double barrel or a rifle

[BJC]

I am eventually going to get me one of two guns. either the Pedersoli double barrel shotgun or the Pedersoli rocky mountain Hawken. the rmh can be had for 800 to 900 when on sale and the double barrel is priced at 899 but I bet it will go on sale also.

I will eventually get both but it will be about 4 years apart. which will be a better first one to get. it will be used for all hunting and sporting uses.

is the double barrel percussion even history correct?

I am leaning to the double barrel first as it has a wider use but can I shot slug in these things?

 

[coloradoclyde]

A lot can happen in 4 years......Pedersoli might not even be in business or may drop the hawken from their line up...

Do you have a plan B ?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Get what you want. Slug? Do you mean a minie type bullet? Ask Pedersoli. These usually require a faster twist than round ball bores.

 

[Billnpatti]

Providing the shotgun has a cylinder bore, it will shoot a patched round ball. If it has any choke in it, I, personally, would have some reservations about shooting anything other than a load of shot in it.

You use the term "slug" and I am not sure if you mean an actual slug such as a conical projectile or you are using the term slug to mean a patched round ball. A cylinder bore shotgun will shoot a conical projectile but not a barrel that has any choke to it. The reason having a choke will exclude using a conical is that in forcing the unpatched conical through the choke will cause it to be slightly undersized as it is seated on the powder. Not having a tight seal will create the possibility that it could move off the powder charge. This is especially true in the case of a double barrel shotgun that has choked barrel(s). When the first barrel is fired, the recoil will likely cause the loosely fitting conical in the other barrel to move off the powder charge. If this happens, it has a very high probability of causing the barrel to rupture when it is fired. Personally, I feel safe loading a solid projectile in shotgun when the shotgun is a single barrel with a cylinder bore. Others may say otherwise but that is where my personal safety point lies.

 

[Patocazador]

I have both SxS shotguns and rifles. If I could only have one, I would pick the shotgun. Be aware that unchoked shotguns are only accurate/effective to about 35-40 yards.
With a SxS I can hunt birds, small game, and deer (using PRBs or buckshot).

As stated, when one barrel is fired the charge can be jarred off the other barrel. Always reseat the unfired charge before firing if possible.

If you will only be hunting squirrels, get a small caliber rifle. Same with deer but with a larger caliber. You know what activity you will pursue the most, choose accordingly.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Since you already own numerous BP rifles that are all suitable for hunting, you should go with the double barrel.

 

[BJC]

The blued barrels are choked full/modified and modernized with chrome on the inside.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/sho...hotguns/_/N-1100202/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104641380

 

[jrmflintlock]

You would not be able to shoot a slug or patched round ball out of the Pedersoli Double.

Why are you limiting your search to Cabelas?

There are a lot of great used smoothbores and Rifles out there and you may be able to get all of what you want Faster and Cheeper.

Not that Pedersoli is bad but for the money you might be able to get a semi-custom!

:2

Heck there is a Jackie Brown Smooth bore on this forum for $less than $700! There aint nothing you can't hunt with a good smooth bore!

 

[Stumpkiller]

You would not be able to shoot a slug or patched round ball out of the Pedersoli Double.

Why not a patched round ball? If you can get it in it will go out. Lead is lead and 1 oz of shot is just like 1 oz of round ball as far as the barrel cares.

 

[coloradoclyde]

IMO...A patched round ball will shoot better out of a smoothie, and even better out of a smooth rifle.. Than it will out of a double barrel.

Have You considered A Hawken with an additional smooth shotgun barrel?

 

[tenngun]

I would not think of at as so much 'cant' do it as to the end effect. A 12 bore ball is the same weight as a medium shot charge.
The ball loaded to get pass the chock would be a loose fit in the bore. That would open up to some decreased accuracy problems, or wasted powder problems. Unless you get crazy in your loading a simple rule is what goes down the bore comes out the bore. The rub is not getting it out its getting it to go where you want.
A modern rifled shot gun slug wont preform well in a ml. Some elephant killing Minnie wont do well unless rifled. So your back to a ball. I a prb it wont pass the chock well. In a bare ball its going to rattle up the bore, each shot launched in a different direction.
true ball/shot versatility can be got by having a fusil/fowling gun of some sort.
A half stock rifle with a spare smooth barrel is a good option, or a cylinder bore double barrel shot gun, although that choice cost you some range. Last choice is a double with one rifled and one smooth barrel, not unknown in the old days, but just like today it would be a little pricey. A good fit with tweed or corduroy.

 

[crockett]

A while back I was thinking of a double and like you I wasn't sure on the historical correctness. It is an over looked area of muzzle loading. A few folks said originals could be bought for about the same amount of money.

 

[hanshi]

I owned a Pedersoli dbl barrel shotgun some years back and can verify that they are extremely well made and attractive guns. But IMHO they do their best work with shot. I have a 20ga flint smoothbore that shoots ball with good accuracy and handles shot equally well. A good single barrel cylinder bore smoothbore will work for anything you might want to hunt with it. A double barrel is a more specialized gun in my view for upland small game, wing shooting and turkey.

 

[Zonie]

is the double barrel percussion even history correct?

Although the author is writing about forign guns, Richard Akehurst, in his book, "SPORTING GUNS" writes,

"In the last twenty years of the eighteenth century, the best type of game gun was a halfstocked shotgun with a pair of thirty or thirty-two inch barrels..." (p35)

"The English double-barreled sporting gun, which had reached an advanced stage of development by the end of the eighteenth century, was further improved and refined in the first twenty years of the nineteenth century.

When we consider the final glory of the flint gun the name of Manton at once comes to mind. John Manton set up on his own in 1782, after leaving the celebrated gunmaker, John Twigg..." (p39)

Also consider, Henry Nock's Patent Breech, Patented in 1787 was created to improve the speed of ignition of flintlock guns and was used in the double barrel shotguns he made then, and later.

A picture of a print of Nocks Patent Breech, made from a 1787 woodcut:



Although this is speaking of British guns there can be no doubt that some of these double barrel guns were imported into the United States.

By the time the percussion lock system became popular in the 1820's-1830's, double barrel guns would have been widely known in the US.