Who else shoots BIG bore?

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Mousegunguy

40 Cal
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
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My sxs six bore..
1325FA8F-F35C-4257-8600-337AA452FCEF.jpeg
Twelve gauge sxs on the bottom for scale
Mine is a Belgium made sxs smooth bore sold by Wm. Read and sons, Boston ma. It weighs in at about 20 lbs (unloaded)!
Let’s see pictures of your 4&6 bores!!!
7A96BC51-06FB-4734-BE6C-8175D702A8BB.jpeg
 
I want to build a big bore in a year or two. but I am having trouble deciding on caliber. the bigger you get the more expensive and more recoil. but how much is enough for the shock and wow factor to be fun and how much is no longer fun? I have a couple 58 and would want a good step up from that. low end is 69 cal and top is 4 bore. the bigger guns seem a bit cartoonish. any advise i want a gun decidedly bigger than everything else but don't want to be punished so much that I don't want to shoot it.
 
On this side of the pond in the UK there is no restriction on bore size we can still use the big bores .The big 4 bore and the 6 are heavy and a lot of people think that they will kick like a mule but if they are loaded with the standard load for each bore size then the guns weight absorbs the recoil My days for the big bore fowlers are past it is because of he weight .Enclose are images of my collection for which I used to shoot in days gone by
Feltwad
P1010044.JPG

P1010012.JPG
P1010007.JPG
 
On this side of the pond in the UK there is no restriction on bore size we can still use the big bores .The big 4 bore and the 6 are heavy and a lot of people think that they will kick like a mule but if they are loaded with the standard load for each bore size then the guns weight absorbs the recoil My days for the big bore fowlers are past it is because of he weight .Enclose are images of my collection for which I used to shoot in days gone by
Feltwad
4 bore.JPG
 
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I built a 4 gage blunderbuss with a modified Ed Rayl brass barrel several years ago. I shoot it with a "handful" of powder, a wad of paper towel, a "handful" of shot (any size will do), and another paper towel over-shot wad. I also shoot what I call an AP round (Armor Piercing...not really, but it does have a $#*! of a lot of mass in the projectile). It is a 1 inch diameter zinc round ball, patched, and with about 200 grains of Fg behind it. Packs a wallop....on both ends. Oh....and it also helps to bite down on a piece of leather belt to keep from jarring any teeth loose when you shoot it.

The gun is a "blast" to shoot, if you will pardon the pun.



 
My sxs six bore..View attachment 146961Twelve gauge sxs on the bottom for scale
Mine is a Belgium made sxs smooth bore sold by Wm. Read and sons, Boston ma. It weighs in at about 20 lbs (unloaded)!
Let’s see pictures of your 4&6 bores!!!View attachment 146963
Just picked up a 10 (.760) bore from a fellow forum member. Anything larger is illegal to hunt with in Minnesota.
 
I want to build a big bore in a year or two. but I am having trouble deciding on caliber. the bigger you get the more expensive and more recoil. but how much is enough for the shock and wow factor to be fun and how much is no longer fun? I have a couple 58 and would want a good step up from that. low end is 69 cal and top is 4 bore. the bigger guns seem a bit cartoonish. any advise i want a gun decidedly bigger than everything else but don't want to be punished so much that I don't want to shoot it.
I have a 4 bore rifle. I shoot is frequently and I enjoy it. Normal load is 450 grain powder charge. If the gun is well designed and you have a lot of experience with high recoil guns, a 4 bore is not going to be a problem. The recoil is massive, but it is not painful. I have never gotten a bruise from it even though it has a brass buttplate instead of a recoil pad. The price per shot is rather high but I have never done more than 5 shots in a day so I actually save money.

Problem with a 69 is that after a little while you will want a bigger one. I doubt that would ever happen with a 4 bore.
 
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