new fowler - I hope.

[Deadeye]

Spence, it shouldn't be, Matt Avance told me several yrs. ago that he would NEVER use a DOM barrel. Didn't say why. I have one made by the former owner of TVM, jack Garner, that has proved to be a great barrel but it isn't tapered.
Deadeye

 

[Birdwatcher]

Spence, it shouldn't be, Matt Avance told me several yrs. ago that he would NEVER use a DOM barrel. Didn't say why. I have one made by the former owner of TVM, jack Garner, that has proved to be a great barrel but it isn't tapered.
Deadeye

When I visited Corinth to get the lock correctly inlet on my TVM Fowler(as delivered there was about a millimeter gap betweeen pan and stock such that folks at Friendship advised me not to shoot it) I recall being told the barrel was made in Florida, don't recall the company name.

Birdwatcher

 

[jbrowngunmaker]

The Florida barrel maker is Richard Smith, Long Hammock. That's where we learned to make DOM barrels. BTW, the squirrels I brought home this week didn't seem to mind the tubing barrel. LOL

 

[George]

BTW, the squirrels I brought home this week didn't seem to mind the tubing barrel. LOL

Jackie, since I bought my Carolina Smoothbore from you in 1997 it has been my gun for 95%+ of all my shooting, large game and small. I've taken 16 deer, I think, 4 turkeys, a few messes of doves, bunches of rabbits and squirrels and one unlucky groundhog. None of them seemed to mind the DOM barrel. I've loaded her with modern components, with tow, hornet's nest, brown paper and shredded cedar bark, had good success in the field with most of those, and the barrel hasn't complained, either. I've fired most combinations of powder and shot/ball you can think of, up to and including 90 gr. FFFg Goex and 2 oz. of shot. The gun has been totally dependable in all weathers, and I do mean all weathers, has never failed to function as needed for even one single shot fired at game in all those years. It fits me like a custom gun, comes automatically to the shoulder and is more pleasing to my eye than most any other gun I own. I want to thank you for all the hundreds of hours of fun I've had with your gun. Traipsing the woods with your gun on my arm has been one of the highlights of a long and varied hunting career, and I owe you more than I can say for helping make it happen. Thank you, my friend.

Spence

 

[jbrowngunmaker]

Mr. Bob,
No higher honor could be given an old gunmaker and I humbly thank you. Without your knowledge and willingness to share your experiences, the muzzleloading world would be greatly diminished.
Jackie

 

[Stumpkiller]

You two need a few minutes alone? :haha:



Nothing better than hunting gear you're happy with. :hatsoff:

 

[jbrowngunmaker]

No sir, I just have highest respect for Mr. Bob Spencer and his expertise. Your remark was degrading in an effort to be humorous. :shake:

 

[matt denison]

"The Florida barrel maker is Richard Smith, Long Hammock. That's where we learned to make DOM barrels."

I must be misunderstanding this statement or you are mistaken. Riley Smith is the main character at Long Hammock. In my conversations with him he has said unequivically that he does not and will not use DOM for his barrels. I can attest to this as I have gotten hundreds of barrels from him over the years and they are drilled and reamed round stock. He has nothing good to say about DOM barrels. The drilled and reamed barrels that I've gotten are excellent, straight, mirror finish, consistent from ene to end.

 

[jbrowngunmaker]

No sir, you didn't misunderstand and I wasn't mistaken. Richard Smith started the company and Riley, his son, is the barrel maker now. I didn't say he used DOM tubing now. Richard did and that's where a lot of us learned to use them. Richard and Riley are good people.

 

[shortbow]

I am completely satisfied with my J.Brown smoothy as well. Good groups, good patterns.

 

[Le Grand]

Rifleman, I must have missed your follow up. Does your JB gun shoot okay now?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Rifleman, I must have missed your follow up. Does your JB gun shoot okay now?

Haven't shot it since getting back. Will be loading today to take hunting. Might have a report later.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Rifleman, I must have missed your follow up. Does your JB gun shoot okay now?

Follow up. Yes, it does group quite well. With that I am pleased.
However it prints several inches to the left at 35 yards.
Interestingly, when the gun was sent back to Jackie because of the burr in the breech, he moved the sight because he said he noticed it was off center.
Now, I am puzzled because it certainly needs to be de-soldered and resoldered on center to get the group on the X.
I'm the world's worst solderer and may have to take to a friend. I'm debating doing that while the barrel is mounted or remove so my maple doesn't turn into charcol.
I really want this thing on center before a big shoot next month and the opening of turkey season.

 

[Alden]

Well, Rifleman, what DID ever become of the sight and this gun!?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Well, Rifleman, what DID ever become of the sight and this gun!?

Old thread, caught me off guard.
The sight has been moved a couple times. Should be OK now but I really need to practice more and develop my anchor point. Match next month allows a rear sight. Even though rear sights on fowlers goes against my religion I'm going to install a temporary for the match. Will have to do the mallet and bang thing to load though since I still don't have a .590" mould. The .600 prb is mighty tight.

 

[Alden]

If you can't find very thin patch, which I KNOW can be a pain, maybe just roundball and wad then?

 

[Rifleman1776]

If you can't find very thin patch, which I KNOW can be a pain, maybe just roundball and wad then?

I can shoot it OK at the matches. I just don't like the idea of a smoothie have to be loaded like a target rifle. They should be easy to load and fun. If I look around all my 'stuff' I might even come up with some 40+ year old airplane cloth. Naw... Won't do that. :wink:

 

[larryp]

That actually gives me the best accuracy out of my smoothbore. I tried .595 and .600 patched balls and various thicknesses of patches. None equaled a lubed felt wad and a .610 bare ball with a thin card over it. Best part is I don't need a short starter or to swab the barrel either.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Larry, all barrels are different. I can load the .600" at the loading bench OK and it appears accurate.
As said, the smoothies are supposed to be fun and convenient to shoot. An easier loading ball would be very preferable in the field.

 

[Ontario Hawken]

Any further word on Mr. Brown's quality of work and timeliness? He seems to have a number of customers on Facebook...