40 or 45 cal. roundball rifle

[FVRago]

I am just finishing up building a 58 cal. Leman Trade rifle from a box of parts that I traded for. I am now moving on to a Bedford rifle. I am trying to decide between a 42" 40 cal. vs 45 cal. rifle. I already have a 45 rifle that I use for hunting, now a 58 cannon and a 40 would be kind of cool.

Any experience with the 40 vs 45 pro's and con's would be appreciated.

Thanks

Frank

 

[rchas]

.40 is kind of an odd caliber.... It's just a little too big for small game-but usable. It's a little too small for large game-but usable within limits (like within 50 yards and excellent bullet placement). That said, it does tend to be very accurate, and is a favorite among chunk gun and benchrest shooters

I personally wouldn't use a .40 ( but a .45 I think is fine) on deer. If you can make headshots on squirrels and rabbits, it's great but body shots you should have a .32 or 36. I love mine for plinking and woods walks. It's accurate, easy on lead and powder, and on the shoulder.

 

[smokepolehall]

I am just finishing up building a 58 cal. Leman Trade rifle from a box of parts that I traded for. I am now moving on to a Bedford rifle. I am trying to decide between a 42" 40 cal. vs 45 cal. rifle. I already have a 45 rifle that I use for hunting, now a 58 cannon and a 40 would be kind of cool.

Any experience with the 40 vs 45 pro's and con's would be appreciated.

Thanks

Frank

Its about what you really want to do with a .40 cal with a prb ? I own a .40 Poor Boy its a fine tree rat & 60 yards & under deer killer. I have another .40 its an Under-Hammer conical shooter. It will & does fine using 175 gr up to 250 gr, it becomes a slobber knocker on deer. I have 2 .45's both are not ideal on small game unless head shots. .45's are fine on deer out to 100 yards, depends on loads n bullet choices.

 

[akroguy]

Smallest I have is .45 and really like it. I've dropped the .440 balls I use a couple of times already and find anything smaller would be harder to keep hold of at the muzzle! I like larger bore guns, loaded with minimal charges for recoil control. I just shoot target so no need for game killing power.

 

[ZUG]

A lot of target shooters use the .40 cal. I consider it an "in between" gun a bit small for deer and a bit big for squirrels. If you are shooting paper then go for the .40. If you are hunting squirrels then either go for a .32 or a .36 caliber - my two cents worth.

 

[nchawkeye]

I used a .45 for deer for many years but, bears moved in, so I built a .54, much better caliber for deer and bear...The .45 was converted to a .40, great caliber, true squirrel hunters only use head shots anyway and with 25-30grs FFF even a body shot is ok...

And...you can still use a 3/8 ramrod with a .40...

 

[bud in pa]

Why does everybody think that anything other then a 32 or 36 too large for squirrels? When I first started in this endeavor all I had was a 50 cal. and never blew up any squirrels. Before PA changed the law I loaded for deer in the early muzzleloader season, and if I saw a squirrel that I wanted Isht it with the deer load. No excwssive damage.

 

[smokepolehall]

Why does everybody think that anything other then a 32 or 36 too large for squirrels? When I first started in this endeavor all I had was a 50 cal. and never blew up any squirrels. Before PA changed the law I loaded for deer in the early muzzleloader season, and if I saw a squirrel that I wanted Isht it with the deer load. No excwssive damage.

I can not say for sure what others think or surmise about ML cal's. for different game. I have never shot small game with a .58/.54/or a .50. I am sure if they are used n are accurate there will be meat on the spit/frying pan or pot. Ah the over kill aspect, don't worry dead is dead n that is all it needs to be. I have killed a few deer using a .36 using a conical, just don't stretch the yardage out too far.

 

[64Springer]

.40

You can get faster speeds and flatter trajectory out a .40 ball.

Will kill Bambi dead.

And, as mentioned, easy on the shoulder.

 

[nkbj]

My first critter getter was an early 70's Japanese .45 bore. It worked great for small game.
But hey, if you already have a .45 then of course you need a smaller bore.

 

[FVRago]

Thanks for all the input. I think I will be going with the 40 cal. barrel. Barrel will be 44" long and an old friend who shoots his 40 and just loves it has worked up a few good loads that I may poach from him to try.

 

[smokepolehall]

Thanks for all the input. I think I will be going with the 40 cal. barrel. Barrel will be 44" long and an old friend who shoots his 40 and just loves it has worked up a few good loads that I may poach from him to try.

What size barrel are you going with ?

 

[1971fx]

Pedersoli .40 with 28 inch barrel. Dixie gun works marking on top of barrel

 

[FVRago]

Pedersoli .40 with 28 inch barrel. Dixie gun works marking on top of barrel

Well, I have a stock with a 44" 13/16 barrel channel so I was thinking 44" or maybe cut to 42" depending barrel availability.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Well, I have a stock with a 44" 13/16 barrel channel so I was thinking 44" or maybe cut to 42" depending barrel availability.

I understand the original Bedfords were long and lean. A barrel of 42”-44” would be a good choice, in my opinion, and in 13/16” diameter it should handle nicely in .40 or .45 caliber.

The “short” longrifles that are becoming so common now just don’t look right to me.

I’m looking forward to seeing the finished rifle!

Notchy Bob

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Love my 42 inch Rice 45 cal barrel.
It woulda been a 40 cal, cept the state says 45 to hunt with.
If I ever built another, it would be 40.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Kind of depends on what you want to do with it. You see a lot of 40's on target lines, nice accurate rifles that don't use a lot of powder or lead. I have won more matches with a 40 caliber than any other rifle I have owned. I wouldn't hesitate to Deer hunt with it but where I hunt 60 yards is longest shot your going to get and at that range I know it will shoot a one hole group. There are no restrictions on caliber where I live but many states have a minimum of .45 to hunt Deer. A .45 is probably better for hunting Deer and such. You still get a good ball count from a pound of lead and don't need a lot of powder and my .45's are just as accurate.

 

[nkbj]

A .40 with a 40" plus long barrel could be your favorite photon torpedo.

 

[andy52]

Here in Missouri either can be used for deer legally, I have both and will just stick to the shooting of both, not the ability to take game. Both mine are very accurate but I can run the .45 a little longer between cleanings, the .40 seems to foul more quickly.

 

[hanshi]

I owned a .40 for years and yes it was accurate. No real recoil to notice and getting high velocity from the little ball makes it a very fun & nice caliber. My .40 never hunted and was used as a target rifle. My go-to longrifle was a .45 and it never failed me on deer or varmints. The longest shot I took with a .45 was shooting a deer at 75 yards; so the .45 is all that's needed for deer/bear.

My .40 was matched for accuracy by my, you guessed it, .45. But for velocity the .40 was king of the barn burners. With 60 grns of 3F the little rifle spit a prb out the muzzle for 2140 fps. Like the .45 it needs to be throttled way down for head shots on squirrels. I'd recommend a .40 for your next rifle.

I did once shoot a fox squirrel with a .58 prb while on deer hunt. Aiming at the neck the ball made a small slit upon entry and exit. I'd never recommend a deer caliber rifle for squirrel hunting unless that's all you have. I used the .32 and .36 only on squirrel hunts. You, then, will like the .40 rifle; it does stretch both ways from squirrel to deer.