Tell me about this J. Brown Smoothbore .62

[Timber Wolf]

Just bought this off a trade blanket and I don’t know what to call it, it has no serpent and I don’t think it is meant to be a trade gun. Kinda plain with steel furniture, not really a Fowler I suppose? Some kind of poor boy? Bore measures .625 on a 42” barrel and has what I think is an L&R Queen Ann lock with a very nice trigger pull. Stock appears to be a “second” grade, ok for a for a using gun I suppose. It has a knot hole in the cheek piece (I may cover with a Hunter’s Star, or knot) and a chip behind the tang under the blue tape so I don’t loose it before I can get it secured. The finish is , well, kinda amateurish. I have done the inter-web research thing and have come up with several widely varying opinions of the builder’s work. I have not shot it yet but it throws up nicely and the LOP fits me fine, I think I will like it a lot.Anyway, what say you? What is your opinion of value?

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

It's a down and dirty Jackie brown special. Built as cheap and quick as can be. Very typical style for him.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

With the poor finish, the chipped area behind the tang, same lock and the other issues, it appear to be a twin to one I owned, but left handed. Rough and ready, thrown together, but fully serviceable fowler. I killed a couple of turkeys with mine before I upgraded to a TVM that was 100% better. I think I paid $800 for my "Jackie Brown Special" ten years ago. I don't expect they appreciate in value.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Keep in mind that Jackie also sells a lot of guns “in the white”, so I would guess, looking at that one, that somebody else finished it.

That said, I even think Jackie would admit that he had had a tough go of it for a few years, thankfully now well in his past. But I will also say, having had two of his fowlers, that one of them was THE most accurate smoothbore I have ever shot. I only sold it as it was a RH’d arm and I am a lefty.

I did hold onto this one due to the style and wood, albeit also RH’d, that he too had made within the past ~4-years. The fit, finish and lock are flawless, plus with some nice tiger stripes! It also wears a custom tapered barrel by Greg Christian and she weighs less than 8-pounds, even with the loooooong 75-cal, 60” barrel.

 

[2 shots]

just curious, did he sign the barrel on his in the white kits??

 

[Kansas Jake]

I like it. It has a workman like every day style to it. Like a reasonably priced modern shotgun you would throw in the pickup for everyday use.

 

[Flint Striker]

I like it. It has a workman like every day style to it. Like a reasonably priced modern shotgun you would throw in the pickup for everyday use.

Yeah. Fix the chip by the tang, refinish the wood, and use it. Even the person who finished the stock - maybe it was his first try and didn’t go quite right.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Keep in mind that Jackie also sells a lot of guns “in the white”, so I would guess, looking at that one, that somebody else finished it.

That said, I even think Jackie would admit that he had had a tough go of it for a few years, thankfully now well in his past. But I will also say, having had two of his fowlers, that one of them was THE most accurate smoothbore I have ever shot. I only sold it as it was a RH’d arm and I am a lefty.

I did hold onto this one due to the style and wood, albeit also RH’d, that he too had made within the past ~4-years. The fit, finish and lock are flawless, plus with some nice tiger stripes! It also wears a custom tapered barrel by Greg Christian and she weighs less than 8-pounds, even with the loooooong 75-cal, 60” barrel.

View attachment 203038

What the heck is that thing?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

What the heck is that thing?

A club butt fowler for waterfowl, i.e, a hand-held 'punt' gun if you will. But it shoots awesome with roundball loads too!

 

[IronHand]

+1 for an in the white gun. I've had a Jackie Brown trade gun for years. The finish on the barrel is nothing like mine. Same for the stock. Can't tell you what it's worth but once you refinish it you'll be glad you bought it.

IronHand

 

[S.Kenton]

That chip behind the tang is most likely caused by the breech of the barrel not being fully seated against the stock. You’ll need to fix that before you fix the chip behind the tang… or it will continue to chip back out.
I’ve had a few of Jackie’s fowlers and trade guns over the years.. I’d agree with Comfortably Numb in his assessment. I have one that I’ve reworked, slimmed down and refinished.. I may go back over it again, simply because I found a few more humps that could use worked down that I didn’t see before.

 

[victor#0]

I have J. Brown Fowler that I've had for many years and it's a nice gun and is very accurate. If I were you I'd fix it up how you want it and go hunting.

 

[WALT53]

I have J. Brown Fowler that I've had for many years and it's a nice gun and is very accurate. If I were you I'd fix it up how you want it and go hunting.

I have one of Jackie’s guns and it isn’t a Tvm or a kibler but it’s a nice gun and functions well and the price was reasonable for me not that I wouldn’t like a Tvm or a kibler but not all of use can afford them.walt

 

[Rawhide67]

If it's not signed why attribute it to Brown. Plenty of people out there building kits on there own, often fowlers and trade guns because they seem more straight forward.

Don't praise the guy, or knock the guy if we don't known that he built it. Hell, I could have built that thing, and let it go to fund another project, or make a car payment.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

If it's not signed why attribute it to Brown. Plenty of people out there building kits on there own, often fowlers and trade guns because they seem more straight forward.

Don't praise the guy, or knock the guy if we don't known that he built it. Hell, I could have built that thing, and let it go to fund another project, or make a car payment.

Once you see his work you can recognize it from across the room , very distinctive style.

 

[Brokennock]

If it's not signed why attribute it to Brown. Plenty of people out there building kits on there own, often fowlers and trade guns because they seem more straight forward.

Don't praise the guy, or knock the guy if we don't known that he built it. Hell, I could have built that thing, and let it go to fund another project, or make a car payment.

From the original post.....

 

[S.Kenton]

Once you see his work you can recognize it from across the room , very distinctive style.

I totally agree with that, although this particular one looks like it’s been redone. The metal finish, lock panels as well as general shape doesn’t look like Jackie’s work, I redone mine.. but still have those honking huge lock panels that I’m not sure what to do with.

 

[BillinOregon]

I have to say I am quite taken by the technique used to build the bench that Jackie's gun is resting on.

 

[Brokennock]

I too am often confused by Jackie Brown's work. I always look when he has something posted for sale on the ALR, and I have noticed several people post guns he has made on various forums. Excluding in the white kits that someone else finished, the does seem great variation in quality of build. That club butt that @Flint62Smoothie posted for our viewing pleasure us great. Our old friend Spence has/had a smooth rifle from Jackie that was really, really, nice (and of course Spence did great work with it too), and I've seen others that were excellent. As said by others, maybe not as good as a Kibler, I'm on the fence with a comparison to TVM. I've seen fantastic TVM guns, but I've also seen a lot with fit and inletting issues, as well as their notoriously thick web between ramrod and barrel.

Always better than an India gun.


In this case the lock panels look pretty good compared to others. And overall it looks like a solid serviceable gun. Put it to work.

 

[PathfinderNC]

If it's not signed why attribute it to Brown. Plenty of people out there building kits on there own, often fowlers and trade guns because they seem more straight forward.

Don't praise the guy, or knock the guy if we don't known that he built it. Hell, I could have built that thing, and let it go to fund another project, or make a car payment.

Simple- his name is engraved rather clearly into the top barrel flat. That is a pretty good indication that he built it, huh?