Trying to figure out which rifle is more hard to come by if I dont buy it

[Grenadier1758]

The hardest rifle to find a replacement for will be the one you leave on the table.

 

[Murphy_Roberts]

I see a lot more .50's for sale here than .62's.
You don't mention the length of your smoothbore.
I prefer long barrels, but if the smoothbore is long, then the shorter .62 would seem to be the best choice.
If your smoothbore is not so long, then it's more of a decision between a long barrel or a rarer, shorter rifle.
Either way, I think you win!

Sorry for the late reply, my smoothbore 16ga fowler has a 37 9/16" barrel, the lock is a Davis and the barrel is round all the way with a front sight and removable rear that flips up to 100 yards ( I don't think I can hit anything at that range). It handles well and I don't know it's exact weight but I assume its in the ballpark of 9 or 10 pounds. I have been trying my best to get good at range but I can't hit the broadside of a barn. I bought my smoothbore incase I couldn't find a rifle in time I could legally take deer. Is .62 really that rare in a rifle ? I figured it would be common like .58 cal.

 

[SmoothboreMurph]

I have come into this problem a few time myself. What I can tell you is this, .62 caliber is rare in a rifle let alone a flintlock rifle. The barrel length puts it in the area of most "Kentucky" rifles. .50 is more common and everyone has it so supplies are cheaper. So in my opinion you can go down two roads. You can buy the 50 caliber rifle and have the longest rifle in your group or you can buy the .62 cal and probably have the largest caliber rifle in your group. That you help you in the decision for what prestige the rifle you choose might bring you. Secondly, if you are still going down the path of your last post and don't want to spend a lot of money on ML rifles then you might want to go with the .62 cal rifle. This rifle will take Deer, Coyote, Bear, Elk, Wild Boar, Cougar and if you ever can manage it a Moose or Caribou. It will humanely kill any animal in North America that you find in your sights. If that isn't your goal and you want to stay local then .50 cal is good because Deer and Coyote don't outlast a well placed .50 ball. Bear will not think twice to scoot when a 1/2" lead ball finds its way under their skin same as Cougar. Personally my dream rifle is a .62 caliber or larger in either a 46" barrel long rifle or a 31" barrel Jaeger rifle configuration.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The 62 caliber rifle will be quite similar in performance to your fusil. The fowling gun with its front and rear sights should be accurate enough for your hunting requirements with a bit of practice and load development.

The 50 caliber seems to be the rifle to get to expand your flintlock experience.

Look into grief counseling to address the sense of loss about the other rifle.

 

[Murphy_Roberts]

The 62 caliber rifle will be quite similar in performance to your fusil. The fowling gun with its front and rear sights should be accurate enough for your hunting requirements with a bit of practice and load development.

The 50 caliber seems to be the rifle to get to expand your flintlock experience.

Look into grief counseling to address the sense of loss about the other rifle.

Does the smaller ball achieve better velocity than a larger ball ? I know you said that the barrel lengths don't matter but do the smaller calibers achieve better velocity than the larger ones?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Yes, the smaller ball will have higher velocity.

 

[Murphy_Roberts]

Yes, the smaller ball will have higher velocity.

I see your point then about the .62 having the same performance to my fowler. If I buy a rifle I might as well get a rifle that can reach out farther and more accurately than my fowler can. Thank you for all your help.

 

[Brokennock]

I see your point then about the .62 having the same performance to my fowler. If I buy a rifle I might as well get a rifle that can reach out farther and more accurately than my fowler can. Thank you for all your help.

The .62 rifle will still be more "accurate" than your .62 smoothbore.
1st off, it will have rifling. I doubt we need to explain this advantage.
2nd, it will have front and rear sights, thus not relying on your eye being in the same place in relation to the barrel and front sight every time you shoulder and cheek the gun.
Drop might be similar, but not the same as the ball will be more stable. But also you may wind up shooting a slightly smaller ball, given the need for a patch, in the .62 rifle, compared to what you can shoot from a .62 smoothbore.
Your smoothbore barrel is a little on the short side for shooting ball when compared to most smoothrifles, buck-n-ball guns, and fowling pieces.

The shorter .62 rifle barrel length combined with the large caliber puts me on mind of early rifles like the "Marshall rifle" and some others with earlier attributions.

 

[martin9]

Calling a .62 rare is kinda misleading. You can get a .62 rifle barrel from any barrel maker just as easily as a .50. The big manufacturers made a lot of .50s so there are more of those out there. When talking customs, calibers don't really factor in to the rarity of it. Better to look at the build quality and the quality of the components.

 

[sheriff john]

It's your decision, period. The larger bore, for me, would be harder to master for several reasons - trajectory not as flat as the .50, recoil with even minimal loads to reach 100 yard targets, and scarcity of factory projectiles. The .50 provides flexibility - lots more options for projectiles, little recoil, plenty of power (it'll kill anything with hair).

After 50 years shooting M/L's, I'm learning to shoot my first .58. Unless loaded really heavy, it's like throwing bowling balls. Easier to see holes in targets, tho'. (when I hit paper). At best, me and my .58 won't be shooting at deer much beyond 60 yards.

 

[SamTex1949]

back to "PICS ! if you can handle them you can take a pic and post ! We like pics and a good set will assist many here in offering some sound advice

 

[stank]

Buy the 62

 

[LME]

They are both rifles

You have to have riflings to be a rifle? Smooth bores are just shotguns? Tongue in cheek! LOL!

 

[Grenadier1758]

Sorry for the late reply, my smoothbore 16ga fowler has a 37 9/16" barrel, the lock is a Davis and the barrel is round all the way with a front sight and removable rear that flips up to 100 yards ( I don't think I can hit anything at that range). It handles well and I don't know it's exact weight but I assume its in the ballpark of 9 or 10 pounds. I have been trying my best to get good at range but I can't hit the broadside of a barn. I bought my smoothbore incase I couldn't find a rifle in time I could legally take deer. Is .62 really that rare in a rifle ? I figured it would be common like .58 cal.

The fusil (fowling gun) does have front and rear sights. Yes, the 62 caliber rifled gun will be more accurate on target than the fusil. The 16 gauge fusil should use a different sized ball than the 62 caliber rifle. Why give up the longer range inherent in the 50 caliber rifle?

 

[3 trees]

Recently I posted on the forum about pointers to get into Muzzleloading. I purchased a smoothbore flintlock 16ga fowler which I have apart right and is being throughly cleaned. However there is a seller in Piedmont,WV who is selling two rifles for a decent price which have perked my interest. I was able to get my 16ga for such a good price it left me with enough to also get a rifle. The two rifles are a .50 caliber 45 7/8" barrel and a .62 caliber 36 3/4" barrel. They are both beautiful and have been well taken care of. Both rifles are in my price limit and I can only buy one. My question is which rifle will be harder to find. If I buy one I want to buy the rifle I most likely will never find again. I really like both of them and he has another buyer who will buy whatever I don't. My buddies on my crew are split on what I should buy when I asked so I figured I would come back here for some more expert advice. Sorry if my posts are too consistent and annoying. I thank everyone who replies.

Edit: I have made aware that my descriptions are very vague (my apologies).
Both flintlocks are Rifles, rifling looks good in both and they are both very clean. I ran oversize patches down both bores and there was no snagging of the fabric. Both rifles are equal in terms of looks and fitting of parts (brass and barrel as well as the lock all fit well with the wood). The barrels and locks both have good bluing. The locks are different though, the .50 caliber rifle has a Siler lock and the .62 caliber rifle has an L&R lock. Both frizzens show signs of use nothing damaging though as both rifles have been used since the early 1980s. I do not know who was the manufacturer of either barrel or where the stocks came from. I don't have any pictures as the owner asked me not to share any of his rifles online until he is no longer the owner of them ( so I didn't take any pictures ). My apologies for all the confusion, I will remember to post better descriptions in the future.

MURPHY, I dont mean to but in but I am about 30 miles from Keyser in WV and looking for a flintlock. After you buy if you dont mind you can give the seller my number and I would be interested in the other if price is reasonable. Pm me if you would be interested in doing this,,
with kind regards
3 trees

 

[Grenadier1758]

@3 trees, now there's a plan. Wish you luck. Either flintlock that @Murphy_Roberts is looking at would deserve to be in the gun cabinet of someone who will be using it.

 

[Artificer]

Recently I posted on the forum about pointers to get into Muzzleloading. I purchased a smoothbore flintlock 16ga fowler which I have apart right and is being throughly cleaned. However there is a seller in Piedmont,WV who is selling two rifles for a decent price which have perked my interest. I was able to get my 16ga for such a good price it left me with enough to also get a rifle. The two rifles are a .50 caliber 45 7/8" barrel and a .62 caliber 36 3/4" barrel. They are both beautiful and have been well taken care of. Both rifles are in my price limit and I can only buy one. My question is which rifle will be harder to find. If I buy one I want to buy the rifle I most likely will never find again. I really like both of them and he has another buyer who will buy whatever I don't. My buddies on my crew are split on what I should buy when I asked so I figured I would come back here for some more expert advice. Sorry if my posts are too consistent and annoying. I thank everyone who replies.

Edit: I have made aware that my descriptions are very vague (my apologies).
Both flintlocks are Rifles, rifling looks good in both and they are both very clean. I ran oversize patches down both bores and there was no snagging of the fabric. Both rifles are equal in terms of looks and fitting of parts (brass and barrel as well as the lock all fit well with the wood). The barrels and locks both have good bluing. The locks are different though, the .50 caliber rifle has a Siler lock and the .62 caliber rifle has an L&R lock. Both frizzens show signs of use nothing damaging though as both rifles have been used since the early 1980s. I do not know who was the manufacturer of either barrel or where the stocks came from. I don't have any pictures as the owner asked me not to share any of his rifles online until he is no longer the owner of them ( so I didn't take any pictures ). My apologies for all the confusion, I will remember to post better descriptions in the future.

I'm going to echo and further point out the one that naturally FITS you in the drop and length of pull and comes up/swings the best, would be the rifle I would buy. The whole idea of a custom built rifle is it will do these things for you and you don't have to force yourself to fit the rifle.

I will say one other thing though, with the 45 7/8" barrel in the .50 caliber, if it is not nicely swamped, there is NO way I would buy it. I have a straight barreled hand built .45 cal. rifle with a 39" barrel and it has become too heavy in my later years for shooting more than a shot or two, even though the drop and length of pull fits me like a glove.

Gus

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The two rifles are a .50 caliber 45 7/8" barrel and a .62 caliber 36 3/4" barrel. They are both beautiful and have been well taken care of. Both rifles are in my price limit and I can only buy one. My question is which rifle will be harder to find.

From all that you've said, I'd say get the .50.
It's a very long barrel. A lot of the barrel makers out there sell more 42" barrels than a 45+" barrel. So it's a true longrifle for sure. No telling when you will see that length again at that price, while 36" is more common.
The sight distance is therefore longer, and thus it will be easier for a human eye to be accurate with it, AND the barrel is light as you mentioned the size of its width, which tells me it's not a heavy barrel.
SO I think this will work for deer and...for targets...and look the best if you display it due to its length
Recoil should be nominal ; ammo easy to find. Now I always recommend that a round ball shooter get a mold in the proper size for their rifle as soon as they can, BUT there's always that time when the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate strikes, and you forget your round ball and mold, or can't use your mold. More likely that you will find a chap with .490 round ball or you will find .490 ball for sale on a store shelf.

LD

 

[Ed Pilkington]

.50 cal. My choice!

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

Is the .50 caliber barrel a swamped one or not, I have a 43" long .45 caliber straight barrel and it is heavy on the muzzle end so you might want to consider that. If it is a swamped barrel it should be on the lighter side, other than that ....! Good luck on your decision!