54 Cal smooth bore

[RickD]

My first post so I hope I do this right..I have a chance to buy a 54 Cal smooth bore rifle and was wondering what would the accuracy range be compaired to my 54 Cal rifle that has a rifled barrel

 

[Slamfire]

The smoothbore ought to be as accurate as the rifle out to somewhere around 50 to 75 yards. Many a shooting contest is won by smoothbore shooters. :winking:

 

[roundball]

My first post so I hope I do this right..I have a chance to buy a 54 Cal smooth bore rifle and was wondering what would the accuracy range be compaired to my 54 Cal rifle that has a rifled barrel

I have a .54cal Green Mountain Flint smoothbore drop-in barrel in a TC Hawken stock...extremely accurate out to the 50yds I zeroed it at...haven't tried it further yet but would assume it would still be very respectable for another 15-25yds...will have to try that next summer

 

[RickD]

Thank you for the replies..I wanted to keep the range around 50 yards and try to work up an accurate load for it..Havent a clue why the smooth bore appeals to me,something different I guess

 

[roundball]

Thank you for the replies..I wanted to keep the range around 50 yards and try to work up an accurate load for it..Havent a clue why the smooth bore appeals to me,something different I guess

Mine does outstanding with the following:

70/80/90grns Goex 3F
.018" lubed pillow ticking
Hornady .520

(or Hornady .530s with .015" lubed patches)

 

[tg]

My .54 smoothrifle with sights fore and aft shoots nearly as well as my .54 rifle out to 50 yds. past that I think my eyes have more to do with where the ball hits than how well any of my guns shoot.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Thank you for the replies..I wanted to keep the range around 50 yards and try to work up an accurate load for it..Havent a clue why the smooth bore appeals to me,something different I guess

The actual appeal is in being able to vary load types as needed. Shot for Limb Chicken, ball for walrus! :rotf:

 

[PreglerD]

Shoot an original smoothbore conversion (flintlock to percussion)from 1820, cal.50. It is very accurate up to 50 meters with .490 round balls an 42 grs swiss no 2 powder. Don't know why this so is, because the ball gets no rotation to stabilise on its way to the target.

Greetings from Germany

Kirrmeister

 

[PreglerD]

On my expierience the patch must be thicker by smoothbores than by rifled weapons, so I use 0,5mm thick spitled patches in the smoothy and 0,25 mm in the rifled gun (Investarms Hawken cal .54)

Kirrmeister

 

[RickD]

I never gave a thought to working up a shot load with it..Anyone have a starting point for a shot load..

 

[roundball]

Shoot an original smoothbore conversion (flintlock to percussion)from 1820, cal.50. It is very accurate up to 50 meters with .490 round balls an 42 grs swiss no 2 powder. Don't know why this so is, because the ball gets no rotation to stabilise on its way to the target.
Greetings from Germany
Kirrmeister

Not an authority on this at all...but my conclusion is during the shorter distances the ball is still under a pretty full head of steam...as it slows it may start to preform like a baseball pitcher's "knuckle-ball"

 

[roundball]

I never gave a thought to working up a shot load with it..Anyone have a starting point for a shot load..

Mine is:
70grns Goex 3F
Two Oxyoke prelubed Wonderwads
1+1/8oz #6's
Circle Fly over shot card

Even, dense pattern at the 25yds I patterned it.

 

[Mike Brooks]

70gr 3fff, hard card, lubed fiber wad, 1 oz shot and a over shot card.

 

[RickD]

Thanks alot..I`m starting to see a few advantages to a smooth bore over a rifled barrel..Now with a load like you mentioned what could I hunt with it?

 

[roundball]

Thanks alot..I`m starting to see a few advantages to a smooth bore over a rifled barrel..Now with a load like you mentioned what could I hunt with it?

All small game...probably not the best choice for pass shooting ducks and geese...but doves, quail, pheasants, squirrels, rabbits, crows, etc, etc

 

[Mike Brooks]

A 28 bore tends to throw a long stream of shot apposed to a ball of shot that the larger bores do. I'd stick mainly to squirrels and maybe bunnies. It's not going to be a good "shooting flying" load.

 

[RickD]

After reading all this I think I`ll pretty much go with the 54 Cal smooth bore..I was kind of torn between which rifle to buy..I also have a chance to buy another rifled barreled 54 Cal..It weighs over 10 pounds and somehow I cant see myself making a woods gun out of it..The smooth bore comes in at just over 8 pounds,be a tad easier on the old man..

 

[RiverRat]

Great choice! I am waiting on my Chamber's smooth rifle kit in .54 (28ga) to be built. I plan on using this gun for everything from tree rats to whitetails.

 

[berickson]

i have a 28ga/54 trade gun and i've noticed just about all the loads mentioned are 3F.

mine likes 2f - for some reason it raises the centre of the pattern, and the POI of round balls.

i load 1 1/8oz shot, 1oz powder (by volume)
that's pretty much a 16 gauge load & that "in theory" would do ducks. it would be a long shot string tho.

 

[roundball]

i have a 28ga/54 trade gun and i've noticed just about all the loads mentioned are 3F.

mine likes 2f - for some reason it raises the centre of the pattern, and the POI of round balls.

i load 1 1/8oz shot, 1oz powder (by volume)
that's pretty much a 16 gauge load & that "in theory" would do ducks. it would be a long shot string tho.

I think 3F gets a load out of the barrel faster, exits the nmuzzle lower in the recoli arc, etc...