- Joined
- Nov 10, 2006
- Messages
- 480
- Reaction score
- 661
I received my 12 gauge fowler from Mike Brooks a couple of weeks ago, and have been thrilled with the gun. Unlike Mike, I couldn't shoot effectively without a bead, and only broke about half the birds thrown. After adding a bead, I was averaging 24 for 25 birds thrown, and felt experienced enough with the fowler to take it hunting, having fired perhaps 200 shots with it and gained the requisite confidence.
My photographer and I went out Saturday, and hadn't walked more than a mile when the dog put up a chukar. Despite being 12 years old, this was the dog's first hunt, and she did better than expected simply by flushing the bird. The bird was only out about 25 yards, but flying hard for a woodline. It was more of a skeet type set up, then 200 rounds of trap shooting prepared me for. The bird flew from 3 to 9 o'clock, while I was positioned at 6 o'clock. I gave the bird a substantial lead, and fired. The bird was dead on the wing, and toppled end over end towards the woods, and I was happy to see the dog instinctively retrieved it. The dog is stone deaf, and it took some effort to get her attention, and persuade her to drop the bird.
I reloaded the fowler and hadn't walked more than 200 yards towards the shade, when the dog put up another chukar. It was an easy set up, with the bird flying away towards 12 o'clock from my 6 o'clock position. There was too much smoke to see the bird fall, but I would have been shocked if I didn't get it since it was only out about 20 yards when I fired. I had just poured the powder from my quick load tube, when the dog returned with the bird. She dropped the bird at the photographer's feet but, she was learning. If it were legal to shoot more than two birds per day, I'm sure she would have brought the third bird to me. For a deaf dog, that's almost blind she didn't do too bad.
I couldn't be happier with the Mike Brooks fowler. I had used a Caywood fowler in the past, and done very well with it but the ignition on the Brooks fowler was instant, and the handling superb. We met a few unsuccessful cartridge hunters on the way back, and the Brooks fowler was a big hit. It didn't hurt that I had bagged two birds with an old style gun, and old dog, while they had bagged nothing with young dogs and modern equipment.
Interestingly, one of the comments that was passed by a hunter involved the perceived trouble of cleaning a muzzleloader. I did my best to put that myth to rest, but don't think they believed me. The simple truth is that, cleaning the Brooks fowler is a breeze. Smellier than cleaning a modern gun, but no slower. Within moments of uncasing the gun, I had removed the barrel key, removed the ramrod and loosened the lock screws sufficiently to lift the barrel out of the channel. Seconds later I had the hooked breech in water, and was pumping the fouling out. A couple of water changes and minutes later the barrel was clean. Oiled it up, wiped it down. Cleaned the lock, reassembled the gun, and I was done.
One of the reasons I was so eager to acquire Mike Brooks fowler was for ease of maintenance. I do a lot of shooting. I'll bag 100 birds a season, and shoot a lot of trap. While my Caywood performed well, I wanted lighting quick ignition, and easy cleaning. The Brooks gun is the best 12 gauge flint fowler I've owned, and I certainly feel as though I got my money's worth. A full custom gun, with outstanding craftsmanship, tasteful engraving and carving, superb pointing and ease of takedown. Everything I wanted at a price I could afford.
My photographer and I went out Saturday, and hadn't walked more than a mile when the dog put up a chukar. Despite being 12 years old, this was the dog's first hunt, and she did better than expected simply by flushing the bird. The bird was only out about 25 yards, but flying hard for a woodline. It was more of a skeet type set up, then 200 rounds of trap shooting prepared me for. The bird flew from 3 to 9 o'clock, while I was positioned at 6 o'clock. I gave the bird a substantial lead, and fired. The bird was dead on the wing, and toppled end over end towards the woods, and I was happy to see the dog instinctively retrieved it. The dog is stone deaf, and it took some effort to get her attention, and persuade her to drop the bird.
I reloaded the fowler and hadn't walked more than 200 yards towards the shade, when the dog put up another chukar. It was an easy set up, with the bird flying away towards 12 o'clock from my 6 o'clock position. There was too much smoke to see the bird fall, but I would have been shocked if I didn't get it since it was only out about 20 yards when I fired. I had just poured the powder from my quick load tube, when the dog returned with the bird. She dropped the bird at the photographer's feet but, she was learning. If it were legal to shoot more than two birds per day, I'm sure she would have brought the third bird to me. For a deaf dog, that's almost blind she didn't do too bad.
I couldn't be happier with the Mike Brooks fowler. I had used a Caywood fowler in the past, and done very well with it but the ignition on the Brooks fowler was instant, and the handling superb. We met a few unsuccessful cartridge hunters on the way back, and the Brooks fowler was a big hit. It didn't hurt that I had bagged two birds with an old style gun, and old dog, while they had bagged nothing with young dogs and modern equipment.
Interestingly, one of the comments that was passed by a hunter involved the perceived trouble of cleaning a muzzleloader. I did my best to put that myth to rest, but don't think they believed me. The simple truth is that, cleaning the Brooks fowler is a breeze. Smellier than cleaning a modern gun, but no slower. Within moments of uncasing the gun, I had removed the barrel key, removed the ramrod and loosened the lock screws sufficiently to lift the barrel out of the channel. Seconds later I had the hooked breech in water, and was pumping the fouling out. A couple of water changes and minutes later the barrel was clean. Oiled it up, wiped it down. Cleaned the lock, reassembled the gun, and I was done.
One of the reasons I was so eager to acquire Mike Brooks fowler was for ease of maintenance. I do a lot of shooting. I'll bag 100 birds a season, and shoot a lot of trap. While my Caywood performed well, I wanted lighting quick ignition, and easy cleaning. The Brooks gun is the best 12 gauge flint fowler I've owned, and I certainly feel as though I got my money's worth. A full custom gun, with outstanding craftsmanship, tasteful engraving and carving, superb pointing and ease of takedown. Everything I wanted at a price I could afford.
