I am planning on building an early Dutch fowler and need a long smoothbore barrel. The longer the better but 20 ga and 46" is the minimum. Don't really want to wait half a year so if anyone has one in the shop and no immediate plans, let me know. Octagon to round preferred but would consider round also.
looking for a long smoothbore barrel for new build
- Thread starter rich pierce
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Pilgrim
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Try Jackie Brown the gun builder. He makes club butts and other early pieces. He might even have a buccaneer barrel. :m2c:
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Getz makes a 20g in oct/round at 46" long.
It is a thing of beauty.
Should be some available, as they sell them in their Virginia kits. :redthumb:
It is a thing of beauty.
Should be some available, as they sell them in their Virginia kits. :redthumb:
Thank, boys, just need to pull the trigger on this one.
Thanks. I just got through to the Rifle Shoppe and ordered a set of lock castings (they were in stock). 20 gauge and 46" is my minimum, if I had my druthers I'd get 12 gauge and 50". But I just got some extra spare change and am ready to buy, so will call Barbie, Ed Rayl, John Getz, and a couple others to see what's available in stock and will decide what fits best. I found a stock blank dealer with a long round smooth barrel, and I found a guy with a 50" 20 gauge barrel inlet into a beautiful piece of curly maple. If you're like me, you know the drill- agonize a long time over how much to spend and exactly what profile, gauge (or caliber), etc.
The gun will be a Dutch fowler, not strictly a Hudson Valley fowler, but from near that area (Mohawk valley), from around 1720. The trick is that it will be a "spec" gun- I'll build it the way I want then hope to sell it. That's always the tricky part. Larger gauges are more historically accurate for these early fowlers and for militia guns, compared to trade guns and fusils. But customers seem to prefer 20 gauge or smaller in fowlers and only go bigger for militia guns for reenactment. This summer I'm heading back east to the Mohawk Valley where I grew up, will visit all the local museums and check their guns, make a bunch of drawings and measurements, rubbings, tracings etc. Generally I end up making 2 guns of a genre. Once in the mode, having a feel for it, the momentum is just there.
The gun will be a Dutch fowler, not strictly a Hudson Valley fowler, but from near that area (Mohawk valley), from around 1720. The trick is that it will be a "spec" gun- I'll build it the way I want then hope to sell it. That's always the tricky part. Larger gauges are more historically accurate for these early fowlers and for militia guns, compared to trade guns and fusils. But customers seem to prefer 20 gauge or smaller in fowlers and only go bigger for militia guns for reenactment. This summer I'm heading back east to the Mohawk Valley where I grew up, will visit all the local museums and check their guns, make a bunch of drawings and measurements, rubbings, tracings etc. Generally I end up making 2 guns of a genre. Once in the mode, having a feel for it, the momentum is just there.
I'll just keep blathering on here as it's cheaper than buying parts for 2 guns at once.
Not much demand for super-long 20 gauge barrels, else the manufacturers would be making lots of them. But the early fowlers were often very long compared with what we're used to. Mike Brooks has made some beautiful long ones. Of course the originals were usually big gauge guns. There's a very long 10 ga Hudson Valley Fowler for sale at the TOW website (footprint of the wild canine). It's a close repro of the one in Shumway's Rifles of Colonial America Volume 2. That one is "museum quality" and an expensive piece. Mine will not be as ambitious a project.
As far as cost, John Getz is making 46" octagon to round smoothbore barrels for $250. I assume that longer costs more generally.
I'm sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place now. I've had on order a barrel and stock for an early rifle project, and had nothing to work on. Now the barrel and blank are about ready to ship. I'm not sure I can afford to build the fowler too right now. But John has a 10 gauge 46" barrel in the shop......
So my options are:
A 20 gauge octagon to round barrel, 50", inletted into super maple with the ramrod channel and hole drilled for $500. Plus it has the ramrod!
A 20 gauge, 48" I think, round barrel, to be sold with a maple blank. The barrel will cost about $180, and the wood is my choice as far as quality and expense. I'd probably pay about $150 for the wood. $330 total.
John Getz's 46" 10 gauge octagon to round barrel ready to go at $250. (I do like to order directly from the maker when possible and do this for Chamber with their locks. Figure they should sometimes get the middleman money too.) Add some wood and it's $400 for the wood and barrel, more if I have the chennel inlet and the ramrod groove and hole done. That would be new territory for me as I've always done my own but it might make sense.
Barbie has barrels in stock at the same prices as the makers charge. Their militia gun kit uses them.
Anyhoo, it's time to finally make up my mind. The fowler project was going to tide me over while waiting for the custom barrel for the early rifle, but now that's on it's way. Looks like I'll be busy no matter what.
Not much demand for super-long 20 gauge barrels, else the manufacturers would be making lots of them. But the early fowlers were often very long compared with what we're used to. Mike Brooks has made some beautiful long ones. Of course the originals were usually big gauge guns. There's a very long 10 ga Hudson Valley Fowler for sale at the TOW website (footprint of the wild canine). It's a close repro of the one in Shumway's Rifles of Colonial America Volume 2. That one is "museum quality" and an expensive piece. Mine will not be as ambitious a project.
As far as cost, John Getz is making 46" octagon to round smoothbore barrels for $250. I assume that longer costs more generally.
I'm sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place now. I've had on order a barrel and stock for an early rifle project, and had nothing to work on. Now the barrel and blank are about ready to ship. I'm not sure I can afford to build the fowler too right now. But John has a 10 gauge 46" barrel in the shop......
So my options are:
A 20 gauge octagon to round barrel, 50", inletted into super maple with the ramrod channel and hole drilled for $500. Plus it has the ramrod!
A 20 gauge, 48" I think, round barrel, to be sold with a maple blank. The barrel will cost about $180, and the wood is my choice as far as quality and expense. I'd probably pay about $150 for the wood. $330 total.
John Getz's 46" 10 gauge octagon to round barrel ready to go at $250. (I do like to order directly from the maker when possible and do this for Chamber with their locks. Figure they should sometimes get the middleman money too.) Add some wood and it's $400 for the wood and barrel, more if I have the chennel inlet and the ramrod groove and hole done. That would be new territory for me as I've always done my own but it might make sense.
Barbie has barrels in stock at the same prices as the makers charge. Their militia gun kit uses them.
Anyhoo, it's time to finally make up my mind. The fowler project was going to tide me over while waiting for the custom barrel for the early rifle, but now that's on it's way. Looks like I'll be busy no matter what.
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