You guys are getting me all worked up now!
THIS is the essence of shooting and hunting to me!
@Bret4207 , the ONLY reason I don't mess with the 32s is that I made myself make a choice to narrow things down and simplify my battery. Since the 38/357 (actually only almost 36 cal.) could cover THAT base as well as be really beefed up to boot, I made that compromise. Otherwise, the 32s are intriguing and extremely viable general purpose arms.
@Outpost75 (likely you all know) has written some great articles on the topic as well.
@L Ross , when I "built" (from a kit, but requiring monumental effort for what they give you) my muzzle-loader in the mid-eighties, I chose the Lyman Great Plains in 50 cal. with a 32" 1:66" barrel, knowing that at the time, Green Mountain made "drop-in" 36 cal barrels in RB twist for a really attractive price. This ML was intended to be my "one and only" ML, from that point forward, and it is yet today, but I missed the Green Mountain 36 cal barrel. I had reasoned t hat the 50 was good enough for anything, but the 36 would be a lot of fun and "cheaper" for shooting squirrels.
Later, I learned that "Ohio Rifles," where I had moved back to, after getting proficient with that rifle, were commonly 38 and 40 caliber rifles. Ohio game law sets a minimum caliber for MLs at 38 cal. Folks way back when must have known how to hunt, because folks in my time considered my "50" a bit on the light side, and were buying and building 54s, 58s and 62s - for white-tailed deer.
I think a lot of emphasis on more "power" making up for all the bother of actually hunting has obscured experience and knowledge gained, possessed and implemented from and during the "black powder era." So, here we go, learning it all over again in our own time, but I guess it's ore fun figuring it out for ourselves than having someone else just hand it to us.
@Missionary , love the new avatar. I mistook you for a dear (departed) old Ukranian friend before clicking on it and getting a closer look. Quite a handsome mug, Sir.
When a puny 177 grain, half-inch diameter, pure lead round-ball, starting out at just under 2kfps, will pass clear through the chest of a 180 to 200# white-tailed deer at, just over a hundred yards, and make a clean, non-dramatic kill, I would argue in favor of your point til' the cows came home. No gaping, gory exit-wounds, no lolling tongues, no missing body parts,... Hard to argue against that.