Thoughts on the smoothrifle

[tenngun]

The better term, and one that I’ve seen in older writings was ”˜rifle mounted fusil’. However smooth rifle seems to dominate today. Some modren shotguns are made to shoot slug, so they could be smooth rifles since their features are based on military rifles.

 

[BullRunBear]

Just realized I have a smooth rifle but never thought of it that way. I had an extra 50 caliber barrel for a T/C Renegade and had it bored out to a smooth 62 caliber in case I wanted a 20 gauge percussion. Surprisingly accurate with patched round ball. This thread makes me want to dig it out and try it with shot.

Jeff

 

[George]

In 1967 the Kentucky Rifle Association published a book, _The Kentucky Rifle...a True American Heritage in Pictures_. It has pictures and brief descriptions of 100 Kentucky rifles. There are many different types shown, but of the 100 rifles, 20 were smooth rifles, all flintlock.

I remember going through Kindig's book looking for the same thing and being very surprised at the high number of guns described as smooth.

Looking at the pictures you can't see a difference in the smooth and the rifled rifles.

I suspect they were more common in the day than we would think.

Spence

 

[NorthFork]

When I was doing some soul searching prior to buying my trade musket, my research led me to the same conclusion. There were far more smoothbored weapons in our history than it would first appear. The rifles are the ones everyone speaks of but alas the lowly smoothbore is almost forgotten.

 

[excess650]

original flint, 45" swamped octagon, smooth or rifled?

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[Crewdawg445]

I believe your assumptions are absolutely correct. I to have came across many mentions of the smoothed rifle. Seems people realized the many benefits of the barrel, essentially two rifles in one.

Your average shooter isn't taking game past 100 yards or even less. Longest deer personally harvested by me was taken two years ago at 75 yards with my .62 smoothie. People have the ideal these rifles are just not accurate which isn't true by any means.

You also have to keep in mind territory and environment has allot to do with their potential popularity. Here in the east a 75 yard shot is considered a long distance shot. We have vastly wooded areas that don't afford such shots often. Therefore the long distance accuracy of a rifled gun just isn't that important for the common man.

To each his own but true smoothbore accuracy, (now IMO) isn't based upon paper shooting from a bench but results from game on the table. :thumbsup:

Believe that is one concept the ole fellers in the day understood very well, yet it's obvious they knew the benefits of a rifled gun!

 

[Dr5x]

The Smoothrifle looks exactly like a rifle but as it has no rifling it makes you think it must be a Hollywood prop

I would just call it a smoothbore.

A rifled smoothie on the other hand I would call a rifle.

O'm so young I just can't learn all these words.



I have worked with shallow rifled barrels that were SO shallow I had to spin the muzzle around a thumbnail to detect any rifling at all.
Iy is amazing how effective that very slight rifling can be when the ball/patch combination is tight enough to engage it
It was a rifle like that which was all over the place using a thin patch material and by finding my own wiping patches were exactly twice as thick turned it into a one hole from five shots.

I think that was my most amazing coaching experience in all the 6 our 7nyears I did that.

Dutch Schoultz

 

[Britsmoothy]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbreviation

B :metoo:

 

[Crewdawg445]

Sorry gents but the smoothrifle is no abbreviation but is rather a factual part of history.

Passages from guns of the American West

The "two-sighted smooth-bore rifle" - shoulder arm of heavy octagonal or 1/2 octgonal barrel equipped with both front and rear sights. The advantage is given in slight range extension of 20 to 25yards over the smoothbore shotgun or musket, handled shot equally and being heavier made, could withstand much tougher use than the normal smoothbores.

Passages from the PA Gazette

The Pennsylvania Gazette
September 20, 1739
Had on an old striped Jacket, old linnen Shirt, new Linnen Breeches and an old Hat, no Shoes nor Stockings. Took with him a smooth Rifle Gun.

The Pennsylvania Gazette
January 26, 1769
...he took with him a smooth rifle gun, and as he has served his time, he may possibly produce his indenture.

Just a few examples I had readily available.

:thumbsup:

 

[BullRunBear]

Thanks to all the explanations of what makes a smooth rifle.I had heard the term but the VERY long ago English major and retired tech writer in me rebelled at the seeming contradiction. :grin:

Jeff

 

[excess650]

They are a reality and more common than you might think. When you start paging through books with pictures of original longrifles, take notice as to whether the description notes rifled, smooth or no rifling visible. There are the even more odd :haha: that have straight rifling.

 

[Boomer]

They are a reality and more common than you might think. When you start paging through books with pictures of original longrifles, take notice as to whether the description notes rifled, smooth or no rifling visible. There are the even more odd that have straight rifling.

I have noticed this as well. I to believe as another here stated that smoothrifles were far more common that we like to believe. Rifling was a time consuming & costly process so it should come as no surprise that the thrifty would not want/need it.

The straight rifling I have wondered about as well. My best guess is that it was to aide loading a fouled barrel?? If someone has a definitive answer on this one I would love to hear it.

 

[Kansas Jake]

My thought too on the extra cost to have a barrel rifled.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The straight rifling I have wondered about as well. My best guess is that it was to aide loading a fouled barrel?? If someone has a definitive answer on this one I would love to hear it.

Not definitive, but I have read (in books!) that straight rifling was thought to have originally been a means of making it easier to load a fouled barrel. Or was just a step in the development process of better accuracy.

Perhaps some Swiss barrelmaker noted that when he honed out the bore smooth after pulling the mandrel on a forged blank that the ones produced with the cutter that had a uneven burr behaved differently than a even radius throughout?

 

[Crewdawg445]

That is exactly my thought on straight rifling. :thumbsup:

 

[Elnathan]

I suspect that straight rifling is a hair more accurate with a patched ball since the grooves ensure that the patch folds around the ball in a consistent pattern. I also believe that the straight rifling has some useful effects on shot patterns as well, as I recall hearing that certain modern Olympic/high profile shooting teams were using them in modern shotguns at one point, but i don't recall the details.

Bear in mind that some of the guns listed as smoothbore in books are rifled but coned enough at the muzzle that the rifling isn't evident without careful examination. Also, some that are smooth now may not have been made so originally - the Brass barrel gun, for instance.

 

[Dr5x]

I stand corrected, Tsk!
I will now accept the term 'Smoothrifle"

It is against my educational background so if I ever use the term I woill probably wince bait when saying it

Discovering that I am not perfect came as a shock to me. Most marriages will straighten a person out on that subject.

Dutch Schoultz

 

[trigrcreep]

do consider a.58 smooth.I enjoy mine

 

[Britsmoothy]

I stand corrected, Tsk!
I will now accept the term 'Smoothrifle"

It is against my educational background so if I ever use the term I woill probably wince bait when saying it

Discovering that I am not perfect came as a shock to me. Most marriages will straighten a person out on that subject.

Dutch Schoultz

No man is educated until three times ten years have passed married to a single women!
Even then your education is not complete, it's just started!
At 30yrs one has simply learnt necessary back peddling skills!

B.

 

[azmntman]

:thumbsup: Just got there :grin: