Accuracy?

what is the typical accuracy and yardage one can expect from a smooth bore rifle with a round ball for deer hunting?

My fowler with no rear sight will shoot 3 1/2" groups at 60 yards when I do my part.

I've not shot for group size any farther, but, 100 yard groups are on my "to do" list.

Best regards, Skychief.

An average whitetail deer weighing about 125 pounds, viewed broadside, has a heart/lung area generally estimated give you a circle of around 10" in diameter at which to shoot.

The average smoothbore would have no problem hitting that at 50-75 yards

The average shooter may be a different story.

Duelist, a you tube channel that does a lot of ml vids did some real careful experimenting. Pretty avarage he could place two shots very close, and a third as a flier. He tried patched ball, bare ball,& chewed ball, with moderate to heavy powder charges.
Most of the times ishoot about 3 inches at fifty yards but I get at least one or two flyers in a sting of ten shots. Though in almost all cases if I was aiming at a deers chest evenmy worse flyer would be a killing shot.
I have had three shot strings in six inches at a hundred yards, but also three shots in three feet. I would not want to shoot beyond fifty yards.

I pretty much agree with all those above, though myself I never shoot over 50 yards & mostly anywhere from a few yards to roughly 25 yards. I like to stalk & get in close. Traditionally smoothbores did not use a patched ball, but a patched ball does have more accuracy.
Keith.

No load development. 30yds off hand, bare ball. Aiming at the P. Three closest after aiming adjustment.


Three shots, no load development, two together closest to frizzen and on target, bare ball, 30yds off hand.


About four times I have leveled my smoothbored on deer and they were under 30 yds.

Some other guns I use to own in .58 smooth would take a deer to 60+ no problem. Heck I use to shoot rabbits with them to 50+!

B.

boker said:

what is the typical accuracy and yardage one can expect from a smooth bore rifle with a round ball for deer hunting?

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Well tough to tell, as some folks differ in what they call "accuracy", and smoothbore hunters of deer are not "typical" shooters.

I have seen a fellow who can put all of his .610 ball into an 8" circle at 90 yards...but he is also considered phenomenal when it comes to shooting his fusil. He also only shoots one gun, and spent a lot of time working up the hunting load that allows him to be that good at that distance.

I think that most folks who hunt deer with smoothbores keep the range to 50 yards or less. But that's based on anecdotal evidence.

LD

I can usually bust a clay bird out to 70 yards or so when I don't flinch like a sissy.

HH

This depends on the consistency of the load and the accuracy of the load. It also depends on the reliability and repeatability of the sighting system. If you're getting 3-in groups at 25 yards I think 50 yards is going to open that group exponentially. If you cannot see the target behind the sights or duplicate the sight picture beyond a certain range it doesn't matter how accuarate the load is. My own smoothbore has a double-bead for sights. Making a figure 8 with the beads puts the impact at the top of the 8. One big hole at 25 yards and 5-in groups at 50 yards. There's my personal limit, I don't want a group any bigger than that for hunting. My friend has a sighted smoothbore. He has adjusted his standard square notch rear sight and tapered blade front sight so the gun is dead-on at 75 yards. His 75-yard groups are consistently 5-in or less (5 shots). I know he will shoot 75-yard on game and I am guessing he would be comfortable stretching that 10 yards, maybe more. Different system with different capability give more or less practical range.

Britsmoothy said:

No load development. 30yds off hand, bare ball. Aiming at the P. Three closest after aiming adjustment.


Three shots, no load development, two together closest to frizzen and on target, bare ball, 30yds off hand.


About four times I have leveled my smoothbored on deer and they were under 30 yds.

Some other guns I use to own in .58 smooth would take a deer to 60+ no problem. Heck I use to shoot rabbits with them to 50+!

B.

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Shooting up signs and brick walls again Nate??? Don't they call guys like you "Hooligans" across the pond?

Skychief said:

Shooting up signs and brick walls again Nate??? Don't they call guys like you "Hooligans" across the pond?

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The brickwork is from a derelict building on some land I can frequent and the same ground borders a disused sand and gravel quarry.
The real hooligans on scramble bikes tare the fencing down and scatter the signs everywhere to use the quarry as a motox track!

I just recycled the signs!
They actually represent a small deers chest and thus pretty much every shot was a killing shot.
B.

Accuracy is all relative. I have shot in competition where a guy with a smooth bore turned in a better target than the rifle shooters. That guy could routinely shoot a 3 inch group offhand at 100 yards. It takes range time and a good lock. One of the most accurate guns I owned was a 50 caliber smooth rifle. With a moderate charge and a patched round ball, that flint gun would do wonders and frankly I shot it offhand better than my rifle at 50 yds. But the groups opened substantially at 75 yds. And I was far better at 75 with the rifle. If you spend range time with the gun, minute of deer could easily be at 100 yds.