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Smoothbores....

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Muzzle loading to me means rifles......not a shotgun or gizmo all- purpose thingamajig that is limited to accuracy and quite often in the hands of the user thereof a losing situation from an odd fitting ball/balls lumbering down a smooth tube or shot wad designed for 40 yards at best for maybe shooting ducks! Something supposedly designed for multiple use in many cases is capability limited and this is my view of a shotgun.....or so-called smooth bore muzzleloader! Hey......I'm proud some folks like 'em but I'm pretty certain when Daniel left home on a long trek he was toting a rifle!
If you say so.
I mean I look real sad, dejected and almost suicidal.
IMG_20201224_115119.jpg

Whilst your dreaming of your next deer hunt I'm probably out there already! 😁
 
Muzzle loading to me means rifles......not a shotgun or gizmo all- purpose thingamajig that is limited to accuracy and quite often in the hands of the user thereof a losing situation from an odd fitting ball/balls lumbering down a smooth tube or shot wad designed for 40 yards at best for maybe shooting ducks! Something supposedly designed for multiple use in many cases is capability limited and this is my view of a shotgun.....or so-called smooth bore muzzleloader! Hey......I'm proud some folks like 'em but I'm pretty certain when Daniel left home on a long trek he was toting a rifle!
Ol Dan was for sure but while Dan was fighting red skins in the Cain-tuck Alex was finding the north west passage ( Makinze) he and his boys were toting smoothies
And them Kentucky rifles that with Andy by God Jackson what chased the British through the bier and the bramble whar’ a rabbit wouldn’t go, well fact was most had a smoothie when the done it
 
I have a serious question - I don't think it's off topic. With a smoothbore do you ever find yourself with the "wrong" load in your gun? Here's what I mean:
Let's say today you want to hunt rabbits (just for the sake of argument) so you load your smoothbore with shot. You go about hunting but are unlucky and don't find a rabbit to shoot. Tomorrow you go dinking around a deer provides a shot - but your gun is loaded with shot...

I understand loading for what you are hunting. I carry my ML every time I'm at the ranch. My English sporter has two barrels - one smooth and one rifled. I sometimes find when I have the smooth barrel loaded with shot I wish I had the rifle. Other times it's the other way and I have a 550 grain roundball loaded when I wish it was a load of #7 shot.

Do you ever find yourself in this conundrum?
Yes,I do so I carry two lol In my state they won't let us have a double barrel loaded with both barrels unless you are bird hunting stupid. So Now I need a BP handgun single shot 9in or longer to be legal.
 
Go ahead....trash all ya want! I don't carry my feelings on my sleeve cuff like lots of folks! Can't take teasing!! SHEEEESH!!
My point is or was I don't want to trash your rifle. Why would I wish to? To what gain? How or what would it be of benefit, encourage or applaud?

At this point in the conversation I guess the author of this thread just likes the comfort of his black and white opinion.
The fact that some of us have lots of grey areas while seemingly odd for the author of this thread is not necessarily grounds for criticism by said author. But hey ho....
 
Go ahead....trash all ya want! I don't carry my feelings on my sleeve cuff like lots of folks! Can't take teasing!! SHEEEESH!!
Here here!!!!
Cap poppers vs rock in the locks, smooth vs rifles, army boys vs civilian, Mountain man vs long hunter, if’n we can’t rib each other what’s the use.
 
That target shows some first-rate shooting, @smo . Hoo boy… just awesome.

So, did the late Mr. Tip Curtis shoot that? I know he was well respected as a builder, but he must have been a helluva shot, too.

I’m sorry, but I can’t make out what’s written on the target. What type of firearm was he using?
Thanks!!

Notchy Bob


Yes Bob , Tip shot this target… However I was not a Witness..
But several that signed the target were!

The gun was a .58 smoothbore with the lightest main spring I’ve ever felt on a flintlock…
I don’t remember all the specifics , load , ball size and such… But I was impressed with the smoothness of the lock and trigger…
Which I don’t remember if it was a single trigger or double set..
But all you had too do was touch it and the **** would fall!

50 yards , off hand , 50 xxxx , not too shabby for a smoothbore!👍

Eric Krewson has some pics of Tips display area at the Frontier Shop in Tn..
His walls were covered with 1st place Medallions , Ribbons and Trophies won by Tip and his late Wife…

I sure miss that Guy, I went into his shop at Friendship this Fall… Jim Christy of Deer Creek Products now occupies it during the Spring & Fall shoots..
He purchased Tips inventory as well….
So the man is well stocked with parts!
 
Exactly! That is the reason I keep posting the target…
Several of the Guys I shoot with regularly out shoot others with rifles…myself included. Being out shoot that is….🥴
In the right hands, a smoothbore is deadly accurate!
 
The impression I get is that the OP was drawn to the allure of smoothbores because let's face it they're great. But then got frustrated by the challenge of them and rather than persisting threw in the towel and said well I like rifles better anyway.

I wonder if the first load attempted drew 3" at 75 yards if he'd be still of the same opinion?

Not meaning to be rude, just matter of fact.

I'm first to admit I've been shooting smoothbores for nearly 12 months and I haven't got myself a consistent 50 yard load yet. But I'm committed to getting there and beyond however long it takes!
 
That target shows some first-rate shooting, @smo . Hoo boy… just awesome.

So, did the late Mr. Tip Curtis shoot that? I know he was well respected as a builder, but he must have been a helluva shot, too.

I’m sorry, but I can’t make out what’s written on the target. What type of firearm was he using?

Thanks!!

Notchy Bob
Yup, he did.
 
The impression I get is that the OP was drawn to the allure of smoothbores because let's face it they're great. But then got frustrated by the challenge of them and rather than persisting threw in the towel and said well I like rifles better anyway.

I wonder if the first load attempted drew 3" at 75 yards if he'd be still of the same opinion?

Not meaning to be rude, just matter of fact.

I'm first to admit I've been shooting smoothbores for nearly 12 months and I haven't got myself a consistent 50 yard load yet. But I'm committed to getting there and beyond however long it takes!
My impression is of a troll.
 
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