My day with the Smoothy......

[Skychief]

With my flintlock smoothbore .62, I met a couple friends at daybreak to stalk some squirrels. Scratched down two before the wind kicked up and the heat and humidity had the squackers siesta-bound.

Back home, I grabbed some roundball for some offhand practice. I'm to the point now that my large gong is in real jeopardy at 60 yards. I missed it only once this afternoon on a bad hangfire, due to my neglecting the flint as I was having too much fun to knap it. :haha:

I took several shots at a sheet of paper tacked to a log from 30-40 yards from different hunting type positions. The gun did its thing, every shot. :thumbsup:

Again, the reasoning crossed my mind of how truly versatile these smoothbores are. You can literally hunt anything with them!

I also can't say enough about how unfussy mine seems in many ways. For instance, I can use ANY patch material and patch lube to good effect. It'll even shoot my flannel material that I like to clean with. No rips, tears, burn through, or the like. I can't begin to do that with any of my rifles.

Cleanup couldn't be any easier either. What's not to like? :idunno:

I started this thread wondering if any of you would mind my blathering the praises of the flintlock smoothbores again. I didn't know what I really wanted to relate, but in a nutshell, I think what I feel I'd like to say, these guns simply bring more satisfaction to me than any others.

In the last month I've shot my flint and percussion rifles, including an underhammer. A lot. Each time out with any of them, I really have a great time shooting them. The smoothbore is no different, but it's different. :haha:

They are so fun to learn about and work with. As progress is made with them be it with shot or ball, I feel they bring so much more satisfaction. Contentment, really.

Thanks to all here that have shared their experiences and hints where smoothbores are concerned.

Thought I would blather a bit more about them today. Thanks for listening. :thumbsup:

Best regards, Smoothbore Skychief.

 

[azmntman]

I need one....(not want dear, NEED). What is yours again ?? :thumbsup:

 

[Silky921]

I freaking love mine too. 28 gauge cherry stocked fowler, nick named "Rubey", with a 48" barrel on it. Made by Keb on this forum.

It's a joy to carry in the field. Shoots a roundball well with a PRB and 60 grains. Shoots shot as well too. Not very finicky and very reliable.

I love that I could chase just about all NA game with it.

Gotta love them smoothbores....

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Smoothies are a hoot and the .62 (20 bore) is up there in terms of popularity and usefullness on every kind of critter from squirrel to bird to elk to even defense against people.

 

[tenngun]

Got a TFC in ”˜93. I had several smoothies before but they had always been secondary arms. I used them only as shot guns and only played with then shooting ball. Then with that TFC I fell in love. Over the next few years my rifles started provebily gathering dust. Last ten years or so it’s rare for me to take my rifle guns out. There just so much fun and do everything you ask except long range shooting( over sixty yards)

 

[Skychief]

I need one....(not want dear, NEED). What is yours again ?? :thumbsup:

Mine is a French styled Tulle made by Brian Turner in MS.

 

[Skychief]

Got a TFC in ”˜93. I had several smoothies before but they had always been secondary arms. I used them only as shot guns and only played with then shooting ball. Then with that TFC I fell in love. Over the next few years my rifles started provebily gathering dust. Last ten years or so it’s rare for me to take my rifle guns out. There just so much fun and do everything you ask except long range shooting( over sixty yards)

I can't say that I've shot mine much at longer ranges tenngun. Yet! :hmm:

 

[No Deer]

The smoothbore is versatile, and such fun to shoot. I have taken bear, deer, turkey, rabbit, duck, squirrel, quail, chukar,and woodchuck with mine. Not only that, but one day at my club I shot our woodswalk (20 shots anywhere from 6 yards out to 168 yards), a round of trap, and then went to the line for a few shots, all without swabbing the barrel once. Loaded as easily on the last shot as it did on the first shot, no misfires or any other issues all day long. Needless to say, I love my 20 ga. tradegun.

 

[Juice Jaws]

I have flint rifles and cap rifles but use my 66 Officer's Model the most. I real enjoy it.

 

[Percy]

Squirrels and fun at the range, a great day for sure. What have you found to be your best load: ball diameter, patch thickness, lube, wads or no wads, etc. I'm still struggling with my .62 cal; I'm still searching for a PRB load that gives good accuracy and is easy to load.

For shot I use your set-up. Great patterns out to 25 or 30 yards, hope to get a goose or two in a few weeks.

Percy

 

[Rifleman1776]

You are absolutely right. I've often thought a flint smoothie would be the perfect survival firearm. As long as you have powder virtually anything that can get down the bore can be shot out. As much as I love my flint longrifle, my Brown Bess was the mostest funnest gun to shoot I ever had, including some moderns.

 

[jrmflintlock]

I use a lubed felt wad under my patched ball and it really tightens up my groups.

 

[Skychief]

Squirrels and fun at the range, a great day for sure. What have you found to be your best load: ball diameter, patch thickness, lube, wads or no wads, etc. I'm still struggling with my .62 cal; I'm still searching for a PRB load that gives good accuracy and is easy to load.

For shot I use your set-up. Great patterns out to 25 or 30 yards, hope to get a goose or two in a few weeks.

Percy

Hey Percy. The most accurate load I've found for mine is 80 grains 2f Goex, practically any patch, though I've had slightly better results with .022 cotton duck (thanks hanshi), lubed with plain water if I'm plinking, or greased if shooting hunting loads (each shoot to same point of impact....another example of their un-fussyness).

I'm using balls that I cast from a Lee .600 mould. The balls measure .603-.604 mostly.

That's, as I say, what mine likes. Many have better results with bare balls, cushion wadding, a combination both, etc. A friend of mine has a fairly new fowler which he built from a track of the wolf kit. It shoots REALLY tight with a cushion wad and bare ball and 90 grains of 3f.

I think Spence's most accurate load is made with a cushion wad and a patched ball. He and his gun will hit little things way out yonder too.

So many things to try, and to me, a lot of fun.

Keep searching and you'll shout "Eureka!" at some point! :thumbsup:

If you've not read it, you might check a thread I started titled 'Roundball Nirvana'.

Good luck, Skychief

PS, Hope to see a goose hunting tale in the hunting section here soon. I'll stay tuned......
:thumbsup:

 

[Skychief]

I use a lubed felt wad under my patched ball and it really tightens up my groups.

jrm, whatcha using to lube those wads please? :hmm:

 

[Percy]

Thanks for the tips Skychief & jrm, I'll give them a try. Hopefully I'll find a combination that works.

 

[hanshi]

I love my EA smoothbore. 70 grains of 3F and a .600" patched lead ball are not all that much behind a rifle at 50 yards. The gun has a tight bore and the duck I like in rifles is way too thick in it. Around .015" is the tightest patch I can get down the bore. Even .012" flannel is snug.

Bare ball loads shoot well, too. A WW ball, .606" on top of a lubed wad easily stays on a paper plate at 50 yds. I do love that gun.

 

[Skychief]

"EA" hanshi? :idunno:

 

[Percy]

A 50 yard bare ball load would be great. Where I hunt deer that's about the maximum distance I can shoot. What do you use on top of the ball to keep it in place? Here's what I've got to play with: 1/2" fiber wads, 1/8" hard wads & .025" paper wads. Do you lube all the wads?

 

[nuttbush]

A little flax tow works great too. You can find it online if you want to try something other than a patched ball.

 

[Docgp]

I've had good luck (paper plate at 40yds) with 60gr 3f, lubed felt wad, and a chewed ball. (.62 cal trade gun) Haven't had trouble with it moving, but will put a little tow on top if I'm moving around hunting just for peace of mind.

Doc