Tradegun vs Smooth Rifle Accuracy @ 100 yds

[gerryherd]

Anyone care to comment on how a smoothrifle's accuracy potentially compares with a trade gun's of the same caliber? From experience with my tradegun and reviewing posts on ML forum, the consensus seems to be a smoothbore tradegun can hold its own w/ a rifle out to 50 yards and maybe to 65-70 yards. I brought my tradegun out of retirement last week, and was able to get it to shoot reasonably good (maybe 3 or 4 inches) out to 50 yds, but when I tried it at 100 yds, I was surprised when I couldn't reliably keep the balls on a 36X36" piece of paper.

A smooth rifle would presumably have the same bullet stabilization issues that a tradegun has. I was wondering how much extra accuracy downrange towards 100 yds a smooth rifle's rear sight buys you.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've found that the heavier the barrel, the more accurate at distance the gun is. Therefore, a "smooth rifle" with a heavier barrel will be more accurate...there are always exceptions....

 

...may have to do with (a) a smoothrifle has a rear sight and (b) a smoothrifle typically has a stiffer barrel than a fusil/trade gun barrel.

 

[fho]

Gerryherd;
What is a smooth rifle?
Olie

 

[Okwaho]

Smooth rifles are long rifles designed and built as rifles but without rifling.They usually but not always have all the features of a rifle including a cheek piece,box,carving,swamped octagonal barrel,rifle sights and rifle mounts.Generally the only way you can tell is to examine the bore.They were often referred to as buck and ball rifles.I once looked a large group of rifles in and of the ones where the presence of rifling was noted,the ratio was about 50+ - 40+ I need to go back and double check withj a larger number of guns.
Tom Patton