Favorite style of Smoothbore

[PGTMG]

Hello,

A few years ago I was bitten by the smoothbore bug. I spent an entire hunting season with a smoothbore that was similiar to a .62 caliber Indian trade gun with mixed results (never felt it swung well).

I liked it, but the reason I bought it is it was in my price range and avaliable. This enabled me to do shot and RB testing before hunting.

Unfortantly it was destroyed by a careless mistake. :shake:

I am curious about other hunters on the forum have and like as a gun for wing and grounded targets?

Thank you for any input.

 

[Stumpkiller]

English sporting flintlock.

42" barrel, 7 pounds, 16 gauge.

 

[PGTMG]

Beautiful, do you wing shoot? What game do you hunt?

 

[BrownBear]

Kinda depends on your main goal in my mind and experience. It's "possible" to shoot both RB and shot with any style of smoothbore, but the style is likely to determine that one style is better for wingshooting and another style is better for grounded targets.

If you're mostly shooting grounded targets, I'll let folks with lots more RB experience pipe in. But if you're leaning toward wingshooting, I'd sure look at a nicely balanced SxS.

I do about 99% wing shooting with smoothies, both SxS and singles, and the SxS versions rule hands down. In fact I am yet to pick up a single that I really thought was right for me for wing shooting. Just me and my gauky body, I guess.

I can shoot RB's with the SxS's, but nowhere near as far as guys are talking on here lots of time. But if I limit my range, RB's are fine. My singles are gathering dust or disappearing now, cuzz I just don't use them. When I shoot RB I am happiest with spiral scratches down the bore. But by the same token, when I'm wingshooting, two bores swing and balance so much better than one.

 

[spudnut]

always been a fan of the Bess ,just love the Mass of the thing

 

[Stumpkiller]

Beautiful, do you wing shoot? What game do you hunt?

I'm a huge fan of the ruffed grouse. I've been participating in an annual Cornell U./NYS DEC grouse hunting survey for 12 years.

I love where they live, love the thrill of flushing them up. But I hate to clean them . . . so a flintlock is the ideal gun for me. ;-)

And of course cottontail rabbit are fair game.

Been using the same gun throughout the regular deer season here loaded with a single one-ounce ball. So far not an antler has been sighted. Muzzleloading season began this past Monday and I may take a doe if nothing else shows. Of course now I won't see the group of six antlerless that has been lounging around on my property so far.

 

[faste350]

northwest trade gun here. built it in 1989 and it has served me extremely well. my previous beagle, that i hunted with for about 12 years, that was the only gun i ever shot rabbits with over her. i have shot most all of my deer with it since it was built. have shot everything in Pa with it except for a bear (which i have never seen). i have a new beagle pup coming at the end of the month and that will be my rabbit gun with her.

 

[PGTMG]

I had not thought about SxS at all. I found the trade gun did not handle well swinging. Not just wing shooting but fast moving ground game like rabbits adn squirrels. The wide but plateand never felt right.

Tradegun was fairly easy to put a RB through a paper plate out to 50-60 yards

Thank you you left me thinking.

 

[PGTMG]

Love the Bess for RB never thought of it for shot.

 

[PGTMG]

I really do love the look of your English smoothbore.

Is it a .62?

 

[BrownBear]

Love the Bess for RB never thought of it for shot.

I run a lot of shot through my Bess. Tried it with a full length Bess and hated it. But then I tried a shorter version- 32" barrel if memory serves. That was so good for wing shooting I now own it, if that tells you anything. Still prefer the 12 SxS for ducks (Pietta), but I did take the shorter Bess out on a few hunts and dumped mallards both times. Can be done, but I sure prefer a two-shooter when a flock comes in to the decoys. :grin:

 

[PGTMG]

Mmmmm a friend of mine has a Bess I might try some shot patterns. So you use 12 ga in your SxS?

 

[Stumpkiller]

I really do love the look of your English smoothbore.

Is it a .62?

0.662" (16 gauge).

Careful on the SxS with round balls. Check your state regulations. NY forbids multiple balls or barrels for deer hunting.

 

[pargent]

:thumbsup: +1

 

[BrownBear]

So you use 12 ga in your SxS?

Yeah. It's my second actually. Got one back in the 1970's and used it almost exclusively for all my shotgunning, right up until steel shot came along. Sold it in frustration and almost immediately regretted it. Took a few years to replace it, and haven't looked back.

I've heard rumors that Pietta made a 20 too, but I've never seen one, much less one for sale. I've been kinda holding out for that rather than buying a Pedersoli, because the Pietta is so much lighter and CYL bores. My wet dream is to find a really light, well balanced 28 gauge.

 

[wrichi]

Dear sir
Beautiful gun,i love that possible bag. A dream for us.beautiful wood finish and a lovely matching possible bag.
Thank you sir.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Thanky. That bag was made for me by Swampy.

I hope he's doing well.

I haven't been able to get an image that does the walnut justice.

It looks different as the lighting changes.

Full kit for protracted shooting-

 

[hanshi]

The only smoothbore I own is an early American smoothbore. It has so far killed deer but nothing else as I mostly hunt small game with a rifle.

 

[PGTMG]

:bow: so very nice. I really like the idea of 16ga.

 

[PGTMG]

This is what I picture in my head when I think of a smoothbore.