Think I’m ready to try some smoothbore deer hunting

I’ve had my Armisport 1842 Springfield for awhile now. It was love at first sight. After getting the bugs worked out and learning the necessities of a smoothbore I’ve used this musket with great success in the same game fields. 1 1/8 ounces of #5 in this gun has taken squirrels, rabbits, quail and grouse. Managed to get a coyote with a 12 #0 buckshot load and after reading War on the run again I decided to try and successfully “barked” a squirrel.
So now I’m thinking about going to the next level and started seeing if deer hunting with it would be possible. I started playing with different sized round ball and loading techniques and after spending the better part of the day shooting the other day I think I have it. At a range of 60 yards firing at my 12 x 20 human silhouette target to see for one if I could hit it consistently and what group size I could get. First round was 100 grains 2f, half inch cushion wad and a .675 round ball with a .01 thickness patch. Even when fouled the gun loaded easy and gave me 19 of 20 hits (I pulled the last shot) with 17 of the 19 in a 6to 7 inch group. Second was 20 more shots with 100 gr of 2f, half inch cushion was then a .662 ball with a .015 thickness patch. This load loaded very easy with the gun heavily fouled and scored 16 of 20 hits with group sized around 9 inches. Could very well have been me not keeping my head in the same position in relation to the gun. Then just for fun I fired off 15 buck and ball military style paper cartridges. 14 of 15 hits didn’t look at group size. Guns was so fouled by then I didn’t dare run a patch down without running a scraper down first. All in all great day. Anything you veteran smoothbore big game hunters recommend for a successful hunt?

Excellent stuff. Sounds like you are good to go.

I really like the paper-plate method for evaluating one's maximum range when hunting with a smooth bore. At whatever range you can keep ALL your shots, (with the very occasional flyer) on the plate, that's your max range. I think that your average, cheap paper plate is 9".

The paper plate covers the heart-lung vital zone of a deer perfectly. And, you still have a killing hit if the shot goes an inch or three out of the zone, due to the animal moving, a little bit of buck-fever, or whatever.

Your 9" group size is very nice for 60 yards, pretty much the best a smoothbore is going to do. If you are doing that without a rear sight, I am in awe.

My advice: Let your venison get close enough for a sure kill. No different than using any other gun.

My prediction: You are in line for more satisfaction than you've had, hunting with any rifled muzzleloader.

Good luck and share some photos with us of your success.

Best regards, Skychief.

For smoothbore hunting of big game with ball I don't use a lubed wad. I figure I am only shooting one, maybe two shots. I do load a OP wad, cushion wad … then ball...OS card. Figure out where to put your head on stock with some sort of index. I can put three fingers between the end of comb and my nose. Get a mental picture of how much front sight or bead you see ( I don't have a rear sight). With my gun if I cut the front bead in half and put whatever I want to hit right on top of it, it is good to 55-yards. 6" range groups for 5-shots at that distance. Load consistently. I am a bit sloppy with shot, not worrying about precise powder amount or seating pressure for components. I use a scoop for a measure, but when loading ball I over-fill it and then use a piece of card to level the powder in the scoop for greater consistency. Good luck!

I am taking that Tulle 62-cal Fusil de Chasse I just finished building (posted in the gun build forum) up to Anticosti Island,Quebec on 04Nov for a week hunting deer with a flintlock smoothbore that was shipped over to 'New France' ~300-years ago. I'm getting ~3" 5-shots groups @ 50-yards and can keep them all on the paper plate offhand, so I figure I'm good to go.

The one thing I do is keep a wood 'flint' in the cock and pick it up EVERY night and practice cheeking it ... visualizing the proper cheek weld and sight picture ... holding it, and then dropping the hammer/cock all the while keeping my attention on the barley corn front sight (no rear sight).

I shot a three shot, three inch group with my Bess once, at fifty yards, but have not been able to repeat that. Four to five inch I can repeat, and can keep them on the plate at 60 yards.

Of course the nicest black bear I ever saw when hunting with Bess was at 90 yards.

Just my opinion. For hunting, I'd put on some sort of temporary rear sight in the '42 and shoot patched balls. The rear sight eliminates the variable regarding head position, which may or may not be the same if you're shooting out of an elevated stand, and caught up in the heat of the moment.Patched balls will give you smaller and more consistent groups. I shoot a .662 ball with .020 patch over lubed fiber cushion wad an 80 gr of 2F in an original flint 1816.It has a peep rear sight secured by the tang bolt.

Flint62Smoothie said:

I am taking that Tulle 62-cal Fusil de Chasse I just finished building (posted in the gun build forum) up to Anticosti Island,Quebec on 04Nov for a week hunting deer with a flintlock smoothbore that was shipped over to 'New France' ~300-years ago. I'm getting ~3" 5-shots groups @ 50-yards and can keep them all on the paper plate offhand, so I figure I'm good to go.

The one thing I do is keep a wood 'flint' in the cock and pick it up EVERY night and practice cheeking it ... visualizing the proper cheek weld and sight picture ... holding it, and then dropping the hammer/cock all the while keeping my attention on the barley corn front sight (no rear sight).

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With my luck, I'd forget to take the wooden flint out before I went hunting. Not really, but that would be kind of funny.

So..., since you're in Wisconsin (I went to college in Wisconsin) I'd suggest three things....
First, FORGET how easy the musket is to load. You're not worried about stopping the bayonet charge of the Eleventh Regiment: Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, CSA, you're harvesting deer, right?
Next, Check your first load where you got the 6" group, at fifty yards by hitting where you aim on that target with the first shot inside or at least touching that 6" circle. The group is great ..., now make sure that group will be where you want it, starting with the first shot. Since that's the shot that will be used on the deer, eh?
Third, wherever you will be hunting, if you are in a static position so not moving, either pick landmarks out at 50 yards, OR use some tape like the archers do, and mark around you several spots that are 50 yards, to give you a very good way to know the range to the target. When the deer get between you and those markers or landmarks, you know you're good-to-go for taking your shot. It ups your chances at a good harvest if you drop the range a tad and use landmarks/markers.

LD

Take a pistol for back up, just Incase.

Two years ago I had 4 bucks and a Doe come in on me with my smoothbore...
I shot over the biggest bucks back broadside at 25 yards....they all just stood there trying too figure out where the shot came from.

For over 11 minutes... they just stood there....Good Luck on your hunt.

Yes, smo, its practice, practice, practice until the cheek weld and sight picture is automatic. Admittedly all is forgotten when that buck is standing 25 yards away.

I am sure the deer were quite amused with your reloading procedure during the 11 minutes they were standing there.

smo said:

Take a pistol for back up, just Incase.

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Just be sure it's legal for hunting deer where you are, too!

LD

Great advice from Dave !

You might want to try buck and ball, but I’m not sure if that’s legal, in DE we can.

I’ve never tried to use my smoothbores for large game, only small game with shot at 25-30 yards.

Not to say it can’t be done, I’ve seen plenty of folks online who have bagged a deer with a pedersoli Bess.

I would think a very important fact would have an extra clean bore and perfectly patched and seated ball, if all bearings are set, the flint is good, your fresh shot out of a .62-.75 smoothbore should hit home within a decent grouping.

As for reloading with ease.... well, Dave is spot on, re-loading speed is much more relevant at the range than in the field.

A paper plate is a great target for shooting in preparation for a deer hunt. A soccer ball is too but a paper plate is cheaper. My smoothbore is a .62 early American flintlock and has a rear sight. It requires no change in technique when switching between it and a rifle.

Since I want as accurate a load for hunting as I can come up with, I use a patched ball in the smoothbore. When I last tested my load at 50 yards I got consistent groups of slightly under 3". These are 3-shot groups which I feel is a good test for a smoothbore. Seldom will you be shooting more than that in the deer woods. I usually keep all my shots on a paper plate when using bare ball loads. But I just feel I owe each deer my very best shot. I've posted this photo previously but I'll post it once more. This deer was shot with my prb load at only 20 yards; but it was a running shot. Without an accurate load I doubt the shot would have ended as successfully as it did.