Re: Kentucky Smoothbore 58 cal (moved from For Sale for discussion purposes)

[utseabee]

one very nice smooth bore.  I am new to flintlocks so dumb question what bore is a .58 and what weight powder and shot would you shoot in this gun?

This would be a 24 gauge. I would start around 60 grains of FFG with about an ounce of shot and adjust the powder and shot up from there to see what patters the best. I am sure it will shoot a round ball just fine also. Coming from Jim Parker, I am sure this is an outstanding smooth bore.

[kudu]

I'm looking for a good smoothie that will shoot a honest 4 inch group at 50yards consistently.
(Hear alot of " it should " but not many people have the targets to prove it.)

[Stoner creek]

I'm looking for a good smoothie that will shoot a honest 4 inch group at 50yards consistently.
(Hear alot of " it should " but not many people have the targets to prove it.)

Performance like that is normally on the shooter, not the gun. Can you shoot that kind of groups?

[bama]

Challenge accepted.

[Stoner creek]

My money is with Mr Parker and his beautiful creation.

[kudu]

I shoot trade gun smooth bore quite often. And made about 4 from the plank.
I think you're 58 is beautiful better than my stuff.
What I'm looking for is one that can shoot.
I've been down the road before, even mounted a temporary scope on a few trying out loads of the bench etc. Hard to get one that will give shot after shot into a 4 inch group.
I talkin 7-10 shots letting the barrel cool of course.
I can't get too deep into this,after all this is the FOR SALE section. Just saying the guns beautiful and I'd pay the price
If it does what I want and fits me well.

[oldtravler61]

 This contest offhand or from the bench..?   Curious...

[Birddog6]

I don’t doubt a bit that smoothie will shoot under 4” & will most likely shoot 2” groups consistently @ 50 yards.  The issue is the shooter  finding the most accurate load for it & him being able to make it perform. People underestimate these smoothbores. If you really know how to make one perform, they
are quite impressive at 50 yards.

This is a STEAL on a really nice smoothie.   Jim makes a good quality firearm.

[bama]

Kudu, I have been shooting guns for most of my 70 years. What I have found in this time of shooting is if you can get a three shot group that hits where you want then it will put them there as many times as you want. I don’t know if you are interested in my smoothie or not, to be honest I don’t really care. I will shoot a target to prove that it will shoot. In the future you might want to keep your opinion about the capabilities of a firearm you know nothing about to yourself. Where I come from you put up or shut up. You will have your target.

[Hungry Horse]

 The smaller the caliber the flatter they shoot. I shoot a .20 gauge and consistently get outshot by a couple of old timers that shoot a .24 gauge, and a .28 gauge. I also built my son a .410 tradegun when he was young that shot like a rifle out to about 50 yards.
 I improved my smoothbore shooting when I simplified my loading and quit patching the ball. Velocity is key, when the velocity bleeds off the ball wonders off target.

Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

I once (once) shot a 2 1/2", 5 shot group at 50yards, with a 10 bore Brown Bess having a bayonet lug for a front sight.
Once.
I cannot do that with my 20 bore and cannot reliably do 2 1/2" at 25 yards from a rest, but the odd group works. Flyers do happen.

Seems to me, bobinthewoods' paper ctgs. shoot better in his 20 bore, than I can with patched balls in mine. I've been threatening to
try paper ctg. in my gun, but, well, I need a "round to-it'.



5 shots at 28yards from a rest, same gun. Go figure.



I just remembered, we, Taylor and I shot a 3" 5-shot group at 50yards with LB's(RIP) Pennsylvania fowler.
Taylor does really well with that gun in the smoothbore events.

[Dphariss]

I'm looking for a good smoothie that will shoot a honest 4 inch group at 50yards consistently.
(Hear alot of " it should " but not many people have the targets to prove it.)

I built a 50 ca Kentucky sone years back with a smooth barrel and a rifled barrel. Both with the same sights.
The smooth bore finally got down to about 4 1/2” reliably at 50-60 yards with 110 gr of FF and a 480 ball, thick patch. I never got a good shot pattern with it at 25 yards. Something I would trust to kill a Squirrel or Rabbit. And the shot charge weighed more than a lead ball from the rifled barrel which would EASILY head shoot either at this distance or beyond.  I never could see the reason to shoot solid shot from a smoothbore. People jump through a lot of hoops to get smoothbores to shoot fairly well. But is reality its still random and even more so if loaded like the muskets were. And this is all documented from back in the day.  Economy goes to the rifle and this has been documented back to the 1750s at least.  And by this time the British military (and the traders) wanted ALL rifle sale to natives banned by law.  The Military because of the way the natives “made war”.  Which of course did not involve standing in the open to be showered with musket balls. The riflemen of the F&I and the Revolution did not like this either. So while I have owned four ML smoothbores over the years since I turned 20, a Brown Bess Musketoon by Ron Paul, a trade gun that would hit almost anything that was not alive I got it from John Baird and I wondered if Curly Gustomske (sic) put a curse on it for some reason ( friend I traded it too shot 4-5 shots at a Bull Elk with it and never hit hair and he was a REALLY good shot and experienced Elk guide), a fowler kit from TOF, and the smooth rifle mentioned here. Never had one that was of any real use to me.

[bob in the woods]

My 20 bore loves the paper cartridges I make. The gun also fits me better than than most guns I've owned. There is a front sight only, and the barrel is oct /round, 38 in long. I can consistently shoot 3 in groups at 50 yards, and have done so in front of others many many times. That is 5 shots..not 3.  It won't do this with patched balls...I've tried many times.
My 10 bore has shot 3 in groups at 50 yards, but if 5 shots, the group will often open to 4 or 5 inches [ flyer ?]   Something happens between 35 yards and 50 yards that I'm not aware of !  At 35 yards, it will keep them inside that magical 3 inches.
Smoothbores are great, and I do most of my hunting with them, but you need to shoot a lot, and try as many different combos as you can to see what your gun really likes.