Do you prefer a smoothbore over rifles?

[NorthFork]

I was reading a long 14 page thread on one of the reenacting forums today. A forum member somewhat jokingly accused other members of belonging to a "smoothbore cult". It got me thinking (never a good thing).

I bought my first smoothbore roughly 2 years ago. I really enjoy shooting it. I enjoy hunting with it. Prefer it to my rifles as a matter of fact. It just works well for the hunting I do. I can easily see over time my rifles being sold and being replaced by smoothbores. Other than waterfowl, I hardly use my modern unmentionable 12 guage. I just use my trade musket.

So, why do you shoot a smoothbore? Smoothbore only or do you still shoot rifles?

 

[Bob McBride]

I shoot rifles mostly, and like them more, but if I could only have one, it would, without question, be my smoothbore 20g.

 

[Heyyou48307]

I dont shoot a rifle any better, so I just shoot smoothies, love em

 

[hanshi]

I shoot mostly rifles but my smoothbore gets exercise as well. I don't like the smoothbore any better than rifles as they do use a bigger chunk of lead. But I'd just as soon have one with me in the deer woods as a rifle.

 

[tenngun]

It’s addictive. They are kind of the penultimate ml. You have to fiddle with it all the time to get it to do the job
Historicly wheelocks were mostly rich men only, or a limited number of military. A flintlock smoothbore became an every man’s gun. The first such in the world. So there is it’s historic appeal.
Rifles were popular and got more popular as time went by. And America would become a nation of Rifleman. But for all the rifles, from 1650 to 1900 smoothbores muzzeloordes were a fall back basic gun, not just America but the world over.
If all guns are cigarettes then ml are pipes and smoothie the meerschaum.

 

[ord sgt]

I started with rifles and all but one are rifles. The one smoothbore is a Charleville musket in .69 calibre. That only comes out once in a great while. It does have a bit of history along with it. I carried the smoothbore during the filming of a made for television movie about Tecumseh. A few battle scars from doing battle with an Indian warrior.

 

[azmntman]

I have none yet (other than shot gun) but I CAN see myself moving to a smoothie trade rifle or what have you. Looking hard at a Kibler. Sur miss laughin dawg, was definitely a future customer. Anybody hear what ever happened to him?

 

[flinter1977]

I'm kind of new to smooth bores and kind of liking them more then my rifles . easy loading and versatility. Practicing for deer this fall with my tvm Fowler 62.

 

[NorthFork]

Exactly, easy loading and superb versatility. Deer, doves, turkey, ducks, squirrel, rabbits, yotes, fox, whatever. All the same gun just different loads.

 

[Silky921]

Now I feel bad for not shooting my fowler for a bit. Guess I'll have to fix that.

 

[Leadball loader]

I have shot only flintlock smoothbore for the last 2 1/2 years and I'm starting to shoot were I want with some consistency. I think I'll stay mostly with my FDC 20ga for the future as I want to take some Turkey and a deer with it.
I have decided to build a rifle based on the FDC but want to shoot the smoothbore because of the history in my region. It will be awhile before the rifle gets built.
LBL

 

[smoothflinter]

I started with a percussion rifle, then a flintlock rifle and eventually built a 20 gauge smoothbore. I like the smoothbore, but if I'm deer hunting I prefer the rifle to have better range. Did get a deer with a smoothbore at about 30 yards, which was rewarding in itself.

 

[JeffG]

After decades of shooting just rifles, shooting a smoothbore was somewhat of an epiphany. My .54 "smooth rifle" is a 28 gauge shotgun, and a patched round ball gun that I can shoot with acceptable precision. Don't get me wrong, I love my rifles, but the ease with which

my smoothie can be carried and shot in the field, is a joy.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Lately, yes. My 42" bbl. smoothbore is 2-1/2 lbs lighter than my rifle and, with paper wrapped ball, good to 60 yards, I'm not what I was at 100 yards with iron sights. And has the versatility of shot for birds.

 

[Cruzatte]

That's a hard choice. Like so many others, I started out with rifles, then got interested in smooth bores. I have two smooth bore guns now, and a .54 rifle, all are flint lock.

 

[MountainSmoke]

I like and hunt with both. One thing that is rarely mentioned though is while yes a smoothbore is often times lighter in weight than a rifle the weight and bulk of powder and lead is much greater with a smoothie. My shoulder can tell a huge difference when my shooting bag is loaded down with enough powder and lead for 10 or so shots for my 12 gauge smoothbore vs the same amount of .310 round balls for my little 32 caliber rifle when I go out after squirrels and if you throw in a few .710 balls for the smoothie the weight gets up there real fast. Sometimes I like a big boom and lots of smoke and sometimes I find a 10 grain charge that sounds like a cracked whip more appealing. Enjoy both of them!

 

[Brokennock]

Tough call. One might suppose I like a smoothbore better. I guess in my current situation I do. In fact, at the moment, I don't even own a functional muzzleloading rifle. However if I lived somewhere that I could legally hunt deer, turkeys, and squirrels all with the same caliber round ball from a rifle,,, and, if a rifle would be appropriate for an average citizen living in that area between 1755 and 1790ish,,,, well, then I might prefer the rifle. Maybe a nice .45 caliber with a coned muzzle for easy loading, and a patch box to keep my cleaning supplies and a small turnscrew (to help minimize stuff in my shot pouch, and keep what I need for the gun, with the gun), would fill the bill.

I enjoy the versatility, ease of loading, and historical appropriateness, of my smoothbores. But I also enjoy the precision of a rifle.

 

[Kev308]

I definitely shoot my smoothbore more than my rifle. It’s just too much like fun

 

[Art Caputo]

If could only own “one” gun residing in the New England woodlands, it would be a 62cal Fowler. This not being the case, I prefer the precision and design of a rifle for deer hunting, my primary passion.

 

[bud in pa]

Like others I started out with a percussion TC, it was cheap. I then found 50 cal. Pedersoli flint lock for sale at the same price. Being on a fixed income I found a smooth bore kit which took me a while to put together, and since building it I use no other. As far as the weight of the ammo I use paper cartridges in a home made block. I carry 6 and one down the spout seems to be sufficient enough to hunt anything. I would be tickled silly to run out of ammo on a hunt, or the worst shot in the world.