10, 11, or 12?

[RiverRat]

I am considering a Chamber's New England fowler kit and I am stuck on which bore to order. I figure the larger the better, so why do they offer three choices so close in size to each other? I already have a 20ga with a 42" barrel, however I am intrigued with the bigger bore and longer barrel. I do enjoy shooting rb's in my smoothbore. I hunt deer, turkey and some rabbits. What say the forum?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I believe that I'd go with the 10 bore. What the 20 bore is stretching to cover, the 10 will handle with ease. The 10 gauge will make a fine goose and turkey gun at the very least. And, in cases where the 10 gauge is felt to be overkill, the 20 will do the job nicely.

 

[aragorn]

I asked exactly this question a couple of months ago, and one response was 11 gauge because of identical bore to the Brown Bess and therefore more readily available ammunition, if you want to shoot ball. I was inclined to go bigger too and get 10. But now I'm very attracted to the Chambers Virginia fowler (smooth rifle) for my next, purely from a build perspective because it is a copy of a known gun. It's only 20 ga but I reckon that will do what I want.

 

[paulvallandigham]

unless you are going to have Jug choking put in the gun, that 10 gauge gun is not going to give you any better patterns at much further distance than a 20 or 12 will. I love large bore guns. Always have. But for the ranges you can use an open bore smoothbore to shoot birds, My twelve gauge double is as much as I can justify. I have a friend who built his own 8 gauge, and that is something to shoot. But it doesn't break clay targets any better or harder than my 20, mainly because we shoot the clays at relatively short ranges.

 

[TN.Frank]

Well, the 10ga will be .775, the 11ga is .750 and the 12 will be around .730 so I'd choose according to which is easier to get stuff for. That being said, my Cumberland Fowler is an 11ga(.748) which has been said is pretty much what the modern made Brown Bess muskets are so loading data is easy to find. If I was in your shoes I'd go 10ga because it's a nice even number that'll fit in well with the 20ga that you already have. No other really valid reason other then that. All three will take about the same load and work about as well as the other.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I'd call Chambers and see what gauge he has in stock, if any.This could be the only relevant factor in your choice.

 

[Java Man]

Two 10's and one 11 at the moment, according to the Buckeyebarrels inventory list on their website.

 

[trent/OH]

I recommend 11 gauge. Wads and cards are a somewhat specialty item no matter what you shoot, and the major makers stock almost any gauge you could imagine. An 11 gauge will handle .690, .715, and .735 roundball, so there are a number of choices compared to 10 or 12 gauges.

 

[TN.Frank]

11 is kind of a "special" gauge in that the 10 and 12 translated over to modern shotshells but the 11 did not, that makes is something "different" and unique to muzzleloading. I like my fowler in 11ga, like ya' said, it'll handle a wide range of ball sizes and wads are available for it just as easily as the other two gauges. I guess on second thought the 11ga would be the way to go, it's the way that I went.LOL. :hatsoff:

 

[No Deer]

Just one other thing to consider that was not mentioned in the other posts, some states have a limit on the size you can use for hunting. Just thought I would mention that.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The 10 gauge is about the biggest bore allowed by most states. Wads are available for all the common gauges, and up to 6 bore, so that isn't a concern. While the 10 gauge won't extend range, it does allow for a heavier shot charge--useful on larger bodied game.

 

[RiverRat]

Thank You the Forum :bow: I will have plenty to toss around before I order my 1st gun kit. I like what TN Frank said about the 11 has never been copied by modern gun makers, also what trent/Ohio said about the 11's versitility. Everyone brought up excellent points that I will consider. :hatsoff:

 

[TN.Frank]

Glad we could be of help. With guns costing so much these days it's good to do your "homework" before you buy to make sure you get what you really want before you plop down your cold, hard cash. I'd think the 11ga would be a good choice all around being it's between the other two, that's make it a good compramise. :thumbsup:

 

[ffffg]

" While the 10 gauge won't extend range, it does allow for a heavier shot charge--useful on larger bodied game." yes,, very much so.. the 20, 12, and 10 have very little in common in my view.. .. when the weather gets cold, the powder gets slow, and the plumage get thick the 10 will be the way to go on geese.. the 10 will be much heaveir if build right, and usually is used in a blind.. the 12 would be for jump hunting,or pheasants, and could be used for geese.. , and the 20 would be good for pheasant and upland birds, and an occasional duck.... this is a rule of thumb.. to go after geese with a 20 is pretty riduculous with out lead shot, even with lead shot its not fair to the animal.. once you get out to 30 yards your not going to have enought density for consistent wing shots with any gun with cylinder bore.. at this point you will need a body shot and be able to pennetrate, the butt feathers, break the hip, or pennetrate the gut to the vitals such as the lungs, heart or even the breast muscles to bring them down.. my 16 does fine for ducks, but a choked 12 is minumum for geese in my book,(or cyldinder bore if you can get close with decoys).. when it comes to ball lyman steel moulds are my favorite as they are round and have a spru cutoff. the smaller calibers have more sizes to try, the bigger bores your at the mercy of chance that youll get a good fit, my opinion only..... another point.. single gun kits with one barrel outside diameter, and several gauges will have the reverse of weight effect... that is the 12 will be heavier than the 10 which isnt correct in my way of thinking.. but one of them will be the correct weight for the load, game, and situation your planning on using.. the weight also includes the weight of the stocks variations.. jim will tell you the parts weight at the shop there, so you can build a gun of caliber and wieght you need.. a goose gun should be heavey as it will be in the pit with a heavy load.. the 12 and 11 gauge will be more of an all around gun.. when i tried maximum loads in my caballas sxs 10 ga i stopped at 165 grains 2f and one ounce and half of lead.. believe me that kicked.. black powder can and will sometimes kick more than modern guns becouse the weight of the powder is added to the charge upon ignition.... my point is dont get too heavey of a 12 or too light of a 10.. 11 guage could be all around compliment to the 20 if itis not too light or too heavy... dont know for sure ive never shot one.. you can take a rasp to the stock of a gun is too heavey but eventually if you keep going your butt is going to be too light to conteract the long barrel,and it wont pull up right.. i dont meant to make you loose any sleep, but id just ask jim which one balances right in his customers views that have bought them.. and that one may not be in stock this time of year.. good luck dave..

 

[Slamfire]

The International treaties concerning migratory game birds limit shotguns to 10 gauge or smaller which is the reason most states don't allow larger gauges for any non migratory species. Treasties are interesting things in that the other party gets plenty of input and the result, once approved by the Senate abrogates the Constitution. The Migratory game bird treaty has been expanded to cover crows as there is a rare species that lives along the Mexican Border. That was all the excuse the Fish and Wildlife Service needed to set crow hunting regulations that the States couldn't challenge. :shocked2:

 

[oneeye]

The International treaties concerning migratory game birds limit shotguns to 10 gauge or smaller which is the reason most states don't allow larger gauges for any non migratory species. Treasties are interesting things in that the other party gets plenty of input and the result, once approved by the Senate abrogates the Constitution. The Migratory game bird treaty has been expanded to cover crows as there is a rare species that lives along the Mexican Border. That was all the excuse the Fish and Wildlife Service needed to set crow hunting regulations that the States couldn't challenge. :shocked2:

I find your comments about crow hunting restrictions rather puzzling, as there are very little restrictions on hunting them here in Michigan. :hmm:

Dan

 

[paulvallandigham]

There is a closed season on all crow hunting, during the spring, usually, because crows are hunted for food in Mexico, and they wanted something in exchange for restricting hunting in Mexico of Migratory waterfowl, and dove.

 

[bovey]

This crow thing got my interest... We would shoot them when out in the fields on the farm.

Texas Fish and Game says "crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state depredation permit when found committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance."

 

[paulvallandigham]

Most states have nuisance hunting exceptions in their Animal Control Acts, that tend to differ from their Hunting regulations.