.62 smoothbore as an all around gun?

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All I can say for a flint and smooth bore 20ga/.62 cal as an all round gun is YES and YES! It will serve you very well!

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I have been considering buying a Pedersoli indian trade musket and was wondering how both ball and shot patterned, there are times I'm out hunting and may be gone for several days and decide to hunt something else for a little while well at least if I had a gun to do it. I know that if you remove the ball you can load in some #4 shot and if patterns decent enough it'd be great for squirrel and rabbit, maybe even crows. Me and my dad are planning on going into a certain national forest we hunt often and we're planning on going in for about a week to squirrel and rabbit hunt in February, so I just want something that can be used for everything without buying a $2-3,000 sxs muzzleloading shotgun, I know this question/s was long but any experience in this would be greatly appreciated!
I would not buy a Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket.
The lock on this gun, the “Lott Lock” can be a problem and most of the time it requires work. Notice someone said it’s finicky. They do have a reputation of a troublesome lock.

From Pedersoli, the Brown Bess trade gun from Dixie is what I recommend.
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...ct_name/FR0600+Dixie+Brown+Bess+Trade+Gun+KitThis has the Bess Grice Lock and for Import lock, It’s fantastic. It goes boom.
It’s 11-12 bore, great for shot. Being a musket it’s good for ball. It’s a shorter gun, basically a Bess Carbine.
Yes it’s a kit but it’s a really simple one.
I would add rear sight., Mike Brooks has some great Carolina Gun rear sight castings from time to time.

You want a reliable, good quality lock.
Besides the Bess above.....
Jim Chambers offerings
Kibler Colonial in smoothbore
Clay Smith Trade guns
All above are offered as parts sets.
 
So there you go friend. Believe we mostly concure that a flintlock fired 20 gauge of between 27 thru 44 inch barrel and seems like your ped smoothie would prolly do ... however
... betcha a Kibler colonial 58 smoothie or the 20 gauge fowler would not cost much more than the ped. And an American kit born n raised will feel sooo much better in your paws along with the build pride should be considered.
 
How about a 62 rifle on a 28 inch swamped barrel?
I've a 26" Swamped Round Flint 50 cal rifle weight 5 pounds . Thats my Pet for long walks or was when I could under take them too lame to do the 13 day stuff I made it for but did come in great for the trip I did do with it' Keep your dead weight Hawkins ' I made just two Ide never choose one for big country like the Coast Range Rivers of BC A double 16 bore ex flint was my favorite shot in the right for fool hens Ect & a ball in the left in case some amourous Moose might get exited again ( I once looked up the nose of a Bull Moose while trying to avoid it. My 451 had just a ball & 15 or so grains for Spruce grouse ect. Run? no good .play dead? no good .So I stood my ground and conversed with it pointing out the power of my rifle And basicaly Babble which caused the Moose to retire & join the Cow out in the Mosley Creek River ,a place called Five Fingers Below Twist Lake I walked to Cumsack Creek via the Tiedman glacier run off and' Murderers Bar' , Cleft Camp . & the Waddington canyon. 1973 or so I was fitter then.
Memory Lane Rudyard
 
I would not buy a Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket.
The lock on this gun, the “Lott Lock” can be a problem and most of the time it requires work. Notice someone said it’s finicky. They do have a reputation of a troublesome lock.

From Pedersoli, the Brown Bess trade gun from Dixie is what I recommend.
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...ct_name/FR0600+Dixie+Brown+Bess+Trade+Gun+KitThis has the Bess Grice Lock and for Import lock, It’s fantastic. It goes boom.
It’s 11-12 bore, great for shot. Being a musket it’s good for ball. It’s a shorter gun, basically a Bess Carbine.
Yes it’s a kit but it’s a really simple one.
I would add rear sight., Mike Brooks has some great Carolina Gun rear sight castings from time to time.

You want a reliable, good quality lock.
Besides the Bess above.....
Jim Chambers offerings
Kibler Colonial in smoothbore
Clay Smith Trade guns
All above are offered as parts sets.
Except Kibler's Colonial does not come in .62; but his fowler does. I'm one of the few who are not so down on Pedersoli. I've never had a defective one and their flintlock just needs a bit of tweaking if it is slow. The right kind of flash hole liner will render the lock to be as reliable as any. It may need the hole drilled out to a bit larger and, coned inside and out. The nicest shotgun I ever had was Pedersoli 's double barrel percussion, which is not relevant here but it does speak to their quality. The rear sight on any smooth barrel is always a good idea. N
 
You can get a semi-custom smoothie for $1500 all day. Probably even find one on this forum. And yes, a smoothie can get it done. It’s often the only gun someone had years ago
 
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