Smoothbores at long distance

[Ken Cormier]

What load combo did us,use to shoot them bass.

 

[Mzzlldrinpa]

I don't post much but, I do like to shoot. I'll take 100yd shots like that all day. Nice shooting.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Okay,

One last question with PRB in a smoothbore not a rifle. Sprew up or sprew down.

I have never been able to get repeatable results.

 

[George]

One last question with PRB in a smoothbore not a rifle. Sprew up or sprew down.

I load sprue up in a smoothbore, regardless of the type of wadding I'm using, with or without patches.

It seems to me that a good seal is crucial to consistent results with a smoothbore. I stumbled on an accurate load back in 1992. I had recently bought a double-barrel 20 gauge flintlock, and had been using it with shot loads for rabbits and squirrels. For that I loaded powder, 1/8" hard card, 1/2" lubricated fiber wad, shot, thin overshot card. I was thinking about taking the gun to hunt javelina in Arizona, and so I had a session shooting round balls from both barrels to see if it would do the job. I had never fired a roundball from a smooth barrel, and back then there were no internet, mailing lists, forums to get advice from, you were pretty much on your own. I don't know why, but I decided to load powder, 1/8" card, 1/2" lubricated fiber wad, patched round ball. I had been shooting flintlock rifles for 20 years by then, so I don't know why I didn't just load PRB on powder. I guess because it was a shotgun, I decided to use the wads under the PRB. Whatever, it was a happy decision. I couldn't believe the groups I got. It was also the first roundballs I ever fired using a gun with front sight only. I've used several smoothbore barrels over the years since then, with many, many different wadding systems for round ball, but the most accurate one for me, always, is that original combination. Here are the first 6 shots I ever fired with round ball.





I decided to take the gun for javelina. :haha:



Spence

 

[Ron LaClair]

Several years ago I went on a buffalo hunt. I carried my .62 jager rifle loaded with 100gr's 2ff behind a .600prb. As a backup I had my 20ga smooth bore slung on my back loaded with 80gr's 2ff behind a 590prb. When I got a chance at a cow at 80yds I shot with my rifle. The cow flinched a little but kept going. I un slung my smoothbore, held a little high and fired. The buffalo flinched again and kept going for another 50 yd's or so before going down. I paced off the shots and the shot with the smoothy was 110 yds.Both shots were inches apart in the rib cage and were complete pass troughs

 

[Patocazador]

Spence, I have 2 shirts like yours that I got in the '70s. I'd still wear them if I could lose 15 lbs. :idunno:

 

[George]

Spence, I have 2 shirts like yours that I got in the '70s. I'd still wear them if I could lose 15 lbs. :idunno:

As Gus said about Deets in Lonesome Dove, I aint't one to quit on a garment just 'cause it's got a little age. :haha:

Spence

 

[Billnpatti]

I looked over most of the answers to your questions but I did not see one that I expected to see. A smoothbore does, in fact, have a rear sight of sorts. I learned this when I shot in smoothbore matches at Friendship. One of the shooters told me of this trick. According to the rules, you cannot have a rear sight that is above the plain of the barrel. So, what the experienced shooters do is turn the tang bolt so that the slot lines up with the barrel. Then when you look down the barrel at the front sight, you can use the slot in the tang bolt as a windage reference. Knowing this little trick made a significant difference in my score. I didn't win or place or even present any competition to the real shooters but I had a better score even if it was still poor relative to the competition. But, I had fun making smoke and noise and that made me happy.

 

[Billnpatti]

I have a number of shirts in the back of my closet that I really like. I didn't quit on them, they quit on me. I have a theory :hmm: that the light bulb in the top of the closet causes the clothes in the closet to shrink. The more times you turn it on, the more the clothes seem to shrink. Dang closet light bulbs. :cursing: And I have to use the closet light. I don't know why but sometime after I turned 60, the closet started getting darker and darker. Dang tricky closet :cursing: It's a conspiracy, that's what it is, a dang conspiracy. :haha:

 

[Wes/Tex]

Dang closet light bulbs. :cursing: And I have to use the closet light. I don't know why but sometime after I turned 60, the closet started getting darker and darker. Dang tricky closet :cursing: It's a conspiracy, that's what it is, a dang conspiracy. :haha:

And all the tortillas and frijoles had nothing to do with it!! :wink: :haha: That's our story and we're sticking to it! :thumbsup:

 

[Grandpa Ron]

If you can use the tang bolt slot for a rear sight your eyes are a lot younger than mine. I have a groove filed in the barrel tang and it is just a fuzzy line. The tang bolt would be a fuzzy lump. :wink:

You can align the barrel flat with the front sight base and a few other tricks but the bottom line is your eye is the rear sight and placing it in the same spot is a combination of good stock fit and shooter consistency.