- Joined
- Oct 21, 2013
- Messages
- 322
- Reaction score
- 252
Late last year I decided I needed a Trade Gun and began the hunt. After looking for availability of existing Trade Guns at all the normal places I decided to have one built. Several members of a FB group pointed me in the direction of Rob Miller as the go to guy for Trade Guns. I tracked down Rob and he talked me through the particulars of what I wanted. Based on parts he had on hand we decided on a Type G Carolina 24/.58 with a 26” barrel. This put me in the historical time frame I wanted and would make a handy woods gun around my place. Rob did a great job keeping me informed as he made progress on the gun. True to his word Rob had the Trade Gun ready to ship mid- February and I received it this past Friday. The Carolina arrived well packed and I couldn’t wait to see it in person. Rob had sent photos but obviously not the same as having it in hand! I had envisioned a handy gun but was floored by the weight and how well it handled. I placed the Carolina on the food scale and was shocked, 3.1 #s and change! Looking the Carolina over, Rob did a heck of a job with fit and finish. Rob uses an aged finish on his guns and he certainly nailed it with this one. Several days of rain had the Carolina sitting in the corner until today.
I figured since this is a walking around gun for targets of opportunity I would test some realistic distances with shot and round ball. Point of bunny was about 20 yards on hanging steel targets and I thought the 26” barrel did a pretty good job grouping at that distance. I also tried .58 round ball with an over-powder wad followed by a naked RB with a shot card on top. I was able to nail the 12” gong without issue and will certainly try to work on better accuracy on paper later on. All shooting was done with 50 grains and it seemed like a good load.
To wrap it up, Rob Miller makes a heck of a custom Trade Gun and is very knowledgeable about the history of these great guns. I found Rob to be honest, straightforward, and an amazing craftsman. If you’re in the market for a Trade Gun I don’t think you could find a better builder. Thanks again Rob, she is definitely a keeper!
I figured since this is a walking around gun for targets of opportunity I would test some realistic distances with shot and round ball. Point of bunny was about 20 yards on hanging steel targets and I thought the 26” barrel did a pretty good job grouping at that distance. I also tried .58 round ball with an over-powder wad followed by a naked RB with a shot card on top. I was able to nail the 12” gong without issue and will certainly try to work on better accuracy on paper later on. All shooting was done with 50 grains and it seemed like a good load.
To wrap it up, Rob Miller makes a heck of a custom Trade Gun and is very knowledgeable about the history of these great guns. I found Rob to be honest, straightforward, and an amazing craftsman. If you’re in the market for a Trade Gun I don’t think you could find a better builder. Thanks again Rob, she is definitely a keeper!
