NorthStar Canoe Gun

[wayne37]

Hey Guy's, I've been thinking about ordering a
canoe gun from Northstar West does anyone have
one ? How are opinions about performance with a small carbine flintlock ?

 

[wulf]

I don't have a North Star but I do have one that i
made. It is a 58 cal. with a 26" barrel. 50gr of
FF is OK but at 55 it get rather sharp on the arm
pit. Accurcy is good but distance is not something
it would be famous for. The drop is noticable and
a much higher aim required.[naturally]This would be 'close encounters' for sure.I used myne when in
the saddle..didn't take up much room on my back.

 

[Le Grand]

Wayne, Those North Star West guns perform just great and for close work on small game the Canoe Gun will have you taking meat back to the campfire. The short barrel doesn't lose very much but you're not getting a duck and goose gun. Okay, you can jump shoot ducks but keep your shots close. The shorter buttstock might be more noticeable, it's only 12", so keep your thumb away from your nose. Go for it, I'll bet you like it.

 

[Le Grand]

Wayne, I just noticed something. This chat should be in the Smoothbore section. You must realize that a Canoe Gun by North Star West is not a rifle...?

 

[poordevil]

I ordered a short .75 cal from Early Rustic Arms. I keep hearing they are still in Buss. have no proof of it. If I ever get it I am sure it will be quite the blaster!

 

[wayne37]

Thanks Guys

 

[old ugly]

i don,t have a canoe gun but i used a northstar west "old english" 20guage for many years . top notch maufacture

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Is this the only gun you will have? Because if it is, maybe you ought to give this some more thought. And if you have other guns and are expecting this to be a truly useful and versatile gun you will be disappointed. I have heard it said that using one of these short barreled pop guns beats throwing rocks, but people whose opinons I value say that is simply not true.

Think of it more as being a pistol with a 20" barrel in terms of ballistics rather than a short trade gun. You will not get much velocity with either shot or ball out of that short barrel. It is simply not possible. You just can't burn enough powder in there to get things moving very fast. If you like shooting rabbits up close and a short length of pull sounds like fun you may find that you can live with this gun. Or if you plan on running bison where contact shooting was usual this might be the gun for you. For about the same money, you can get a full size trade gun with a 36" or longer barrel that will actually be of use in several hunting scenarios--pretty much anything you are likely to hunt in fact. They used to offer the gun in 16 gauge and that would make it even more useful. Good luck.

 

[wayne37]

Thanks Russ, I was thinking the same thing. I figure it would be good to about 50 yards which really limits it's game getting..

 

[pichou]

I would go with the NWTG with a 36" bbl.

It's a handy size for just about anything.

Whatever you decide, you can't go wrong with NSW.

 

[old ugly]

i think you will have a hard time hitting much at 50 yards . with no rear sites , short barrel , no rifling . jmo

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Maybe 20 yards with the wind at your back. On a rabbit that was thinking about dying anyway. 15 yards is really more like it, though.

 

[MikeC]

It is a smoothbore not a rifle, that being said I would go with the 41" barrel. No less than 36" for sure.

Only my opinion, but a "canoe gun" is a novelty gun. Something you get when you got everything else you could put to pratical use, but just "need" to order something just "because".

 

[poordevil]

I understand that tests have shown that a barrel over 24" gaines you little or nothing in VOL. so to say a short smooth bore is good to only 15yrds is kind of silly

P

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

That may be true in some rifles. Maybe. I wouldn't count on it in smootbores--particularly when the barrels get this short. When you factor in the loss of recoil absorbing weight and the miniscule sighting plane, you've lost way more than whatever you'd hoped to gain with the short barrel. But if a body really wants a short barreled, short range bunny gun with a very short length of pull there is no doubt in my mind that NSW makes the best one using the best components.

 

[Mike Brooks]

so to say a short smooth bore is good to only 15yrds is kind of silly

Try it. :wink:

 

[flintlock75]

I have a Curly Built Northstar Tradegun witha 21" barrel, i have taken many birds and rabbits with it as well as a moose. I installed a rear sight for shooting PRB and it will shoot a 3-4" group at 50 yards. I can hit a B-27 target at 75 yards.
I shoot 70grs of 3F with a .600 rb. or 1 1/4 oz of 7 1/2 shot it puts out a killing pattern at 25 yards just fine. The moose i shot was under 25yards and broadside it did not go far.
Short barrel smoothbores a fun and if used within there limitations they will do the job.

 

[wayne37]

Thanks flintlock thats what I was looking for. Do
you have a shortene buttstock or is it a 14" length of pull ? Wayne

 

[PvtC]

I'm with RussT here. If you get the canoe gun you may someday wish you had gone with a 3 to 3 1/2 foot barrel. if you get the long gun you will never regret it.

 

[hanshi]

Short guns are handy and easy to carry. If I were to get a short smoothbore I'd have a rear sight put on it when it is built. That would make prb accuracy possible and wouldn't hurt shot gunning. I'm having a 38" fowler built and it will carry a rear sight.

Barrels do continue to increase velocity (rifles) as they get longer. A point is reached, however, where longer is not faster. A 42" barrel will "normally" increase velocity over a 36" barrel. for smoothbores I don't think it makes that much difference. Some, but not a lot. Also when you fire a .600 round ball, (much)velocity is not needed.