.54/28 gauge or. 62 20 gauge

[theoldredneck]

I'm thinking about building a smooth bore rifle/shotgun to hunt and play with. Would shoot patch round ball and shoot shot sometimes. Leaning toward flint but have not ruled out caps. For those that have played with both calibers and lock types what is your favorite and why. The gun will be a half stock and barrel 25 to 30" long. Built as a easy carry gun, I'm getting old enough that the heavy guns ain't fun to tote now.

 

[roundball]

I have both, have hunted with each of them for a few years now and can at least offer my conclusions from those experiences.
"Overall"...a 20ga will do anything a 28ga will do of course, and a bit more. Setting aside that I really don't "need" a .600"/325grn ball to shoot NC whitetails in the woods at 50yds, the "bit more" I've found is mainly about "shot charges". If you want to go after something that needs larger size pellets like 2's/3's/4's the larger bore will let you use a larger shot charge to help keep the pellet count up.
But for small game the 28ga has worked well for me, and deer in thick woods fall to the .520"/220grn ball like they've been hit with a sledgehammer, same as if it was out of a rifled barrel.
I had a couple T/C Hawkens with 32" GM 28ga and 20ga drop-in barrels and they were outstanding.
My current 20ga is a 38" Early Virginia, the 28ga is a 42" Early Virginia.
If squirrels, rabbits, doves, close turkeys, and your whitetails and what you'll be hunting, IMO you'd really like the 28ga...a little slimmer and lighter too.

 

[Keb]

I usually don't reply to this type of thread since opinions can vary so much and they usually turn into a debate. :/

I have both a .62 & a .55 cal. now and I prefer the .55 over the .62 but they are both long barreled guns (.55 is 49" & .62 is 46"). The .55 gun uses less lead & is easier on powder. I also like the looks of it better but that's just me. I'm much older now and prefer the longer barreled guns since my eyes are also older. I don't do any hunting anymore either so having the long gun is not a problem for me. The .55 gun weighs right at 7 lbs. and is quite easy to handle. The .62 is 7 3/4 lbs. and both point & shoot well.

You state you want to hunt & play with a short barreled gun. I'd suggest the 20 gauge with the shorter barrel. It has been my experience the shorter barrels need more powder to shoot. I used one years ago, a .62 x 30" barrel. It shot like a rifle but kicked like a mule. The gun was 5 1/2 lbs, straight stocked flintlock. I had to give it 90 grains FF to get it to shoot but it hit where I pointed it.

 

[Tommy Bruce]

You can get a custom fowling barrel from Bobby Hoyt or Charlie Burton in a traditional length 42-48" or even a 16 bore Colerain barrel and I'll think you'll find that they build a nice light piece. Mike Brooks Makes a 20 gauge trade gun with a 47" Bobby Hoyt barrel that comes in right at 6 lbs. I have a 16 bore fowling piece with a 44" Colerain barrel that does not weigh much more than that maybe 6 1/2". Ken Netting also makes an all round smoothbore barrel that is really light and in a 28 gauge configuration as well. You do not have to go with a 25-30" barrel to get a nice light handling piece. At 45, I'm a bit younger but I can appreciate the need for a lighter gun due to physical injuries from my misspent youth. :wink:

 

[Tommy Bruce]

Oh yeah one more thing, Most high production barrel companies make their Oct. to Round barrels on the same outside profile usually to fit a variety of pre-carved stocks. So if you go with a "C" weight barrel in .62 as opposed to a .54, it is going to be a much lighter barrel. Track of the Wolfe has pretty nice diagrams about the size and weight of the different barrels they offer.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have a North West Trade gun in 24 ga, 58 caliber.

I can shoot the same round balls I shoot in my other 58 rifles including the Zouave. I have taken a lot of small game with it loaded with shot, but I tried on geese once. Didn't get any shots to say it was insufficient or ok. I do know that with a 44 inch barrel, it can reach out and touch.

 

[Alden]

Tommy;
I was going to suggest something similar...

The norm is that a "smoothrifle" is full length octagonal. Fact is my longest flint RIFLE is oct-to-round due mostly to weight. I was not older and was very strong when I was fitted for it but it was too front heavy to hold a target as well as I shoot (not boasting, just saying) -- luckily I preferred the look but did not want to pay or wait for a swamped barrel as cool as they are. 39" is the longest I am comfortable with a .50 or above octagonal barrel. So...

If a RIFLE can be oct-to-round so too can a SMOOTHRIFLE be. Just needs a decent weigth barrel with a riflish profile and a sight or two. The handiest guns I own are light-barreled 42" oct-to-round smoothbores. But they are fowlers as much as anything. A heavy barrel, even oct-to-round, means shorter length is desired to control well, and a few inches makes a difference. Jeez, if I had a nickel for every time...

Anyway, I'm not sure how much bigger the flats on a .62 vs. .54 are offhand, play on words quite intended, but see if you can shoulder and maybe shoot different guns. Maximize the caliber you are comfortable shooting but reasonably minimize the (particularly front-half) weight in the usual manners to get there.

 

[theoldredneck]

Gentlemen thank you. Being new to the muzzle loading side of firearms this site has been priceless. I love 28 gauge doubles in smokeless guns, cost of factory ammo is not cheap. Reloading is better. Muzzle loaders are different animals. The 54 caliber rifle is a common size. The gun will probably be shot more with shot on birds and small game. The ability to take deer or coyote with round ball is a plus. Being able to have the long barrel and under 7 pounds is very desirable. Your replys help, the 54 with a long barrel is looking better. Thanks to all

 

[akapennypincher]

I like the 28 Gauge/.54 Caliber for accuracy, over the 20 Gauge/.62 Caliber.

 

[Tommy Bruce]

Gentlemen thank you. Being new to the muzzle loading side of firearms this site has been priceless. I love 28 gauge doubles in smokeless guns, cost of factory ammo is not cheap. Reloading is better. Muzzle loaders are different animals. The 54 caliber rifle is a common size. The gun will probably be shot more with shot on birds and small game. The ability to take deer or coyote with round ball is a plus. Being able to have the long barrel and under 7 pounds is very desirable. Your replys help, the 54 with a long barrel is looking better. Thanks to all

Love the doubles myself. I have an old Fox Sterlingworth 16 ga. with 2 1/2" chambers. But back to the muzzleloading, I would opt for a fowling piece since it will be used a shotgun primarily and for shooting round ball as an extra. Here are a couple of sites that have great pictures of fowling guns, fowlingguns.com and claysmithguns.com. Track of the Wolfe also has some good pictures. I think somebody has already mentioned this but a North West Trade gun with a 36" barrel might also be an option. Matt Dennison at North Star West makes some great trade guns. Please keep us posted on what you get and shoot me a pm any time you want to talk double guns. :grin:

 

[Lonegun1894]

I have a .54 Smoothrifle made with a 32" GM barrel and the rest of the parts are Lyman GPR Flinter. So this is a .54 32" full octagonal 15/16" smoothrifle. Now, I really love this thing and it is great in the hunting field with shot out to 30yds and PRB out to 65yds. However, it still handles like a rifle. What I mean is that it is great for use when it can be aimed like a rifle, regardless or weather it is loaded with shot or a PRB. So sitting small game, or at least slow moving small game or birds it is fine with shot, and great for PRB use on deer and hogs. But it is NOT very good at all for fast snap shots or pass shooting. In addition to the PRB, my loads use either #6 shot, or the occasional load of #4 buck (which is .24" and a good match for the old "swan shot"). There isn't much inside of 70yds I can't hunt with this gun with the three types of projectiles I can make for it. Now I don't have a .62 (but want one), but have a .710, and the main advantage is with shot loads, but prefer the .54 for PRB. Hope that helps.

 

[theoldredneck]

Yes, your reply and the others were the kind of information I am looking for. The smooth bores shoot shot much better than rifled barrels. They are also accurate within reasonable distances with patched round ball. The reason I was looking at the .62/20 gauge was a larger shot charge. From the replies the 54/28 will do everything I want. Also a longer barrel will not add a lot of extra weight. The replies have answered questions, some I had not thought to ask. Thank you and everyone that has or will reply.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have a 20 gauge fusil, and only have that because it was very inexpensive when I bought it used. If I was going to choose one now I'd think about one in 28 gauge as I already have a .54 rifle.

I think if you are going to shoot birds then you do need a smooth bore barrel for a fowler or fusil, not for a smooth rifle. Since you already shoot a 28 gauge then you know some of the limits of that gauge on birds. You do, however, have a choked barrel gun, and your muzzleloader will work a little less efficiently than your 28 gauge with "skeet" chokes. So if you can try a modern 28 with skeet chokes and target loads, see if you like how well that hits on clay birds. If you really don't like it in the modern version, then you probably will want to send the muzzleloader barrel out and get it "jug" choked, which should get you to about "improved cylinder" shot patterns or perhaps tighter. Jug choking is the old style and still allows you to shoot round ball for deer.

As for multiple projectiles mentioned above, I'd caution the use of buckshot, for in many states buckshot is outlawed for use on game. A jug choked barrel will give a large amount of versatility..., though beware for once you get the hang of hunting with BP, especially birds..., you're likely to let all your other guns gather dust. :wink:

LD

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Over the years I have built both a 20 ga. and 28 ga. flintlock trade guns. The twenty is my first love and I use it to hunt turkey in the spring. I also use it occasionally for clay birds. It is well balanced and about 7 lbs.

I also do a lot of round ball shooting so I switched to a 28 ga. This gun is much heavier and not as well balanced. However, the extra weight absorbs the recoil.

The 20 ga. gets about 21 balls to a pound of lead the 28 ga. gets about 32 balls to a pound of lead. If you only shoot a couple of hundred shots a year this is not a big deal.

For hunting I would build a well-balanced 20 ga.

If you are not familiar with flintlocks they can be a real challenge on moving targets. My skeet scores are a lot better with my cap lock than with my flintlock.

 

[flahipneck]

Might want to look at a T/C Renegade .56 SB, trim the bbl down to about 20" and you get a 6-/2 lb, 36" oal dual purpose carbine.

 

[theoldredneck]

Thanks again to all that replied. Instead of a build from scratch I am lining a double barrel with a rifled and a smooth bore liner. The rifled is. 50 caliber and the smooth is .560 between the .54 an .62 caliber. It will have a little jug choke but not much due to wall thickness. It and the rifled barrel are being regulated to different ranges from the same fixed sights. The input from this forum helped with bore decision. Sorry I can't post photos. Should be finished with the project in a week or so. Thanks again for all the replies.

 

[roundball]

Have you (or anyone) found anyone who will Jug Choke a 28ga?
The discussions I've had with the couple of places that have Jugged a couple 20gas for me, is that the 20ga was the smallest bore they choked.

(Gave me the impression that the 20ga might be a universal cut off point for Jug Choking...dunno)

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I would be careful about a round ball out of a jug choked gun.

Perhaps those who shoot them can comment as to what jug choking does to round ball accuracy.

 

[theoldredneck]

Doing it myself. Was going to use a small boring bar to take a few thou out of the bore and then polish the jugged area.

 

[roundball]

I would be careful about a round ball out of a jug choked gun.

Perhaps those who shoot them can comment as to what jug choking does to round ball accuracy.

By design, Jug chokes are in fact especially safe for PRBs.
It's simply an expansion chamber honed into the barrel for a few inches, starting just inside he muzzle about an inch...its larger in diameter than the cylinder bore itself.