CombatAK
Hooligan #12
Hornady makes .36 cal balls that are .350. If those lead balls are handmade, could it be a .36 cal? It is a beautiful rifle nevertheless.
Help IDing this rifle
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~.36 cal is awfully light for deer. More of a small game caliber. Those buffalo .54 caliber rifles were typically using minie balls weight twice as much or more than a round ball bore diameter would be. Round ball .50-.54 caliber is a more typical/traditional deer caliber for a muzzle loader
No Minie balls in a Hawken.
Minies have to keep the velocity down, like below 1000 fps, or else the skirt will blow. Thus they have a rainbow trajectory. Round balls can be fired at much higher velocity.
Minies have to keep the velocity down, like below 1000 fps, or else the skirt will blow. Thus they have a rainbow trajectory. Round balls can be fired at much higher velocity.
Good hunting rifle for smaller game. Informal target shooting, all round nice light rifle. On the light side for deer, but I'll bet it was used for deer.
Folks in those days didn't have a concept of a fun gun, because guns are tools, and life is about work and duty, consarn it.
But yes, fun gun. Nice gun.
Folks in those days didn't have a concept of a fun gun, because guns are tools, and life is about work and duty, consarn it.
But yes, fun gun. Nice gun.
Zorros
Ultimate Member
Hawken calibers are larger for western game. The eastern forest guns couldn’t cut it against grizzlys and elk. Funny this one has an engraving of a hunter and two birds that look like ducks. If the barrel has been cut down some, i’d guess it was a fowling piece. I have one and the barrel is over 32” but i cant measure now. And that quarter stock would also be normal in a fowler. Best part of old guns is the puzzle.
Or the maker got a lock from somewhere which may have been intended for a fowler, or previously used on a shotgun.
36 caliber would make a good small game rifle.
A 32 caliber muzzleloader is pretty close to a 22LR/22Magnum. About 50gr bullet at around 1500FPS with 15-20 grains of powder. A .350 caliber round ball isn't much heavier at about 65gr.
You don't often see muzzleloading rifles any smaller than .32 - they are hard to load and the ramrod would be prone to breakage.
A 32 caliber muzzleloader is pretty close to a 22LR/22Magnum. About 50gr bullet at around 1500FPS with 15-20 grains of powder. A .350 caliber round ball isn't much heavier at about 65gr.
You don't often see muzzleloading rifles any smaller than .32 - they are hard to load and the ramrod would be prone to breakage.
CombatAK
Hooligan #12
For squirrels and such........
somd_mustangs
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- Jul 1, 2012
- 5,733
Zorros
Ultimate Member
Its not cr. Its antique or repo.
Zorros
Ultimate Member
Agree. The 36 cal is too small for a fowler. Is it smooth bore or rifled?
Doco Overboard
Ultimate Member
Looks like a mid 50's or even to the sixties build when muzzloading started to become popular. Judging by the pictures and I could be wrong it looks like a mix of old and new parts to make a nice rifle. There are a lot of rifles from that era that are often mistaken for originals.
Make sure its not loaded before you start trying the hammer.
Make sure its not loaded before you start trying the hammer.
iH8DemLibz
When All Else Fails.
Here's a Lane and Read rifle with a back action lock.
Made in Boston.
The adjustable rear sight is a dead ringer for the OP's rifle.
Made in Boston.
The adjustable rear sight is a dead ringer for the OP's rifle.
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