40 caliber good?

[TrevorAaron]

I have been thinking a while now about getting a 40 cal flintlock. does any one have any recommendations for something to look for or to avoid? It will be used mainly for hunting applications but some target practice. I have had a flintlock before and really enjoyed them but never had one that i truly enjoy 100% to shoot. Any halp would be great.. Thank You Thomp Shooter

 

[jdkerstetter]

I have a couple .40's....one in percussion and one in flint. Being in Ohio, where .38 caliber muzzleloaders are legal to hunt deer with, the .40 would be an all around rifle....if you were to only have one gun.

While the .40 has been highly regarded for some time amound target shooters, it is a little big to be a dedicated small game gun and barely adequate for large Ohio whitetailed deer.

A deer caliber it can be, if shots are choosen wisely and you keep to its effective range, which is short. The bigger calibers beat it hands down in range and penetration.

For small game the .32-.36 caliber guns are more efficient with powder and lead, and if you miss the head they don't tear up the tree rats as bad.

For a one gun arsenal for small game and deer I'd suggest something like a .58-.62 caliber smooth bore and use shot for small game and ball for deer.

I.M.H.O. if you're going to have more than one gun then I'd go smaller for small game and bigger for deer hunting and save the .40 for coyotes and paper punching.

Hope that helps. Enjoy, J.D.

 

[kingsax26]

out of curiosity what would be reaslistic range for a .40 cal on whitetail deer? i was thinking in the 75yd and under range ...is practical thinking ?

 

[jdkerstetter]

You'll get differing opinions, of course. Me? I'd try and keep to 50 and under and concentrate on shot placement.

A .40 caliber round ball just doesn't have a lot of mass. Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Dane]

IMHO

A 40 is a great target caliber, shot hot, can shoot very flat. Small game, it would be great as well, but don't think it would be sufficient for deer size game. Of course, you can kill a deer with a 22, but do you want to risk it?

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

It depends on what you shoot. The .40 is an outstanding paper punching round. Simply outstanding. If a Woods walk has heavy steel plates the .40 will not move them. Others in your group will have to spot for hits on the heavy steel. Finally the .40 is a true assault rifle for small game. I love my little .40 flint squirrel gun but it has limitations with ranges past 200 yards and heavy steel critters.

 

[rdillion]

I deer hunt with a 40cal and keep my shots at 50 yrds or under. Not hard in the hardwoods where I choose to hunt. Shot placement is key with any caliber. More lead won't make up for poor shot placement.

 

[Curt]

09/03/13 02:59 AM - Post#1309980


Thomp A 40 makes a fine squirrel rifle with the right powder charge and shot placement,headshots only.Abody shot with most small bores just make a mess of things.Leave it at home when goin after deer though.A32 /36 or 40 are all good choices and are cheaper to shoot than a smooth bore.Just my opinion.Curt

 

[nkbj]

Well, I really wanted to go try double ball loads in the .40 today (but just couldn't get past the small bore paper patch try outs). I shoot .40's a lot with paper patch and some with patched round ball.
And I've got this theory that two .39 caliber round balls at high velocity could be pretty darn formidable.

 

[nkbj]

I have been thinking a while now about getting a 40 cal flintlock. does any one have any recommendations for something to look for or to avoid? It will be used mainly for hunting applications but some target practice. I have had a flintlock before and really enjoyed them but never had one that i truly enjoy 100% to shoot. Any halp would be great.. Thank You Thomp Shooter

Yes sir. Recommendations. Get a two and a half to three foot long light weight slender barrel with a thicker breech and a medium twist for a forty.

 

[Curt]

Goodcheer I don't think i would want to risk damaging my rifle with double ballin it.If one ball will work why use two.Curt

 

[Wes/Tex]

A double ball load could be formidable but only at very short range. The balls will flatten against each other and have a very pronounced out-of-round profile after leaving the barrel. This will cause a rather varied trajectory for each and they could hit a target fairly far apart at any lengthy range. The 40 caliber rifles are generally excellent shooters, as innumerated above, but the ball is light and marginal for deer sized game. It can work well for deer but, sad to say, I have seen some spectacular failures by hunters unfamiliar with animal anatomy. For most pest/varmint sized animals it works very well.

 

[Bill/Ms.]

If a .40 caliber is what you want, get one. It is okay for small game when you load it down and is also okay for whitetails with a hotter load. If you can't shoot a deer where it'll kill it, then no matter how large a caliber you use, it's still a wounded deer. I have killed deer with a .40 caliber with head shots and double lung chest shots. If you can't put the ball where it needs to go, you have no business hunting.

 

[roundball]

Based on my personal experiences, my opinion is the .40cal is an excellent small game and target caliber, it is not a general purpose deer caliber.
I shoot my .40cal Late Lancaster more year round than any other, plus it's an excellent squirrel rifle...hands on experience shows me that even with the occasional body shot the speed of the little ball zips right through...couple from last year. Frankly IMO, other than the hind quarters, there isn't enough meat on the front 2/3rds of a squirrel to worry about damaging anyway.

 

[Trench]

I've had the same experience with squirrels here in Indiana. I've shot three with my .45 and only lost meat from the front legs of one of them. You'll get more squirrels if you forget the headshots...unless you're a better shot than me!

 

[nkbj]

Curt,
I don't think a double ball load with balls seated firmly against each other is any more likely to damage a rifle than a minie, maxi or the 300 grain bullets I sometimes use in the .40 caliber GPR.

Wes/Tex,
The .40 would be a short range proposition even for our Texas briefcase deer.




But I think two hits with hot loaded .40 round ball would be formidable indeed.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

As stated the .40 is great for targets and for small game. This coming weekend I will be trying mine on groundhog, and next week on squirrel. In my state it is also legal for deer, and with a patched round ball, I'd probably go no farther than say 50 yards, BUT I have been able to obtain some .40 caliber conical bullets, and my barrel is a 1:48 twist, so should shoot them fine. They are heavier than a .45 round ball so thus my .40 would be a deer rifle too with them, no doubt.

As for double-ball loads, these would be good to again, about 50 yards (you will need to test fire some to be certain)..., however check your local game laws, as most states say that a muzzleloader may only " ...propel one all-lead, lead alloy or copper soft-nosed or expanding bullet or ball at a single discharge". (MD DNR Regulations 2013) So..., a double-ball load in this state would be violtion. :nono:

What's also interesting is that if one was to use a lead substitute ball as they are required to in parts of California..., if it wasn't copper ..., it too would be a violation. :nono:

LD

 

[roundball]

I've had the same experience with squirrels here in Indiana. I've shot three with my .45 and only lost meat from the front legs of one of them. You'll get more squirrels if you forget the headshots...unless you're a better shot than me!

Exactly, have done the same...and I always wonder about threads like this, for example:
1) Who in this thread actually has a .40cal?
2) Who in this thread shoots a lot of squirrels with a .40cal?
3) Who in this thread has lost so much meat they'd buy another/smaller caliber?
4) Who in this thread just wants to appear knowledgeable and post what they've read in other posts?
:wink:

 

[roundball]

Agree...T/C's own load data manual listed double ball loads for the .45 & .50 for years.
I've personally tested them in my .40/.45/.50 cals...I usually end up with a single oval shaped hole at 25yds and a holes-touching-figure-8 at 50yds.

 

[jdkerstetter]

.....4) Who in this thread just wants to appear knowledgeable and post what they've read in other posts?

I don't think post like that are really necessary. After all, we really could wonder the same about anybody, couldn't we? If you feel making statements like this bolsters your credibility I guess we're all left wondering who you're winking at. :idunno:

All your points are fairly obvious. Those seeking information in the written word, whether it be on the net or in books, instead of going out and testing theories themselves, are always going to get opinions.

It's up to them to sort through the :bull: . At least on a forum with so many contributers there's plenty to go around.....in books you generally only get one. :wink:

As to 2/3's of a squirrel not having enough meat? Those Yankee Ohio Fox squirrels are pretty sizable in all four quarters and an experienced hand tries for head shots. They can be twice as big as a gray. Closer to a small rabbit.

When I was living in Virginia I was pretty disappointed the first time I went squirrel hunting and discovered who small their grays really were in comparison, never having taken any before.

When I was growing up in NW Ohio it was fairly rare to see grays in the woods, and then we didn't take 'em because of their size. You need to shoot 2 or 3 to one fox squirrel to get as much meat.

Those grays are easier to skin than the big fox though. :thumbsup: Enjoy, J.D.

P.s. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the squirrels I've taken to help back this up, so like most others here, you'll just have to take my word for it....or not. :haha: :haha: :haha: