Jug choked or full choked barrels for fowler

[GANGGREEN]

I sent an inquiry to TVM asking if they offered a jug choked or otherwise turkey choked barrel for their fowler kit. They responded that they did not and suggested I talk with Caywood gunbuilders about jug choking one. They mentioned that it would typically cost about $95. Is there any other less expensive option? I think that Colerain makes one with a full or super full turkey choke but I'm not sure. Could I buy one of those and send it to TVM for barrel inletting or would it even be necessary? I'm not sure if the outside profile would be different than what they're using.

Any help would be appreciated. Also other options of "kit guns" that might be available with a turkey choke that wouldn't cost considerably more than a "standard fowler". Thanks.

 

[roundball]

My .02 cents on the matter:

Bought a .62cal Rice barrel, sent it to Danny Caywood for his Full Jug Choke, then sent it to Matt Avance/TVM for an Early Virginia build...outstanding in every respect, including excellent patched ball accuracy as advertised.
Have taken 2 Toms in a field at distance...one at 40 yards, another at 30...and when woods hunting everything is much closer so that longer reach is rarely needed.

The cost of getting started can be a steep hill to climb...reality is if you get into turkey hunting you can usually get them to 22-25yds anyway...and loaded right, your cylinder bore fowler will get it done.
(You can always send the barrel to Caywood later if you still want to).

An MLF member here (George) has an excellent website with an excellent article called: The Versatile Smoothbore.
In particular, it talks about Turkey loads...and they work...you might Google that and bookmark it.

 

[GANGGREEN]

roundball, thanks for your reply. For what it's worth, I've killed a whole mess of turkeys over the years and I've messed around some with a cylinder bore frontloader and never had much luck getting a decent pattern. Though I'm able to call them into 20-25 yard ranges fairly frequently, I don't believe I'd spend the money to build a fowler specifically for turkey with an open choke.

I still haven't made my mind up but I'd love to avoid spending $600 or $700 on a parts set and then paying an additional $100+ (with shipping) to get the barrel jug choked.

Thanks again for the opinion and response.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You are going to spend at least $200 n the barrel. An extra $100 to get Caywood to do a full choke Jug choke is not out of line for what you want.

RoundBall has given you excellent advice, and has the gun to prove it. I know of NO maker of Screw-in Choke tubes that makes them for MLers. :hmm: :hatsoff:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I spent $75 for a jug choke maybe five years ago.

With a new gun I'd recommend trying a few loads first and seeing if you couldn't come up with a best load without resorting to the jug. Yes, it helps, but it is a modern "cheat" and kind of goes against the whole point of using a muzzzleloader in the first place.

 

[Ppanepinto]

Here is a question, is there a minimum barrel length that one can add a chock to? I was thinking about a canoe gun, but if it does not pattern, where can I go from there?

 

[roundball]

Here is a question, is there a minimum barrel length that one can add a chock to? I was thinking about a canoe gun, but if it does not pattern, where can I go from there?

I'm not an authority on them but can tell what my personal experiences have been:

32" GM .62cal smoothbore Jug Choked 'Full'...outstanding;
32" GM .62cal smoothbore Jug Choked "Imp.Cyl.Plus"...outstanding;
38" Rice .62cal smoothbore Jug Choked 'Full'...outstanding;

I'm not a purist so using a .20 gauge Early Virginia smooth rifle with a Jug Choke for turkeys is of no concern for me...if you happen to be a 100% dedicated purist then you'll have to decided for yourself.
Frankly, I've never seen anything from any MLF member that suggests there are any 100% dedicated purists here, so to me the issue is totally moot.

I also have a good .54cal smoothbore Virginia and use it's stock 42" cylinder bore Rice barrel as is...an outstanding barrel and patterns very well.

 

[Ppanepinto]

Roundball,

Thanks, this give me an idea of what I can and cannot do. I have a lease in Mississippi where the longest shot on anything is around 40-60 yards. I have been handgun hunting it for years, but been wanting to get back into blackpowder for years. Just add another gun to the list to build. :surrender:

 

[roundball]

"...where the longest shot on anything is around 40-60 yards..."

My whole main focus is hunting, and live my hunting life in similar heavy woods environments.
Other than the rare longer shot down an old logger's road or something, 99% of all my shots at deer, turkey, squirrels, even crows, are in the 20-50yd range, with only one deer at 60, and another at 70.
So to me, a smoothbore is tailor made for that environment with both shot and PRB loads:

#5 SHOT

.600” CAST BALL

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Check with Tip Curtis. He had fowler kits with the Colerain turkey barrel at Dixon's fair this past year. Think the price was around $850.00 but don't hold me to that. Dan.

 

[Ppanepinto]

Love the rifle :thumbsup:, hope to one day have one haft as nice.

 

[GANGGREEN]

Thanks for the info wvbuck.

I also have to agree that it's a fine looking smoothbore. Man that wood is nice.

 

[GANGGREEN]

By way of an update, I'm having a friend put an order in to TV Manufacturing for me for a Colerain turkey choked barrel and all the other parts that I'll need for my Kentucky fowler build. The friend who's ordering the stuff for me is letting me have a stock that he had previously purchased for a very good price and I'm getting my "kit" for a bargain basement price. I'm pretty excited to get going with the build.