Good all around smoothy?

[xia_emperor]

I like watermelon but I thought I would like to ask your opinion.

I am looking for a good all rounder for my first smooth bore.
Deer, Rabbit, tree rats. maybe even Pheasants.
:bow:

 

[roundball]

Caliber wise, the .62cal/.20ga seems to be a good one for the uses you listed...I've used mine for deer, turkey, crows, squirrels, and trap targets (no pheasants yet).
However, others will have to recommend actual complete firearms for you as mine are made up of GM 'drop-in' barrels for T/C Hawken stocks.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The first three you can get by with about any style or bore . . . though the rabbits would favor a lighter gun (than say a nine pound Bess or some such).

Flint or percussion, of haven't you got that far?

The pheasant takes you into light (aka fast swinging) fowler in a 20 bore or larger. You need to get there with enough #5 shot to make a difference, and for deer you want a round ball, so that limits the bore to open cylinder for the most part, so you need a "substantial" tube of .600" or better (just my opinion, remember) to throw up a cloud of shot on a raising pheasant.

I'd be looking at a fowler in 20 or 16 bore. That ought to do it. 12 bore would too, but that's a lot of ball on deer sized game. Slam 'em for sure.

 

[xia_emperor]

I have a 50 cal cap and ball already. just looking to get into the flint.

 

[cowpoke1955]

I agree with the rest. A nice fowler in .62 cal./20 ga. Light enough to swing with rabbits and birds, yet heavy enough for deer and maybe a hog :thumbsup: .

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have to agree with Stumpkiller. The 20 gauge is probably the best overall choice. But, any 16, 14, or 12 gauge gun will also be useful. The nice advantage of the larger guns is that you can DOWNLOAD them to produce smaller bore ballistics, so that you can load a 26 gauge equivalent load in that 20, 16, 14 or 12 gauge fowler, and kill quail, or rabbits without any recoil.

Stumpy is correct however, that if you are talking about using a fowler for deer hunting, you are going to be pushing an ever large ball out the barrel, with attendant increases in recoil, as the gauge increases in size. While you can adjust your powder charge somewhat, to reduce recoil, you won't be able to get rid of it all.

I have a DB 12 gauge percussion shotgun, and now have a 20 gauge fowler, in flint. My .50 caliber rifle (flint) will remain my primary deer gun, but that fowler is going to be thoroughly tested with RB to see what kind of accuracy I can get. Right now, I prefer to consider my fowler as a bird gun.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I too am tempted to call the 12 gauge "too big for ball" but can't logically explain why I feel that way. After all, in those states which allow deer hunting only with shotgun slugs the 12 gauge is by far the most popular choice.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Joe. I have one good reason. MY DB 12 gauge is still lighter than my modern 12 gauge pump shotgun, so the recoil from firing that RB "talks " to me a lot more. I am sure that some of that felt recoil is due to the stock design and shape.

I really don't want a heavier 12 ga.Mling shotgun, so I would much rather leave it for shooting bird shot, and use my 20 ga. fowler for shooting RBs, if I feel the need. Being a flinter, my fowler is also a lot of fun to take hunting, when the birds hold close, and bag limits are small. :thumbsup:

 

[dlpowell]

The 20's are light and not a shoulder killer to shoot. Plenty of stopping power for deer sized game. Load 'em down for small game and plinking. Check your local hunting regs. In Oklahoma a 20 is the minimum for deer during bp season and gun season.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I too am tempted to call the 12 gauge "too big for ball" but can't logically explain why I feel that way. After all, in those states which allow deer hunting only with shotgun slugs the 12 gauge is by far the most popular choice.

Them are hollow inside. :wink:

But a 16 gauge 1 oz round ball and a 12 gauge 1 oz slug leave a similar footprint in the side - and out the off side - of a whitetail.

The problem as I see it is a 12 gauge ball has a trajectory like a tennis ball (at least with the 80 gr FFg I was using) and, in a sightless tube, it does have a tendency to start diving at 45 or 50 yards. I played with round balls in my bead-front New Englander (which has a relatively short 27" tube) and it blasted to point-of-aim out that far and then it was kind of a zen exercise.

A longer, tapered fowler barrel might keep the nose up better. And a thinner tube focuses the shot when using "instinctive" aim.

 

[Le Grand]

Longbow, You haven't said what era you'd like your smoothbore to represent. I favor the rendezvous era in the West so my favorite smoothbore is the Northwest Gun. And because most of my shooting is done with a round ball, I like the 24 gauge guns. Those shoot a .58 caliber ball. For grouse and rabbit hunting with shot, squirrel too, they're great. A .58 caliber ball will sure drop a deer. I don't know if state laws restrict muzzleloading smoothbores firing round ball or not. After all, it is the same projectile that a .58 rifle will shoot. For flying targets, perhaps a pheasant, the 24 gauge will do about the same as a 20 gauge, shooting the same doses of shot. Anyway, the Northwest Gun is my favorite, in either 24 or 20 gauge.

 

[rabjr]

I too am tempted to call the 12 gauge "too big for ball" but can't logically explain why I feel that way. After all, in those states which allow deer hunting only with shotgun slugs the 12 gauge is by far the most popular choice.

I can tell you this, .12 ga balls knock deer over dead. I wouldn't trade my .12 fowler for the world.

 

[Trapper]

They didn't call it Sweet 16 for nothing. Mine kills them all dead. I vote for the 16 gauge. Just my 2 cents worth
Trapper

 

[Coot]

Lots of opinions and good suggestions on this thread. For me, a 20 gauge flintlock fowler is a great all-around gun. Big enough for shot, small enough for ball, light to carry & good looking with a long barrel. If the house was on fire & I could only grab one gun on the way out, it would be the fowler.

 

[Bountyhunter]

The only smoothie that I lust for is a North Star West Northwest Trade gun. Something about them just makes me drool. I am basically a cap fan, but I do want a NSW gun in my rack.

The difference between a 20 or 16 bore would only amount to a few hundredths of an inch in ball size, but a lot of grains in weight. If it comes down to .62 (20)or .66 (16), I am probably going to opt for the .66. Maybe going to excess, but I live in the land of pheasants, and turkey and deer, and close enough to hunt elk and bear, so in that case anything worth doing is worth doing to excess in my book.

 

[Stumpkiller]

It is amazing. A 12 gauge ball weighs 33% more than a 16 ball. That's a big difference in mass.

I keep hearing the call of the Sitting Fox Colonial Fowler in 20 bore.


Maybe next year.

 

[pichou]

... my favorite smoothbore is the Northwest Gun. ...Anyway, the Northwest Gun is my favorite, in either 24 or 20 gauge.

IMHO these are THE ultimate all around smoothbore. That's what they were designed for, and they remained unchanged for over 100 years.

They were used for everything from buffalo to ducks. Can't beat that with a ramrod!

 

[tg]

I would try to find a ML group near you and see if you can handle a few to see what you like, may even be a forum member around the corner, the NW gun in .62 bore is a pretty good all arouind gun many go with

 

[xia_emperor]

"Longbow, You haven't said what era you'd like your smoothbore to represent. I favor the rendezvous era in the West so my favorite smoothbore is the Northwest Gun." :hmm:

:v I hunt and only care about hunting so for me era is of no importance, just what Feels good and points well is what I care about. I love black powder and have been shooting Cap and ball for 8 years. Just wanted to make my hunting even more fun. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the info. I plan on going to track of the wolf and check what they have and need to meet up with the local club. I am done with archery (takes too much time from my other hunting activities). so I have tons of time for hunting with the dog and muzzy hunting.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I have a 20 gauge and like it very much. I've got a 10 bore being built right now. If I had to have one fowler to do it all, it would be a 16 gauge with a 46 or 48 inch barrel. Definitely one of Jim Chamber's round faced locks and a cherry stock. The 16 is just right--not too big and not too small. :thumbsup: