Smallest caliber?

[tryinhard]

What is the smallest caliber ML a person can buy? Just lookin for a plinking/target shooting rifle to enjoy.

TH

 

[Zonie]

The smallest common muzzleloading rifle would be the .32 caliber gun.

Some folks shoot commercial .310 or .315 pure lead balls and some use #0 (.320) or #1 (.300) buckshot.

 

[rawhide]

.32 cal is the smallest I've seen. I recamend the traditions crocket rifle. mine I shoot .311 cast round balls with a .010 patch and 15 grains of goex or 777 FFFg. shoots very nicely. and is very cheap to shoot.

 

[trent/OH]

Once or twice I've seen a 22 caliber percussion revolver. I own a 31 caliber revolver.
As to rifles, the smallest I've ever seen was a 29 caliber, and the smallest I've heard of were a few 25 calibers.
But as already stated, the smallest common caliber would be 32.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

My dad once owned an original .28 caliber half-stock percussion but so far as I know there are no production rifles or barrels available smaller than .32 caliber.

 

[BrownBear]

There are some makers who turn out 25 caliber barrels, and guys who build rifles on them are really happy. But it's a purely custom deal. The 32 cal Crockett is the smallest factory build I know of.

 

[tryinhard]

Thanks for the responses. Now the big question. Can I get a drop in barrel for my T/C Hawken in 32 cal?

 

[BrownBear]

Green Mountain made them till recently, so they're floating around the used market. They have recently started turning out drop-in barrels again, so maybe they'll reappear new.

One downside. My hunting pard has one, and it's a crowbar. Heavy? That doesn't come close. Dandy range gun, but he packs something else when we climb the hills for snowshoe hare.

 

[fho]

I got a 25 caliber rifled barrel from Ed Rayl and made myself a half stock rifle. It is fun to shoot and cheap to shoot. I bought a box of Horandy .250 buckshot. With a lb. of 3f and a box of balls I can shoot all year long.