Club butt

[Barkeater]

In the Sept/Oct, 2015 issue of Backwoodsman, there was an article from a writer with a "club butt" Danish Fowler. He purchased it "in the white" from Jackie Brown for what he considered an excellent price, and has been very pleased with it. Is anyone else familiar with this type of smoothbore/lock, or maker? Are there other makers of this type of fowler. I just love its looks. Thanks,
Barkeater

 

[cositrike]

Have a look in the for sale section. You'll see a Jackie Brown club butt fowler
Simon

 

[Captjoel]

Just recently posted on the Contemporary maker's Blog is a very fine Hudson Valley Club butt fowler made by Ken Gahagan which is ABSOLUTELY beautiful! http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/ You have to scroll down to see this work of art.

 

[kingsax26]

In response to you question about the maker, He does make a pretty nice gun for the price. however, chances are the barrel is DOM steel tubing and not actual gun barrel steel. There's much vocalizaton on the merits/safety/pros/cons of the DOM tubing. I know that there are also some people who love Jackie Brown, and some who are not so pleased with his work. When I was looking I spoke to him and he was nice enough to be sure. But I did see a few posts of people who got the wrong caliber/gauge, wrong style of barrel. I believe I even remember a post of someone who sent him a barrel and got a gun back with DOM tubing barrel ...maybe even in the wrong gauge too. BUT! this is not a bash fest, I ahve shot several of his guns, and they all functioned well and are very handsome.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

In response to you question about the maker, He does make a pretty nice gun for the price. however, chances are the barrel is DOM steel tubing and not actual gun barrel steel. There's much vocalizaton on the merits/safety/pros/cons of the DOM tubing.

FWIW I had just emailed Jackie about those big 75-caliber club butt arms he makes, in response to the one for sale here. He was emphatic to state that barrel was not a DOM barrel, but is procured from Greg Christian who gets them from an aerospace component source in St. Louis.

No idea the type of barrels on his 62-cal club butts. But I have a club butt built by Jackie in 62-caliber wearing a tapered 48" barrel and it is the most accurate smoothie I have.

I have 2 club butts and love them too! My pride and joy is a 54" barreled Fusil de Boucanier wearing all of the proper French proofs, as made from The Rifle Shoppe parts by the late John Bosh.

Pictures of it here: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...post/1295982/hl/Load+development/fromsearch/1/

 

[Ray-Vigo]

I don't believe mine is a Jackie Brown, but I will speak a little about the style of fowler. The club butt fowler looks awkward and heavy, but it can actually be a very nice handling, good balancing gun. Mine is a 20 gauge with a 46 inch octagon-to-round barrel. It's a long gun, but it's a comfortable gun.

 

[BillinOregon]

Mine, an 11-gauge Marshfield, Mass., fowler, as that is where my people are from, by the great Mike Brooks of Iowa.

 

[hunts4deer]

Just recently posted on the Contemporary maker's Blog is a very fine Hudson Valley Club butt fowler made by Ken Gahagan which is ABSOLUTELY beautiful! http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/ You have to scroll down to see this work of art.

Ken Gahagan makes Hudson Valley style. The Hudson Valley is in it's own category of fowling pieces, separate from the "club butt" style. It has to do with the layout lines of the stock. But both are long-barreled fowling guns.

I own one of Ken's and yes they are very beautiful!

For anyone interested in learning more, I highly recommend "Flintlock Fowlers: The First Guns Made in America" by Tom Grinslade

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

The top 3 in this photo are Club Butt fowlers:

The top-most one is 75-cal that I'm thinking about buying - 60" barrel in 75-caliber (by Jackie Brown) ... but I own the rest.

The 2nd one down is a 54" barreled 65-caliber Fusil de Boucanier by the late John Bosh.

The 3rd one down is a 48" barreled 62-caliber by Jackie Brown. In reality this one is too small in length and caliber to be a true "man's club butt" arm and in Grinsdale's book as reference, this would be referred to as a "boy's musket"! :surrender:

 

[colmoultrie]

Ah well, then this Leonard Day Dutch trade gun must be a "little girly-man's fowler" (heavy SNL-mock German accent). It only has a 42" bbl in .62 cal.

Regardless, I like it.

 

[JOHN F]

love those club butts. I portray a native American and as a Delawarean they would have probably dutch influence in their trade guns. want to get one of those in a kit form eventually. I thought clay Smith was gonna offer those kits as well.they just look so cool.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Mine is a 20 gauge with a 46 inch octagon-to-round barrel. It's a long gun, but it's a comfortable gun.

Apparently left-handed to boot. At least the lock is on the 'right' side :thumbsup: !

 

[Canute Rex]

When I was down at Leonard Day's picking up my hemp burner I handled a club butt he had in the white. I shouldered it and the piece just hung there like it had a sky hook. Really comfortable. Easy on the left arm.

Hmmmm...

 

[JohnN]

Just finished assembling the lock for a Rifle Shoppe Fusil Boucanier. Sending it to them tomorrow for spring tempering and parts hardening. Mine will be 46" in .69.

 

[Okwaho]

What you have here with the 46 in barrel is a demi boucanier.If your gun was assembled from the Rifle Shoppe their parts were cast from an original Tulle with a 54 in barrel.There are less than about 10 boucaniers known with two by Tulle.Kevin shows a St. Etienne and Jim Mullins in American Weapons Of The French and Indian War shows the other Tulle.There is a Charleville around and Hamilton shows two,one of which in England is a St. Etienne.A third one {Hamilton,page 54}is probably an African gun of a much newer vintage.I believe there is one in the Indies but I haven't seen a picture.Hamilton also shows contemporary images which are probably Boucaniers.I would strongly recommend The Fusil de Tulle In New France 1691-1741 by Russel Bouchard as a starting point for the Tulle manufactory and its products.Remember that the term "Tulle" refers to the factory and NOT the names of guns produced by it especially the Fusil de Chasse which was produced by other factories {see Rifle Shoppe page 105 showing a Fusil de Chasse referencing one by St. Etienne}
Enjoy your Boucanier

 

[JohnN]

Been trying to do research and have seen most of the sources you cite. I've only seen one other Boucanier kit and their lock and side plate were wrong. They had a 48" .62 barrel which I may have liked better but usually the Boucanier was a larger caliber. 46" is long enough for me and although not the norm was not unheard of. You are very correct in that Tulle was an armory and not a type of gun. They made more than the fusil des chasse. Actually it was the Boucanier that made them noticed.

 

[colmoultrie]

I got mine at Dixon's Gunmaker's fair a few years back. As you did, I shouldered the piece and my eye naturally ran straight down the top flat to the front bead. I suddenly realized the reason for that architecture, and perhaps one of the reasons you see it again on Schuetzen rifles a century or more later. It didn't help that I was with an enabler/friend who picked up a kit at the same time. :surrender: :grin:

 

[azmntman]

Peer pressure can ruin ya! :grin:

 

[Ray-Vigo]

I have made it a rule not to turn down a lefty flintlock that fits me and has a fair price.

Traditional lefty smoothbores come along not so often. I did well with this rule at Dixon's, have done well at shoot swaps, and even have done well over the internet finding really cool/interesting lefty smoothbores this way. Keep an eye out and don't balk. Only walk away if you think the gun is way too much, or if it doesn't fit right. When you go back to the table, chances are fair the gun will be gone.

 

[nhmoose]

I am very happy with my Jackie Brown 62 cal Club Butt. Sorry no picture capability, but the gun feels great.

Do a search their are others here with pics and posts on theirs from him.