just piled up. Through and through penetration every time, with signs of expansion on the exit wound. Kind of wish I could recover a ball, but not yet.
If I was going to stretch the range over 50 yards I'd probably be looking for more power. But I aint.
I've bapped two coyotes and four foxes with it (40 grains FFF and PRB), all broadside lung shots at 50 yards or less. No running, no fuss, they just piled up. Through and through penetration every time, with signs of expansion on the exit wound. Kind of wish I could recover a ball, but not yet.
If I was going to stretch the range over 50 yards I'd probably be looking for more power. But I aint.
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The .32 round ball is a fine little game getter and versatile enough with different loads to take from squirrels to coyotes at reasonable ranges (under 75 yds). By changing the loads you can duplicate .22LR or .22Mag cartridges ballistics over close ranges plus you get a larger diameter hole. Only 20-25 grs fffg betters the .22 LR and drops small game cleanly. I have killed animals up to 60 lbs with one shot of plain jane .22LR and would not feel undergunned with my .32 longrifle after same....so far it has mainly been a squirrel and target rifle, but tests of penetration have impressed me as to its power...true, all round ball calibers lose energy quickly at long ranges, and that is why I don't use them for long range hunting.
