Fowler or long rifle

[Daryl]

I have shot grouse with wads and 7 1/2 shot from my .58 B.Large barreled Hawken, back in the 70's.

IIRC, I used 20 bore card and fiber wads and 70gr. 2F with 1 ounce of shot.

[mgbruch]

Bushfire, “I’d like to get into flintlocks…” Tells me you’re currently not a flintlock shooter.

My advice for any beginner would be a rifle.

Smoothbores require a lot of time, patience, powder, and lead to work up a good load.  I have a 24 gauge trade gun; and after seven years my 50 yard groups are 5 inches at best… from the bench.  With a good rifle, working up an accurate load takes a lot less of all the above.  With my current rifle it took about 40 rounds to find a load that groups 1 ½” at 50 yards.  For my eyes, that’s pretty good!

I just think a beginner is much more likely to stay enthusiastic about the sport if he/she experiences success while shooting.  Especially at the beginning.  And especially while learning.

It’s nice to be able to spend some time shooting, and actually hit what you’re aiming at.  Hitting the target does wonders for your confidence and enthusiasm.  If, after several shooting sessions, you’re not hitting anything, you’re enthusiasm and confidence can be pretty dampened.  While working up loads for my trade gun, I would always shoot my rifle afterwards… just to reassure myself that I could, in fact, shoot.

Also… this is not 1800.  And we don’t, by necessity, have to provide all of our family’s meat with one flintlock long gun.  It’s not a life sustaining decision.  I know a lot of flintlock shooters; and I only know of one who owns just one flintlock.  If you do get into flintlocks… and if you do become enthusiastic about them… then you will probably end up owning more than one anyway.

While a person is prioritizing what they want/need out of a flintlock bear in mind that, while many of us hunt exclusively (or almost) with our flintlocks, in all reality 99% of our shooting is still likely to be at non-food targets.

[mgbruch]

You also asked for preferences.

I own three flintlocks.  A .58 Pennsylvania rifle, a .50 Southern Mtn. Rifle, and a 24 gauge smoothbore (trade gun).  My preference is my Southern gun.  Why? Because I like Southern Mountain rifles more than any other style.  So that's what I want to carry most of the time.  I built it on a .50 because I believe the .50 is absolutely adequate for deer; and that's the largest caliber/barrel configuration you can go, in my opinion, and still have the proper architecture on a Southern Mountain gun.

My .58 is the first gun I built from a blank... many, many years ago.  I don't carry it so much now.  Stylistically it has a lot of flaws, and they tend to stick out now when I look at it.  It's a shooter though, and has taken three deer.  The .58, with 70 grs of 3f proved itself to be quite a thumper on deer.  I've also taken two deer with the .50; shooting 65 grs. of 3f.  Of the five deer I've taken, only one still had the round ball retained in the carcass.  It was one of the .50 caliber balls.  The furthest shot was 60 yards, with the rest being 40 or under.  No deer has traveled more than 30 yards.  I haven't taken game with the trade gun.  While it's 50 yard accuracy is just marginal, hitting soup cans at 30 yards is quite doable, and it's a fun gun to shoot when I'm in the mood.

If I ever build another gun for myself, it will be a Virginia styled rifle in .58 caliber; but I doubt that will happen.  I don't want to put in the time and money for a gun that, when it's time to choose, would end up staying home.  I have also owned a flintlock in .54.  And, while many are fans of the .54, I find it to be neither here nor there.  I just prefer the .50 or .58; depending on what I want it for.

If I only had one gun, knowing what I know now, it would be my .50.  It's pretty, light, handles like a dream, and is easy to hit with.  And I don't hunt anything larger than deer at this time.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Back on page one, "walks with gun" confessed to a crime that around here would, if caught, cause you to lose your gun, game and truck.  It is unlawful and considered very poor form, to shoot migratory game birds with a rifle.

[Daryl]

Saw that. Maybe the hunting laws are different where he lives.

[Dphariss]

Back on page one, "walks with gun" confessed to a crime that around here would, if caught, cause you to lose your gun, game and truck.  It is unlawful and considered very poor form, to shoot migratory game birds with a rifle.

I think I have only shot one duck in my life, with an 18 bore percussion shotgun. So I don’t shoot many “migratory” birds I guess.
If you are far enough back in the woods and hungry its not of much import. Too many people consider all hunting to be “sport”. Subsistence is not sport.

[Daryl]

LOL- quite sporty of you with that flint pistol, Dan. That was a few years ago - like maybe 40?

[Dan'l 1946]

Hi all,

I'd like to get into flintlocks and am tossing up between a fowler or a long rifle for deer hunting. I like the idea of a fowler for small game and  birds but I also like the idea of being able to shoot a deer at 100 yards with a rifled gun.

Interested in opinions on the two, what you use and what your preference is. Also any makers of these type guns.

  Reduce your deer hunting range to 50 yards, and work up a good load and a fowler will work well for you.

[JDavidA]

I've had 4 smooth bore's in my time. Shot grouse, woodcock, pheasant, deer, and turkey with them. Never shot much past 50 yards but one of them was pretty good out to 80 yards. I always was frustrated with the fouling after shooting seems like I remember them being difficult. I have a .62 rifle now and a .54 hawken that shoot real well out to 100 yards. I guy was to have just one a fowler would probably be the best.

[bob in the woods]

It depends on where you live and how you hunt. Here in the woods, most of the shots I have are well within archery range. I've shot more deer and bears inside of 20 yards than past 35.  If I'm looking at a possible shot across my beaver pond, I'll carry my .54 flint locked rifle, but normally I have my 10 bore NE fowling gun in my hands.  If hunting moose, I'm comfortable with it out to 100 yards or so.

[smylee grouch]

Track of the Wolf has a 20 bore smooth bore in a rifle configuration on  its  site with out a rear sight bu8t one could be installed with little effort or cost. 

[Bushfire]

I ended up buying a smoothbore, then a rifle, then sold the smoothly and bought another and another.

Currently have a
54 GRRW rifle
62 Centermark FDC smoothy
12G GRRW Trade gun/ parts gun smoothy.

Thinking of putting a rear sight on the fusil and using it mostly for ball and maybe just keeping the 12G for shot.

[Daryl]

In this "bush" a smoothbore from a tree stand would work perfectly. Not many guys use stands here, but some do on the edges of logging slashes.
The shot might come in as close as 50yards, but more likely to be on the other side of the slash, 100yards or more away.
Last time I shot a moose  in a "slash" it was just over 200yards & only 1/2 way across. In this part of the country, a rifle is best, unless hunting for
partridge, but even rifles work for grouse around here.