Looking at a few different options for a fowler. Intent would be for general purpose hunting gun on small game, birds, etc. Wouldn't mind the ability to use for big game but I have other options for that. I'm not much of a builder so the most complicated kit I'd be willing to try is an in-the-white kit. But the price difference between an in-the-white kit vs finished build seems to be less than a couple hundred bucks. At that point, I'd happily pay somebody who knows what they're doing to finish it up.
Primary use would be for turkey & small game. Needs to work with bismuth shot for hunting. No need for 40-yard shots but 25 yards would be good. For my 12-ga modern gun, I almost always shot full or extra full -- even for doves. I like how it gave me a clean miss or a clean kill and almost no cripples. I went to modified or imp for quail though and did well enough with that. I doubt I'd be doing much quail hunting with it. Duck is something I'd do maybe once or twice a year. I'd probably take more coots with it than anything else as those teals come in at full speed where I hunt. If I wanted to be serious about ducks or geese that day, I'd just take the 12-ga centerfire. This would be for the times when I have my boys with me and I'm more focused on them having a good time and less on my bag limit that day.
My .50 smoothie can't seem to hold a killing pattern at much more than 10 yards with bismuth. Lead seems fine but that only helps me break clays, not hunt. How would a .54 smoothbore with a jug choke to modified or full compare to a 20 ga cyl bore? Do 20 ga trade guns have enough steel on them to jug choke? Is it worth going up to a 12 ga?
I'm not somebody to buy wall-hangers. It's going to get time in the field. Mud, sweat, sun, humidity, ice, heat, cold, bumps and nicks are just part of the fun. Anything so nice or expensive that I have to worry about the gun more than the hunt isn't a gun for me. We hunted in mud seats this year while standing in knee-deep water -- not the kind of place where I'd want to take a $2k+ piece of artwork.
Any suggestions?
Primary use would be for turkey & small game. Needs to work with bismuth shot for hunting. No need for 40-yard shots but 25 yards would be good. For my 12-ga modern gun, I almost always shot full or extra full -- even for doves. I like how it gave me a clean miss or a clean kill and almost no cripples. I went to modified or imp for quail though and did well enough with that. I doubt I'd be doing much quail hunting with it. Duck is something I'd do maybe once or twice a year. I'd probably take more coots with it than anything else as those teals come in at full speed where I hunt. If I wanted to be serious about ducks or geese that day, I'd just take the 12-ga centerfire. This would be for the times when I have my boys with me and I'm more focused on them having a good time and less on my bag limit that day.
My .50 smoothie can't seem to hold a killing pattern at much more than 10 yards with bismuth. Lead seems fine but that only helps me break clays, not hunt. How would a .54 smoothbore with a jug choke to modified or full compare to a 20 ga cyl bore? Do 20 ga trade guns have enough steel on them to jug choke? Is it worth going up to a 12 ga?
I'm not somebody to buy wall-hangers. It's going to get time in the field. Mud, sweat, sun, humidity, ice, heat, cold, bumps and nicks are just part of the fun. Anything so nice or expensive that I have to worry about the gun more than the hunt isn't a gun for me. We hunted in mud seats this year while standing in knee-deep water -- not the kind of place where I'd want to take a $2k+ piece of artwork.
Any suggestions?