Smooth bores

[WALT53]

Gentlemen I have not been at this as long as most you have but I’m beginning to think that these guns are as finicky or more than the
Misses .Sure can be frustrating at times but rewarding when you finally figure them out and I guess they don’t give a fellow s@#t for
Cussing when things are going right.lollolJust thinking out loud and knowing the boss won’t be reading this or hoping she won’t lol.

 

[smoothshooter]

Gentlemen I have not been at this as long as most you have but I’m beginning to think that these guns are as finicky or more than the
Misses .Sure can be frustrating at times but rewarding when you finally figure them out and I guess they don’t give a fellow s@#t for
Cussing when things are going right.lollolJust thinking out loud and knowing the boss won’t be reading this or hoping she won’t lol.

As much as I like smoothbores, I have to admit that rifles are a lot less trouble.

 

[Cruzatte]

As much as I like smoothbores, I have to admit that rifles are a lot less trouble.

Agreed. At least I now feel like I'm not the only one.

 

[TDM]

Pshaw! They’re as accurate as a rifle out past (fill in the blank)!

 

[Rob M.]

Funny ... I hear the whole " smoothbores are such a pain " or " smoothbores are so complicated " .... on here all the time.
.I've never got that .....ever . Powder , wad , projectile , wad .....prime and shoot . ...and takes me 8-12 min. to clean . Never saw anything complicated about it . I hope you all get to enjoying your guns ....sincerely . Sorry your having problems . Take care ....

 

[TDM]

I still love them @Rob M.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Walt. Try some alternatives.
Try a lot more shot.
Try two balls.
Try a stack of large shot. What you got...28g, should be around .550". Try a few #4 buck, say 27 of them.
Personally I would not shoot it from the bench but shoot it off hand at game sized targets to get a real expectation of the abilities.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I have never had much trouble with them.

 

[bud in pa]

Being on a fixed income I can't afford a collection. I settled on a smoothbore because it is good for everything I hunt and the conditions I hunt in. Clean up is easier then a rifled barrel, no grooves for residue to hide in. I spent a couple of days working up loads that I could hunt with. That was the terrible part shooting a black powder gun for a few hours each day.

 

[WALT53]

..Walt. Try some alternatives.
Try a lot more shot.
Try two balls.
Try a stack of large shot. What you got...28g, should be around .550". Try a few #4 buck, say 27 of them.
Personally I would not shoot it from the bench but shoot it off hand at game sized targets to get a real expectation of the abilities.

I do shoot off hand and still gonna try more with it.

I have never had much trouble with them.

with mine I find one little change makes a difference.

Funny ... I hear the whole " smoothbores are such a pain " or " smoothbores are so complicated " .... on here all the time.
.I've never got that .....ever . Powder , wad , projectile , wad .....prime and shoot . ...and takes me 8-12 min. to clean . Never saw anything complicated about it . I hope you all get to enjoying your guns ....sincerely . Sorry your having problems . Take care ....

could be the fact that I’m fairly new to flint locks and then smoothbores to boot.

As much as I like smoothbores, I have to admit that rifles are a lot less trouble.

i have to agree.

Agreed. At least I now feel like I'm not the only one.

me to .

 

[NorthFork]

As much as I like smoothbores, I have to admit that rifles are a lot less trouble.

I disagree respectfully.

 

[NorthFork]

Funny ... I hear the whole " smoothbores are such a pain " or " smoothbores are so complicated " .... on here all the time.
.I've never got that .....ever . Powder , wad , projectile , wad .....prime and shoot . ...and takes me 8-12 min. to clean . Never saw anything complicated about it . I hope you all get to enjoying your guns ....sincerely . Sorry your having problems . Take care ....

I agree!

 

[Relic shooter]

I disagree respectfully.

Ditto; Relic shooter

 

[NorthFork]

@WALT53

What are you trying to accomplish? Balls or shot or both? I'm no expert, but there are experts here, and between the real experts and non-experts I'm sure we can get you shooting straight!

 

[waksupi]

To me, smooth bores are simple. I can usually shoot right up with any rifle shooter on a woods walk, and have won more than a few.

 

[Relic shooter]

Flint smoothbores are a tad more fun !!
For many years I've shot primarily original big bore rifled Jeagers in competition matches & for long range hunting mainly because I have a fetish for shooting tight groups.
That being said, I get more fun out of shooting the 20ga./.62 cal. French style smoothbore rifle I built & regulated the barrel to be dead-on @50 yds. I've won several 50yd rifle matches with this smoothbore.

Folks I've observed who were having troubles with flint rifles & smoothbores needed their locks tuned, were not using the correct patch & ball combo or both.
Cleaning a flat breached smoothbore is much faster & simpler than a rifled gun with a flat faced breach scraper & a good bore cleaner.
As a former owner of a BP store I continue to use my all-time favorite formula patch lube & bore cleaner given to me about 40 years ago by an old timer at Friendship. I know many of you continue using the same.
The inexpensive 3-part formula is a 1/3rd mixture each of rubbing alcohol, Murphy's Oil Soap & hydrogen peroxide.
This mixture also makes a great hand & frizzen cleaner at the range
Relic shooter

 

[hanshi]

Pshaw! They’re as accurate as a rifle out past (fill in the blank)!

For me it's about 50 to 60 yards.

 

[WALT53]

Funny ... I hear the whole " smoothbores are such a pain " or " smoothbores are so complicated " .... on here all the time.
.I've never got that .....ever . Powder , wad , projectile , wad .....prime and shoot . ...and takes me 8-12 min. to clean . Never saw anything complicated about it . I hope you all get to enjoying your guns ....sincerely . Sorry your having problems . Take care ....

Wasn’t meaning they were a pain just finicky for someone new to the old girls,still learning but getting it figured out.

 

[Rob M.]

Wasn’t meaning they were a pain just finicky for someone new to the old girls,still learning but getting it figured out.

Oh I know . Just sorry folks are having such troubles or are no enjoying them so much as it seems from their posts I see on here ....

 

[user 53846]

Easy transition from rifled to smooth bore, for me. Load development is crucial. Every gun has a favorite loading, patch, ball size. Half the fun of them, is learning their foibles. Easier to clean, lighter to carry, force you to actually hunt a game animal, not murder it from a half mile off. A thrilling way to spend some time.....From a 100% dedicated, Flintlock Smooth Bore Shooter.