Northwest trade guns

[tenngun]

That’s good, I understood they first went in to southern colonies

 

[FlinterNick]

In Charles Hanson's book "The Northwest trade gun" he states that the HBC gun was also known as the Northwest gun. The Indians called it the North gun and some English called it the Carolina gun. What then is the difference between the Carolina gun and the Northwest/HBC gun?

Carolina guns are different than Northwest Trade guns. Clay Smith’s trade guns are patterned after English / Carolina trade guns.

Carolina trade guns in my opinion are much nicer, more comparable to a light Fowler.

Northwest trade guns, especially those with 42 inch or longer barrels tend to handle much like a Brown Bess (pedersoli bess).

 

[FlinterNick]

A lot of kit builders get northwest tradegun kits and enhance them away from the historical patterns by adding trigger plates, heavier trigger guards, wood screw butt plates, and foreend brass bands. Entry pipes I’ve never seen on any.

 

[3Setters]

Northwest Trade gun kits order from Sitting Fox today; 3-4 months delivery time. Was hoping to get one this winter while I had down time. I'll have to take time on the not so nice days over the spring/summer to work on it and have it ready for hunting next October.

 

[Juniata]

Northwest Trade gun kits order from Sitting Fox today; 3-4 months delivery time. Was hoping to get one this winter while I had down time. I'll have to take time on the not so nice days over the spring/summer to work on it and have it ready for hunting next October.

I just ordered one from pecatonica late December, and got it in less than a month...I got it Tuesday (Jan 18), and I'm soon ready to stain and finish steel!!... Been at it non stop on my free time.

 

[3Setters]

Thats it, rub it in. When mine arrives, it will be back to dog training full time and trials until mid-April. Also ordering all new bathroom stuff to do a full remodel this spring/summer. Add in yard and garden work, and I'll be scrounging for free time. My realistic goal is to have it finished to take to Michigan in October.

 

[Juniata]

They don't take long, there's not much to them. Just gotta slim em down. You'll get it done. I got about 22 hrs in mine, just shot it in the white this evening.

 

[.36Rooster]

Not much has been said recently on NW trade guns. Anyone use them? Hunt with them? How is the accuracy out to say 50 yards with a single ball and can you also load with shot for birds, etc. and how is the patterns with shot?

The indians sure liked them...preferred them over rifles when trading. They were definitely onto something...

 

[smoothshooter]

I thought smooth bore rifles got maybe 2" groups around 50 yards, if the average trade gun gets 4" groups at fifty yards then that would be a significant difference to me. Never the less, the rade gun it seems would be better than a smooth bore rifle if loading with shot for small game.

It is a very, very rare smoothbore of any kind and shooter that can get 4” 3-shot groups or smaller at 50 yards with any kind of consistency, even from a rest with rifle sights.
5” and larger groups are the norm. This level of accuracy will still kill a lot of big game and even let you win an offhand match here and there shooting against rifles at 50 yards and under. BTDT.
When shooting from a solid rest the rifle has all the advantages.