Fussil or fowler

[Nomadnailer]

I would like to know the difference in a fussil and a fowler they are both large caliber smooth bore rifle?

 

[gunmaker43]

Thats a good question.....Fowlers tend to be of a straighter stock configuration, that is a straight line across top of butt stock, as English/American styles--any bore (gauge) Fuzzee' Fusils from France have the extreme roman nosed butt stock, A real curve to the top line, and any bore size. A google search will show many variations. Some people can't shoot a roman nosed gun without getting cheek slapped. "just my own thoughts" others can/will chime in with their own....Tom

 

[necchi]

Nothing but language,
Ones French the other English.
Of course there are the cultural construction details involved with each, but both are smooth bore long guns

 

[Elnathan]

Technically a fowler is a bird hunter....

A fowling piece/fowler is a civilian gun intended for bird hunting, aka a shotgun. The term is also applied these days to certain guns that would have probably have just been called a "firelock" - the generic term for a flintlock - back in the day, such as the New England fowlers which were probably intended more for a single ball than shot.

"Fusil" can mean one of two different things, depending on language. In French, it means any flintlock, so a "fusil de chasse" is a light smoothbore flintlock hunting gun, while a "fusil bucanier" is a heavy, long barreled naval musket of a particular style. In English, the word is much more specific and denotes a light smoothbore with military associations, usually an officer's weapon.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

To add to that, what confuses a lot of folks is that they read about civilians, especially in New England, with fowlers. These tend to be at least 14 gauge on up, often with very long barrels...what folks don't look into is the location of the homes of the people documented with the fowlers...they are often from areas where hunting ducks and geese was common. In other areas you find them sometimes in abundance for shooting pigeons [passenger pigeons].

That was my first introduction to smoothbore flinters, so when I hear "fowler" I tend to think of a duck or goose gun (though that's too narrow a field), and when I hear "fusil" I tend to think of an inexpensive all around, hunting smoothbore, of 20 bore or smaller (or a British officer's private firearm).

LD

 

[54ball]

Fusil- A light musket.
The Dutch were ahead with flintlock development in the 17th Century. As the flintlock was perfected it was used as a military arm. This allowed for a relatively light arm compared to the matchlock. These new flintlock muskets or "Fusils" were issued to elite light troops who provided body guards, escort or guarded artillery or baggage trains. These troops were known as Fusileers. In the 17th Century, Fusil referred to any flintlock musket, as the 18th Century progressed Fusil came to mean a lighter arm than a standard issue "musket".

Buccaneer- a early 17th Century fusil of Continental or Dutch origin usually with a "club butt", associated in modern times with the late 17th early 18th Century Golden Age of Piracy. Many trade guns and trade fusils were based on this design for example a early Hudson Valley fowling piece with it's Dutch style club butt.

Trade Gun, Trade Fusil- A light musket developed by the European Powers for distribution amongst the North American Indian Tribes.
Based on the early Dutch Guns the design of these light muskets were improved by the French and English.
These guns were used to secure alliances and spread influence. The Dutch and later English armed Iroquois League became a major power in North America, restructuring the historical tribes in North America.
The French at first hesitant, eventually armed the Algonquins against the Iroquois. This arms race of trade guns ultimately resulted with the French and Indian or 7 years War.
Many of the trade fusils of this period had rear sights, Dutch, French and English.
The French designs date up to the period of the Seven Years War.
The Dutch designs to the early 18th Century.
The English Carolina from 1700-1783 or so.
The true English/American/Canadian North West Trade Gun...date to mid 18th to early 20th Century.

Fowler- One who hunts fowl.
The arm he or she used was a "fowling piece" or "fowling gun". A fowling gun is designed to hunt fowl or birds in the wing. Many date to match lock era. Fowling guns are lighter, longer and usually of heavier gauge than the fusil. These guns are designed to swing and point on winged targets.
They can fire ball as well and if need be be pressed into to service as a militia musket but these guns were not designed for combat as they can be somewhat delicate.
Many officers would carry a fine fowling gun as his officer's fusil. This way the gentleman could enjoy the occasional hunt while doing his service in North America.

Fook Fuzee Fuke Foosee Phonetic corruptions of the French word Fusil.

Officers Fusil- A light musket for officers in the military.
Many of theses were scaled down muskets, sometimes they were Trade fusils, sometimes they were more refined trade fusils, sometimes a fine fowling piece.

musket-a military long arm of robust construction designed to be fast loading and more importantly as a a platform for the bayonet. Later versions of "muskets were rifled in the Civil War era to fire the quick loading Minnie Ball...hence "Rifled Musket".

Smooth Rifle- A gun built like a rifle but with a smooth bore instead of a rifled bore. Many of these may have started out as genuine rifles and were later bored smooth. Others such as some late 18th Early 19th Century Lehighs were purpose built as "Smooth Rifles".

Buck and Ball Gun- a smooth bore usually of smaller bore 20 bore and smaller mainly used as a big game and upland small game gun for ball or shot. Also used as a defense gun. A fusil, fowling gun, smooth rifle and ex military musket are sometime referred to as a "Buck and Ball Gun".
It is somewhat of a generic term.

Shotgun A generic term since the 18th Century for a smoothbore mainly reffering to fowling guns but it could also refer to a fusil or Trade Fun.

Quote:

In 1770,after their horses, rifles and harvest of deer hides were seized by The Shawnee, Captain Will, the Shawnee provided Daniel Boone and his party with an old Shotgun so they would not starve as they walked on foot out of Kentucky. He also warned them never to return.

 

[matt denison]

I would like to know the difference in a fussil and a fowler they are both large caliber smooth bore rifle?

A fusil is a shotgun. A fowler is a shotgun.

:grin: :rotf: :blah: :shocked2: :slap:

As the judge said in the pornography trial, I don't know exactly what a fusil (or fowler) is but I know one when I see it.

 

[robert reed]

It only becomes a shotgun when converted to percussion. :blah:

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Fowler is one who hunts fowl.
Fowling piece is a gun intended for shooting fowl and is most likely smoothbored and used with shot.It can have a variety of barrel features intended to help the performance like a coned muzzle interior, relieved internally in the breech area, etc.

A fuzee/fusil is a smoothbored gun that can look very much like a fowling piece but will have a straight cylinder bore and be used for ball like it's larger bored cousin the musket. It can and did see use with various sizes of shot as well just as many a fowling piece probably saw it'share of single projectiles, especially here in the colonies where they were employed for military use. The fuzee can also have thicker barrel walls.