Northwest Trade Musket Vs. Fusil?

[swank]

Is there anyone out there who has any experience with both of these type muskets and can give any pros/cons or experience with each?

I am trying to decide upon which kit to build and don't know if the only real decision lays in which I find more aesthetically pleasing or if there is anything else I can consider to help make my decision. I have also thought about the Wilson Chief that Caywood offers, but I know little about these guns and I have still not decided which company I'm going to order from.

Any information any of the above would be outstanding. Thanks in advance - Swank

 

[Boonetract]

A nicely fit out fowler from Track would run you into the $650.00 range. I don't know if you do any trekking or re-enacting, but that is a good all-around smoothie and a sweatheart of a shooter.

 

A big help here would be in knowing what all you want to do with it and if it needs to fit into any particular time period. I have 2 from North Star West (well, kits that I built) one Early English--beautiful lines, nice and light, and the other a NWTG that I tweaked into a KY Barn Gun with a nice long pull for me.

Matt's Early English is a 1750's trade gun very similar to the "wilson" style, and the French fusil fin, but is generally a bit heartier in feel--nice big lock, solid wrist. The Indians liked the french guns, so this was a way for Britain to capitalize on that.


Here's one of mine with some Michigan Gray Tree Rats

 

[akapennypincher]

Pardon my Dumb Question is this the NorthStar NothWest Gun? Pictured above. ::

 

[Rebel]

Looks like the Early English.

 

[hairsmith]

Stumblen
Nice looking stuff...
What is the design on the shooting bag ?

Hairsmith

 

Sorry, yes: the gun is a North Star West Early English, walnut stock, 20 gauge

The bag was made by Wayne Zurl--how I met him in the first place--and it's a Scottish Thistle stitched into the front.

Stumberlin Beeferlo

 

What is the design on the shooting bag ?

Hairsmith

Appears to be a "Scottish Thistle" to me, I might be wrong tho!! :hmm: :thumbsup:

YMHS
rollingb

 

"YAAAAEEEE"!!.... I got sumpthin correct today!! :applause: :thumbsup:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[musketman]

What is the design on the shooting bag ?

Hairsmith

Appears to be a "Scottish Thistle" to me, I might be wrong tho!! :hmm: :thumbsup:

YMHS
rollingb

It's a Scottish thistle, yep, I seen them before...

 

What is the design on the shooting bag ?

Hairsmith

Appears to be a "Scottish Thistle" to me, I might be wrong tho!! :hmm: :thumbsup:

YMHS
rollingb

It's a Scottish thistle, yep, I seen them before...

In fact here in my state, it's considered a "noxious weed"!! (kind'a purty tho, but danged hard to "git rid of",.... I've hear'ed tell, the seeds from a mature plant can be found over 5000 feet high in the air) :haha: :haha: :thumbsup:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Probably the most important thing about these guns is that they are light, nice handling and versatile. The trade
musket will be a bit lighter as a rule and a bit plainer, but is a really nice gun to live with and is very hardy. The fusil is a bit more graceful and elegant, but these are subjective evaluations. The simple truth is you cannot go wrong with either one. If you are planning to get into re-enacting, then you would have to decide which one is most appropriate to your personna.

 

[riarcher]

Living on the Atlantic here in Rhode Island, a lot of "tourist" like to name their summer homes.
One I found interesting was "Thistle Dew". :hmm:

 

[horkeye]

I've hear'ed tell, the seeds from a mature plant can be found over 5000 feet high in the air) :haha: :haha: :thumbsup:

YMHS
rollingb

I wundaz ifn theyll gro thar? :hmm: :crackup:

Lehigh County, where propa longarms is made.

:blah:

 

Stumblin, I don't see no blood on them rats, waddidya do scare em ta deth with the Platypus hat, to save on powder and shot, ya bein Scottish and all :crackup:

 

[JeffS]

Rusty, I just bought a Caywood NW trade gun from a guy in our club. I havent handled a lot of muzzleloaders, mostly my GPR .54 . I couldnt believe how light and nice to handle the trade gun was. AS far as my persona, it might not be the greatest choice, "rocky mountain fur trade" but I know they were purchased for employees of some of the companies, and had to be pretty easily available.

Along with the 20g, mine also has a matching .54 rifle barrel that interchanges, and I will probably end up using that more, until I can come up with a regular long rifle. Will I get picked on for having a rifled barrel on it? I havent found any reference to any NW trade guns with rifled barrels. Im sure it could have been done, but it would have been very odd, no?

(btw, not trying to justify by saying "they could have, so my persona did..." They COULD have wore plate armor, and rode war elephants. That doesnt make it acceptable. :: )

Jeff

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I would think the trade gun is an appropriate weapon for your persona. These guns were used by a lot of folks in the mountains as they were cheap and took a lot of abuse. Just use the smooth barrel for re-enacting and you should have no problems. And for hunting and plinking and so forth, you can use whichever barrel you want.

 

[eat moose meat]

As you learn to shoot the smoothbore barrel you will realize you really dont need the rifle barrel. I have a caywood wilson with the extra barrel. Instead of going through the trouble of switching the barrels im going to get another stock and make another gun. I have a box of old rusty parts ill conjure up smorgasbord gun on the cheap. Which is what the old timers would have done. Especially if he did not have alot of money.(like me).You will find that alot of mountain men carried trade guns basically because trappers were poor.(Some things never change).I have found up here in Maine a smoothbore covers most of my needs. Shots are close because of the thick forest. And we are blessed with alot of small game. I hunted all last grouse season with my 28 ga tulle. I did just as well as with a modern gun. Grouse dont fly here like other places they tend to run. Most have not seen a human. Since I am a hunter and not a sportsman I will happily shoot a sitting bird. "A bird in hand". I have found that I prefer multi function of the smoothie for hunting. I only shoot rifles now for fun. And maybe the rifle woods walk at the rondy. :yakyak: :m2c:

 

[sse]

Is a North West Trade Gun a "musket"? Are all smoothbores considered muskets? I didn't think North West Trade guns were muskets. I didn't know that an early French or English fowler would fit the Musket category.

Regards, sse

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Strictly speaking, a musket is a military smoothbore. It
is built heavier than fowlers and trade guns are. Most muskets will have provision for a sling and and bayonet. Fowlers are definitely not muskets. The French fusils were used as light muskets by the French and were very effective, but they were also trade guns. Very elegant ones at that. And they served well as fowlers. The northwest trade gun is also known as a fusil, fusee and even fuke. Variations on or corruptions of the same term. And some folks call them muskets, too. Folks killed everthing from rabbits to buffalo and each other with them. Oh, and they did just fine as fowling pieces, too. People today are probably a lot fussier about terminology than they were way back when. A rose is a rose is a....