Rifled or Smooth?

Since this Delightful little book, "The Sporting Rifle And It's Projectiles", sent to England 1862, but received in 1863, (I am corrected) is probably not in print any more, I feel that members of this forum should still benefit from this text, as I did.
: I bought a new printing of this book in 1978, through 'The Buckskin Press', Big Timber, Montana. If you don't want me to 'post' these exerps, please let me know.
: Lieuteneant James Forsyth, His Majesty's Royal Service, writes from his posting in Central India, 1862.
: "From the above extracts it will be seen that to get a perfectly true-shooting double-barrelled rifle is a very difficult thing.....(if) it cannot be had, and to such as cannot or do not feel inclined to the necessary expense, I say, do not have a double rifle at all; get a good single one which any maker can turn out, and make up your battery with sound, strong, smooth-bored guns, 12 or 14 gauge."
: Forsyth described a perfectly true-shooting double barrelled rifle as one which shoots parallel, and with low enough breeches that a rib sight through the front bead, causes the ball to rise no more than 1" above the line of sight in it's trajectory. It also shoots from light 2 to 2 1/2 dram loads through bone crushing 4 and 5 dram loads without losing accuracy of fire, but only making the rifle shoot flatter, extending it's point-blank range from 80 to 85yds. No wonder this book caught my fantasy and ending up in my having made, an English Sporting Rifle, single barrel, of 14 guage. , it matched all his "double-gun" requirements for "the perfect hunting gun" as a single.
Daryl

 

[musketman]

I think we can all benefit from a few passages from "The Sporting Rifle And It's Projectiles" by: Lieutenant James Forsyth...

Feel free to share it with us...

 

[riarcher]

Indeed, pass info along. It's part of what I like about this place.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

I have read that some States don't allow double barreled muzzel loaders in there muzzleloader deer season. If that is true why. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[musketman]

Muzzleloaders are suppose to be a one shot thing (in some areas), so a multi-barreled muzzleloader is not reconized by some states, also, if the muzzleloader is a rifle/shotgun combo, then it would be against the law to carry shot during the muzzleloader gun season...

Only the rifled barrel would be allowed to be used, providing it is of leagel caliber...

 

[Deadeye]

Good question RJ, wish I knew a good answer. A lot of animals are allowed to go off and die a lingering death because of this rule(we have that rule here)yet all sorts of modern muzzleloaders and gadgets for reloading are allowed in what should be a primitive hunt. It's sort of the same thinking that (in some places)allows .410 shotguns for geese but bans 10 ga. :: :curse:

 

Our old muzzleloading season wasn't like that at all, it was a "Prmitive Weapns Hunt" for Moose and 4 point deer - that included all primitive weapons & I suppose spears if that's your forte'. There were few, if any bow hunters due to the weather. At the time of year of the hunt, weather could be 32F to 40F, but only when a chinook blew through. Mostly it was -20 to -56 at the coldest we hunted, one year.
: When the In-lines appeared, the hunt was cancelled - that was the final straw. Yes, they were muzzleloaders, but anything but primitve. We had quite a talk with a couple of the officers that last year and they were disgusted with what they saw in every camp but ours. We, my Bro, buddy Brad & I, were the only ones hunting with side hammer guns. Taylor hunted with a .20 Bore fowler, Brad with a side by side .58 and me with the .69 English gun- all with round ball. All the other camps had inlines, some side hammers mostly with RB but not all. All of their guns mentioned, side hammer and inlines alike, had scopes. That really upset the officers.
: The officers told us this was likely to be the last season due to the "Flavour" of the hunt being spoiled by these law shavers. They were right. They also told us about the moose they found after the hunts for several years, dead but not collected & we asked what slugs they found. We knew they used detectors to find bullets, then cut in after them. They told us they were mostly elongated bullets, "like the ones used in the store-bought Hawkens". "Maxiballs?" - "Yes, they said." We told them we'd gotten more and more guys to use RB's but not all.
: They told us they'd not recovered any round balls. What does that say?
: Anyway, just in the last 2 years, the Special Weapons hunt has been re-started. It allows stick bows & recurves, no compounds, muzzleloaders with side hammers, round balls only & open sights, of course. Unfortunately, it is a deer season only, we've lost the late moose hunt.
Daryl