I have a custom made fowling piece made for me as a gift. The maker is a life-long BP shooter, and gun maker.
Its 20 ga.- actually closer to 19 gauge! Its an ideal caliber for both RB and shot loads given the limited range for hunting game with any smoothbore.
Barrel is 1/2 round, 1/2 octagon, and only(?) 30" long. I would have preferred a barrel that was 36" long, but I have to honestly say that I find no problems using this slightly shorter barrel. one of my modern shotguns have barrels longer than 30".
BALANCE and LIGHT WEIGHT are the most important attributes for a great fowling piece. My gun weighs between 7 and 8 lbs. Its balance is superb.
The lock is a LH Chambers/Siler flintlock. The maker widened the pan to make a larger "target" for the sparks to hit, and drilled the TH .020" above the top rim of the pan. Heat rises, so that this position makes ignition very reliable and quick. The pan is polished mirror smooth, so that it is easily cleaned with a wipe with a spit dampened cleaning patch.
Being a LH gun, I make no claim that it represents any particular school, or guns from some particular European country. The stock and furniture of my gun share attributes from French, English, German, and Dutch guns. Its very "American" in that regard. No one looking at my gun will confuse it with any original, to be sure! But, there is no doubt that it was built to provide me with a fowling piece in design and function. The stock was fitted to me, and has some " Cast-On" to the stock. I don't know how common cast-off is on original fowling pieces, and it does not matter to me if there was never a stock made in the 17th and 18th centuries w/o cast.
Guns are tools. Make your tools work for you. Meeting some PC/HC design should be secondary in your concerns, IMHO. :hmm: :hatsoff:
The purists can now begin firing at me. I can take it. :grin: