Next Build--Jaeger or Tulle?

The snow is thick on the ground and the range is shutting down for December so I'm looking to do my second build. I'm going to do a TOTW kit this time and I've narrowed my options down to either a Tulle Fusil 20 ga or a .62 Jaeger with the rice barrel. My expectation is the Jaeger would be quite a bit more complex. The Jaeger with the Rice and the nice wood will also be a notch pricier.

Purpose will mostly be range fun, but if I get a chance I'll take it out for some Alaska hunting. The Jaeger has the advantage of accuracy, but the 20 can do small game as well. Not sure how practical the Tulle would be for larger game.

Thoughts? Am I getting over my head with the Jaeger and swamped barrel?

Fusils, and fowlers, are built to be light feeling, to allow a quick,smooth, swing on flying game, or on running game, like rabbits. The heavy barreled Jaeger design is intended to provide a heavy short barreled, large caliber RIFLE that will hold well when accurate placement of the ball is needed( as in shooting dangerous game like bears!) Its not intended to be a light barreled gun designed for shooting flying, or moving game.

So, as with all decisions regarding the selection of tools, you first have to decide the purpose for which you want the gun, and then build or order a gun for those purposes. A 1" tapered or swamped .62 caliber rifle, with a barrel length of 36 inches or less, will generally handle as big a load as you would want to fire at game, but still weigh less than most Jaegers. I have a friendly gun maker who owns a .62 Caliber rifle he made for himself, that handles like a fowler, but is only a bit heavier. I know he has taken deer at well over 130 yards with it. Those 325 grain lead balls are going through everything but the largest bears, using frontal shots, instead of broadside shots. I would not feel under armed carrying my 20 ga. fowler loaded with a RB, and a good charge of FFg powder should I run into a bear. The gun can certainly handle the load, and if I have to deal with a bear, it will be only because its within 50 yds, and eying me for lunch!

If you like the Fusil design, Go for it. :thumbsup:

This is what you want right here.
http://www.redaviscompany.com/0412.html

Would you say the RE Davis is superior to the Track? I really like the wide array of options Track gives you.

Cosmoline said:

Am I getting over my head with the Jaeger and swamped barrel?

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Chances are you are going to get a stock with the barrel channel done to match the barrel you are purchasing. Well, done except for fitting the breech end anyway.

With some practice and the right load you can hit anything (almost) with a smooth bore. My advice is the fowler. I say this for their versatility. You can hunt small game, wing shoot and bigger game all with the same gun. Remember the old saying; "Beware of the man that only shoots one gun."

Build one or the other, and make the one ya didn't build the 3rd one.
Fowler will never be accurate like a rifl barreled Jaeger. They didn't rifle barrels for the heck of it. Yes, OK out to 30-40 yards & then goes to pot.

Of the Hundreds of ML shooters I know, I can think of 2 that actually shoot a smoothbore with shot allot. One hunts allot of doves & the other actually hunts quail & rabbits with one. All the others played with it a bit & then shoot RB's in them.

Building with a swamped barrel is no dif than building with a straight barrel, unless you are building from a blank.

If you order from Tracks, MAKE SURE they have it ALL in stock before you order it. If not you may be 2011 before ya get it all. Were I to buy a precarve & parts for a Jaeger, I would get it from Tip Curtis Frontier Shop. (615) 654-4445. He will have all of it in stock. I have built ? 5 of Tips parts sets & all went well. Have 3 more here to build but haven't built them as I am in Tennessee Rifle Mode......

:thumbsup: :grin:

I'd get the jaeger of course I already have a fowler. The jaeger would be an excellent rifle for alaska, large cal. and handy. I've owned some original jaegers and beleive it or not they were all quite light and handy. Gun weight with a jaeger seems to be a function of bore size, the bigger the bore the lighter it is, I've never owned or handled a jaeger under .65cal. If you were to go with a fowler I'd go with a larger bore unless you are going to jug choke it, I've just never had much luck shooting birds with the .62 fowlers, I know others have though. Chambers makes fowlers up to 10ga. If you decide to go with a french fusil, I've heard nothing but great things about davis's kit. they look really eligant. Don't forget it is pc to have a sling on a jaeger another plus for long ranging hunts.

Cosmoline said:

Would you say the RE Davis is superior to the Track? I really like the wide array of options Track gives you.

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Yes

Thanks for the tips! I notice Track does have a number of components on backorder so it's good to know I could be in for a delay.

In case you didn't see this yet, Mike Brooks put together one of those R.E.Davis kits and had this to say about it.

"R.E.Davis French Fowler"
This gun was put together from a R.E.Davis French Fowler kit. It has a
48".20ga Ed Rayl oct/round barrel and all hardware is from Davis. The
engraving was cast in and about half of it on the butt plate had to be recut
by me after fitting it to the stock. I added some carving around the breech
and lock plate areas and around the trigger guard as well. Also full length
upper and lower forestock moulding. The stock is American walnut and the
gun weighs in at 8 3/4 lbs. The weight is mainly in the big 1 3/16" breech
area. It rapidly tapers in both the oct and round sections. It has a very light
muzzle and holds and points well.

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http://www.fowlingguns.com/frenchfowler.html

how much small or upland game hunting do you intend to do?

R E Davis also has Jaeger kits. The pre-carved stocks come from the same guy who does Tip Curtis' stocks.

GO JAEGER! Check out Dunlap as well. http://www.dunlapwoodcrafts.com/ihsets.htm

I had a Jaeger built last year. More on the order of the Jaegers of the Revolution. Swamped Barrel wood patch box, sling. Its a small bore Yaeger .58 Cal. I must say I have become a real fan of Yaegers. :thumbsup:

Just be sure to use a swamped barrel if you build a jaeger, I have a Ped. Jaeger w/ a 1"x.54 cal. barrel and its muzzle heavy.
Other than that, its a great gun for brush.