Through a quirk in our game regs, I can hunt turkey with any smoothbore muzzleloader I want & load it however I want. So that has me thinking about a small caliber smoothbore -- something in the .30-.40 range. Do these exist as factory guns? Or would this only be something I can do as a custom thing -- order the rifle I want in .32 and then have it bored out smooth?
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Small caliber smoothbores?
- Thread starter Nuthatch
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hanshi
Cannon
Yes it would be a custom job to get that small of a smoothbore barrel. Also I think you're on to something interesting. Our brother "Britsmoothy" uses a .45 smoothbore to great effect. He may have a suggestion about a smooth small caliber barrel.
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What's the appeal/advantage of a small caliber smoothbore? Genuinely curious.
Yep. Same here. Especially for turkeys, they are tough critters. Tree rats maybe.
These small gauge smooth bores are effective on the small game such as squirrel, rabbits and small fowl. They don't require a lot of shot and powder.
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I have shot a few small bore smooth rifles with shot. I have found anything smaller than 28/54 is pretty useless. As far as shot loads. Yes it can maybe sort of kinda work. But why. A 58/24. Or 62/20. Can be load down as small as or large as you care for. And in shot loads, I am a believer in no shot smaller than # 5. 4s being my choice. I can’t see a stack of 4s in a smoothbore 40 Working out Just my thoughts
Your right. They are bloody useless things!
Rarely use anything larger than #6 shot.
Oh and that square load mumbo jumbo....forget it. Unless for rats or sparrows I guess.
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I can for sure see 6s working on doves and rabbit. pretty ease to penetrate The skin on rabbit. I tried multiple times 6s on squirrel. Had to have a clear open lane to deliver plenty of 6s. Or they would be crippled and had to get another shot on them. With 4s it would penetrate their though skin only takes a couple pellets. Same on turkey for me , to bust that neck bone. You done good on that fox if using 6s. What kinda load are you using in the 45?
I think the idea is a single projectile in a small caliber smoothbore...which would be fine on a turkey. But even #4 in a 36 or 40 might be a bit light outside of a clear head-neck shot under 25 yards. Interesting idea but would seem to be a gun made for a specific purpose.
Brokennock
Cannon
Read the o.p. more carefully.
Hmmm....Hmm.....
Maybe an inferior shot load isn't the issue, if it is loaded, "however," one wants?
Brokennock
Cannon
A single .36 or .40 caliber roundball would be fine for turkeys,,, and I could see a load of #6 shot being worked up for use on squirrels, rabbits, and small game birds, in a bore that small.
I've heard tell that 45-50 smooth is a good bunny gun. They're actually pretty easy -took one that did not get hit by a single pellet...ran into a low spot as I fired, but there it was in the bottom of a little depression -heart attack I guess
I once shot an adult jack rabbit through the ear with a .177 pellet gun. It did not hit any other part of the rabbit but it was laying on the ground kicking. It doesn't take much if you are lucky I guess. Nuthatch is talking about a .410 equivalent and those do kill ok within their limits.
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That makes sense. I hadn’t really looked at it from that perspective. It would allow shooting a RB as well within its limits. I see how that could be fun.
In loading however I want, I mean, yes, rb for turkey. CA regs say no rifles but any smoothbore is a shotgun. And a muzzleloading shotgun has no restrictions on shot size — anything goes. I already have a .50 smoothbore. But .50 is a big hole on a turkey. Not too big, I don’t think. But .36 - .40 would be better.
DuncNZ
54 Cal.
Different countries have different shot sizes , A British 6 is the same size as an American 7 , an American 6 is the same size as a British 5 etc .
These shot sizes can vary from country to country , why they cant get together and make the number / size the same all over the World I do not know .
I shoot 0.95" or 2.41mm 7½'s for trap , this is also the US 7½ , but it is the English 6½ and the Australian 7 , unless I buy Australian ammo and the 7½ becomes a US 8 an English 7 and a European 8 .
I would tread carefully in this area. They, meaning the law, try to push the ‘rifle’ concept into a ‘single projectile’ filing. Most game wardens are forgiving, or at least the ones I know are. May be a question to ask directly before obtaining a gun for gobblers that can’t be used on thunder chickens
I shoot squirrels with whatever is in the flask. I just keep the ranges down on the small tough hombres.
Ps...that's weird...I shoot right handed!!
DuncNZ
54 Cal.
If you took that shot with your cell phone set on selfie mode, that could be the reason , I believe that all selfies taken on phones come out back to front , mine certainly does .
Brokennock
Cannon
Yup,,, that's what I thought.
We aren't really a crowd for subtleties and veiled meanings now are we.
Unless it's a sophomoric "double entendre," or someone is looking for dark political meaning 
