A little while ago, a fellow MDSer and owner of Saint Firearms in Essex told me he had a .36 cal CVA Squirrel Rifle in his shop. Shortly thereafter, the Squirrel Rifle left with me. 
The first time I shot it, the temp was like 25* and I only shot it at 16 yards. I could see it had potential even at that range. A previous owner had added a Williams Peep sight to the rear of the barrel but it was too low for my face so I replaced it with an old CVA sight I had laying around. I also put a Patridge front sight on and removed the bead type that was on there. My old eyes need a wider sight these days.
Fast Forward to a few days ago, and I got to wring it out at 50 yards. The attached targets are the last two I shot just to show the difference a patch makes. Prior to shooting them, I worked through 25 to 40 gn loads using .350 Hornady balls and Pyrodex P powder.
The shots in the outfield are different patch material/thickness that didn't work. Those in the X ring are what works well. I buy all my patch material from Joannes fabric store and I take a micrometer (not a caliper ) when I go shopping. Additionally, I do not wash my patch material as I use a water based lube (Ballistol and water 8 to 1) which softens the sizing in the fabric just fine.
These targets were shot from a front sandbag rest at 50 yards with the open sights. To say I am happy is a vast understatement. Considering my old eyes, it is amazing that I did so well. As I said before, these two targets are representative of all the others I shot that day. I shot almost 100 rounds and got many x rings hits. I now have four types of patch material that work well with this rifle.
As for loads, 25, 30 and 40 all gave 1 to 11/2 inch groups with the good patches. 35 grains was the magic number though. Also, I have learned not to clean when shooting on .32, .36 and .40 cal rifles. Why I don't know but you get better groups if you don't clean. With my .45, 50 and .54's I clean between shots to get the best groups.
BTW, last weekend, BP was totally out of Pyrodex and they must have had 50 pounds the week before.
The first time I shot it, the temp was like 25* and I only shot it at 16 yards. I could see it had potential even at that range. A previous owner had added a Williams Peep sight to the rear of the barrel but it was too low for my face so I replaced it with an old CVA sight I had laying around. I also put a Patridge front sight on and removed the bead type that was on there. My old eyes need a wider sight these days.
Fast Forward to a few days ago, and I got to wring it out at 50 yards. The attached targets are the last two I shot just to show the difference a patch makes. Prior to shooting them, I worked through 25 to 40 gn loads using .350 Hornady balls and Pyrodex P powder.
The shots in the outfield are different patch material/thickness that didn't work. Those in the X ring are what works well. I buy all my patch material from Joannes fabric store and I take a micrometer (not a caliper ) when I go shopping. Additionally, I do not wash my patch material as I use a water based lube (Ballistol and water 8 to 1) which softens the sizing in the fabric just fine.
These targets were shot from a front sandbag rest at 50 yards with the open sights. To say I am happy is a vast understatement. Considering my old eyes, it is amazing that I did so well. As I said before, these two targets are representative of all the others I shot that day. I shot almost 100 rounds and got many x rings hits. I now have four types of patch material that work well with this rifle.
As for loads, 25, 30 and 40 all gave 1 to 11/2 inch groups with the good patches. 35 grains was the magic number though. Also, I have learned not to clean when shooting on .32, .36 and .40 cal rifles. Why I don't know but you get better groups if you don't clean. With my .45, 50 and .54's I clean between shots to get the best groups.
BTW, last weekend, BP was totally out of Pyrodex and they must have had 50 pounds the week before.
LOL, I read ^that^ and my mind immediately started cataloguing all the other facets of life on Earth to which, “the right patch makes all the difference!” 
