Smoothbore Use

[Marc Adamchek]

Here's something to toss out to the masses:

Do more people shoot prbs/conicals out of their smooth bores than bird shot?

For me it's definitely the latter.

This question just kind of grew in my head after reading 3 or 4 years' worth of posts on this forum. I've got to admit, I'm curious

And of course there is no right or wrong answer.

 

[roundball]

Do more people shoot prbs/conicals out of their smooth bores than bird shot?

Might be an intersting POLL question to put up.

While I've christened mine both ways 'just because'...my primary use of them is with shot loads as long as I also have rifles to use on deer.
But I can see the day coming where I'll start paring down the inventory by selling a couple deer rifles, keeping only the .28ga & .20ga smooth-rifles due to their versatility for my hunting needs, and be completely satisfied with that decision.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For me it just depends on which one. I have two definately shot gun type, and one trade gun which is definately prb. (Though the son-in-law hit a clay pigon with it his first try. He was AMAZED, he is from Wales and is new to all guns much less flintlocks !)

 

[buzz]

mine swings both ways

Ilove going tothe modern range and set up two targets one for close in for buck and one far out for PRB and i swap out from shot to shot

 

[Zoar]

My smoothies: usually shot.... Although for grins I will shoot round ball on occasion. :thumbsup:

 

[Leatherbelly]

I'd have to say patched round ball only with my new fowling piece. It's too long for a goose blind or a duck punt.The 50 inch J.Getz barreled late Colonial sure holds nice for PRB shooting tho!~
I've got an old Fusil kit with a stubby 42" offering in the same bore size(28) that I should throw together soon.This will be the "bird gun" only. :grin:
I have been shooting a boring rifle for the last two years and it's so great coming back to the fold! Sheesh, I feel like the prodigal son.

 

[BrownBear]

I finally figured out I'm mostly rifle-oriented in terms of what performance and capabilities I'm looking for with round ball. No, I don't plan on dinking a deer at 100 yards, but I want the capabilities in my hands. And a huge proportion of my shot use is on moving targets.

That's kinda affected the features I look for in a smoothbore- I want them set up for quick handling and good pointing with shot. Yeah, I'll bloop a few round balls out of them just to learn a little, but they don't go hunting with roundballs. My smoothbores lean toward outright shotguns or their architecture. A compromise gun for me would be a fowler rather than a smooth rifle.

 

[Leatherbelly]

I may have to change my name to "le longue carbine"!

 

[hanshi]

Most of my shooting/hunting has been with prb in my (only) .62 smoothbore. Squirrels & turkey comprise the only use of shot. Prb wins out by a large margin in mine.

 

[Lorne Johnson]

Shot.

 

[fistmil]

Most of the time shot, squirrel shot ,that is. I used to shoot round ball often, but not much lately.

 

[Lonegun1894]

Mostly PRB for me, but then again, I have always preferred rifles over shotguns. I am trying to learn more about shooting shot out of mine, but it has been a mental game I have had to play with myself in trying to fight the urge to just use a rifle for everything. I am starting to think the architecture of the piece impacts me more than the rifling or lack of though. My smooth rifle is a 28ga, and I always want to use it as a rifle while experimenting with shot, but my 13ga SxS I tend to think of as a shotgun only, even though it shoots PRBs fairly well also.

 

[user 922]

You mentioned shooting "conicals" from a smoothbore. I think they would be quite inaccurate as they require a rather fast twist rifling to stabilize. Or am I wrong?

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

You mentioned shooting "conicals" from a smoothbore. I think they would be quite inaccurate as they require a rather fast twist rifling to stabilize. Or am I wrong?

No, you are correct, they tend to tumble. At least common .69 Minié balls do when fired from an original M1842 smoothbored musket with an excellent bore. They require a slow 1 in 72 twist as was used in the rifled M1842 and are just not stabilized at all by the smoothbore.

 

[jethro224]

The only smoothbore currently in my BP collection is a Pedersoli Bess. It doesn't make a very good shotgun. PRB accounts for 95% or more of my shots. The occasional squirrel hunt or when they make me shoot clay birds in the smootbore shoot at a rondy are about the only times I ever shoot shot.

As soon as my number comes up on Roy's list I will have a 28ga that will hopefully swing and point better than the Bess. Maybe I'll shoot a bit more shot then but it will still be mostly ball for me.

 

[Stumpkiller]

My flintlock smoothbore is a fowler. It shoots round balls well and could be pressed into a deer tool, but mostly I load shot.

 

[aflineman]

I use trade gun for shot mostly. I picked it up mainly for grouse. Maybe not the best use of it (shoots prb very well); but since most of my hunting is for birds, that is what it will get used for most.

 

[justtim]

I have four smoothbores from 12 ga down to 28ga. The 28ga is a NW Trade Gun and I built it with a heavy barrel to shoot roundball in competition. Typically a match will be 5-6 shots with ball and 3 birds thrown from a trap. That's all the roundball shooting I do with one, the rest are all for shot. The ones for shot were built as "shotguns" with proper fit for me. A ball from these guns is brutal, especially the 12 bore. My muzzle loaders are treated just like my modern guns. Rifles for rifle work and shotguns for shotgun work.
Now that said, if I could have only one gun ? Smoothbore of course.

 

[Rifleman1776]

You mentioned shooting "conicals" from a smoothbore. I think they would be quite inaccurate as they require a rather fast twist rifling to stabilize. Or am I wrong?

No, you are correct, they tend to tumble. At least common .69 Minié balls do when fired from an original M1842 smoothbored musket with an excellent bore. They require a slow 1 in 72 twist as was used in the rifled M1842 and are just not stabilized at all by the smoothbore.

I was waiting for others to chime in on the conicals question. Wuz jest wondering if someone would actually say they do it all the time with great accuracy. :hmm:
Just the idea rubs me the wrong way. Why do folks always want to make something modern out of something old and obselete? We are playing the olde timey game. Keep it that way.
I like smoothies because of versatility. PRB, shot, nail heads, gravel, whatever, they will handle it.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Mine has killed more than a few squirrels. The only time I have hunted quail I was the only one who came home with birds. Against modern shotgun.
Did someone say "versitile"? :wink: