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Larger bore fowler

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Tennessee.45

40 Cal.
Joined
May 8, 2016
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Have a friend interested in having me build him a large bore fowler, he’s undecided about which size bore he wants. He said he’s mainly going to use it for turkey hunting but wants to load a patch ball for hog hunting on occasion. I have a 24 gauge fowler myself but have no experice with the larger bores. Would like y’alls opinion.
 
A 20ga (.62 caliber) fowler is probably the most common and will work for Squirrel, Rabbit, Turkey, Deer, Elk and pretty much anything else. Ball, Cards and Wads are easy to find.
 
Hi,
For an all round but fairly light gun, I would go for 16 gauge. A 12 gauge might be better for boar but a 16 will shoot a patched 62 cal ball, and handle a heavy load, and would be fine for all the smaller stuff. In addition, commercially available 16 and 20 gauge barrels usually have the same outside dimensions so the 16 will be lighter.

dave
 
Well, if it's going to be left as a cylinder bore you're going to want a LOT of shot going down range to get a decent amount out there for turkeys at a decent range. I always hunted them with a full choked 12 gauge just to make sure I had enough concentration for a turkey's head out to 40 yards. In that case, I would suggest a 4 gauge. A cylinder bored 20 gauge might only give you a practical maximum range of about 20-25 yards.
 
Tennessee.45 said:
I have a 24 gauge fowler myself but have no experice with the larger bores. Would like y’alls opinion.

I've shot a whole mess of birds using modern 28 gauge, so for your personal reference and with the forbearance of the moderators for a moment of modern talk, I'll add this before returning to muzzleloaders where I belong.

The relevant point of the modern talk is pheasant hunting in creek bottoms with lots of willows and brush. Close, very fast shooting with 5/8-ounce shot charges and skeet chokes, darned near cylinder bore. Wicked as can be out to about 20 yards where whole-bird hits are good enough. Now and then I've failed to change chokes when we moved out into the open and shots stretched.

Using that little bit of choke (Skeet 1 and 2) in the 28, whole bird shots went to pieces on me at somewhere around 25 yards. Shooting a 20 gauge with the same chokes and 7/8 oz stretched that to maybe 30, and a 12 with 1 1/8 oz poked the range out to no more than 35. The numbers are relevant because the range limit is about 30 with my CYL bored 12 gauge muzzleloader and 1 1/8 ounces.

A fair bit of load testing and patterning with my 12 SxS muzzleloader tells me if a guy wants to hit turkey heads, it's gonna be equal parts load development, charge weight, and frankly the choke you use.

Twas me building the fowler for him with turkey in mind, I'd build a 12, jug choke it, and do a bunch of load testing. The jug choke will be just fine for ball shooting at hogs, but for turkey heads you'll need the jug choke, larger shot charges and a very reliable load to stretch the range anywhere close to "modern" ranges. I'd choose the 12 over a 20 or even a 16, just because it should be a little more helpful in stretching the range on turkey heads.

I'm not totally guilty of supposition, cuzz a bud has a 12 gauge fowler he uses up here for ptarmigan and ducks. He built it CYL bore and got pretty frustrated with the range limits cuzz he was used to modern gear. He had it jug choked, and now he has to wait a bit on close birds before popping a cap, just so he doesn't overload them with shot inside 20 yards. Sure puts a smile on his face, and he's making plans for a turkey safari next spring. And yeah, he whangs a whole mess of deer with ball going through the jug choke.
 
I’ve been thinking about a 20 or a 16 gauge with a jug choke for myself, has anyone done a jug choke themselves?
 
Danny Caywood does them, and I think he charges around $75 for the job. At that price I wouldn't trust myself to do it right, but I certainly understand the desire and motivation to do it all yourself if you can.
 
Tennessee.45 said:
I’ve been thinking about a 20 or a 16 gauge with a jug choke for myself, has anyone done a jug choke themselves?

When we had access to my Bud's Old shop ( before he retired ) we made a pair of 16 gauge barrels with Jug Chokes. Did all the work on a Howa lathe. He later took a Turkey with his barrel!!

Respect Always
Metalshaper/Dagwood
 
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