Barrel length

[northof58]

I have been shooting a 54 Lyman Trade Rifle. This winter I built a 45 flintlock off some parts I found and a piece of walnut I had. I had so much fun doing it, that I want to do another one. I am thinking of a .62 smoothie. What length of barrel should I be ordering? I would like to shoot both round ball and shot from it. Round ball for deer or moose and shot for grouse etc.

 

[rabjr]

The longer the better. Smoothys just plain look the best with long barrels 42" + if you don't mind the length. And you'd be surprised how light a long barreled smoothy can be. :thumbsup:

 

[Twice boom]

Grouse? You wanna kill at what you shoot or do you want to just shoot at them.:>) If you want to kill em'on the wing nothing over 30" and closer to 28" .
Twice.

 

[northof58]

I do like the looks of the long guns but you have a point on shooting grouse. I am used to shooting them with a 22 or 12 guage full choke. For the most part it is shooting them in the bush on the ground or in a tree. It means aiming above their heads, letting the outer part of the shot pattern kill them without damaging the meat. Most shots at grouse are 20 yards and less. I guess the better question is how does the long barrel and the shorter barrels pattern out of a smoothie with no choke at those distances?

 

[August West]

My current favorite is a 27" barrel and honestly I think it patterns better than my 42", both are cylinder bore. Chris

 

[Twice boom]

Can't go by my present gun. But the 14 gauge Thomas Cook I had was one hell of a strong shooter at 25 yards.
Long vs. shorter? Never had a long barreled one. Only thing I can say is the old theory that longer barreled guns,shot straighetre and harder has gone out of the window about 200 hundred years now. The Jaeger guns proved that and black powder needing 24" for full ignition makes the long barrel obsolete for anything other than looks..
You just going to have to weigh which is more important to you ,practicality/ and looks or looks.
Twice

 

[akapennypincher]

40-44 INCHES would be my choice!

 

[tg]

Grouse

") If you want to kill em'on the wing nothing over 30" and closer to 28"


Absoulte K-wrap-Ola I have hunted Grouse for quite a few years with 41-44" barrrels in heavy brush with .58-.62 open bore and scored very well when compared to the old days of centrefires in the 60's lots of MtQuail as well, if you have not tried the long guns of the past you really do not have much in the way of offering any opinion about how well they work, there are times you might not get the shot with a 24" tube stuff happens but generalizations based on no knowledge are not very helpfull, but might help build your integrity, or give you cause to ignore everything youever read in a history book, many bird hunters do well with guns with barrel in the 40+ inch class inspite of what many self proclaimed experts might have one think.Missinformation is a terrible thing. this post not intended to be in any particular order.

 

[Homesteader]

I've gotta admit I was surprised how easy it is to swing my English fowler (built for me by Roy Stroh), and it's got a 48" barrel! It's tapered and very well balanced, and I've used it successfully for "skeet" type shooting and have taken more than a couple of bunnies with it. Personally, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool long barrel man when it comes to rock-locks.
:thumbsup:

 

[Twice boom]

Brother tg. You might but I suspect living in Oregon you don't do much grouse hunting west of the cascades. I know because I lived there for ten years or so and I can promise you walking in fern covered forest with blow downs and all, grouse would be the last bird you would want to hunt. Mountain quail,yea I done that too. Most Oregon guys drive logging roads looking for them along the side .Park the truck and ground sloughs them.Oh,by the way that's the way they hunt Grouse too. :rotf: And you know I am not BS'n.

By the way, are you saying 44" barrels are better at hunting grouse with than a 28" barrel. And Bro,I didn't say someone can't hunt with 44" barrel, I said it is not the ideal barrel to do it with.Reading comprehension is a rare commodity around here when romanticism runs a mock.
Twice.

 

[tg]

The very light well fitted logbarreled guns will swing quite fast once you give then a try I find that the gun is carried a bit differently that I used to carry a Winnie Pump but I do not feel at all handicaped with an opem choke and long barrel in cover for Grouse.quail,doves even Pheasnts out to 20 yds most shots I have are usually closer, I run 1 1/8 oz 5's or 6's in a .58 bore with 50-60 gr powder, it is a different world than the typical scattergunning most grew up with, many just duplicate all of that style/methods but with a gun that loads from the front, but the long guns work well if one can learn to use them, but unlearning something else first may be a hurdle, this is not uncommon when going to ML's

 

[northof58]

Thanks for all the replies. I was debating whether the long gun would handicap me and whether the shorter gun would pattern well and I would end up wishing that I had bought a longer barrel. It sounds like it is a matter of preference. Right now I have a 28" Lyman and 32" that I made. I think that a Long barrel would fit nicely into that mix. Thank you for the help.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I'm building a 16ga. fowler right now with a 44" barrel. I fully intend on hunting blue grouse with it. We always hunted them by shooting them out of a tree, and I don't see why a 44" barrel will be a handicap.

 

[Mike Brooks]

In my experience, the longer the barrel the tighter the shot pattern it will throw.

 

[tg]

I have heard many say this Mike and do not doubt it, but I do not think that 42-48"length could get a pattern to tight in an open bore gun for birds under 20 yds, most go to some measure to tighten up the patterns for other game for 25-30 yds,some may not be able to get on with the use of a longer gun but such a lack of the skill sets is no resaon to condem the longer guns as "unfit" just due to length, there is a modern based mindset about smoothguns and rifles that one must have a short little gun for brush busting or swinging in cover which I did not buy into in the centerfire world or when I started shooting ML's, just my personal observations, I busted about the same number of clay birds with a NW gun /41" barrel when I started using flint smoothies as I had 25+ years ago with a Winnie/Remy with 26-30 inch tubes the ML was a new experience on birds but the barrel length was the least of the things I felt needed addressed.

 

[roundball]

I have been shooting a 54 Lyman Trade Rifle. This winter I built a 45 flintlock off some parts I found and a piece of walnut I had. I had so much fun doing it, that I want to do another one. I am thinking of a .62 smoothie. What length of barrel should I be ordering? I would like to shoot both round ball and shot from it. Round ball for deer or moose and shot for grouse etc.

IMO, as long as it's well balanced it shouldn't be a problem...doesn't even have to be light, in fact some weight can help with follow through...but just don't want it terribly nose heavy that might make getting the swing started a whisker slower than normal...if it balances back between the hands it should handle fine.

Never had a moments problem shooting skeet and trap targets, doves, crows, etc, with 32" GM .28/.20ga barrels.
And my 38" Rice D-weight swamped .20ga barrel is so well balanced in the Virginia stock that's its like handling a Marlin .30-30, very quick and lively in the hands.

Have a 42" .28ga Virginia that'll be here next week so I'll have that longer barrel to play with some this year too

 

[Twice boom]

:thumbsup: :rotf: :rotf: Right on Bro you'll be right at home with that baby.
Twice.

 

[Twice boom]

I busted about the same number of clay birds with a NW gun /41" barrel when I started using flint smoothies as I had 25+ years ago with a Winnie/Remy with 26-30 inch tubes the ML was a new experience on birds but the barrel length was the least of the things I felt needed addressed.

You busted the same amount of clay birds eh? well how many less was that ..
Again you are not arguing with me ,you are arguing with the law of Physics and here why. You can stand on the skeet pad and pre mount your long barreled Tom establish you lead and call for the bird. No trees no,branches,no element of surprise ,no BRRRRRRRRR to get your adrenaline pumping . No having to mount and cock and swing the long Toms barrel on or past the bird before you drop the hammer.

All is made to sound nice and easy sitting in front of the computer’s key board but when someone takes the time to break down exactly what happens in REAL life on a Real Grouse Hunt the Law of Physic just can't be denied of the truth....


Twice.

 

[Twice boom]

In my experience, the longer the barrel the tighter the shot pattern it will throw.

Each gun is differnt,so I will give you that.

Still it takes quite a bit more to get them swinging before you can make your tighter pattern count.

I wish I had you guys that argue the long barells worth as wing shooter along with me on a gambles quail hunt in Arizona .. I would have been :rotf:

But I do admit they are in their proper element when re enacting or when trying to make a connection with the past .

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

..............

All is made to sound nice and easy sitting in front of the computer’s key board but when someone takes the time to break down exactly what happens in REAL life on a Real Grouse Hunt the Law of Physic just can't be denied of the truth....


Twice.

Twice, you may be right however your experience doesn't include the use of the long barrel and tg's does - he has been quite successful using the long barrel just as you have been with short barrels. The laws of physics still apply, they are not changed by barrel length. It is just a matter or personal taste - it just takes practice using what you have.

Personally I come down on the side of long barrels - 44.5 inch long and .69 caliber but it does take a lot of work to hit a quail with a .64 caliber round ball..... Maybe that's where the laws of physics come in? :idunno: 20 years of school and I still don't know or have forgotten in the intervening time.