Hunting Versatility of a Smooth Rifle

[roundball]

We've probably all heard the old question..."if you could only have one gun to hunt with, what would it be".
And as an east coast woods hunter I used to answer it based upon my best logical speculation...that it would be a 'Smooth Rifle' with a rear sight.
And now, armed with several years of hands on experience I can plainly state that for anything I have to hunt in North Carolina, a 'Smooth Rifle' fills all my needs.

As testimony, a brief summary of my .62cal TVM Early Virginia Smooth Rifle's activity is below, and its sister 28ga is right on its heels, with only a turkey remaining to round out the major 4 types of game I routinely hunt.
So if I could only have one gun...it would definitely be a Smooth Rifle, 1st choice 20ga, 2nd choice 28ga.

.62cal Early Virginia Smooth Rifle

 

[Britsmoothy]

I hear you brother :hatsoff:

All my front stuffers are smooth too :thumbsup:

Brits.

 

[lizz]

I'm with you on this roundball.
Although I have several rifles and use them from time to time. I always look to one of the smoothbores first.
I still have a couple of critters to get with one yet.

 

[Maestro]

Thanks, RB. I shoot one rifle and two smoothbores that are both fowler architecture. I've been thinking about "consolidating" them all into one gun and I'd agree that the 20 gauge would be the ticket. I was wondering how the sight acquisition with a smooth rifle would be when shooting on the wing. Do you actually use the sights when shooting doves or just "point" the gun?

 

[roundball]

Like with trap & skeet, I just look past the sights as a general blur.
If you find that the habit of looking for the rear sight slot keeps catching you attention (and slowing you down) just stick a small piece of black electrician's tape across the back of the rear sight. (got that tip years ago from member 'arcticap')
Then when you throw it up, just look right over the top of the rear sight as if it was a "rib" on a trap/skeet gun.

 

[hawk]

:thumbsup: they seem to do the trick in this part of the continent too.

...nice photos too

 

[Lonegun1894]

I agree. My 28ga works great also. There's still times I wish I had been carrying a rifle when the deer are a little was away, and when possible I still do, but my little 28 has been working better than I expected before I tried it. Still haven't gotten a turkey with it (or anything else for that matter) yet though. Maybe this spring.

 

[roundball]

Hunting in thick woods here in North Carolina, needing a rifle for distance is basically not necessary...longest ML shot on deer I've ever taken was only 70 paces down an old loggers road...otherwise everything is usually in the 35-50yd range.

Federal Law prohibits rifles on migratory birds like doves and geese of course, even if someone was good enough to take them that way;
State law prohibits the use of rifles for turkeys;
And unless a hunter is a long ways off from any houses, I was always taught it can be a little dicey to shoot a rifle up into the air, taking rifle shots at squirrels in trees, etc;

So for me, the case is very easily made that a single hunting gun can be a smooth rifle and as I age and begin thinning the closet, the smooth rifles will be the last to go, except for an economical .40cal to play with at the range.

 

[Robby]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Robby

 

[SmokeEater2]

Good post roundball! I've only had the opportunity to take one deer with my smooth rifle so far but there will be more.

I generally hunt thickets and a few slightly more open areas and I seldom have a shot over 50 yards and most are a lot closer.

My rifle has a 30 inch barrel for this reason and the .62 works well out of it and does pretty well in the brush. A hit through the ribs with a .600 rb was an absolute ground anchor on the one deer I used it on.

 

[xring2245]

Heck yeah!!!!

 

[armymedic.2]

What makes the choice so easy.......do i wanna clean a smooth bore or try to get the grit out of rifling.........yup 62 is commin out again! Easy button

 

[Matt85]

it looks like your smooth rifle has taken good care of you.

i really need to pick up a fowler...

-matt