3 1/2 lb. .54/28 ga. smoothbore

[Deadeye]

Friend dropped by a few days ago to show me his newest smoothie. A .54 part oct. part round 22"
barrel caplock weighing 3.5 lbs. Made in Spain and with the standard Spanish proof marks of 700KGS. The ramrod hole goes all the way thru to the buttplate and though the ramrod looks short it's way longer than the barrel.
Deadeye

 

[dbutch]

To Short to be a canoe gun!..would that make it a kayak gun? :hmm:
At 3.5 lbs..what kind of loads does he shoot in it? shot-rb's?

I'm thinking recoil here. Interesting gun.

 

[Deadeye]

He has a couple of grandsons, about 6 or 7 yrs. old that he plans to have shoot it in the trade gun/smoothbore shoots. For 25 yds. they'll probably shoot about 20 grs. won't kick too much.
The weight was what amazed me. I thought 6 lbs. was a lightweight. It's a great gun for a young kid. Wish I'd had one at that age.
Deadeye

 

[BrownBear]

I'm amazed by the weight, too. Must be very light wood.

Call it a barn gun and the canoe gun police will leave you alone.

Kids or not, I'd carry it. Light and handy makes for easy carry if a guy spends a lot of time in the hills and not on the range. I'd probably put some kind of a sling on it to make it even handier, but it would be a pleasure to have that across my back wherever I went.

 

[Shine]

I have one of those in .410 i brought back from central america.

 

[Shine]

They were actually still used by the natives as monkey guns. The one I have is well used. I traded a G.I. pocket knife for mine. Its hanging with some other bringbacks in my den I've never shot it the bore is a little pitted. I think that native got the better end of the trade. I did get him to throw in a mango.

 

We used to be able to buy those fro $25-$30 in either full or half stock. They were made in both Mexico and South America, Brazil I think, and the story was that they were used by the natives for harvesting birds with decorater feathers. I don't consider most of them safe to shoot as the barrels were made of a piece of pipe and sometimes had a second piece of pipe welded over it as a sleeve at the breach end. I'd proof fire it from a bench or tire before I let the kids, or anyone, shoot it from the shoulder.
Mark

 

[Deadeye]

This one's made in Spain and proofed the same as all the CVAs made there and about the same quality. Has been shot a lot but bore is in good condition, no rust or pits, nice and shiney.
Deadeye

 

[HWH]

I still have a gun very similar to that one that I bought at Dixie Gun Works about 40 years ago or so. I used to live just a couple hours drive from Union City. Mine measures ~.525 at the muzzle which makes it a 32 guage. It is marked Dixie Gun Works, Made in Spain on the top flat of the barrel just in front of the breech plug. As a kid I used to load it with shot and newspaper wadding and shoot cottontails.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I have one of those early sixties Spainish shot guns in 28 gauge which has accounted for a lot of cottontails since I got it in the middle sixties. With a heavy patch it will throw a 54 caliber round ball and makes an excellant candle shoot gun!With 3/4 ounce of shot over 55 grains powder it handles wabbits well.

 

[BrownBear]

This whole topic has me remembering how I packed a 20 gauge single shot with me almost every day when I was a kid wandering the hills. It probably weighed a little more, but that was compensated by the fact that I almost never had more than a couple of shells to my name! I bet I can manage to lug around 10 pounds of stuff to feed such a light gun today. :rotf:

 

[Deadeye]

BB,I remember those days too, when I was 9 or 10 and packing a shotgun that weighted 8 or 9 lbs.
I think that's why I was impressed with this one.
I didn't realize one could be made this light and if a cheap one can be this light then I think a quality gun could be about this light too. hmmm
might want to make me one.
Deadeye

 

[BrownBear]

hmmm
might want to make me one.

My mind is running down the same path. Right now the challenge would be choosing between 62 and 69 cal, and maybe even mildly jug choked.

I'd probably even go with sling swivels, too. Not as "clean" but sure a lot handier if you could sling the thing across your back when you didn't need it.

The point is, I usually wouldn't be "hunting" with it. Just packing it along while I was doing something else, in case I decided I wanted meat for dinner.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

Right now the challenge would be choosing between 62 and 69 cal, and maybe even mildly jug choked.

Split the difference at .66, and join us afficionados of the 1-ounce bore!

Regards,
Joel

 

[matt denison]

Ya'll are making me want one of these, tee hee.

I don't think I'd want any bigger bore though. I can see this one loaded with 35 gr. powder under 5/8 oz. of # 7 1/2 or 8's for popping varmints or as mentioned plumage birds, maybe a grouse if he's close and dumb enough to hold still. I don't think I'd want to shoot 16 gage (1 ounce) balls through a 3 1/2 pound gun. Ouch!

 

[Deadeye]

This months "Muzzle Blasts" had an article about an original .48 cal. smooth rifle that weighted 5 lbs with a 39 5/8" barrel and he copied it and his weighted 6 1/2 lbs. with a 42". Gotta have a lightweigh barrel, maybe lighter than most makers make these days. My own .50 smoothie weights just over 6 with a 36".
Deadeye

 

[Tinker2]

I have one that looks like that, a .44 Caliber / 55 Gauge smooth bore, mine is made in Belgium. It was a kit when I got it 30 or more years ago.

It’s still a kit, what can I say. :redface:

The lock that came with the kit would not have fit the semi-inletted stock. The inletting was way to big for the lock and if it had not been semi-inletted, the lock was way to small to use for that gun.

It should be a fun gun.


Tinker2

 

[oneflag]

Hi,
I need some help.
I just become a member to the forum. I have restored a Dixie Gun Works 28 gauge smooth bore.
It is just like the one mentioned in the thread. My dad bought me this gun 30 years ago.
I need a new nipple and can not figure out the thread type. Years ago I worked in a machine shop so I have a common knowledge of threads and measuring tools. Do you know what size thread (nipple) is in this gun?
Thanks!

 

[MSW]

Oneflag, if you can access the tools, you can measure the thread size. some are SAE and some are metric.

if you give Dixie Gun Works a call, they might be able to help you - worth a try.

Good luck in your quest. You'll be glad you took the effort to get it back up and shooting. (I got a really got deal on a Ruger Old Army because the previous owner had bashed in the nipples and was too dumb or too lazy to replace them. I did ask if he'd thought about it, and he ranted on about how the gun was a piece of junk and so on, so I looked him dead in the eye and said "Seventy five bucks, as it stands, and not a penny more." He said, "Really?? That much??! I'll TAKE IT!!") I take that gun to the barn often- you never know when Wyle E. Coyote will need a little ventilation.

 

[oneflag]

I deer hunt with a muzzleloader and plan to squirrel hunt with this gun.

I emailed Dixie Gun Works and they replied. They said they had no records about the gun because it was 30 years old. I was sadly disappointed with them. It has there name on it surely they have the blueprints somewhere.
It is a cheap gun but has sentimental value; regardless it has their name on it.
Mine has a 32" barrel and I have not shot it in 25 years.
The nipple was buggered up from being dry fired (by me when I was just a kid) I tried to remove the nipple because I wanted a new one to freshen the old girl up. Well it broke off but I was able to drill it out but destroyed it. I was careful not to damage the threads in the hole. The I.D. of the hole does not match anything on a standard or metric tap drill chart. If I can't figure it out I'm taking her to Friendship this spring and show some of the old timers.