terminology question

[Brian Jordan]

I just purchased a 44" Colerain 16 gage octagon to round barrel. I plan to shoot both shot and round ball out of this future gun. My question is what is the difference between a "fowler" and a "smooth rifle"

Thanks!

[jaeren]

to simplify the smooth rifle would be built as a rifle would , check piece and rifle architecture and would use a rear sight. a Fowler would be more straight stock no cheek piece and maybe no drop. But I've seen fowlers with rear sights as well. just make sure the barrel doesn't have the turkey choke, otherwise no round ball. take a look at some of the pictures in the gun building section and you'll see club butt fowlers and english and well as american style fowlers. I'm sure some with more knowledge will post a better explanation shortly.

[Dennis Glazener]

Very little difference. A smooth rifle normally has features that are used on a rifle i.e. Front and Rear sights, cheekrest maybe a patchbox. A fowler usually has no rear sight, normally no cheek rest or patch box.

Just think of a smooth rifle as a rifle with a smooth bore barrel instead of a rifled barrel.
Dennis

[Joe S]

Take a look at Flintlock Fowlers The First Guns Made in America by Tom Grinslade. He has a nice discussion of this topic.

[rich pierce]

Fowlers, muskets and trade guns usually have rounded toes and guards without a handrail standing apart from the grip.  Rifles and smooth rifles usually have square toes and guards with a rail standin* apart from the grip.  There are many exceptions of course.

[Barngunguy]

I read a definition of a smooth rifle in the book from Dixon's,  the art of building the Pa longrifle.
Here's what it says about a smooth rifle. It would have been originally a rifled barrel. But after much use and or rust and pitting. A gunsmith would have smoothed out the barrel. Not recut the grooves.
It makes sense to me anyway.

[rich pierce]

I’ve never seen a smooth rifle with double set triggers. Have you?

[Brian Jordan]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sounds like a smooth rifle is what I will be building.

[Elnathan]

I’ve never seen a smooth rifle with double set triggers. Have you?

Yes, or at least pictures thereof. There are couple in Kindig, and I recall seeing a Beck and  Beyer in a library book long ago that both had smoothbores and set triggers.

[little joe]

If you want to  shoot NMLRA competetion they have a smooth rifle class (smooth rifle) where  a rear sight and set triggers are  allowed.

[Hungry Horse]

In the shoots I attend it’s hard to find an event to compete in with a smooth rifle, that doesn’t put you a a big disadvantage. You aren’t allowed to shoot with the fowlers, and trade guns, and are at a great disadvantage shooting against, rifles when the targets get out past about fifty yards.

  Hungry Horse

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Here in Western Canada, there are no competitions for smooth rifles.  I have never seen one at a match, shoot, or rendezvous.  I don't own one (finished) yet, but I have a JP Beck build coming up for myself that features a smooth .50 cal. 50 1/2" Getz barrel.  Stock will be black cherry purchased from John Getz in '09 and inlet by Mark Weder at Jack's Mountain Stocks.