.36 caliber powder amounts

[WVU]

After doing some google searches it seems like the majority of the .36 caliber loads are for pistols and I'm not sure if those correlate directly over to a rifle load.

Anyone have a recommendation on the amount of powder I should start out with when shooting a .36 caliber rifle? I'm guessing it's like a cartridge load in that I can try different powder amounts (3 or 5 grain intervals) until I find the sweet spot.

Is there a MAX load that I should not go over?

 

[Larry Akers]

An old rule of thumb for a starting load is 1 grain per caliber. I'd start there and increase by 5 gr a couple of times and then drop to 3 gr increases for tweaking, firing 5-shot groups. I suspect you will end up around 45 to 50 gr.

Your max load will be just short of blowing unburned powder out the muzzle.

 

[mooman76]

For the smaller rifle calibers I like to start about half the caliber and work up 5gr at a time. So like 20-2gr. Working up the load is half the fun. Anything much over 50gn would be wasting powder.

 

[silly goose]

My .36 enjoys 20gr fffg. It's squirrel head accurate to as far as I can shoot them. As far as power, it will shoot clear through from one end and out the other. I'd say that's adequate.

 

[Tinker2]

One of my .36’s likes 15 gr.

William Alexander

 

[buford87]

An old rule of thumb that I have found which works very well is from 1/3 to 1/2 the weight of the ball. This has worked well with different calibers for me. .........watch yer top knot..........

 

[BrownBear]

One of my .36’s likes 15 gr.

I'm at 15 grains too, and fortunately my 36 likes it. Larger charges were virtually decapitating snowshoe hare, often spoiling the front shoulders even if the shot didn't drop down into the neck. Just too much geewhiz for my taste in eating meat. Waaaaaay more destructive than a 22 mag hollow point, if you need a comparison.

 

[Grimord]

My .36's like 20 grains of 3f for a light load and 35 grains of 3f for a max load for coyotes. The 35 grain load gets 2100 FPS out of my 39" Pedersoli Frontier barrel.

 

[WVU]

Outstanding! I've certainly got a starting point now. Thank you all greatly. Now it's time to find the sweet spot for this one

 

[Mr. Troll]

According to my loading recommendation book from Cabelas, 32 gr of Pyrodex P or 40 gr of FFFG black powder

 

[don hepler]

If you notice, the old black powder cartridges, often had small amounts of powder. Like 32-20, 30-30, and etc. So, 20 to 30 grains, is all you need.

Trying to give some examples, to get you thinking, in terms that you might already be familiar with.

But as already mentioned, you can start with caliber, and work from there.

 

[Lonegun1894]

Hate to tell you this, but .30-30 was never a BP round, but rather the first smokeless sporting round. Now the .32-20, you mentioned, you're absolutely correct. And to add to the list... .25-20, .38-40, .44-40, ..45-70, etc. Lots of options, but most don't use as much powder as many of us do nowadays, so EXCELLENT point to everyone above who suggests using enough, but not going for maximum possible velocities.

 

[Zonie]

It doesn't take a lot of powder to get a .350 diameter ball going really fast.

The Lyman Black Powder Handbook shows that they got a velocity of about 1690 fps using 30 grains of 3Fg powder. This is the smallest powder load they show in the book for this caliber but a bit of mathametics indicated a 20 grain load of 3Fg will give a velocity of around 1400 fps.

That's still in the .22 magnum range.

 

[don hepler]

You are correct. Explaining in terms that "new" BP shooters can relate to, takes away from the notion that massive amounts of powder, is the way to go.

Zonie, lays it out in velocities, as what can be achieved from smaller charges.

 

[Lonegun1894]

I understand that very well. I used to have a complex myself that I thought I needed to know exactly how fast anything I sent down range was going. Then I slowly learned that the holes in my meals told a different story, and that I could beat my shoulder a little less, and spend a little less on powder and lead while I was at it. Shouldn't have taken as long as it did. Right now, I am using 20grs FFFg in my .32, and considering cutting it down to 10-15 grains, but don't have a .36--yet.

 

[Rat Trapper]

40 grains will blow a squirrel in half.

 

[Gene L]

I like 40 grains. Won't blow a squirrel in half if you hit him in the head. Forty for me makes the rifle shoot better. A .36 is a little large for squirrels, anyway. I started off with 25 grains on my .36, but it didn't "crack" like I want it to. So I kicked up the load until I found a sweet spot.