.62 smoothbore as an all around gun?

[Cryptocoyote]

I just love the 20 ga. smooth bore trade gun . Very versatile gun. I can hunt anything in this country with it . I make my own powder and even gather flint out of the creek for it ! LOL ...just a neat aspect of it let alone the history of the type . Love all trade guns but esp. N.W. guns .

Very cool . Funny , only one other person than I have I heard about using arrowheads in a flintlock ! LOL ...if it works , it works ! My powder making is very simple .I hated to use a tumbler , because I didnt want to use modern equipment but it is essential I found out .... I buybthe two ingredients , I make the charcoal ( I'll post pics of it in the paint can , use a clean never used one ) combine them then tumble , 20 hours for a half pound , it can be used after that !! Its too fine for me so i mix it with rubbing alcohol to dough like consistency , rub it through a mess seive on to a cookie sheet, makes it granulated close to 2F , and set in sun to dry ...thats it. There are other steps some use but thats not for me. It works JUST fine. Fast too.

 

[Cryptocoyote]

Two recycled broken arrowheads. Thank you for the tips on powder making! Going to give it a try. Really like trying to be as traditional as I can.

 

[Rob M.]

Making charcoal and after " dough like consistency , pushed through mesh " ....drying on cookie sheet

 

[Rob M.]

Two recycled broken arrowheads. Thank you for the tips on powder making! Going to give it a try. Really like trying to be as traditional as I can.

Very cool ! Careful , looks wide , dont want the flint hitting yer barrel ! Pretty neat using old or broken arrow heads in the lock , somethin about it . Still using a tool from hundreds or a thousand years ago . Pretty amazing. Yeah , I like to try and do even ything as " old timey " or traditional as possible too.

 

[Cryptocoyote]

Two recycled broken arrowheads. Thank you for the tips on powder making! Going to give it a try. Really like trying to be as traditional as I can.

Very cool . Funny , only one other person than I have I heard about using arrowheads in a flintlock ! LOL ...if it works , it works ! My powder making is very simple .I hated to use a tumbler , because I didnt want to use modern equipment but it is essential I found out .... I buybthe two ingredients , I make the charcoal ( I'll post pics of it in the paint can , use a clean never used one ) combine them then tumble , 20 hours for a half pound , it can be used after that !! Its too fine for me so i mix it with rubbing alcohol to dough like consistency , rub it through a mess seive on to a cookie sheet, makes it granulated close to 2F , and set in sun to dry ...thats it. There are other steps some use but thats not for me. It works JUST fine. Fast too.

Very cool ! Careful , looks wide , dont want the flint hitting yer barrel ! Pretty neat using old or broken arrow heads in the lock , somethin about it . Still using a tool from hundreds or a thousand years ago . Pretty amazing. Yeah , I like to try and do even ything as " old timey " or traditional as possible too.

No kidding on the wide. Guns were purchased used, had a few light barrel strikes when I got them. Always drop softly first time! LOL. Was worried they would not last long, but trade gun flint has sparked well for 10 shots, and about 10 - 15 dry fires, without further knapping. Will see how long she lasts. Broken points were found in Pike County, Indiana when I was a kid after field was plowed. Sat in boxes for decades. Good that they have found new life. Spark as good as some of my English, or French flints. More than enough to set off 4f powder used in pan.

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

I do that. Nearly 40 years worth of every knapped piece I've ever laid eyes on picked up and kept. I won't use the ones I can tell what they once were but the ready knapped pile of flints and pieces to make em out of is handy. Still want to learn to make my own and collecting rocks for that endeavor.

 

[Kevin]

You can't go wrong with a 20 gauge. This is my first flintier, I have run several cases of 2F thru
it and countless round balls and shot. It has put a lot of meat on the table over the last few years. Have bought a few more, much nicer smoothbores and rifles since then, but, I would not feel underguned if
this was the only one that I owned.

 

[tenngun]

This game is a matter of choice. Or as I often say: "do yer own thang". What you propose is a matter of choice. A flint smoothie will do what you mention. But, understand, shots with ball are often questionable with a ball. It is a challenge you must conquer to be effective. Even at best, hunting deer would be limited about archery ranges. They are good for shot. Pick yer pizzen and enjoy.

Howsomever
I think all ml hinting is close range. Archery on steroids

 

[Jay Templin]

Probably going to take my Pedersoli trade gun out for the season opener tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll be able to let you know!
Jay

 

[Mike in FL]

I have a Pedersoli Indian Trade gun and after I added this small rear sight my round ball shooting improved greatly. Have only tried shot up to 25 yards and if you work on load development, and burn lots of powder you will figure it out. Good strong lock, big flints, works great.

Yes! If I can ever get a smooth bore gun (hopefully a Kibler) it will certainly have a rear sight. Maybe Jim could actually mill the barrel for it.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

During the period they were THE all-purpose gun, and serve that duty today just as well:

With ball they can be surprisingly accurate to 50 yards or better. That covers the vast majority of woods big game hunting and a .62 round ball at speed will drop nearly anything in North America.

With small shot, the versatility is huge. Squirrels, rabbits, birds, the list goes on. Bigger swan or buckshot can be used for larger animals and even for camp defense.

If I had to pick one muzzleloading gun the .62 (20 bore) smoothbore trade gun/fowler would be the one I’d want in the woods!

 

[Flinter 2]

Do-able? Yes. within the limits of a smoothbore flinter. Practical? Not always. Flinters are harder to shoot. No question there. Some people are better than others at it. In theory, a percussion smoothbore would be the most all-around useful to me. But as with anything, the more adaptable it is, the worse it is at any one task. I've used my trade gun for turkey, coots & dove. I've never gotten good enough with a flintlock to use it for big game. Now I'm looking to sell my trade gun and I picked up a percussion double. I don't know how well that double will shoot roundball yet since I've only goofed around with it so far. I know there's going to be a fair bit of Kentucky windage involved. But it will be a much better shotgun for shotgunning purposes. And my rifles shoot roundball better than any smoothbore I've shot.

Yet my mind keeps thinking about some kind of percussion smoothbore in .58...

But your post still doesn't answer Troy's question, he's not looking for a rifle and probably doesn't care how well your rifles shoot, and another thing, flintlocks are not harder to shoot, by their design they are much less problematic than percussion guns, plus, caps are not aways readily available, but in a pinch just about any hard rock will ignite a flintlock.

Or nerfing musket caps to the point that they barely work.

Until they make mining and possession of flint illegal, I'll never ever be short of primers.

IMHO they will sooner outlaw percussion caps long before they stop mining flint, but no matter, I can walk any dried riverbed in America and find rocks hard enough to spark a flintlock or make a knife blade for skinning or gutting, even butchering game.

 

[Flinter 2]

I have been considering buying a Pedersoli indian trade musket and was wondering how both ball and shot patterned, there are times I'm out hunting and may be gone for several days and decide to hunt something else for a little while well at least if I had a gun to do it. I know that if you remove the ball you can load in some #4 shot and if patterns decent enough it'd be great for squirrel and rabbit, maybe even crows. Me and my dad are planning on going into a certain national forest we hunt often and we're planning on going in for about a week to squirrel and rabbit hunt in February, so I just want something that can be used for everything without buying a $2-3,000 sxs muzzleloading shotgun, I know this question/s was long but any experience in this would be greatly appreciated!

While I don't know what your budget limits are I can tell you that a 20ga. trade gun, fowler, musket, Fusil, call it what you will in a flint lock model will serve you very well as an all around long gun.
I've been at this muzzle loading game for 60 some odd years, I've owned, shot, competed, and hunted with all types of muzzle loaders, today I still have half a dozen custom flintlock and one custom percussion rifle and own two .62 cal. French Fusil de Chasse fowlers made by Center Mark back in the '90's.
While I enjoy all of my muzzle loaders my favorites and the ones that I would count on in any survival situation would be my 20ga. fowlers, they can take any game animal or game bird in North America, you can make BP if you had to, and you can find sparking rocks anywhere in this country.
Good luck in your search for your all around gun.
Flinter

 

[8Ball]

I do own many modern rifles and shotguns but I can say that my 20ga/.62 caliber Fusil de Chasse would fill all my hunting needs here where I live. It is one of my primary hunting gun.

 

[Capn'D]

That is awesome, just now started knapping my own flints. Have made a few, but a some a little thin. They are not pretty, but get the job done. Over the years I have found many broken arrowheads/spear points in farm field. Have knapped down a few to use. Feels appropriate to use broken points for a native used gun. My next step powder making. Do you corn the powder? Made some fine powder in small batch, worked good in pan, but have not tried in barrel was very fine. Love my trade gun, and find I take it out to shoot much more than my rifle.

I have done the same with broken arrow points and spear point pieces for 40 years. And someone nearby in the 19th century was doing the same. I dug a cache of about 4 or so salvaged flints from an old home foundation. All were broken and re-chipped flint tools

 

[PathfinderNC]

I like mine just fine, all three of ‘em.

 

[hanshi]

A 20 ga smoothbore is what I settled for and I'm very satisfied with that good gun. It carries a Chambers' Colonial lock and I think that thing would spark with a wooden flint! Kidding, of course, but that lock will burn your shirt. I opted for a rear sight and am glad I did. Back when I still hunted deer I made a good running shot on a large doe. For three shots it easily groups from 1.75" to 2.75" at 50 yards. No group so far has exceeded the 3" mark at 50. Bare-ball loads even shoot nearly as well. I never did hunt any game with shot but range results showed that a turkey or squirrel would have been cooking in a pot. Never think a flintlock is too slow to hit fast moving targets.

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

I can't recall the source of this information, but it certainly makes sense. Mountain man was resupplying to go back up into the hills, the shop owner was trying to talk him into "upgrading" to a percussion rifle instead of his "old" flinter. The Mountain man replied, "What happens if I use all the caps?" Needless to say, the flinter went back up the mountain.

 

[stephenprops1]

I have a Larry Zornes custom made 62/20 caliber/gauge flintlock smoothbore that I bought almost 2 years ago. It is a copy of a Rogers Rangers carbine. I haven't shot it much because I am learning what I can about flintlock guns. I like the gun and it is easy to shoot and maintain. --- It is the bottom gun on the gun rack.

 

[8Ball]

A friend of mine own's a Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket and it is very well made, a really nice gun. I would really not be too shabby to get one and it would look great on the rack aside my custom made Tulle.