Why a smoothbore?

Cruzatte said:

• The Challenge How well can I shoot using only my eye and cheek as a rear sight? It varies from day to day.
• The History I live in a part of the state which was included in French Louisiana. The French Canadians traded with the Kansa, Osage, Pawnee, Wichita, and others. There was even a French military/fur trading post near what is now Leavenworth, KS built in the 1740s.
• Personal Aesthetics French trade guns just look too cute to be believed. You have to love that pied de vache butt stock and that long. slim barrel.
• Versatility As a hunting arm, the trade gun can't be beat. You can go buffalo hunting on Saturday, and rabbit or turkey hunting on Sunday, all with the same gun. In 20 ga. there's only one animal on the North American continent that can't be taken with the trade gun; the grizzly bear.

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I couldn't have said it better myself. I have lived more than 50 years in MA towns that sent Minutemen to Concord on the morning of April 19th with a smoothbore on their shoulder. In addition to the Rev War, the town in which I grew up repelled an attack by native peoples during King Philips War in 1675 and It even sent a few militia men to the first siege of Louisburg in 1745. The historical aspect plus the fun of shooting flintlock muskets and fowlers appeals to me..

Mr Raby,
I was only joking about getting banned, half joking about tar/feathers!
I have been enjoying people's comments. I'm fairly new to the BP world and am trying to pick up as much knowledge as I can. I think a smoothbore is in my future but first I have to master my new (to me) flintlock rifle. Most comments include advantages for hunting. I only hunt steel plates and paper targets (sometimes soda bottles/cans) so that aspect will not influence me but the versatillity part is interesting.
I thank you all for your comments...much appreciated.
Denis

BigD63 said:

Mr Raby,
I was only joking about getting banned, half joking about tar/feathers!
I have been enjoying people's comments. I'm fairly new to the BP world and am trying to pick up as much knowledge as I can. I think a smoothbore is in my future but first I have to master my new (to me) flintlock rifle. Most comments include advantages for hunting. I only hunt steel plates and paper targets (sometimes soda bottles/cans) so that aspect will not influence me but the versatillity part is interesting.
I thank you all for your comments...much appreciated.
Denis

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Denis
We're here to help...or enable, whichever you prefer.

* +1 on everything Cruzatte said. Where I live was solidly under French control from around 1615 until the French were expelled from New France.
* As for a fowling gun for 'plinking' my opinion would be - meh. A solid 'maybe' for a mid 18th century 'smooth rifle'.
* As a companion for woods walks and hunting I would say they are hard to surpass.
* I've only had 8 - 10 rifles, but they are all sort of finicky about what they 'like' to shoot, and shoot well. Shooting them well requires a lot of stuff, as in multiple patch thickness, ball sizes, type / amount of lube, powders etc.
* My .56 cal smoothbore fusil is the exact opposite, she's not a fussy girl at all. Load it with whatever is in your bag and horn - and shoot it. It works. Sure you can tweek it, but unlike a rifle where tweeking gets you from a 10" group to a 2" group, tweeking gets the fusil from a 3" group to a 2" group. Anything you're hunting with a .56 cal roundball won't know the difference between 3" or 2".
* I find the smoothbore quicker and easier to clean, but that could just be me. Seems it takes fewer patches and passes.
* Lastly, there is something special about a well proportioned fusil / fowler. Mine, shown in my avatar, is a .56 cal with a 41" barrel - it weighs 6 lbs 4 oz. I get a chuckle out of the fact that the first thing every person I have ever handed it to has said was - WOW!

BigD63 said:

This question may get me banned for life from this forum or even tarred and feathered, but here goes. Why do you guys shoot smoothbores? I can think of a few reasons but would love to hear your's. I'm fairly new to BP (3 years) and the only smoothbores I have ever fired were modern shotguns. Please be gentle with me...lol

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Yes, tar and feathered .
I can tell you that a big part of BP shooting is the connection (however small) with the past. If I want cruise missile technology I will dust off the scoped 308.
BTW, glad to have ya here.

@BigD63

You are hereby banished to one of the lower depths of Dante's Inferno. How dare you question the authority of the unequaled smoothbore?!?!

In all seriousness though, a musket/fusil/fowler/trade gun is a very versatile arm. Rabbits on monday, deer on tuesday, pheasant, on wednesday, moose on thursday, woods walk on friday, squirrels on saturday, and turkey twice on sunday. Some will do ball better than others, some will do wingshooting better than others. But all are VERSATILE.

NorthFork
The 'lower depths' of Dante's Inferno is where all the cool kids hang out!
I think I will likely end up with a smoothbore after learning the ropes with my recently purchased flintlock (I'm taking it out tomorrow for the first time). The versatility is simply too appealing. The way things are going, smoothbore flintlocks may soon be the only firearm legal in Canada!

C

BigD63 said:

NorthFork
The 'lower depths' of Dante's Inferno is where all the cool kids hang out!
I think I will likely end up with a smoothbore after learning the ropes with my recently purchased flintlock (I'm taking it out tomorrow for the first time). The versatility is simply too appealing. The way things are going, smoothbore flintlocks may soon be the only firearm legal in Canada!

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Cook kids? Dante places a great frozen lake in the lowest pit. Real similar to a winter rendezvous but not as cold….. and all the inhabitants aren’t trying to convince one another how much fun we’re having

NorthFork said:

@BigD63

You are hereby banished to one of the lower depths of Dante's Inferno. How dare you question the authority of the unequaled smoothbore?!?!

In all seriousness though, a musket/fusil/fowler/trade gun is a very versatile arm. Rabbits on monday, deer on tuesday, pheasant, on wednesday, moose on thursday, woods walk on friday, squirrels on saturday, and turkey twice on sunday. Some will do ball better than others, some will do wingshooting better than others. But all are VERSATILE.

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This.
If I was only allowed to own one firearm, it would be a shotgun which is the son of the "smooth bore". It is one of the (if not the only) most versatile gun you could have.

BigD63 said:

NorthFork
The 'lower depths' of Dante's Inferno is where all the cool kids hang out!
I think I will likely end up with a smoothbore after learning the ropes with my recently purchased flintlock (I'm taking it out tomorrow for the first time). The versatility is simply too appealing. The way things are going, smoothbore flintlocks may soon be the only firearm legal in Canada!

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From what I've heard about laws in Canada, if it is a double barrel, it will most likely be categorized as a weapon of mass destruction.

BigD63 said:

This question may get me banned for life from this forum or even tarhbffbut here goes. Why do you guys shoot smoothbores? I can think of a few reasons but would love to hear your's. I'm fairly new to BP (3 years) and the only smoothbores I have ever fired were modern shotguns. Please be gentle with me...lol

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For me .... Liking smoothbore trade guns started with liking their history first . I read everything TM Hamilton wrote . Then I made my second flintlock , a Carolina Gun , and started shooting and hunting with it and loved it for its versatility , one gun can harvest any game in Ohio , and its a lot of fun to shoot ....very light too . I've made a few rifles but they just dont interest me as much as the smoothbore trade guns

For me I only have one a kibler colonial 58 cal smoothbore and want more smoothbores! I am amazed at the accuracy and I can load it for bunny's or bear. My Cherry stock has taken on a very nice color in a short time. The second to last picture was shortly after I built it, and the best 45 yard group I have ever shot with it to date that was with a PRB load. The target on steel was a bare ball load at 40 yards. The last picture was a bare ball load at 65 yards good enough for large game I would think.

I like shooting them because they are versatile:

If I want to have a good afternoon, I will take a smoothbore over a rifle anytime.
This afternoons fun with my Larry Zorn .62 smoothbore.

They shoot shot. I've never been successful hitting birds on the wing with round balls.

BigD63 said:

This question may get me banned for life from this forum or even tarred and feathered, but here goes. Why do you guys shoot smoothbores? I can think of a few reasons but would love to hear your's. I'm fairly new to BP (3 years) and the only smoothbores I have ever fired were modern shotguns. Please be gentle with me...lol

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Because I can

I went with a smoothbore for various reasons. first of all being on a fixed income I can't afford many guns. the smoothie does it all from small game to large game. PA some years ago mandated that small game rifles must be 40 cal. or smaller. At the time I had a used Pedersoli 50 cal. so I needed another gun. For a reasonable price I bought a smoothbore kit from Jack Garner in 20 ga. . I can hold a 5 to 6 inch group at 50 yds., which where I live in PA is a long shot. I also learned to make paper cartridges, like they had in the AWI. they make that second shot so much faster, if needed. The worst part of black powder shooting is the clean up, smooth bores are a snap compared to a rifle.

I shoot a smoothbore in the smoothbore events in the North-South Skirmish Association. It's one of my favorite guns to shoot. Big holes mean you can see them at 25 and 50 yards with the naked eye.

Because it's easy to find a spare rear barrel band and build a sight on it.

Ballshooter said:

For me I only have one a kibler colonial 58 cal smoothbore and want more smoothbores! I am amazed at the accuracy and I can load it for bunny's or bear. My Cherry stock has taken on a very nice color in a short time. The second to last picture was shortly after I built it, and the best 45 yard group I have ever shot with it to date that was with a PRB load. The target on steel was a bare ball load at 40 yards. The last picture was a bare ball load at 65 yards good enough for large game I would think.

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Gorgeous gun and amazing accuracy !!