thanks for the replies on the resources!!! I thought Jim had a video, I just couldn't find it on his website initially.
And thanks for the dallas contacts mole eyes. Any idea if there's any local shoots or gatherings coming up?
I hear ya turtle... any other kits I should look at? I'm a romantic when it comes to wood, so the $100 more for a better figure is well worth it! (even if I did screw it up...if I made it out of a plain piece of wood I'd always regret it! Plus I want some practice inletting and staining the grain of the more difficult and fancier wood). I'll probably let the wood do the talking for now and avoid any carving of designs.
I see that there is a lot of love for the 10 ga new England fowler. The website shows that its about 8 lbs...and with the 46" long barrel that seems like it may be pretty tough to swing on a quick duck in the decoys. Realistically I try to call the shot when the ducks are under 30 yds (with my first shot usually being around 25 yds, but out to 40 yds on occasion). Can you guys provide some input on that sort of situation in regards to using the 10 ga?
Also how's the accuracy of a roundball out of the 10 or 12 ga guns? I'm still learning but it seems that high velocity is the key to smoothbore accuracy...which would be harder to maintain with the larger balls (id imagine).
Is it possible to shoot steel shot out of flintlocks? My only other reservation with getting the 10 or 12 ga is that if I'm forced to use non-toxic shot, an ounce of #4's should outperform any of the steel loads i've been using in my modern guns. I'm sure a 1 oz load would pattern great out of a 10 ga, but I bet I could get it to pattern out of a 20 ga well enough to suit my needs. Then I would have a much livelier gun for the close in ducks. However if you can use steel, then the benefits of a 12 ga are obvious.
I like your quote bob, "Light in the hands and quick in the brush". I can make that kind of gun work for my duck hunting, but its hard to use a "heavy in the hand, slow in the brush" gun for smaller birds. Example 1, I used my 28 ga modern gun for a duck hunt this year on a real tight hole. with 5/8 oz of steel 4's I dropped 3 mallards in 4 shots. I'd take a gun that I can put exactly on the target with a small effective pattern, over a gun that is a little harder to point with a large effective pattern.
I know that i'm kind of rambling in a circle. I think I would enjoy a livelier gun...such as the PA fowler or officers fusil in a 20 ga and 7 lbs or less. But if I cant get decent enough patterns for my duck hunting with a 20 ga then the 12 or 10 in the new England fowler is an obvious choice.
I'm far from an expert on jug choking. It looks like they just do a undercut into the barrel with tapers on both ends?
Would having an improved modified or full choked barrel cause any issues with shooting round balls?
And if you can shoot steel safely through a flinter... Is jug choking a bad idea? (it seems like it could be a bad idea!!! Lol).
If it makes any difference in the choice...I'm 26 years old, have great eyes and good strength, recoil isn't too much of an issue, and the only times that im only cocky are when it comes to shooting stuff!!! (hence the need for a flinter to humble myself... it gets pretty boring sitting there for hours waiting for the rest of the crew to shoot their limits!)...
