Question regarding smoothbores

[Dennis Glazener]

My son-in-law wanted to hunt with a flintlock tomorrow so I told him I would loan him my Jacob Dickert .54 caliber and I would use my 16 bore flint Fowler with round ball.

I had not shot it with round ball and he had not shot my .54 so late this afternoon we went out to shoot a few times. He did well with the .54, especially for a Boston bred yankee that had never fired a gun until he married my daughter! Then I loaded up the 16 bore with a round ball and 80 grains of FFF. When it went off it sounded like I was shooting through a culvert! Never heard such a sound, actually  sounded similiar to a bell ring. But the ball was right on target at 25 yards.

Loaded up another round and the got the same sound. Let my son-in-law fire it a time or two and standing about 10 foot away and to the rear it sounds even worse than when I was shooting it. Each time the ball impact is right on target but the awfullest racket you ever heard. I suspect a deer might drop from fright even if I missed him!

Any one have this sound with their smoothbore? Mine is a 44 inch Colerain Oct to round in a full sugar maple stock. I have shot it many times with shot/wad and never heard anything like this.
Dennis

[Daryl]

If there's a bit of blow-by, it can sound 'extra' hollow - but can't say as I've hear a bell-ringing sound. You'd think with 85gr. 3F, you'd get a bit of a crack form a 16 bore - I'd estimate it must be doing about 1,250fps with a ball lighter than I was shooting, as long as your patch wasn't too thin.

 85gr.3F used to do 1,225fps from my 14 bore rifle. It cracked.

Sub-sonic reports can sound really wierd, though.

[omark]

what amazes me is that you let your daughter marry a yankee, specially one that couldnt shoot!!!! mark     

[Vomitus]

 I've heard a Brown Bess make an odd report.

[Dennis Glazener]

long as your patch wasn't too thin

That may be the key. I was using 80 grains of FFF not 85, not sure how much that changed the velocity. Plus the patch material I had with me was too thin (.018"). Will have to get some thicker patching and try it. Can't stand the sound, not normal!
Dennis

[Daryl]

Could be, Dennis.  Using even 80gr. of 3F, it should be over the sound barrier and crack quite well.  The larger bores can make an odd sound- similar to a shot made without ball.

[frogwalking]

My 20 bore sometimes sounds like that when I forget to remove my hearing aids. 

[blunderbuss]

Did you check the barrel for cracks?