All around sb for hunting?

[Troyfairweather]

What's a good smoothbore flintlock you would recommend for a all around gun, for Turkey here in ny we need 20ga for bigger so a 62 is probably what is get.would be used for deer closer in, I know round ball can be pretty accurate with some work. I'd like to use it for small game to.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I think your thought for a 20 gauge smoothbore is the gauge that I would recommend. Use an appropriate shot size for small game.

 

[hanshi]

A 20ga is, IMHO, the perfect gun for an "everything" sb. It throws a plenty heavy ball for big game and works just fine with shot. And it does this without lots of recoil, lead and powder (relatively speaking). That's what I chose years ago.

 

[Troyfairweather]

Thanks what gun would you get, think there's the Indian trade guns and the French one.

 

[tenngun]

Many styles. Any American long rifle fits in the rifle mounted fusil department. TFC style is very comfortable for me, while the NWG not so much.
Fowling pieces are easy on the eyes and I’ve handled some oar butts- club butts that look clumsy but come to the shoulder like a dream and naturally point.
Barn guns have a natural working gun look.
You gots lot of choices.

 

[NorthFork]

All around? Then a 20/62. More waterfowl than upland? Then a 12 or 10 guage.

 

[Troyfairweather]

All around? Then a 20/62. More waterfowl than upland? Then a 12 or 10 guage.

Probably not waterfowl, there is some good duck hunting but never did it. Are guys shooting steel from there mz?

Mostly be for squirrels and rabbits. I have a few good deer spots under 50 yards.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I decided on a 16 bore (0.662") when I had a once-in-a-lifetime custom flintlock fowling piece made by Mike Brooks. Has turned out to be a fine choice.

One ounce ball for whitetail. 1-1/4 oz shot for upland game. It's also lighter than a 12 or 20 of equal length because the modern barrel blanks are made by opening up a 20 bore profile.

 

[Troyfairweather]

I decided on a 16 bore (0.662") when I had a once-in-a-lifetime custom flintlock fowling piece made by Mike Brooks. Has turned out to be a fine choice.

One ounce ball for whitetail. 1-1/4 oz shot for upland game. It's also lighter than a 12 or 20 of equal length because the modern barrel blanks are made by opening up a 20 bore profile.

Nice, really anything bigger the 20ga would be good for me, I had a h&a underhammer with a 15ga sb I stupidly traded off.

 

[Brokennock]

A 20 or 16 gauge should be ideal for your purposes. I would only go bigger if you need the larger payload of shot for waterfowl.
As to style, you said you're in NY. A nice club butt fowler or Hudson Fowler would be good. There is a 20 gauge Hudson for sale on the ALR Forum right now.

 

[NorthFork]

@Troyfairweather

Yes some guys do shoot steel with protective shot cups out of their muzzleloaders. That said bismuth is superior to steel and needs no shot cups. Some guys have used ITX successfully as well.

 

[stude 283]

I believe the regulations have changed in New York state and we are no longer limited to 20 gauge or higher.
Some of the 410 loads are way superior to the loadings we used just a few years ago.
I took my spring bird with a 54 cal. smooth bore and was assured by local enforcement it is legal now.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

"All around"..., gotta be a 20 gauge.

In fact I'm told that up in Canada the 20 gauge hunting fusil was to them as the rifle was to us down here in "The States". Among both Natives as well as British Colonials, and French Colonials. I don't know why that would be, unless for some odd reason there was a dearth of molds, or the trading posts were smart enough to only stock pre-made ball, and one can make a seriously undersized ball work in a SB.



LD

 

[tenngun]

I wonder too if it wasn’t accounting trick. Twenty shot to a pound( english) five pound to a hundred.

 

[Huntschool]

I am shooting a 62 smooth rifle and a 62 fowler. You can fool around with ball sizes until you find a load that works well for "that" gun and go from there. I have a new 62 smooth rifle on the way built with and old (like at least 30 years) Getz swamped barrel in the early Virginia style on a piece of drop dead gorgeous walnut. Here is the bag I built and horn to go with the new rifle:

I became fond of smooth rifles after shooting one many, many years ago at an AMM doins in Kentucky. With the right load they are quite accurate at more distance then one might think.

 

[No Deer]

I would recommend a 20 ga. I have a 20 ga. french style trade gun. I have taken bear, many deer, many turkeys, quail, duck, chukar, rabbit and squirrel with this gun. It will take any game in North America, with the possible exception of grizzly... and I won't try to find out!

 

[Art Caputo]

I really like the balance and weight of my .62//20ga Fowler. Very accurate with a .60 LRB for deer, and good patterns for small game and Turkey. Very versatile!

 

[Troyfairweather]

Best bet maybe trying to find something used, I don't make much money. I need to buy or make a bag to.

 

[Mark Herman]

Among the many guns and rifles that I have I have a H&A underhammer with both a 12 GA for shooting trap and a 20 GA for field shooting. Best of both worlds in a relatively inexpensive package.

 

[Robby]

20 would work fine, I prefer a 16 but either one would work fine. More important is the architecture or style of the gun, and to me that would be English, light, trim and felt recoil is minimal. Even a Lancaster style gun with a smooth bore barrel would work as well.
Robby