Do I NEED a Fowler or Fusil?

[Loyalist Dave]

I hunt squirrel...

So tell me, should I pony up, or not? I'm losing hair over this and fast.

I hunt squirrel A LOT too..., and I switched over to a trade gun because where I am even a small .390 or .350 even a .310 ball can travel from the area where it's OK to hunt, into a neighborhood where it might come back down.... supposing that I was shooting at a squirrel on a branch without a tree directly behind. Shooting shot...., no worries.

And NO Worries IF I go for ....., turkey, rabbit, dove, partridge, pheasant, quail, woodcock, or using bismuth on ducks (especially wood ducks)

LD

 

[Ian Straus]

Need?
Well not like you need air, water, and food -
but if you already have those,
Everyone needs a smoothbore. Or two.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I hunt squirrel... not really a bird hunter although I won't turn down a dove hunt, hunt deer but mostly with rifles such as unmentionables and flinters, and I know next to nothing about shooting clays and have never really done it. With all things being considered, how ever, I keep thinking I need a smoothbore fowler or a Fusil. I like the versatility, and there is nothing in the rule book that says I can't hunt deer or pigs with a big ol' roundball and get up close and personal. Just unlike my rifled flinters, I can't see it getting shot much as it would probably be a hunting gun only.


So tell me, should I pony up, or not? I'm losing hair over this and fast.

Go for it. Flintlock of course. I have three: a 20 gauge 1640ish fowler, a 10 gauge 48" barrel 1740s fowler and a 1820ish 24 gauge Northwest trade fusil. They all have their uses. And I'll be ordering a fowler kit from Jim Kibler as soon as they're available. Here in New England smoothbores are really all you need.

 

[Treestalker]

Sheriff John, next time dont forget your stepladder!

Why stilts were invented; I used to wonder why, lol!

 

[Travis186]

Well, I found a Center Mark Fusil in good shape and it's on the way... this addiction is bad bad bad.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Now wait just a minute @Travis186 I'm here to shed some light. Your post implies addiction and that you admit it. That means you are already 50% of the way towards a cure. Sounds to me like you're doing just fine.

 

[Travis186]

Now wait just a minute @Travis186 I'm here to shed some light. Your post implies addiction and that you admit it. That means you are already 50% of the way towards a cure. Sounds to me like you're doing just fine.

I figure it's like waiving drugs in front of a recovering addicts face, he will relapse. It's the same thing with me and whataburger, me and flintlocks, me and motorcycles.... the list goes on and on and on. I swear I'm going to stop but then it gets waaaiiivvvvveeddd in my face again like it's no big deal.


Hi, my name is Travis and I'm addicted to black powder.

 

[tenngun]

Well, I found a Center Mark Fusil in good shape and it's on the way... this addiction is bad bad bad.

I have a centermark and have redone it to be a little to make it closer to the originals but it’s far from correct. That said it’s my favorite gun.

 

[Sam squanch]

Well…. A big smooth bore will eat a lot of powder up fast. I’m trending more to a small caliber rifle with a peep sight..

 

[sheriff john]

I'm posting this simply as an opinion - an old guys opinion, not an expert nor a really smart person. My M/L interest since about age 12 started with a single-barrel percussion shotgun Dad bought somewhere. Iron furniture, back action lock, English proofed oct to round barrel, copper sleeve tacked around forearm/barrel with a v-notch sight bent up from the back of the sleeve. Cotton string helped hold the under rib in place with a home-made ramrod. Stock was obviously some old-timer's idea of what it should look like. I've heard this type of single-barrel shotgun called "corn stalk guns" .

Compared to M/L rifles, survival rate is apparently not as good, nor, compared to original double barrels do we see as many in decent shape. My opinion is that they were quite common just like single-barrel shotguns are today among farmers and frontier folks but unlike rifles, most were simply used 'til they fell apart as the everyday, go-to, behind the kitchen door, tool they were. Don't know.

I do know they're a heck of a lot of fun to fool with and getting harder to find.

 

[Ferret Master]

I love my center mark fusil. Check out duelist1954 Loading 18th century civilian smoothbores Part 1 Round balls - YouTube parts one and two. Part two is for shot. He also has a video on the center mark. Also check out the skycheif loads on this forum.

 

[Rató:rats]

Just so the OP knows, a Fowler is a person who hunts wildfowl, not the gun that person uses. I’ve tried to be Canadian about people using the term for a smoothbore but it just bugs the grammatical heck outa me.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Fowling Piece work better for you? That would have been a common term in the day.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

Just so the OP knows, a Fowler is a person who hunts wildfowl, not the gun that person uses. I’ve tried to be Canadian about people using the term for a smoothbore but it just bugs the grammatical heck outa me.

Fusil! Ok?

 

[FiremanBrad]

I hunt squirrel... not really a bird hunter although I won't turn down a dove hunt, hunt deer but mostly with rifles such as unmentionables and flinters, and I know next to nothing about shooting clays and have never really done it. With all things being considered, how ever, I keep thinking I need a smoothbore fowler or a Fusil. I like the versatility, and there is nothing in the rule book that says I can't hunt deer or pigs with a big ol' roundball and get up close and personal. Just unlike my rifled flinters, I can't see it getting shot much as it would probably be a hunting gun only.


So tell me, should I pony up, or not? I'm losing hair over this and fast.

The only correct answer is yes, you need one of each!

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

The only correct answer is yes, you need one of each!

Most definitely!!

 

[Travis186]

Just so the OP knows, a Fowler is a person who hunts wildfowl, not the gun that person uses. I’ve tried to be Canadian about people using the term for a smoothbore but it just bugs the grammatical heck outa me.

Cut me some slack, at least I'm not calling them rifles.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

Cut me some slack, at least I'm not calling them rifles.

You got it buddy, all the slack you want!

 

[tenngun]

We could not speak English any more if we did not make errors
‘I’ll be with you shortly
Hopefully things will be all right
How are you doing- I’m good or your doing good’

 

[user 49399]

Don’t feel bad Travis186. You ought to hear me with my East Tennessee hillbilly accent try to correctly pronounce Fusil de Chasse