Over-Looked Smoothbore

[musketman]

We talked about Fusil's, Brown Besses, Blunderbusses, T/C .56 caliber Renegades, Double Barrels and Charlevilles to name a few...

What have we over-looked?

Let's talk about other over-looked smoothbores here...

 

[chickenlittle]

I'd like to hear some more about club butt fowlers. At first, I found these unappealing but the distinctive look is growing on me. Sort of the "so ugly its cute" thing. I like the idea of a very early colonial gun that is civilian oriented instead of a military musket.

There seems to be some variety in what the club butt looks like. What are the origins of these designs and what are the differences among them? What nationalities used this?

 

[Rebel]

Ok, how about Tradeguns. I have a Track Of the Wolf N.W. Tradegun. It is a .62cal./.20ga with a 39" barrel, and R.E. Davis lock. I have only been able to take it out once so far to shoot it, but from that one time, it appears it is going to be a good shooter. I only tried it with rd. balls and a few shots with #4 buckshot. I want to get out and work up a load with round balls and also with shot for bird shooting. A very vesatile gun the smoothbore. I also have a Navy Arms double barrel. 12 ga. that i have used for years for everything from Doves, and quai, to ducks and geese, and quite a few jackrabbits. I tried it out with round balls and it does real well with them too. Can't beat them for all around use.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

If you are talking about the late 17th century club butt fowlers and muskets, they have butts that are almost rectangular in cross section. To my eye they sort of look unfinished. I suppose the extra wood back there acts as a counter balance to the long barrel. Then there is the Dutch style butt that is often called a club butt, but in my opinion is far too graceful and elegant to be so labelled. Other than sharing the same profile, they have little in common, and the Dutch firelocks are overall of higher quality. There is a lovely example of the Dutch style at Eric Kettenburg's web-site: www.firelocks.com Note that he doesn't refer to it as a club butt. This is a distinct school of American smooth bore arms building if there ever was one.

 

[Bushwhacker]

What have we over-looked?

WAUGHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Now your speekin my kind o' Language..Love them smoothies. Mines an English Sporting Fowler 62 cal. 42 " barrel, L&R Queen Anne lock.This is my 3rd one and it's a keeper. I don't even use a modern gun anymore for hunting. This ones bagged deer, hogs, elk, dove, quail, a few rattlers, armadillers, squirrels and rabbits. I use it in all smoothbore and rifle competition. :redthumb:

 

[Alberta Black]

I use a H&R Huntsman in 12 gauge for all my smoothbore chores. It is not fancy nor period but it goes bang and kills things. It is about 20 years old.

AB

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I've got one of these and it's a keeper. Just over seven pounds and perfect balance. Useful on everything from rabbits to bears and quail to turkeys. And it is a pretty thing to hang on the wall, too.

 

[loojack]

Octagon to round smooth barrel, plain maple full stock, plain iron furniture....Kentucky Barn Gun! IMHO, :m2c:the beauty of an object is in it's function! After 15 to 20 years I'm planning to try to build another gun, wish me luck!....loojack

 

[davidesau]

Hi boys! I'm new at the forum. At the risk of improperly changing the subject,have any of you boys had any experience with Track of the Wolfs French Tulle? It sure looks like good components. Not so sure about the Davis lock though. Haven't had any experience with them. Dosen't look like the cock is looking at the pan. Also, does anyone know who makes octogon to round barrels with 1 1/8" flats? I don't think the French used 1" flats. Any thoughts appreciated. Keep Your powder dry!

 

[BLAHMAN]

I got ahold of an old barrel (actually a new barrel, but a buddy of mine had it for some time) that is a 20 guage. The breach end had a large rounded section on it that I filed down into somewhat of a flat section that happened to be about two inches long. I somewhat blended the angles of the flats together and made a smoothie from it. It is stocked in cherry, uses a L&R round faced (Queen Anne) style lock, found an old original military trigger guard (French), came upon an old shotgun buttplate and I put the whole thing together. Thing shoots like a house a-fire!! Looks pretty good. I researched Nueman's book "Weapons of the American Revolution" to calculate the pattern, drop and overall shape. Is that odd enough or what?

 

[Henry]

The Tulle from ToW is a good deal , maybe there are
better deals if you live in an area were black powder
guns are easier to find than pneumatic nail guns ,
wich is not the case in Canada .

My biggest trouble with the kit was a lightly warped
maple stock , it just took a bit more time to fix it .

The lock works well , the frizzen is already tempered
there is a nut bridle wich was not present on the
originals , not something I would complain about .

The lock is not totally PC , but easy to correct by
filing and grinding ( especially the litle decoration
on the back of the tempered frizzen , patience needed here )

The ramrod guides are also too big to my taste
I made new ones from sheet metal , following the
instructions in Kit Ravenshear booklets .

I am happy with the result , If I had to do it
again , I would order the walnut stock.

 

[bovey]

Don't forget the Buccaneer muskets and American muskets that were made up from spare parts during the Revolution. Battle Weapons of the American Revolution has some good examples. I think we tend to overlook some of these examples of ingenuity.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Houndstooth,

I built one several years ago, the one with the Davis lock and the Colerain 44" oct to round barrel.
It is my favorite gun to shoot. It's just a blast, was easy to put together, lock is large, and properly so. Definitely reliable. One of the easiest kits to finish. Used the walnut stock.
This one is a keeper. I've sold alot of nicer guns. This one just grabbed me.
:thumbsup: :imo:

 

[davidesau]

Thanks for the info. I thought about using Chambers early Germanic lock instead of the Davis lock. With a little plate reshaping and a different frizzen spring it would look dead on a 1729 contract hunting gun. I asked Jim if he could install the frizzen spring from his early ketland lock since it has the external screw and the plates are the same size. He said he could at an additional cost. With the stock shape of the ToW gun it would look just like the 1729 contract gun in Russel Bouchard's book. I guess I'll start saving my pennies. Oh, and on the buccaneer guns, a fella had one at the Mississinewa festival this year. It looked real nice. It had an L&R qween anne lock on it which seemed small for the piece, but he said it shot well. I don't know where he got the stock. I've never seen one offered accept the Rifle Shop, and it wasn't shaped quite like his.Oh well its my bedtime. Keep your powder dry!

 

[BCarp]

Check out www.narragansettarmes.com for two types of fowler/musket mentioned in this thread, but not seen too often: the "Dutch-influenced Fowler" and the "American Club-butt Fowler." I have one of the latter on order, and am expecting it any day now. Will post a review when I get it...!

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. Carp,
Would be especially interested to know if your "Fowler" is delivered on time, as promised. Not to mention the quality of work received.
Best Wishes

 

[BLAHMAN]

Check out www.narragansettarmes.com for two types of fowler/musket mentioned in this thread, but not seen too often: the "Dutch-influenced Fowler" and the "American Club-butt Fowler." I have one of the latter on order, and am expecting it any day now. Will post a review when I get it...!

Took a look at that...very interesting. If you look at Nueman's book on the battle weapons of the American revolution you will see some very interesting fowlers...especially the club butt fowlers.

 

[smokeblower]

How about early walking shotgun canes? I know Remington made a rifled "Gentleman canes". I have seen a older black powder example of a shotgun cane from England.
FYI you can still go to jail in Alabama for carrying a shotgun cane.

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/13A-11-54.htm

There must have been a problem to pass a law.

Smokeblower

 

[tg]

The TOW Tulle with 44" barrel from TOW is a pretty nice set of parts, I am putting one together nowm as stated the lock needs some cosmetic work with thge frizzen, pan, frizzen spring, turnscrew nob and hammer I did all the modifications in four evenings at a tinkering pace.The barrels of French guns should be over an inch, I did not check the .58 Colrain barrel on mine it may be only an inch though it looks a bit bigger, the forestock is square ahead of the lock panel which is great for drilling but will require a bit more rasping and scraping to finish, the buttplate is really closely inlet, all in all a good "kit" which is as close to the originals as you are going to find unless you go to the Rifle Shoppe or special order and custom make everything.I have reasearched this gun for over a year before choosing where to get the parts.

 

[Donny]

"Smooth rifles" some are rethinking the smooth rifles in collections. Many feel they were always a smoothie, not a rifle framed out after the rifling was shot, or such a large cal. rifle was no longer needed.