Smooth Bore 54??

[casey4469]

Hello Good People:
I have located a 54 smooth bore. It looks like a Hawkens Rifle and I'm thinking about purchasing it. What can anyone tell me about one or who has one that they would like some info about?


Casey4469

 

Hmmmmmmm? Never owned one nor desired one.
Here's my take on it. It's a might small to use as a shotgun, and proper wads might be tough to find.
I don't know how accurate it would be as a ball shooter and you won't either till you try it out.
Is this a first b.p. gun for you?
I'd say if you must have a smoothie go to at least a .62 as the roundball smacks with great authority and it's a 20 ga. and wads for that ga. abound.

 

[TwoShadows]

I've got 54 smooth in pistol and in a Fusil de Fin I built about a year ago. Both shoot as well as I can hold them. Both Circle Fly and the Wonder Wad folks sell components for shot loads....they be 28 guage. Ain't exactly a rifle for sure, but I can round ball a pie plate at 100 yards with the fusil consistently. Tip Curtis shot a National record several years ago that still stands out of a 54 smooth barrel that was 34-36 inches long. Fancy target rifle?....no, but excellent hunting weapons.

 

[frenchfusil]

Every thing I've heard about .54 smoothbore accuracy has been good. .54 is the smallest cal. that can be used to shootin NMLRA smoothbore matches. Also for hunting turkey many people load a .54 up like they would load a .62 and it gives very tite patterns, of course for birds or clays there will be a disadvantage.

 

[tg]

I have a Carolina smoothrifle that is very accurate and easy to handle, I generaly use ball but it will handle enough shot for close work on most birds.

 

[Liver eatin’ Johnson]

Think of it as a .28ga magnum! ::

 

[musketman]

casey4469: it would be a kick butt upland bird gun... :winking:
I would not think twice about using it on pheasants or grouse, heck, even squirrels too...

In the shotshell world I came from, I shot many an upland game with a 28 gauge L. C. Smith...

Is your .54 smoothbore a percussion or a flintlock?

 

[Birddog6]

Have not owned a .54 smoothbore. If it is a shotgun style round barrel it would possibly be good for ball & upland game. If it is a 1" octagon barrel it will be very muzzle heavy & IMHO not a good upland game barrel. I do have 2 old original doublebarrels, a 24 ga & a 16 ga shotguns & both are round smoothbores & they both work great for quail hunting & pheasants of close range. (I shoot 1/2 oz shot in the 24 ga & 3/4 oz in the 16 ga)

So if you are just wanting to shoot RB I would say go for it. But for turkey, upland game, etc. I would not buy it if it is octagon. You may kill a turkey with it, but the bore size greatly limits the amount of shot you can shoot from it & if it is open choked then the range will be quite limited to obtain a good pattern most likely unless you use wads & build an adequate wad to hold it.

Course if it is real cheap, buy it & have another toy to play with...

 

[casey4469]

Thanks for the info. I haven't purchased it yet. It's a Percussion Hawkens style. Might be an intersting piece to own.

Casey

 

[musketman]

Was it made that way (smoothbore) or did someone drill the riflings out?

I know T/C once made a .56 smoothbore, it may be one of those "ODD" muzzleloaders designed for states that once required smoothbore only for their muzzleloader season hunt.

Whatever it turns out to be, it should be fun to shoot...