What gauge for flint fowler for turkey?

[David R. Pennington]

Thinking about a flintlock for turkey. What kind of barrel?

[Mike Brooks]

I have built  them from 20 to 10 bore. Best to get a good jug choke in them and they'll kill out to 50 yards.

[David R. Pennington]

Do we have any one who does the chokes?

[oldtravler61]

Would be interested myself. Who has them? Must be blind. See length, weight an style but nothing about the choke

[bob in the woods]

I use a 20 and my 10 bore, but I did build a 28 bore fore a friend and he claims it is deadly on turkeys out to 30 yards

[WKevinD]

Do we have any one who does the chokes?

Mike does or at least he did I had a 10 gauge with a jug choke that he built I killed a nice tom at 60 paces with it. I gave it to a friend who did the same. He died and the gun went away with the estate too bad , great guy, nice gun, I miss them both.

[bob in the woods]

Thinking about this a bit,  if I were to have a gun dedicated to hunting turkeys, I believe I'd go with a jug choked 16 bore. 

[Kermit]

I'm with you, Bob. If I ever get to another, that's what it'll be.

[oldtravler61]

16 is the forgotten bore. Why don't really know. To me it was the sweet gauge between the 20 an the 12. Bob you are right on. But who makes the choked barrels? Mike enlighten me on this one.

[wattlebuster]

I have 2 smoothbores that have been jug choked by Danny Caywood. Both are 12 ga an both shoot really good patterns plus they shoot 690 balls pretty darn good. With jug choking you get the best of both worlds

[Curt Lyles]

I use a Colerain 20 ga that is there turkey choke version and it will destroy a 9 in paper plate with 2 shots at 25 yrds.It is a restricted muzzle so its meant for shot only.  It will take a bird at 35 yards with no problems if you have done your home work..Curt

[staggerwing]

I sent my 20 gauge barrel to Lowell Tennyson in Illinois.  I don't have his number handy but if you search a little bit you will find him.  I' haven't finished building my fowler so I haven't shot it yet but Jim Chambers recommended him to me.  He was very reasonable. 

[gumboman]

Mr. Lowell Tennyson jug choked a 12 gauge barrel for me recently. I just started my build project and have not shot the barrel so I don't have any idea how she shoots. Mr. Tennyson is a nice guy to deal with. Very interesting to talk to. I think he can jug choke any gauge. His phone number is 563-381-3711. His charge is reasonable and turnaround time is good.

[GANGGREEN]

I know that we've had lots of threads about turkey loads before out of a jug choke but man, some of you are getting much, much better patterns than I am.  I also have a Colerain 20 gauge "special turkey" barrel for use with shot only.  I've shot at exactly two turkeys with it and killed both, but both were likely within 25  yards and both were hit with just one or two BBs.  Without hijacking the original question, I'd love to hear more about what you guys are using to get 30, 35 and 50 yard dense patterns because I've been completely unable.

[bob in the woods]

I never use BB's .  In my 20 bore I shoot 1 1/2 oz of #4 shot .  In my 10 bore I use 2 oz ....a very generous 2 + oz     My guns seem to prefer this size. I never did get decent groups with BB's  , but have used #2 for geese on the fly

[Mike Brooks]

I know that we've had lots of threads about turkey loads before out of a jug choke but man, some of you are getting much, much better patterns than I am.  I also have a Colerain 20 gauge "special turkey" barrel for use with shot only.  I've shot at exactly two turkeys with it and killed both, but both were likely within 25  yards and both were hit with just one or two BBs.  Without hijacking the original question, I'd love to hear more about what you guys are using to get 30, 35 and 50 yard dense patterns because I've been completely unable.

You need jug choke for a M/L not taper choke. Lowell Tennyson does all my jugs. He only lives 10 miles from me.
You can load about any way you want with a jug, they aren't too particular. I had a customer I built a 10 bore with that had a 50" barrel. His max load was 2 1/2 oz shot and I think 140gr. 2FF. with the usual cards and wads etc... He could kill to 60 yards with it. I shot it a few times, the recoil was tremendous.

16 bores are popular, I have probably built 1/2 dozen or so in the past year.

[David R. Pennington]

Well I have a nice 20 gauge 44" barrel I bought a while back and I was thinking about the build and what I want to use it for. I have done all my hunting lately with flintlock rifles and am wanting to spring gobbler with flintlock. I guess I'm trying to decide if a 20 is enough. Should I have it jugged and build or look for a 16 or 12? Or should I build the 20 and a 12.....
I am finally making some headway on my current build and getting excited about the next one.

[Captchee]

 I a 20 gage sxs flint that I have taken many Toms with . She is real good out to about 30 yards  with mixed 4 and 7s.
 Read some of Greeners writings on how to  work a load and build a pattern for cylinder bores . He has a whole section on the British public Trials  and goes into some depth about the smaller bores out patterning the larger bores . Even discusses chokes vs. cylinder bore  and how they compared both muzzleloader and cartridge  . You will be surprised at just how well they will do .
 That being said . My last smoothbore  that I built  was a Hudson valley but in a small 28   bore . I have taken 2 Tomes with it  both were just alittle past 25 yards .
 Im not real sure what the deal is  with it . Maybe it’s the barrel length which comes in at 52 inchs . But using 71/2 , she will  near cover a paper plate at 25 yards  
load is 70 grains of 2f with 2 oz of 4s



  
 this target is from the same gun  shot at 45 yards  with RB . then a load of shot just for the $#*! of it
 this is a mix of 7 and 4 .


 lilled alot of toms with 7s . but i also  head hunt . if your taking body shots then  i wouldnt go smaller then 4s

[WKevinD]

In my 10 bore with the jug choke I used to fill coin wrappers with 1 1/2oz. of #4s and dip the whole mess in tallow and ram it on top of 90gr of 2f. Devastating with amazing shot patterns after 25 yards! Closer than 20  it was still a solid column of shot.

[Mike Brooks]

Well I have a nice 20 gauge 44" barrel I bought a while back and I was thinking about the build and what I want to use it for. I have done all my hunting lately with flintlock rifles and am wanting to spring gobbler with flintlock. I guess I'm trying to decide if a 20 is enough. Should I have it jugged and build or look for a 16 or 12? Or should I build the 20 and a 12.....
I am finally making some headway on my current build and getting excited about the next one.

20 bore will work fine.

[David R. Pennington]

Mike, should I have it jugged?

[Daryl]

In my 10 bore with the jug choke I used to fill coin wrappers with 1 1/2oz. of #4s and dip the whole mess in tallow and ram it on top of 90gr of 2f. Devastating with amazing shot patterns after 25 yards! Closer than 20  it was still a solid column of shot.

Similar effect to the Westley Richards shot ctgs. for cylinder bores that were popular in the 1800's. There were several different wire baskets of shot with wad attached, wrapped in coloured paper to denote range. Greener talked about them. One was for shooting deer and wolves at close range, but also for waterfowl past 70yards.  It took that long (distance) for the shot to escape the 'basket'. Other colour paper ctgs. were for close range and some for intermediate ranges.
One must experiment as each gun 'could' be different and like different loads.
My own 20bore has a standard tighter muzzle choke. It is only about IMP Cylinder, maybe .005" to .008" choke, but with normal wad column, it think's it's a modified choke. BP usually patterns at least 1 choke tighter than a similar choke in a modern shotgun would do with the same weight shot load.

[GANGGREEN]

I don't know if this thread has been helpful to the OP, but it has been to me.  I bought the Colerain "special turkey" choked barrel because I wasn't terribly interested in shooting round balls from the fowler but wanted nice tight patterns for wailing turkeys in the head with.  Well, I presume I still haven't found the best load or method with my firearm but maybe I made a mistake by not just getting a jug-choked barrel. 

I'll keep at it and experiment some more.

[Mike Brooks]

Mike, should I have it jugged?

I would.

[Curt Lyles]

I use 70 grs 2ff ,2 over shot cards ,iirc 90 gr measure of #4 shot and 2 over shot cards to hold it all in.I had a jug choked 20 years ago and it worked pretty well but nowhere near as tight of a pattern as the turkey choke barrels Colrain makes.I wouldnt want to hit a bird any where but the head with one of these cause you would have a well ventalated bird when you were done .its head shots only .Mine is built as a smooth rifle and i am very satisfied with how it performs for me ,its not picky at all like some other smooth bores ive used.Curt