20ga fowler

[AtlLaw]

my favorite is the TVM early american fowler.

Found it.     Very nice.  You can almost see the "Minute Men" heading toward Boston, a large portion of them carrying fowlers.

But then, the F&I war was my favorite period.  Probably why I like the Fin C.   

[pastorp]

AtlLaw, I've never hunted or even shot a smoothbore. Whats your experience with them as a hunting gun? 

I've used several caplock rifles to deer & elk hunt when I lived in New Mexico and liked them. I only used patched round balls in my rifles. So what will I lose with the smoothbore? I know I'll gain being able to use shot.

I even killed turkey with a 50 cal hawken with the RB. Really I feel the RB loses energy so fast I never liked to shoot much over 75yds with the hawken rifles I used. Even In open country you can get that close or your not much of a hunter. JMO 

Regards,

[JBlk]

I think that the smooth bore would be a good weapon because it could be used for a large variety of game.I don't have a flint in smooth bore but I do have a old double twelve in percussion.If I was going to purchase a small gague smooth bore I would have it jugged choked to tighten the pattern, and you could still use a roundball.I have used roundball rifles to harvest my whitetails with for many years now and I find the roundball of fifty caliber or more to be very effective at one hundred yards or less.I believe that a roundball will drop a deer faster that a forester slug from a twelve gague.I have watched many deer that I have used the roundball on starting to drop as they turned to flee.The secret of the roundball is casting the ball from the softess lead that you can get.If you use a hardened lead or it will simply punch a hole through them, and then you must track them to retrive them.The flintlock is by far the most enjoyable type to use but they do take some practice for you to be come proficent with.Buy the best lock that you can afford and you will be well on your way to many sucessful hunts.

[AtlLaw]

I've never hunted or even shot a smoothbore. Whats your experience with them as a hunting gun?

I never have either except for modern shotguns.  They shouldn't be any different then any cylinder bore except for lock/ignition time.     I've heard that shooting birds with them will sure make you concentrate on your follow through after you pull the trigger.  Curiousity was one of the reasons I thought of having that precussion lock taken out to 28 ga. to use on rabbits and squirrels.

We got to stop talking about this!     I'm getting the hots again to build that fin C!     I DO NOT need another project!  Not to mention the cost!   

 

[pastorp]

Cost should not be a problem for you rich lawyer types  . Go ahead let go of some of that old mouldy money you been hiding away...........

Regards,

[necchi]

Hee,hee,hee,heee  ,, aahhem, gulp, oop's!

[deadrabbit]

Shooting a flinter at a flying pheasant sounds awful fun, but awful difficult.  Not something for even a slight flincher to try.  Go for it!

[filmokentucky]

I've been thinking about getting back into black powder hunting. I am considering a smooth bore fowler for all my hunting. Probably a flinter.

Anyone use one as your main hunting gun? Whats your thoughts on hunting with a fowler as opposed to a rifle?

Regards,

I've got both fowlers and rifles and have hunted with both for over 50 years. A nice flintlock fowler will do it all and will shoot patched ball accurately out to seventy yards if you work up a good load and develop a steady hold. I tend to favor my ten bore fowler with its 48" barrel these days as it can be loaded up for geese or down for small birds , but have used my 20 bore extensively and found it very effective. Either gun is a lot of fun when used for birding in the uplands. With practice, you can become a fine wing shot with a long fowler. Don't skimp on the lock as a quality lock is as important as a good barrel or a stock that fits you well.

Comparisions between a long fowler and a breechloader are fatuous and irrelevant at best. I don't understand how such remarks would even show up in this thread to begin with. You will find that one of these excellent fowlers will serve you well. I would suggest at least a 16 bore and a 44" or better barrel length. You want a moderate velocityand a ball about .02" to .03" less than bore diameter for best accuracy. Then work with patch thickness and powder charge to get on target. I have always used GOEX FFg, but others have had good luck with FFFg. Good luck and have fun. These guns are among the most elegant firearms ever developed and easily among the most enjoyable to use. After 50 years, I still favor them for most hunting situations and all my bird and small game hunting.