Smokepole Squirrels

DarrinG

DarrinG

Six Pointer
My traditional black powder rifles have gotten green with jealousy since small game seasons opened. I've been chasing the whitetail so much with my stickbows that all my spare hunting time has been spent with a recurve in hand. Well today I had a few morning hours before time to put hay in the barn, so I grabbed my Traditions "Deerhunter" 32 caliber sidelock rifle and quickly headed to the hardwoods. Shooting 15 grains of Goex FFFg behind a patched round ball. Nothing like the sight and smell of real black powder smoke drifting through the woods on a frosty morning! Didn't have time to stay long but managed a couple for the stew pot. Felt good to be back in the squirrel woods with my traditional muzzleloader. Gotta make more time for this....lotsa fun!

kjbHXQU.jpg
 

waymoe1

Ten Pointer
Dang thats awesome! Wish you had a pic up, but that sounds awesome!
How often do you have to clean your gun in between shots?
 
DarrinG

DarrinG

Six Pointer
waymoe1 said:
Dang thats awesome! Wish you had a pic up, but that sounds awesome!
How often do you have to clean your gun in between shots?
Click to expand...

Thanks guys. This traditional muzzleloader squirrel hunting is much fun!

I'm not sure why your machine aint showing the picture I posted with the thread, but its there on my end.

I swab between every shot. I dampen a patch with rubbing alcohol (just damp) and run it down the barrel, twist once and back up, give it a few seconds to let any residual alcohol evaporate, then reload. I use alcohol because it evaporates so fast so I can reload quicker without worry of moisture still in the barrel ruining my powder charge. I find accuracy is so much better for repeated shots if the barrel is swabbed between shots., and it only takes a minute to do. Small calibers like my 32 seem to me to foul faster than larger calibers and benefit from swabbing between shots moreso than larger calibers. Of course at the end of the day it gets a thorough cleaning before being put in the rack.
 
DarrinG

DarrinG

Six Pointer
Back out this morning for a couple hours after feeding livestock. Added 3 more plumb greys to the stew meat pot bag in the freezer. This little Traditions Deerhunter 32 caliber is a danged accurate little roundball squirrel-getter. Rollin smoke for squirrels is tons of fun....brings me back to my youth days where I learned to hunt with a .410 and a old Marlin 22. Add the challenge of a traditional black powder rifle to it and its rekindled the fun!

9cUdkJ5.jpg
 
DarrinG

DarrinG

Six Pointer
Thanks Jim.
Traditions quit making the "Deerhunter" model in .32 caliber a few years back. I lucked onto this one in a shop in Ohio. It was used as in handled but never fired. I snatched it up quickly. Traditions does still make the "Crockett" in .32 percussion. Different stock and longer barrel. I have a friend who has one and shot his a few times and its a shooter also, just not as short and easy to handle in brushy areas as the Deerhunter model.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top