Smoothbore shoot low

[29caliber]

While my jug choked 11 gauge TVM flintlock smoothbore shoots a good pattern at 40 yards, it hits about 12-15" low such that it is necessary for me to use the base of my turtle front sight to cover the spot I want to hit. While I could file the sight down, it would almost be eliminated in order to raise the barrel enough to make the pattern print correctly. I don't feel confident enough to remove the barrel from the stock and attempt to bend it but would be up to trying to remove a portion of the barrel's crown in order to influence it to shoot where I'd like for it to hit, but I can't remember exactly what to do or how much. If someone has experience in this area and would be willing to share it, I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Tom

 

[paulvallandigham]

To file the muzzle of a shotgun to move its POI, file the Opposite side from where you want it to move to. ie. To raise the pattern, you want the bottom of the shot column to released from the barrel before the top, so that gas pushes on the bottom edge of the column and raises the column as it leaves the bore, making the pattern hit high. It doesn't matter how thick a wad you have behind the shot in the barrel. The wad(s) is being pushed by the gases, and when the gas can escape from one side of the muzzle before the rest of the muzzle, it will do so, pushing the wads, and column of shot in front of the wad in the opposite direction.

Before doing this, try increasing the powder charge of your load. Try FFFg instead of FFG powder. The faster powder might change the POI on the load. Or slow the charge down. Sometimes a slower load will strike higher as the barrel time is longer, and the muzzle has risen more than when shooting a hotter load.

Change wads. Change lubes. Try lubing the barrel after you seat the wads, and charge. Change every combination of components, before you decide to file on the muzzle. It only makes sense. :hmm:

I only suggest trying everything because many shooters report widely different points of impact when they change one thing or another.

One last thing you can do is to raise the comb of your stock, by gluing pieces of soft leather to the comb to build it up. The raising of the comb raises your eye, which is like raising the rear sight on a rifle. I would tape corregated cardboard on the comb first, and shoot a few patterns to see how much that raises the pattern. Duct tape and cardboard will quickly tell you how much the comb needs to be raised to raise the pattern to your POA. Then, use a table saw to saw a flat on the top of the stock, and take new wood to make a raised portion to the existing stock, to match the new comb height. If you look at some of the expensive Trap Shotguns, they have adjustable comb stocks on them already. You may even decide its worth buying and installing such a device in your ML shotgun. Briley's in Seattle does that kind of work, among others. I have shot with many 27 yard handicap trap shooters who have added wood to the comb of their stocks, to make the gun fit them, and shoot the pattern to their desired point of aim. These are modern shotgun shooters. I can't see any reason not to do something similar to the stock on a ML shotgun. With today's super glues, and epoxies, you can glue a new piece of wood on the stock, and file a new comb. Stain and finish it to match the existing wood and you are in business.

Oh, it doesn't take much filing on the barrel to change the POI, so do a few strokes, after marking the barrel to indicate exactly where you want to take metal off, then shoot the gun to see what change in POI has taken place. Then file some more. Trial and error are the only way to do this particular technique, and you want to keep your errors to a minimum. Best wishes. :thumbsup:

 

[buck1]

Have you considered adding a rear sight to the gun? Alot of smooth bore guns have them and in fact most modern turkey guns have them. This will raise your line of sihgt therefore raising your poi. I would also try different loads. The rear sight would be the quickest nd easyest way to fix your problem if changing loads doesn't do it. I am building a .54 smoothy right now early Va.and it will have a rear sight. If you dovetail it in you cn always knock it out if you need to! :v

 

[Swampman]

Many originals had rear sights.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Bend the barrel up.

 

[roundball]

Personally I wouldn't start altering the crown and try other approaches with less risk

 

[Flintleather]

I agree with Mike my fowler was shooting 6in low at 25yds.I removed the barrel and bent it between 2 branches of the tree in my back yard.It now shoots 1in high at 25yds and dead on at 50yds.If you decide to bend it go slow a little at a time and shoot it between bendings.

 

[Old Charlie]

I added a rear sight. It fixed the problem.
Old Charlie

 

[redwing]

It sounds OK to me. When shooting a shotgun with out a rib you learn to cover flying targets with your muzzle. This is fast and deadly. Try shooting some "Blue Rocks" out of the trap, before you start bending and cutting. When the birds comes up cover it with the muzzle and trip the trigger. :thumbsup:

 

[Britsmoothy]

When you are satisfied that you have tried other loadings and do not wish to add a rear sight or change your mounting I would favour filing over bending. It is easier for starters. It took me less than one hour in the field with my double that had both barrels off in different places. I just put a good file in my bag and took wall paper. With in two hours I was downing squirrels and pigeon with much more authority and regularity. I wondered why I was so nervous before :wink:

 

[tg]

Try finding some shorter Turkeys to hunt.....

 

[AJFedak]

I went the barrel bend route for my trade gun. Took a little time but now she shoots straight. I used a laser bore alignment technique. This allowed me to postion the barrel for both vertical and horizontal adjustment.

 

[Stophel]

Laser huh? I bent one once. I just blocked up the two ends and used a big bar clamp to bend the manure out of it. That barrel will bend like a banana before it will begin to take any set. Kinda scary at first, but once you get over that, just bend away.

 

[AJFedak]

I know what you mean. You have to get past the "yield" point before anything really happens. After that it took a nice set and it still is shooting straight.

 

[Leonredbeard]

Aj/OH,
Gasp! You shoot down the driveway? What's on the other side of the fencerow?

Okay, I get it, that is the laser setup and tells you how far you bent it. Hee, Hee!
volatpluvia

 

[Deadeye]

Tom, your gun doesn't shoot low, it shoots where you point it. Your pointing it low because your eye (your rear sight) is too low. Raise your head
and your point of impact will raise along with it.

 

[Stophel]

The cheek should be locked on to the stock. Guesstimating how high to hold your cheek off the stock is not exactly conducive to consistent shooting. If it shoots low, it shoots low.

I agree that the first thing you should do is fiddle with your loads before doing anything to the gun, but if all else fails, bend away! :grin:

 

[max]

That looks like a Northstarwest trade gun barrel. If you're bending it be careful that it doesn't just bend at the weakest point, that is at the wedding bands. I had the same problem with mine and just filed down the front sight. Most of the ones I've seen including an original hardly had any sight left when it was done, so it looks like everyone has the same problem.

 

[Britsmoothy]

If these guns are for shooting shot why don,t you fellers just take the file to the muzzle? Sure is easier.I have no experiance with filing a muzzle for ball but I sure would try it before bending. I get the feeling that filing is a mortal sin but bending is fine :hmm:
:hatsoff:

 

[slowpokebr549]

I filed the muzzle of my 12 bore in order to raise my shot patterns and it did the same for round ball.It puts a ball right on top of the bead now.Bending a barrel scared me to death. I just went slow and easy with the file,worked like a charm.