24 vs 20 gauge smoothbore. need advice

[Rifleman1776]

Sitting Fox outsources all their builds to various different builders and that the build quality can be hit and miss.

I have seen one of his guns. It might as well as had the builders name in big red letters on the barrel. And, it wasn't bragging stuff.

 

[mreed1000]

Hey Grenadier1758 i am planing on attending the woods walk at the fort for the first time this year. I am actively looking for a group to join. I decided on a Jim Chambers Pennsylvania Fowler kit 20 gauge in the smooth rifle configuration. I am going to try and build the kit myself due to the fact that all of the builders i have contacted are 6 months to 2 years out and i would like to have it ready for deer season and the fall fort rende. If i have issues with the build I am going to have Chuck Edwards build it for me. He only lives about 70 miles south of me in Missouri. He was recommended with glowing recommendations from Jim Chambers. Thanks everyone for the advice and information. 20 gauge it is.

 

[Treestalker]

Bravo, good choice! A 20 smooth bore max load is about equivalent to a regular 12 guage load with a longer shot string. A light 20 load is murder on tree rats and other edibles and a .60 ball will kill any deer you can reliably tag in the boiler room up to about 60-75 yards. Best all around choice in my book. I have an oct-rd GM barrel 21 inches long that would make a sweet short trade gun. Zonie found documentation of such short guns sold IIRC by Hudson's Bay Co. I plan on building such a (canoe?) gun when all the parts are collected. It'll take out anything up close in Arkanasas. :thumbsup: Smoke'em; George.

 

[huntinguy]

The 24 gauge of 0.58 caliber is a light and handy firearm.

But only if it's a light barrel. Most 24's I've seen use the same barrel stock as 20's, making them even heavier than the 20's. I'm very fond of 58 caliber in rifles, and by extension I've been looking hard at having a 24 smooth made up. But I want the "light and handy" you specify. So far finding that more slender 24 barrel has been a grunt.

They are out there. I picked up one several years back. The guy I got it from said his barrel supplier made a short run. It is somewhere between an A and B weight barrel. 1.06 at the breach and .609 at the swamp, I believe. He had a Leigh built there with the sister barrel... Good thing is was his wife's gun or....

 

[smoothshooter]

Relative scarcity of wads in retail stores in that gauge is not much of a problem.

He can buy a wad punch and make his own,nand make them out of whatever material he wants.

 

[Black Hand]

I would suggest looking for another gun. Can you see the gaps around that buttplate full of some kind of filler? The lock is browned apparently so as not to have to remove much as cast surface. It appears quite slab sided, too much wood on the lock panels, untapered barrel, etc.

I'm going to agree with the Captain - there appears to be some extra wood. A fowler should appear slim and graceful while this one seems chunky and clunky...

 

[nhmoose]

Retail stores??? SB shooters really will not find anything.

When the outside dimension of the barrel available to buy is the same I go with the biggest bore offered. 24, 28. 20. or 16.

The lightest barrel WILL make the lightest gun

 

[BrownBear]

FCI Barrels sizes the barrels to the bore.

He sezz "BARRELS WILL BE SIZED TO CALIBER I.E. MY 24 GA. WEIGHS LESS THAN A 20 GA. CUSTOM ORDERS WELCOME"

Guess where I'm buying.

 

[nhmoose]

FCI Barrels sizes the barrels to the bore.

He sezz "BARRELS WILL BE SIZED TO CALIBER I.E. MY 24 GA. WEIGHS LESS THAN A 20 GA. CUSTOM ORDERS WELCOME"

Guess where I'm buying.

That's who to buy from if you are building from scratch.

Barrel channels of the pre-carved type I doubt will fit.

Thanks for the link! :hatsoff:

 

[kingsax26]

just my two cents, but I have always subscribed to getting the biggest caliber you think you will need.if you need a 24...get a 20. that being said. typically 20 bore makes the lightest barrel from commercial made stuff in my experience...

 

[MountainRanger]

That is a pretty gun on first glance, but there are some areas on it that I'd rather not have on a $1600 investment. Not horrible, but some areas could have been done nicer.

I also think that a 20 ga, which is .62 cal would be a more flexible arm for hunting both winged and legged game.

Of course, that's just an opinion, and you know that opinions are like a*******s... everyone has one! :rotf:

 

[Grandpa Ron]

For that kind of money, I would go with a twenty gauge. It is a popular gauge and components are easily availble.

You will get 22 balls to the lb of lead and .600 balls are readily available.

 

[robinsroost]

Grandpa Ron, You are close, gage means the actual number of equal sized lead balls it takes to weigh 1 pound. Thus a 12ga takes 12 balls that weigh 1 pound, a 20ga takes 20 balls and so forth. The only exception is the .410, which is the actual caliber. A .410 would actually be about 67 1/2ga........robin :hmm:
Your 22 balls to the pound would be correct to patch to fit a 20ga.....

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Yes my twenty gauge is .620 and I use a .600 ball.

Since I shoot a lot I switched to a 28 gauge with a .540 bore and a .526 ball. That gives me 33 balls to the pound and is the smallest gauge allowed in the National trade gun competition.

However for the newcomer I suggest a twenty gauge. The other popular smoothie is the Brown Bess in 12 gauge and that is a lot of lead going down range.