smooth bore barrel bands

[leviathan]

which is more historically correct on smooth bore fowler barrels, 1 band or 2 bands (rings)? Also, would love to know if smooth bore octagon barrels are historically correct.

[rich pierce]

There are trends with different octagon to round smoothbore barrel styles, across times, regions, and trade gun “models”.  I’m not expert.

There certainly are many examples of smooth rifles with barrel that were octagon for their full length. I have an original Germanic rifle with a lightweight octagonal barrel of large bore. I thought it was a smoothbore. Looking more closely I found it has shallow straight rifling.

[Pukka Bundook]

Rich,

Would that rifling be the sort that had  a brief popularity for firing shot?  (Shot had to fit the grooves , so a certain size was used)

[smart dog]

Hi,
Swamped round, 1, 2 and 0 banded octagon to round, octagon to 16 flats to round, all of those are historically correct.  It all depends on what you are building or buying. The most popular during the late 17th and 18th centuries was octagon to round with 1 band but that was likely because of the popularity and esteem for Spanish barrels all throughout Europe and Britain.  That style is called "Spanish form".  However, French sporting and trade guns were often different, and so were fowler barrels from other countries including Britain.

dave

[rich pierce]

Rich,

Would that rifling be the sort that had  a brief popularity for firing shot?  (Shot had to fit the grooves , so a certain size was used)

I’m not sure. This gun is rifle-built with a rear sight and all. Folks here have said it’s probably a boar gun.

[Pukka Bundook]

Yes of course Rich,  Boar guns were often straight rifled, so I'm told.