Accuracy

How accurate is a smooth bore with a round ball?Thinking about saving for a northwest trade gun kit from tow.At what distance would it be accurate.Thinking elk as a target :hmm:

 

[musketman]

As with any gun, the shooter must get to know its ways to be a proficient hunter with it...

Having said that, most smoothbores can hold their own against rifles out to roughly 75 yards, there are many smoothbore shooters that can hit a paper plate at the 100 yard mark, more than enough accuracy to harvest large game like elk and moose...

The large smoothbores have ample killing power and can take any game in North America (within the guns limits), work up a good load and get use to it before you go after the elk, the odds will be in your favor...

 

[donk]

In my experience most quality trade guns will shoot as well as the shooter. as said above you just need to work with it and work up a good load. I am new to trade guns my self but my brother was a hard core trade gun shooter and took several nice deer with his Tulle at anywhere from 25 Yards up to 125 yards. He also harvested several turkeys and countless phesants with that gun. As with any gun you just have to make friends with it first.

 

[The Baron]

I'm new to flintlocks and have a French Type "C" .62 smoothie. Off the bench, there are several load combinations that consistently shoot 3 shots into 6 - 8" at 50 yards. I still need lots of practice, but shooting kneeling or standing I have no trouble hitting 12" (about a pie plate, I guess) at 50 yards every time. I would think with more practice I will be able to do the same at 75 yards. So, considering so many guys shoot game with bows all the time at max. 40 yards or so, I feel having a range of twice that gives pretty good odds for success on deer sized game. An elk is even larger, so that helps. :haha:

 

Im a lefty and the NW trade gun is about the only large caliber I can find in left hand.I have been wanting to get a flintlock and figured why not go all the way.Is it kinda like shooting traditional archery?The more you shoot the better you get?I can usually pick up a rifle and do pretty good with it by the end of the day.But this sounds like a different animal.It will be awhile before I get the money up to get one,maybe five or six months.So I wouldnt hunt with it this year.I want to be sure I am killing not wounding.Thanks for your help

 

[silverfox]

IMHO would this be your first flint? If so it will be the first of several. Now yes it's like trational archery the more you shoot the better you should get. Yes the trade gun will give you about twice the range of archery or more. And finaly within your stated ranges considering the caliber of most trade guns there should be few if any wounding shots. When one of those big balls hits even a little off it is still deadly. The best thing is you can also use it on birds and small game as well.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[lockjaw]

Im a lefty and the NW trade gun is about the only large caliber I can find in left hand.I have been wanting to get a flintlock and figured why not go all the way.Is it kinda like shooting traditional archery?The more you shoot the better you get?I can usually pick up a rifle and do pretty good with it by the end of the day.But this sounds like a different animal.It will be awhile before I get the money up to get one,maybe five or six months.So I wouldnt hunt with it this year.I want to be sure I am killing not wounding.Thanks for your help

...how 'bout a caywood nw trade gun with .58 rifled barrel...comes in left hand too
...by the way, how'd you get the name crowhop...do you powwow...?

 

A crowhop is when a horse doesnt quite buck but does a little hop.Must be an eastern Oregon saying.Got it from my grandpa.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Im a lefty and the NW trade gun is about the only large caliber I can find in left hand.I have been wanting to get a flintlock and figured why not go all the way.Is it kinda like shooting traditional archery?The more you shoot the better you get?

In more ways than one. Think of the barrel of the NW Gun as you would the arrow ~ which is to say you ignore it entirely but are aware of it in your peripheral vision. I use my smoothbores like they were traditional bows with three times the range and unlimited ability to hold at draw while focusing on the spot and waiting for the shot opportunity.

There is also that "three second clock" where, if you lift the gun and then pause you start to "second guess" your point and start aiming and aligning and futzing with elevation and that can have disasterous effects. Depending on the gun, some can be sighted deliberately, while others are best pointed like a true shotgun. Some smoothbores even have rear sights and are identical to rifles. Just without the scratchings in the bore.

I keep both eyes open so the right eye aligns for windage while the left gives me elevaion. Pointing at the middle of an elk's lungs to 50 yards and adding a "scoche" for elevation out to 75 or so ought to get you a full freezer.

Practice, practice, practice.

 

[mike alexandre]

Think you may have come up with a bit of a gem with that statement :thumbsup:

 

[lockjaw]

A crowhop is when a horse doesnt quite buck but does a little hop.Must be an eastern Oregon saying.Got it from my grandpa.

...that's cool...the crow hop is a traditional dance done at northern plains indian powwows...

 

Having Crow indian in my blood could be part of it also.And having Potowatami blood made me think of a trade rifle.Looked at Brown Bess to cause I am also English.I guess I am just A MUTT :haha:

 

Is their an instinctive factor to it also?When shooting my homemade self bows I could hit the target better shooting instinctive than trying to aim.

 

[tg]

Most can shoot a 3-4" group at 50 yds some better,
the NW gun is a pleasant gun to shoot, it would be ideal if you could try a NW gun, a French fusil and an English fowler to see which come to eye and shoulder best as this is the key to shooting a smoothie, the more it becomes a part of you the easier it is.

 

[ffffg]

with first shot out of gun, varieing temperatures of powder, patch lube and gun, from early morning cold to warm afternoon, and depending on how long the oil has set in the barrel,hours, days weeks, and lighting if its from the side or behind, or in your eyes,.. all these factors come into play as to first shot impact accuracy... for elk id say 50 yards for accuracy and power.. also shooting uphill, down hill, etc varies impact.. most guys quoting groups are talking with good footing, no histeria and on the level with a good squeeze..

i had a great experience this fall.. i was going up to practice and there was a fat grouse in the middle of the old dirt trail ahead of me.. the snow was melting out of the trees, and huge glops were falling all over trying to get down my barrel.. i was trying to get powder in, cutting the patch and load and prime it all while this bird is crouched like its going to fly any second.. i couldnt find anything, nothing went right,the pan was soaking wet, and i wasnt going to put my head over the bore to stop the wet snow from getting in.. its funny now, but i missed a mile, and sure was mad at myself then.. at this point in MY hunting big game with a flintlock id like to say if anything can go wrong, it will. and ive shot lots of ducks and a few geese with bp smoothbore.. i still dont know if the powder was on top or beneeth the ball..it must have been beneeth becouse it went off, but still a fond memory,, and that was a grouse not an elk.. the events that worked up to the shot just got to me.. i think a small smoothbore will cut your possiblities in half with that small of gun forcing you to shoot clean lung shots only, as compared to a .58 or 62 rifle where you can up the powder and shoot quartering shots up to 75 yards with enough power and accuracy.. about 100 yards witht the lung shot... my opinon only.. but on the other side if you shoot an elk with a smoothbore .620 youll turn some heads even here on one of the biggest flintlock smoothbore lists in the world.. so its up to what you personally want.. as stated before you wont be limited to big game with the smoothbore, within its range you can shoot most critters in the woods, with practice,experience, and patience.. dave...

 

Thanks for the advice.I know I can get within 50 yards of an elk.Have done so many times in the past using a bow thinking if I only had a rifle :hmm: Not many people shoot ML here and if they do its an inline.So I am on my own.When they find out I am going to use a flint lock smoothbore they will try to have me commited to the nut house.Pretty narrow minded here.

 

[Hoyt]

Many yrs. ago I worked for a guy who had Tennessee Walker horses that were about half broke and trained. He would let me off work early to ride them. When they got out of the "Tennessee Walk" and started to go into a half trot half gallop (which they weren't supposed to do)..we called it "crow hoppin".

 

[tg]

" Not many people shoot ML here and if they do its an inline.So I am on my own.When they find out I am going to use a flint lock smoothbore they will try to have me commited to the nut house.Pretty narrow minded here."

You will be in good company ( 99% of this forums membership) BTW do you live in Oregon?

 

I live in colorado now ,but I grew up in Joseph Oregon.Its about 60 miles east of La Grande.My wife conned me into moving here :haha: Good hunting and fishing here but its just not like Oregon.

 

[Greenmtnboy]

Im a lefty and the NW trade gun is about the only large caliber I can find in left hand.I have been wanting to get a flintlock and figured why not go all the way.Is it kinda like shooting traditional archery?The more you shoot the better you get?I can usually pick up a rifle and do pretty good with it by the end of the day.But this sounds like a different animal.It will be awhile before I get the money up to get one,maybe five or six months.So I wouldnt hunt with it this year.I want to be sure I am killing not wounding.Thanks for your help

Check out TVM american fowler.
I just found a used one left handed on track of the wolf. go to track click on smooth bores second page bottom and you will find the one I am getting. Very nice!
you can get one brand new from TVM. will take a year to get but worth the wait :hatsoff: