Only one gun allowed!

[Gordoncourtney]

Great choice I have a .6 cape gun by Reilly 1853 And more of a tatty 12 bore one. Never shot them as we live in a green and pleasant land, uk.

 

[APG]

I'll go with my 1861 Springfield reproduction. Just have so much fun shooting it.

 

[TSnave]

I chose one that I don't own - yet. A 54 caliber flintlock.

 

[Crazy Jay]

flint Fowler 20

 

[Gordoncourtney]

Great choice I have a .6 cape gun by Reilly 1853 And more of a tatty 12 bore one. Never shot them as we live in a green and pleasant land,

 

[Gordoncourtney]

The problem with cape guns is they are usually too heavy often at 12 lbs to carry on the trail . I guess a 20 g single smoothbore is most sensible as it covers birds and small game but them the weight of shot you carry goes up . I can see the liking of a .36 but you need to be good shot, but then birds like ducks in flight are out of the question. It’s an interesting conversation subject over the camp fire Think I’ll settle for a .36 if travelling far, makes some sense

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Flinter .50 smoothy

 

[Gordoncourtney]

Flinter .50 smoothy

You could be right , •5 big enough for shot for rabbits and ducks , then a lump of lead for bear My friend in Main USA has killed everything with his flint .45 but a.5 will have the edge. But from my hunting days uk and Nigeria , you have my vote on this one. Er no bears in uk. Police took away my guns , but no worries at 81 I am getting better with my usa ionex bow, happy to drop deer at 40 yards . Think
It beats BP ha ha Ps. You cannot hunt with a bow in UK and from my travels I recall same applies to Western Australia , just thought “ do you have to declare a recurve or compound bow when flying”’.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

You could be right , •5 big enough for shot for rabbits and ducks , then a lump of lead for bear My friend in Main USA has killed everything with his flint .45 but a.5 will have the edge. But from my hunting days uk and Nigeria , you have my vote on this one. Er no bears in uk. Police took away my guns , but no worries at 81 I am getting better with my usa ionex bow, happy to drop deer at 40 yards . Think
It beats BP ha ha Ps. You cannot hunt with a bow in UK and from my travels I recall same applies to Western Australia , just thought “ do you have to declare a recurve or compound bow when flying”’.

Flint .50 smoothy. One can always make loads from BB,s and lunch bags and a little sealing wax.

My first love has always been the Bow. An unequaled challenge....

 

[Gordoncourtney]

Flint .50 smoothy. One can always make loads from BB,s and lunch bags and a little sealing wax.

My first love has always been the Bow. An unequaled challenge....

I was sitting in the sun wondering. I know if carry a 12 lb double rifle across London to the proof house or home from am auction it gets mighty heavy after an hour. My favourite unmentionable was a 16 bore Remington pump so fast and light , followed by a 12 bore martini Loved both of them as working guns, never like my doubles but warmed to an OU 12 g , that stopped a lot of foxes. The last unmentionable coming in at a light 8lbs was the 577/450 martini yes plenty of BP smoke , it’s very underestimated , but don’t see it much on utube

The •500 smooth bore , smoothly if you like, bet that’s around 8 lb , no problem carrying that over the mountains

But then comes in my .45 flint long rifle 1830 11lbs and the Swiss Feldstruder 11lb, thats heavy to carry miles, My .577 big game ml heavy at 12 lbs up it the hills of Scotland after a big stag.



(My .45/400 double nitro , great for safari and elephant at 9 lbs, no not a ladies rifle, at 3 more pounds making 12 lbs for a •5 nitro double , that gets mighty heavy on safari without a gun bearer )

So finaly the light .5 smoothy is a brilliant choice around 8 lb I guess don’t need a heAvy octagonal barrel , or do we does look nice .

So just rambling on and on in the uk sunshine , and shooting a few arrows , I am a gunny man but this bow and arrow stuff is a challenge and no police licence needed . Might have a go at a squirrel on the lawn ha ga ha

God bless you all

 

[Robin101]

I've been asked that question many times over the years and I answer the same now as then, .58 Smoothbore. Its' light, accurate and miserly with both ball and shot.
the theme for it was a french expat from Canade meets up with an old Acadian gunsmith in the Lehigh Valley area, gives him some fusil hardware he brought with him and asks him to make a .58 smoothie with it. I used Cherry cuz that's what I had and figured the old smithy might have for the very same reason.

Robin

 

[Gordoncourtney]

I've been asked that question many times over the years and I answer the same now as then, .58 Smoothbore. Its' light, accurate and miserly with both ball and shot.
the theme for it was a french expat from Canade meets up with an old Acadian gunsmith in the Lehigh Valley area, gives him some fusil hardware he brought with him and asks him to make a .58 smoothie with it. I used Cherry cuz that's what I had and figured the old smithy might have for the very same reason.
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Robin

Let’s face it a •58 is near as you can get to 24 g shotgun at •579” bore ( Or 24g shotshell brass to make 577/450 unmentionable brass ) great choice . And great for elk or bear with a patched ball , no arguments you are winners choice.

 

[Gordoncourtney]

Let’s face it a •58 is near as you can get to 24 g shotgun at •579” bore ( Or 24g shotshell brass to make 577/450 unmentionable brass ) great choice . And great for elk or bear with a patched ball , no arguments you are winners choice.

Further to drone onto you all , I have a LH flinter too. •525 bore smoothy , but it comes in at a hefty 11.5 lbs Unfinished a bit rusty in the rack That’s a lot of weight compared to a 7lb percussion 8 g 1830’I tried to restock,!, another unfinished Original broken in two £130 at auction. A good one min £450 plus I buy any old junk guns, haha

 

[Shortfingers]

I've been asked that question many times over the years and I answer the same now as then, .58 Smoothbore. Its' light, accurate and miserly with both ball and shot.
the theme for it was a french expat from Canade meets up with an old Acadian gunsmith in the Lehigh Valley area, gives him some fusil hardware he brought with him and asks him to make a .58 smoothie with it. I used Cherry cuz that's what I had and figured the old smithy might have for the very same reason.
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Robin

Nice work and the lock's on the right side too!

 

[45man]

I've been asked that question many times over the years and I answer the same now as then, .58 Smoothbore. Its' light, accurate and miserly with both ball and shot.
the theme for it was a french expat from Canade meets up with an old Acadian gunsmith in the Lehigh Valley area, gives him some fusil hardware he brought with him and asks him to make a .58 smoothie with it. I used Cherry cuz that's what I had and figured the old smithy might have for the very same reason.
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Robin

A fine piece but it is backwards!

 

[Gordoncourtney]

A fine piece but it is backwards!

Two guns in one. It’s quite clear the South African farmers had thought about this . And I think the name Hayden , Cape Town, was the gunsmith that probably started “cape rifle “. Others like English gunmakers Reilly and Hollis followed. But the South African farmers had ox cart, boys, and horses to carry their heavy 12b guns. The Reilly has 12 bore for shot and the rifled 2 grove left barrel for a .6 probably winged ball or bullet, 4 flip sight leaves are not marked for distance , super rifle £860 at Holts uk action, lightly rusty needing restitution. Reilly guns are very well recorded on Google this one made in 1853

In front of the Reilly is the Hollis a great english gunmaker , it was £160 again at Holts in sad condition , but it had charisma. Stock broken bad , top rib loose, lot of work put into it, still needs more. Both barrels 12g seems to have 5 rifled grooves in left barrel . It was also a few dents to shot barrel and pretty rusty , but the barrels after the rust and dents gone came out at 6!lbs, underside clearly marked “12”. So in the end it should be a good to shoot in anger after a reproof , but again no distances on flip sights

I only drone on to make up for the seldom comments from other gunny people this side of the pond , and the old country gun makers

Of course the new world America is totally different with vast distances to explore and cross, and the threat of attack by bears . So the choice of a .5 smooth bore, strong and light My 10 bore percussion single at 6 lbs is probably too light for ball and has no sights . But then my Scottish 577 is perfect for big game but just not built for carrying far at 12 lbs

I guess your favourite gun is what makes you happy. Think I would go for a .36 and hope I don’t run into a bear close up,

I wish you well

 

[hanshi]

I don't even like to be asked that question; I mean, ony one gun??? I've had different opinions over the decades and my choices sorta went back and forth. I realize now how simple the answer has become due primarily to one thing; I no longer hunt. This means that all I need is an accurate flintlock that throws a small ball with a modest dollop of powder. So, caliber? A .45 or smaller. Yes, it could be .45, .32, .36 or .40, just no larger. Just something to let me shoot at paper and tin cans.