.50 smoothie

[Deadeye]

For awhile I've been wanting a small caliber lightweight smoothie to pack around the hills and be able to shoot whatever. I found some parts at Jack Garner's TVM that was just what I was looking for. Easiest gun I ever built. Plain maple so I stained it dark, weights 6 lbs. 2 oz.
shoots .490 balls like a rifle and 3/4 oz of shot better than a full choked 410. For an old guy like me looking for something light to pack it's perfect. I'm happy!

 

[loojack]

Congratulations! Nice job! :thumbsup:

 

[F.G. Ford]

That is one fine looking gun!!!
I have a hard time, to figure the purpose of a .50 smoothie, especially here in Canada.
But you have just proved a valid reason.
Some more pictures, would be great...especially up close with a tape measure opened beside it :v :v
Once again "NICE GUN"
Old Ford

 

[tg]

Nice gun, those small smoothies can sometimes really handle ball well.

 

[torn moc]

Beautiful gun! I need on just like here in the hills of West Virginia. It will serve you well!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Yeah, that looks great. I look forward to hearing about your walks with it too :thumbsup:

Britsmoothy.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

You said it is perfect for an old guy like you but I do believe that gun would be perfect for anyone. I really like the plain yet personal style. Hope it serves you well! :thumbsup:

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

This is a wonderfull looking smoothie, I ain't trying to burst anyone's bubble but the NMLRA rules for smoothbore are .54 and larger. I shoot a TVM .54 that looks just like this except for 12 years wear! If you do not plan to shoot any NMLRA events there is no problem. For what you posted
it is a perfect gun.
:thumbsup:

 

[mark/wi]

It looks really nice, it should serve you well. Thanks for the post. Mark

 

[Parzifal]

Thats a good one, very nice

 

[longshot47]

Great concept........looks well done! :thumbsup:

 

[CoyoteJoe]

That is nice! I once did a little study of smooth rifles and was surprised to find many were rather small caliber, even down to .40. I wondered what such a small bore smoothbore would be good for. It sounds like your .50 would be a fine gun for the woodlands, thank you.

 

[RiverRat]

Very nice gun! I shoot a .54cal Chamber's Smooth Rifle kit and the smaller caliber smoothbores really shoot a rb well. Shoot it in good health!

 

[Galen Futtrell]

LOVE SMOOTHIE'S DO IT ALL IN ONE.WONDERFUL GUN'S.ENJOY. :thumbsup:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

When you stop and think about what a woods bum's gun is really used for most of the time--small game--the small bore smooth bore really shines. Same for a traditional trekker. Less weight in the gun, less weight in the ammunition, it makes a lot of sense. For year round use, shot is used much more often than patched ball. At least that has always been my experience. :thumbsup:

 

[brubincam]

-----less weight in ammo--but the smaller hole in a barrel the heavier the gun-----

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Not if the barrel is made in proportion to the bore. All too many of today's barrels are bored from blanks that are too heavy. For example, many fowler kits are designed as 20 gauge guns. If you order a 24 or 28 gauge kit, you get the same exact barrel only with a smaller hole in the barrel. This adds a lot of unnecessary weight and spoils the balance of the fowler.

 

[tg]

many of the originals in the RCA books show the proportion of the barrel thickness and the bore size, I have thought that this may give a clue as to whether the gun is an original smoothbore or a reamed out one.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

They may be fairly hefty at the breech, but the originals I've seen are quite thin at the muzzle. Certainly not as heavy walled as some of today's barrels are. And these original fowlers are light and balance sweetly.
Years ago I had a 28 gauge fowler of 1740s New England style. It had a 44" barrel and weighed maybe 6 pounds. I carried it often and over long distances with no great effort. Wish I could get that one back!

 

[Deadeye]

I love this gun. It balances and handles so well.
As light as it is (just over 6 lbs.)it could have been lighter. The barrel thickness at the muzzle measures .114 while my 12 ga.double only measures .050, my .20 Fucil .055 and an old 1810 contract musket measures .057. I shot about 50 balls and several 3/4 oz. shot capsules today.It's hard to miss anything with it.
I was surprized in reading Flintlock fowlers and Rifles of colonial America how many ,45 to .55
smoothbores there was, many more than I expected.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I appreciate them.
Deadeye