traditional- I'm looking for a good .32 0r .36

[North River Hunter]

I,m looking for a good small game, squirrel rifle. Probably a .32 cal or .36 cal.
tradional rifle.
Anyone have any ideas on what to buy or info for them.


Thanks!

 

[azsugarbear]

Late reply. I'm not aware of any current production rifles being made in 32 cal. There are a couple of manufacturers still making 36 cal rifles, but they are not very accurate. They seem to be made more for youth and smaller framed ladies. Have you given any thought to making your own? Custom made 36 cal rifles are smokin'. When you shoot them, you get a "crack" instead of the normal bang from the larger calibers. Plan on spending $700 if making your own.

 

[BillR]

Cabela's sells what they call the "Blue Ridge" which is .32 cal and also .36 cal and has a 36" barrel I think and comes in either persuction or flintrock. both shoot very well. both a traditional style rifle.

 

[azsugarbear]

I just went online to look at them. The Cabela's website didn't show any .32 or .36 cal rifles - just the .45, .50 & .54 cals. Nice looking rifles.

Any idea who makes them for Cabela's? The price is certainly up there - at least up in the range of buying quality components and putting one together yourself. My biggest concern with production flintlocks is the lock itself. The timing and geometry has to spot on or you will always have trouble. If you go the production route, I would go with the percussion lock. Simple less to go wrong.

TVM is a small shop that builds their rifles to the customers request. They cost a little bit more, but you know what you are getting: a Siler lock, custom barrel, and great wood-to-metal fit. Here's the link to their site:

T.V.M. - Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading - Home

If you hunt around, you could probably find a used one for $500-$600.

I'm not saying that the Blue Ridge is not the way to go, but for me - I want quality components that can readily be replaced if something goes wrong. It also allows me to easily upgrade if I want to. Some production models have parts made overseas and you find out later that many parts are metric.

Good luck.

 

[azsugarbear]

Hey North River,

I had a chance to go by the Cabela's store in Glendale, AZ today. While I was there, I took a look at their Blue Ridge muzzleloaders. As it turns out, they are made by Pedersoli, which is a definite plus in my book. Cabela's had both 32 and 36 cal percussion rifles in stock. They felt a little nose-heavy to me and the metal-to-wood finish wasn't quite what am used to seeing in a custom buiuld, but still a solid rifle. While the larger calibers were listed at $750 or so, both the 32 and 36 cal models were marked down to $579 because of some marks and dings on the stocks. Either would be a real bargain, especially if you were to sand down the stock to remove the dings and give it more graceful lines and then restain it.

 

[BillR]

There are a goodly number of small company's out there that build ML's to your spec's if that is what you wish. Plus there are a good number of company's that sell top shelf kits although unless your experienced at it I would recommend against it. Reason is your spending $700 to $1000 for parts that if you screw it up you end up with just that. Parts and unless you know what your doing it will look like you just gathered a bunch of parts and screwed them to a 2X4 and called it a gun. I custom built ML's for a long time and built them to order. What I hated most was a customer that bought the parts and tried to put it together himself and then brought it to me. Kind of like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. It takes a number of try's before you get it right is all and kind of spendy doing it that way. Best thing to do is to buy a rifle at a reasonable price with a good barrel and shoot it till you do well with it and have a decent Idea of what things should be like to make it work right and then go from there.
I competed with my guns for years and had a good friend that just did not have the wherewithall to have a custom gun built so he went with the Blue Ridge rifle. Believe me he was not easy to beat when he was shooting that gun. Had to work on his mind rather than on his groups but that was easier than the other way around. He was easy to make nervous.
Wish I had the time to get back into building Ml's again but alas If I wish to retire someday I will need to keep my steady income. She who must be obeyed commands it.