Another fowler/smoothbore question...

[saltland]

 As far as shooting,how do you compare recoil and all around "comfort"  shooting roundball from a 20 gauge fowler compared to a Longrifle with a cheekpiece?
Scott

[Mike Brooks]

I find a .32 with or with out a cheek piece to have less recoil than a 20 bore anything. That being said, It all depends on the architecture of the stock and the load. A .62 rifle and a 20 bore fowling gun will have similar recoil if they have near the same weight and load. In other words, the cheek piece makes little to no difference, there are too many other variables to consider.

[Flint62Smoothie]

I agree that the lack of a cheekpiece doesn't make my fowlers hurt more!

FWIW I routinely shoot 90 to 120-grn FFg 'service' loads in my flint smoothies (62, 66 & 75-calibers) and they only begin to hurt after a few at 120. And I am a lefty shooting right-handed firelocks.

But where my barrrels go up to 54" & 60", I was advised by an old timer to try Fg powdah and they not only kick less, but I can shoot more shots without swabbing the bore periodically and I get better consistency with resultant improved accuracy.

Personally I find that rifes with crescent butt plates to 'hurt' the most!

[hanshi]

The wide, flat butt plate of the smoothbores make shooting pleasant with ball and moderate loads.  70 grains of 3F behind a prb in my 20ga is very pleasant to shoot due to the FELT recoil being mitigated by that butt plate.  That load drops deer "right now", too.  I've gone up to 100 grains of 2F and the recoil was truly there but the stock design still made shooting it a pleasant experience.

[Nessmuck]

Do the Tulle De Chasse 20 bores punish the shooter more than other designs ? Cuz after 20 shots with a patched RB and 85 grains of FFF...I about had enough...lol

[little joe]

Some of the Tullies  eat me up quite a lot.

[Flint62Smoothie]

Some of the Tullies  eat me up quite a lot.

Any stock design where the comb is higher in front of your cheek is gonna whack you but good whilst shooting a heavier load ...

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

If the gun fits you and doesn't slap your cheek, shooting a 20m gauge fowler with a ball is not hard on your shoulder or cheek.  I shoot 86 gr. FFg in my Chambers' Pennsylvania fowler with a tightly patched 600" ball, without discomfort.  In truth, the ball weighs less than the shot column in most cases, but it feels like a ball creates more recoil.  Still, it is not unpleasant.  My old Jaeger in .60 cal with the same load was also very pleasant to shoot.  the butt shape makes a bit of a difference.  My Hawken at 12 pounds, .62 cal.,  with 350 gr. ball and the same charge doesn't raise a bruise offhand, but prone is a different fish.

[Daryl]

Gun fit and weight, in relationship to the load is what produces "felt" recoil.

Mike is spot-on - the initial question is rather vague.

If the cheek piece or comb for that matter, presses hard into the cheek bone, that  gun will likely belt your cheek, if it is not an English design.  With an English design, the gun butt seemingly recoils down, pulling away from the face.

My cheek is hard into the comb on my 14 bore rifle, but it is does not belt the cheek.  I have fired some long rifles that did belt and yet they were only .45 or .50 - cal. and shooting moderate to light loads.

This all comes back to gun fit/design and load.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

It isn't the comb on the Tulle muskets that is the issue...it is the "pied de vache" butt with the exaggerated positive pitch to the buttplate.  The angle of that buttplate causes the musket to rise up your shoulder when you fire it, forcing the comb into your cheek bone, even with only 70 gr. FFg.

[Brokennock]

I've heard that for many folks the Fusil de Chase seems to be more punishing than other stock designs. I have two 20 gauge smoothbore, one is of the F.d.C. style, I can't tell a difference in felt recoil with roundball. Things get more interesting with turkey loads, but not punishingly so.

[bob in the woods]

My New England fowling gun in 10 bore [ have a 12 bore as well ]   is not uncomfortable to shoot with 100 or even 140 gr FFg and a round ball.   The stock design and fit is everything. Years ago when shooting at the Provincial matches in Chatham , I was distracted and loaded a double charge in the 10 bore -  target load was 100 gr , so 200 grains of FFg and a patched ball.  Recoil was something else , but it actually didn't feel all that bad once I got over the surprise !