Smoothbore rifle

[crockett]

I wasn't sure where to post this but I think a smooth bore rifle with a flintlock should probably go here because it looks just like a rifle except for the smooth bore. Do any of you shoot a smooth bore rifle and if so, how does the gun work loaded with shot for small game? What caliber. In other words if you have a 50 caliber smooth bore flint lock rifle can you load it with say #6 shot and take squirrels and rabbits, etc at say 30 yards?

 

[RickD]

Yup

 

[paulvallandigham]

Compare your Smoothrifle bore diameters to modern shotshell dimensions. The .410 bore is the smallest shotgun size made today, ( altho you occasionally still see a 9mm shot shell gun from Europe.) Your .50 caliber smoothrifle would be about as useful as a .410 shotgun is. 30 yards is stretching that pattern, but #6 shot will kill a rabbit if you hit it. The advantage of a smoothrifle is that you can load MORE shot-- but not that much more-- than you find in those .410 shells.

A .54 caliber smoothrifle ( actually, either .55, or .56 in bore diameter) is the same size as a 28 gauge shotgun. A .58= 24 gauge. A .62= 20 gauge. A .66= 16 gauge. A .73= 12 gauge. A .75= 10 gauge.

YOu will find a chart with these gauge diameters at the top of the index page to this forum under " Charts". Use that when deciding what size smoothrifle you are looking to have.

For aimed shots at stationary game targets, like rabbits and squirrels, I would stay with the .550" diameter smoothrifle( 28 gauge).

If I were going to contemplate shooting birds on the wing( flying targets) I would buy a fowler, with its characteristic half octagon, half round barrel. The gun is lighter and more easily swung on target than the heavier, straight Octagon smoothrifle. And I would go up to a 20 or 16 gauge on that fowler, to deliver better patterns, than you can get from the 28 gauge.

I hope that gives you information that can help you decide what you want and can use.

 

[roundball]

Assuming its probably a cylinder bore, the pattern might be a little thin at 30 yards for small targets like squirrels but you can pattern test it to see how it looks.

Seems like most cylinder bores with typical loads will pattern very well at 20 yards, so-so depending on the game size at 25 yards, and get very thin at 30yds for small targets like squirrels...but it might be fine at 30yds for a larger target like crows coming down decoying to an Owl & crow decoy set.

A common thought is to just bump up the pellet count by going up to #7.5's...but the down side is the load weighs more so velocity falls off a bit, and the lighter pellets don't penetrate as well as heavier #6's for example.

Experimenting with smoothbores have opened up a lot of new learning experiences for me the past few years...hope you enjoy them as well

 

[crockett]

Well thanks everyone for your replies. I am just sort of thinking at this point but most of my hunting is in pretty thick woods, the last deer (8 pt. buck) was at 37 yards. Squirrels, etc probably 15 yards most times. I'm thinking maybe a smooth bore rifle may serve a lot of different uses.

 

[RiverRat]

crockett, I have the Chamber's smooth rifle built from a kit in 28ga/.54cal I removed the rear sight and filled the cutout with lead for smoothbore matches at rondy's. She shoots rbs like a rifle out to 40yds. Loaded with shot, I am good for small game out to 25yds, a kill every shot. I can't stress enough how well the smaller caliber smooth rifles shoot rbs!

 

[Robert Egler]

I shoot a 54 cal smoothbore rifle. Like Roundball said, whith shot the pattern is a bit thin at 30 yards. I limit my shots to 20 yards. With patched roundball I get good accuracy to 50 yards. At 40 yards in fact I get about the same kind of groups as I did with a rifled barrel on the same gun.

 

[bnail]

Hey Crockett:
Here's some links to earlier posts that you may, or may not, have already seen:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/175686/post/175686/hl//

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/196617/post/297993/hl/%22Smooth+rifle%22/fromsearch/1/#297993

 

[crockett]

Thanks for the links, I've done some reading on smooth bore rifles with sights and it seems for most hunting shots in wooded areas (say 50-60 yards) they are about as good as a rifled gun. With the smooth bore you could also use shot but my question was at what range the shot was effective. I wouldn't try wing shooting but for squirrels and rabbits the shot would help me, I know lots of folks use a single ball on squirrel and I'll admit that's the best way to do it but my eyes just aren't that good with open sights, I can shoot squirrels all day with a scoped 22 rimfire but I would rather use a BP weapon. So....the thought occurred to me about the smooth bore rifle- looks just like any other flint lock rifle unless you look down the bore. IMHO I think most squirrels are shot a lot closer than most folks realize, they are up in the trees so it seems farther but 10-15 yards I'll bet is a good average and if I am hearing all of you correctly a 54 caliber/28 gauge ought to pretty reliably hit a squirrel at 10-15 yards. A muzzle loader of any sort- smooth or rifle- is legal for turkey in my state so a smooth bore suddenly becomes sort of an "everything" gun, deer and hogs, squirrel, predator and turkey.

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr crockett,
We have a .54cal Lyman Trade Rifle (flintlock) that we put a smoothbore barrel on and it works like a champ for Squirrels, Hare and Grouse when loaded with #6 shot.
Best Wishes

 

[tg]

My .54 smoothrifle was ok to about 20 yds with shot things opened up pretty wide and fast past that, I suspect the .50 would be close 15-20 yds would likely be the outside for an effective pattern, the only way to really know is to do sone testing and take notes, I had to start over last year as my memory was not what I thought it to be..

 

[roundball]

I wouldn't try wing shooting

No reason not to...if you can, shoot some clay targets...you'll be pleasantly surprised.

One thing I immediately discovered shooting trap targets was that my eyes would see the rear sight notch and from habit automatically try to line up the front bead through the notch...takes too much time and by then of course the bird was too far away.

Articap gave me a simple tip and it works perfectly...just put a piece of tape across the back wall that has the notch in it to cover up the notch, then just use the top of that back wall like it was a rib on a modern shotgun...look right over it and set the bead on top of it.

 

[crockett]

Actually I used to do some wing shooting and clays and was started off with the instruction not to look at the sights so maybe the occasional bird is doable, the long barrel ought to help.
Now, I was figuring PRB for the big stuff- but anyone ever load conicals/ bullets, slugs, etc in a smooth bore to get a heavier projectile? How did it work?

 

[paulvallandigham]

That is often called the " High mount " style of shotgun shooting. The advantage is that the stock does not have to really be fitted to the shooter's face, the shooter does not feel recoil directly under his eye, where he is likely to flinch first, and with the front bead in the lower peripheral vision of the shooter, a reasonable pattern is going to take the bird, anyway.

To do this kind of shotgun shooting. hold your head comfortably upright, and bring the shotgun to your shoulder, rather than to both your shoulder and cheek. To reach crossing targets, your entire upper body moves like the turret on a tank. Elevation is done with the hands, or for some, by leaning back or down with the upper body.

For shooters used to shooting the more traditional "low mount " position, where the stock comes to the face and the shoulder at the same time, this style of shooting is difficult if not impossible to do. Its takes much practice to change your mount, and more practice to have the confidence that your pattern will kill birds.

 

[roundball]

Actually I used to do some wing shooting and clays and was started off with the instruction not to look at the sights so maybe the occasional bird is doable, the long barrel ought to help.
Now, I was figuring PRB for the big stuff- but anyone ever load conicals/ bullets, slugs, etc in a smooth bore to get a heavier projectile? How did it work?

I have not so I can't speak from personal experience...however, based upon everything I understand about 'twist' as it relates to stabilizing a projectile that is longer-than-caliber, I'd be very surprised if good accuracy could be had

 

[paulvallandigham]

Slugs need to be rotated to achieve any accuracy. They are not accurate being shot out of a smoothbore, beyond 50 yards or so, unless they are designed specially for a smoothbore. I know of one slug that IS very accurate when fired out of smoothbore shotgun barrels, but shooting the same slug out of a rifled barrel will produce even better accuracy.