Fusil de Chasse of love

[pipascus]

I am looking at getting a fusil de chasse in the near future. Looking at the Track of the Wolf kit. I'd likely go with the iron because that's more authentic. Curios that they offer a threaded barrel. I have been tempted to go for that, but seems a travesty. I am about to get back on my Mark Silver rifle kit and finish it, so I would already have a rifle. Figure a smoothbore would be pretty nice.

Anyway, have heard some say the TOW kit is somewhat "chunky" but isn't that really the fault of the builder for leaving on too much wood?
What do you all think of the TOW FDC kits?

 

[Alexander Efremenko]

Aside from the barrel profile not being true to an original fdc barrel,and wood not being European walnut, it makes a decent fusil.. Architecturally it has good lines .
If you want it to look right. The lock panels and carving will be lost when properly shaping the lock panels,carving will need redone. Lose the stock or pipes and front sight. Use sheet metal ones and make a barley corn type from as were the originals.
Straighten and round the breech tang as originals.
There's quite a bit of reference materials to see details of these arms.
If you order the16 gauge barrel,you'll have a piece weighing about 7 pounds..

 

[Cruzatte]

Anyway, have heard some say the TOW kit is somewhat "chunky" but isn't that really the fault of the builder for leaving on too much wood?
What do you all think of the TOW FDC kits?

I have that fusil. And the chunkiness is due to the barrel profile. I ordered mine with the 44" 20 ga. barrel for reasons of historical accuracy. Barrel length isn't the issue. Barrel wall thickness is the issue. Coleraine uses the same barrel profile for both their 20 and 16 ga. offerings.

Also be prepared to do some tinkering with the lock. It will fire right out of the box, so to speak. On the other hand, it is a candidate for some tuning up.

 

[tenngun]

I love my centermark but I’ve tinkered a bit with it and it’s still a far cry from a real TFC. I think you will love your gun, my centermark is my favorite gun to shoot.
Do not get the riffled ( threaded) barrel. Beside a big step the originals and the whole of the gun not made for that, it spoils all the fun you will get from a smooth bore.
A smoothie will never be as accurate as a rife, but you can get good accuracy from a smoothie. And you will have this pipe dream in your head that if you change just one thing the accuracy will match a rifle.
So each day at the range Is that search for that one little bit of change. You just know you’ll find it, and in till then that’s a good group don’t you think? That’ll put a deer or turkey in the freezer, but next time I’m trying......

 

[pipascus]

Great information! Thank you!

Here's what I am doing...

Finishing my Mark Silver rifle first, then I am going to build a left-handed smoothbore for a friend who wants to get into trekking with me. He is trying to decide which smoothbore to go with that fits the F&I war era on the French side. He is leaning towards a Fusil de Chasse, but I just read in another thread that some people have issue swith the fusil smacking them on the face when they shoot. Anybody had that experience? He doesn't have the ability to go try one out as he lives in south Florida and is really busy right now. I also am in love with the fusil de chasse and would like to build one (right-handed) once I'm done with the rifle.

I see that TVM makes a left-handed fusil de chase. Anyone know how it compares to the TOW one? Is either one more streamline than the other?

 

[pipascus]

So I guess the issue now is getting a FDC in left hand first, since my friend just confirmed his interest and I will build it for him.
He is looking at:

https://www.tvmnatchez.com/tulle

and


http://www.caywoodguns.com/wilson-trade-gun2.html

I suspect he will go for the TVM because the Caywood is around $1,300 for the kit compared to about $850 for the TVM.

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with any of these.

 

[Flintandsteel]

I’ve built the TOW kit. They offer 2 different barrels. Neither are PC , but the Colerain 44” barrel is closer. None were made left handed however.
Building from a blank would be better, but if you’re not up for that, I think the TOW kit is closer.
The Wilson is an English trade gun, not French.

 

[oldwood]

Naturally the French have a flowery description of their musket stock shape.........Ped de Vasche , or Foot of the Cow.. Hope my spelling was correct.....When I hold my copy of a French Indian trade musket , I feel amused at the comparison. Don't get me wrong , I love the stock architecture...........oldwood

 

[Cruzatte]

I'm left handed, and have no issues shooting the Track fusil. And yes, I did get smacked in the face a time or two until I learned to put the butt right in the pocket of my shoulder and look over the top of the barrel. There isn't as much drop to the stock as you might at first glance think.

 

[pipascus]

I’ve built the TOW kit. They offer 2 different barrels. Neither are PC , but the Colerain 44” barrel is closer. None were made left handed however.
Building from a blank would be better, but if you’re not up for that, I think the TOW kit is closer.
The Wilson is an English trade gun, not French.

Thank you for pointing that out. I was thrown off by the description: "The gun also features the very elegant French style stock architecture with a curving comb line, wrist and belly line." But then at the end ( I didn't notice) says it's English!

 

[pipascus]

I'm left handed, and have no issues shooting the Track fusil. And yes, I did get smacked in the face a time or two until I learned to put the butt right in the pocket of my shoulder and look over the top of the barrel. There isn't as much drop to the stock as you might at first glance think.

Do you mean the stock does not go pressed against the shoulder, but under the armpit?
Sorry if it's a dumb question, but never shot a FDC.

 

[pipascus]

Naturally the French have a flowery description of their musket stock shape.........Ped de Vasche , or Foot of the Cow.. Hope my spelling was correct.....When I hold my copy of a French Indian trade musket , I feel amused at the comparison. Don't get me wrong , I love the stock architecture...........oldwood

I wonder if TOW can offer the FDC kit without inletting for the lock, then I could just do that part maybe.

 

[Belleville]

Recommend Russel Bouchard's books: English "The Fusil de Tuille in New France 1691-1741", Historical Arms Series No. 36; or in French: "Les fusils de Tulle en Nouvelle-France:1691-1741" for the details. The French version is more comprehensive. The Fusil de Chasse is normally iron mounted and has no sling, no bayonet lug and is pin fastened, no band(s), and the rear ramrod thimble comes to a point.. Some of the details include on the 1729-1734 contracts barrels go from 8 flats to a short length of 16 flats to a wedding band to round, all tapered. Barrel bore was 28 bales per livre (or approx English 20 gauge) and barrel was approx 43.3". TOTW carries a repro Tulle lock, but hear that it is hard to get?

 

[Cruzatte]

Do you mean the stock does not go pressed against the shoulder, but under the armpit?
Sorry if it's a dumb question, but never shot a FDC.

No, no. There is a hollow between the socket joint of the shoulder just below the collar bone. The butt of the FDC fits right in there.

While thinking this over this morning, I had a sudden realization. The Tulle Manufactory also supplied the French Marine with a musket called the Grenadier Fusil. The stocks on both arms were cut from the same pattern. The difference being that the de chasse model had a smaller caliber, no barrel band, no sling swivels, a lock of somewhat smaller proportion, and no provision for a bayonet. So this saved manufacturing time and money if they could use the same stock pattern. If I'm right, that means military stocks don't have the drop that a civilian fowling piece would have. In essence, the fusil de chasse was a sporterized grenadier fusil. Read Russel Bouchard's The Fusil de Tulle in New France 1691-1741. Compare the line drawings of both guns, and study the detailed descriptions and see if you agree with my conclusion.

So I've found if I shoulder the fusil de chasse as described like a musket, placing the sight at 6:00 I can pretty much put the ball where I'm looking. Does this make sense?

 

[Cruzatte]

. TOTW carries a repro Tulle lock, but hear that it is hard to get?

I just checked. They're back in stock. Get 'em while you can.

 

[pipascus]

No, no. There is a hollow between the socket joint of the shoulder just below the collar bone. The butt of the FDC fits right in there.

While thinking this over this morning, I had a sudden realization. The Tulle Manufactory also supplied the French Marine with a musket called the Grenadier Fusil. The stocks on both arms were cut from the same pattern. The difference being that the de chasse model had a smaller caliber, no barrel band, no sling swivels, a lock of somewhat smaller proportion, and no provision for a bayonet. So this saved manufacturing time and money if they could use the same stock pattern. If I'm right, that means military stocks don't have the drop that a civilian fowling piece would have. In essence, the fusil de chasse was a sporterized grenadier fusil. Read Russel Bouchard's The Fusil de Tulle in New France 1691-1741. Compare the line drawings of both guns, and study the detailed descriptions and see if you agree with my conclusion.

So I've found if I shoulder the fusil de chasse as described like a musket, placing the sight at 6:00 I can pretty much put the ball where I'm looking. Does this make sense?

Interesting.
My main concern now is a left-handed FDC, as my friend wants that to get into trekking. I will get back to mine once I fifnish my rifle and his fusil.
I contacted Track of the Wolf and they do not offer a left handed version, but they recommended this:


https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/0/1/STK-FW-M1
I will have to run it by my friend, since it's his choice. I personally love the fusil lines and he likes them to, so maybe he'll go with the TVM one, but again, his call.
The books sound like a great resource, but I don't speak or read French, even though I took it in high school-and failed it! Are the images good enough? Is the information written in there necessary, or are the drawing self-explanatory that the French version would be best even being unable to understand the text?

And I do believe I know what you mean about the stock placement. Makes sense.

And thank you!

 

[Grenadier1758]

Interestingly enough, I was looking through Hamilton's book, "Colonial Frontier Guns" and one section was on a found left hand fusil de chase. While apparently there has only been the one that has been found, the left hand gun is part of the historical record.

 

[Cruzatte]

Interestingly enough, I was looking through Hamilton's book, "Colonial Frontier Guns" and one section was on a found left hand fusil de chase. While apparently there has only been the one that has been found, the left hand gun is part of the historical record.

True. But a builder is going to have one heckuva time finding a left hand French lock these days.

 

[Cruzatte]

Interesting.
My main concern now is a left-handed FDC, as my friend wants that to get into trekking. I will get back to mine once I fifnish my rifle and his fusil.
I contacted Track of the Wolf and they do not offer a left handed version, but they recommended this:


https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/0/1/STK-FW-M1
I will have to run it by my friend, since it's his choice. I personally love the fusil lines and he likes them to, so maybe he'll go with the TVM one, but again, his call.
The books sound like a great resource, but I don't speak or read French, even though I took it in high school-and failed it! Are the images good enough? Is the information written in there necessary, or are the drawing self-explanatory that the French version would be best even being unable to understand the text.
And thank you!

Don't sweat it. It's in English. Whoever translated it however substituted pound for livre and foot for pied. The livre is heavier than the pound, and as you can imagine the pied is longer than the foot.

 

[Flintandsteel]

The English stock looks NOTHING like the de Chasse.
If you decide to do the English, read the description very well. You will have to inlet the barrel. Are you up to that?
These are very generic stocks and can be made into various guns, but YOU need to know, where you are going.
Just don’t get caught up in something you can’t handle, just to save a buck.