Who Used Fowlers?

[Smokey Plainsman]

In America, would a fowling piece have been used by a rich man or did more humble people use them too? Were there plainer versions for common folk?

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Readily available to all in ranges from that equivalent to a single shot topper to a Perazzi.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Give a rough time frame. Plain is subjective. Remember that the el cheapo trade guns had rudimentary engraving and what some might consider fancy hardware by today's standards.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Thank you! I am interested in the most early of American-made, or imported and used in America, smoothbore guns that would be appropriate for a lower class person for hunting. Thinking pre-F&I War. Can anyone point me in the direction of guns that might fit that style?

 

[Cruzatte]

Get yourself a copy of Flintlock Fowlers: The First Guns Made in America by Tom Grinslade

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Location changes things but if one is looking at Virginia for example, an imported gun in brass such as a trade gun or a tier above would fit the bill. Check out Jim Mullins' '"Of Sorts for Provincials'

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Get yourself a copy of Flintlock Fowlers: The First Guns Made in America by Tom Grinslade

Interesting. Does that book have a lot of history and discussion of how the guns were used? Or is it mainly a collector’s or gun builder’s reference? It’s a pricy book so just wondering before I order it.

 

[Brokennock]

Thank you! I am interested in the most early of American-made, or imported and used in America, smoothbore guns that would be appropriate for a lower class person for hunting. Thinking pre-F&I War. Can anyone point me in the direction of guns that might fit that style?

The Type-G trade gun or "Carolina" gun was extremely prevalent throughout a large portion of the colonies. Fowling piece type smoothbores of many grades and of either English, Dutch, or domestic design and manufacture were prominent in New England, in fact rifle culture was very late in getting to the northeast. Domestic "Colonial style" fowling pieces in New England could often be a merging of English and French fowling piece styles.

My impression, and I could be wrong, is that a fowling piece of the time with absolutley no carving or engraving would have been unusual. I think the differences between a common person's gun and one of a wealthy person would more have been grade and quality of wood, amount and quality of engraving and carving, and maybe age. Someone younger with their 1st gun might have had an older "out of style" used gun?

Hopefully @rich pierce and @Dave Persons will chime in here.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Fowler's.
Next.

 

[Eterry]

Interesting. Does that book have a lot of history and discussion of how the guns were used? Or is it mainly a collector’s or gun builder’s reference? It’s a pricy book so just wondering before I order it.

A friend found a new copy at a junk shop for $5.00. Its now in my collection.
The book doesn't give much history of the fowler and the pictures are not very big, IMHO, but it's the largest gathering of Fowler's in one book I'm aware of.

I think the smoothbore, aka Fowler, would have been more common than a rifle until around 1750. The rifle was cutting edge technology, and took longer to make than the smooth barrel, and would've cost more.

The story goes Hugh Glass tracked the guy down cause he wanted his rifle back. They were highly prized.

 

[Bob McBride]

I think a Fowling Piece would have been one of several nicely made guns of someone with means. Used mostly for Fowling or with shot after rifles could be had. The common man liked them because they could be had for a good price on the lower end and were versatile. Like stated above, a Carolina gun would have been entry level during the period. All the way up to a fancy English import.

So, if representing the common man of ‘barely scraping by’ means but yet able to afford a gun, a TypeG would be appropriate as would a plain Colonial made Fowling Piece.

 

[rich pierce]

I think what people owned was highly regional and class-dependent. We see 6 types of colonial fowling pieces in the Flintlock Fowlers book. New England fowlers, club butt fowlers, Hudson Valley fowlers, British style fowlers, “Kentucky” fowlers (mostly Pennsylvania made) and unique fowlers. Now consider that from Long Island or NYC where British style fowlers were made to the Hudson Valley is only a hundred miles or so. From Rhode Island where club butt fowlers were made to Massachusetts where New England style fowlers were made is a short sail. But it’s clear that folks in these locales had distinct preferences.

Regarding decoration there are a few very plain New England fowling pieces with no or almost no decoration. Most interesting to me is one with carving st the tang, nicely executed, but no buttplate or entry thimble. You see, for a gunsmith trained since childhood, adding some basic shell-shaped carving took much less time than inletting a buttplate. Maybe 10 minutes.

Another thing to consider is who owned fowlers versus trade guns versus muskets. Able bodied men were to be ready for militia duty with a suitable gun and horn with powder and ball pouch with ball.

I make the wild guess that a man who wanted a fowling piece got that in his favored style and adapted it as needed for militia duty.

A fella who needed a gun for militia duty but not for anything else- a townsman - may have been most likely to purchase an outdated musket with bayonet if of modest means, all the way up to a fine officer’s fusil.

A man closer to the frontier who had a small farm may have chosen an inexpensive trade gun. Least likely to have an expensive, decorated fowling piece, perhaps.

All conjecture. Locale matters.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

For your reading pleasure and to add to your knowledge banks as well ; )

This is a militia list from Hyde Co. North Carolina 1755. It lists the men and the firearms they had for use. I would call the typeG/Carolina gun discussed above as relating to the fuzee.

Captain Henry GIBBS, Jur.



Officers & NCO's:
William GIBBS, Leiutenant
Robert GIBBS, Ensign
John SPENCER, Serjent
Joseph JENNETT, Serjent
Morris JONES, Serjent
Corprells:
William SPENCER - Carbine
John LOCKHEART - Fowling piece
Thomas GIBBS - Fowling piece
Thomas JONES - Buckanneer
Samuell SELBY, Jur. - Muskitt


Privates:
Samuell SELBY, Snr. - [Blank]
Thos. HARRIS, Snr. - Buckanear
David JONES - Muskitt
Christopher JONES - Fuzee
Thos. HARRIS, Jur. - Muskitt
Edward SPENCER - Fuzee
John MORRIS - Muskeet
William MORRIS - Buckaneer
Stephen HARRIS - Fowling piece
Joseph WILLIAMS - Muskitt
Samuell SMITH - Muskitt
William TURNER - Muskeet
Charles CUTHRELL - Muskeet
Robeart HENRY - Fowling piece
Hugh HENRY - Carbine
Richard BRINN - Fowling piece
John SWINDELL - Muskett
William HARRIS - Fuzee
Matthew CAPPS - Fuzee
John CARRYONE - Muskeet
William SWINDELL - Muskeet
Abraham JONES - Fuzee
Benjeman JACKSON - Muskitt
Thomas SPENCER - Buckaneer
Nathan BAKER - Buckanneer
John BREACE - Fuzee
Thomas SMITH - Muskitt
Joseph CARRYONE - Carbine
Ziddekiah SWINDELL - [Blank]
Josiah SWINDELL - Carbine
Caleb SWINDELL - Fuzee
Joseph WALLS - Fowling piece
William SELBY - Fuzee
Andrew HOPKINS - Muskeet
Hopkins WILLIAMS - Muskeet
[ t ] STUCKBURY - Carbine
John LEATH, Snr. - [Blank]
Step[ t ]en EMMERY - Buckanneer
Nicless COFFEE - Muskett
James HALL - Fowling piece
John HALL - Fuzee
Joshua HALL - [Blank]
John JENNETT - Buckanneer
Wa[ * ] COX - Fuzee
Solomon JONES - Carbine
Buredge SELBY - Fowling peice
John CARROW - Buckanneer
George WILLSON - Fowling piece
Nathan SPENCER - Fowling piece
John SMITH, Jur. - Muskitt
Luke LINTON - Muskitt
John LINTON - Muskitt
David DUNEIN [?] - [Blank]
Henry BREICE - Muskitt
Thomas ADKINS - Muskitt
John SELBY - [Blank]
James DAVISSON - Fowling peice
Buries [?] WATSON - Fowling peice

 

[Loyalist Dave]

In America, would a fowling piece have been used by a rich man or did more humble people use them too? Were there plainer versions for common folk?

So in the 1760's, George Morgan's frontier trading post, in what is now Kaskaskia IL, has been documented by Historian Mark Baker, as selling Fusils (smooth bore guns) for substantially less than rifles. Rifles were priced at (iirc) between 5£ [used] and nearly 7£ [new] while the hunters using them were paid at most 4£ a month. Fusils were less than 1£ new.

Further, the longrifle did not catch-on in Canada as it did in the 13 colonies and the newly born United States, and the Fusil de Chase, as well as the Tradegun were the most popular hunting guns.

LD

 

[rich pierce]

Great data. Amazing number of buccaneer guns there. Hyde county is coastal; am wondering if that played into the prevalence of buccaneer guns, often associated with ships.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Rich,
That has always been my assumption as well.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Hyde county is coastal; am wondering if that played into the prevalence of buccaneer guns, often associated with ships.

So..., would that be because the owners were seafaring fellows, and obtained them while at sea or when prepping to go to sea, OR..., would that be because the guns were obtained by buying them from seafaring men? Both?

LD

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Interesting that 6 men are listed but no gun noted (perhaps they had none), and 6 other men had a "carbine"...So I wonder were these smaller caliber copies of muskets, or shorter muskets of the standard caliber, or shorter muskets of smaller than standard caliber...as the term was used to refer to any of the three variations.

LD

 

[rich pierce]

I’ve often thought that a good copy of an actual carbine for cavalry would be a good seller as a period correct, short barreled big bore smoothbore for reenactors and turkey hunters. There are some nice ones in Jim Mullins book Of Sorts for Provincials. I will certainly copy one of those. I have an original 12 ga round barrel for the project.

Back to “who used fowlers?”. “Made here” fowlers were common along the Northeastern seaboard and into the Hudson valley and into Pennsylvania. Those of Dutch ancestry used Hudson Valley fowlers, likely because they were made in the neighborhood and resembled guns they were familiar with. New York harbor and Long Island Sound market gunners and others likely chose the style made locally- British style fowlers. And so on. Pennsylvania folk who wanted a less expensive, all-round smoothbore might choose a locally made Pennsylvania fowler.

“Carolina guns” or “Type G trade guns” were used a lot in the south but are also found in the Great Lakes area, mostly at First American sites. And so on. Books really help for those who like books.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Growing up I heard old timers speak of "barn guns" which was a simple (perhaps even slightly rough) weapon kept loaded an inside the barn for defending livestock. The name Schimmel Gun has been associated with the same thing. I've read they were generally smoothbore loaded with large shot (perhaps up to .32) in my area of the Lehigh Valley. So in my area, the smoothbore was the work horse gun and smaller caliber rifles were for wealthier folks or for those who saved for some time, or so I've been led to believe.