Any fans of the .40?

[Magungo1066]

Have always had a hankering to get this caliber. Talk me in/out of it. I have a .62 and a .50 already so something about .40 just seems “right”

 

[Phil Coffins]

I felt the same way so I built one with set triggers and flintlock. Swamped barrel Siler lock in a nice piece of wood. It shoots great and I made it left handed as that’s how I shoot everything. Having shot a couple of years I now reach past it to grab a 54 for matches or hunting.
IMG_0113 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I was in the same boat. It was a caliber I didn't have and thought I should but wasn't exactly sure why. I ended up making a Tennessee style with interchangeable barrels in .40 and .50 detailed further in this post. New Winter Project

The .40 is a delight to shoot. 50 grains of 3F Swiss makes an accurate and pleasant target load and 60 grains fires with a flat trajectory and good hunting impact energy. Groups on a sixty yard target were impressive.

 

[GANGGREEN]

Fun to plink with it. I don't really hunt small game and it's not a legal firearm here in flintlock season for deer, but I enjoy mine, just shot it yesterday.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Bella (below) is a percussion Tennessee Poor Boy that I built during the winter. I find the 40 to be an accurate caliber. I use this for competition. The only dislike is that it doesn't have a hooked breach which makes cleaning a bit harder. Yes, I would do it again.

 

[oldwood]

Some years ago I built my first .40 cal. flint... It has turned into my favorite small game rifle. Has a 13/16" by 38 " barrel ( can't see the sights Good enough @ 42" )... She's a rusty , ugly little walnut stocked piece like you'd find in an old barn in the Cheat River Valley , Preston Co. W.Va.. The rest of the iron parts were out of an old shed that burned somewhere back in the hills..
40 gr. fffg is my small game load , but less would work too. Best to keep the velocity below where the ball atomizes tissue , so something is left to cook up.
My max. load is 60 gr. fffg. .. Not for small game , maybe ground hogs. I have no personal experience killing deer w/ this load and wouldn't try it. I think the ball weighs somewhere around 90 grs.. In the early 1970's , Turner Kirkland , Dixie Gun Works , marketed a .40 slug mold , but I think that's disappeared from the later catalogs. This .40 is a dream to shoot , carry , and it's fun to count the bullet holes in the 10 ring @ 50 yards. .40 , .36 , .32 calibers are all just not troublesome , but in my opinion the .40 is the most versatile. oldwood...

 

[Tom Compton]

I only have 2 in my safe right now. Looking forward to another.40 w a flintlock.

 

[olskool]

oh yea,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Scota@4570]

40 is as small as I can go and comfortably load. I have a 36 and it is a bit fiddly for my old hands.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I love a .40.

Economical, moderate recoil, further range than a .36 or .32, fouls a bit less, balls are easier to handle, can be loaded down for squirrel or rabbit or loaded up for yotes or small deers (depending on local laws be sure to check state regulations) and has a big benefit of being able to use a 3/8” ramrod which is close to bore diameter and very stout. It is about the perfect small bore there is. Here is mine, not a flinty but a cappy:

 

[Eterry]

My first black powder was a 45, killed everything a teenager stumbled onto in the early 80's. Then I got a 54, a 50, three 58's.
When I decided to build a scratch left hand flint I wanted something "fer squirrels and setch" like the guy said on Josey Wales. Was gonna go with a 36, but my mentor talked me out of it, saying a 40 will do double duty, from small game to deer.

The build took much longer than I hoped, but I'm pleased as can be with my Early Lancaster L/H flint 40 w/ 42" barrel.
Then I stumbled onto a custom Lee REAL mold for the 40, throws a 197 gr conical which groups nicely. I think 60grs fffg behind one should ruin a hogs day, if I do my part.

I haven't bloodied it yet, but my chosen small critter load is 20gr fffg. It puts them in a little cluster at 25 yards, I don't think i can see a squirrel's eye farther than that.

The squirrels must be bigger in other places, 1600fps with a 92gr prb isnt needed for our tree rats.

I have no regrets about the 40 cal, I don't think I'll go smaller.

 

[mooman76]

Don't get me going. I started with 45, then wanted bigger for hunting big game and got a 58. Then wanted smaller for economy shooting so I got 32. Then I got 36 stuck in my head because I wanted something with a little more umph than 32 but still economy. I got a 54 because it was a deal and in a gun model I always wanted.

I'd like to get a Kimber some day and if I do it will probably be a 40.

 

[Eterry]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[mooman76]

You must have got your negative reversed. Lock is on the wrong side.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Bella (below) is a percussion Tennessee Poor Boy that I built during the winter. I find the 40 to be an accurate caliber. I use this for competition. The only dislike is that it doesn't have a hooked breach which makes cleaning a bit harder. Yes, I would do it again.

Forgot my target

 

[Art Caputo]

Like really like my 40cal for a day of targets or small game. While it would get the job done on deer with good shot placement, I would opt for one of my larger caliber rifles My .40cal, TVA, 42”bbl.

 

[Robby]

My .40, I just wish I had made it right handed! Ah well, one of my grand sons is a righty.

 

[olskool]

here is another of my 40 built by Kevin Blevins of NC

 

[Terry Jack]

I felt the same way so I built one with set triggers and flintlock. Swamped barrel Siler lock in a nice piece of wood. It shoots great and I made it left handed as that’s how I shoot everything. Having shot a couple of years I now reach past it to grab a 54 for matches or hunting.
IMG_0113 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

That piece is perfect for me.