The adventure begins. Or a Chambers fowler will be born.

[CTShooter]

Time to start my fowler.

After a bit of searching, a 20ga fowler seems like the best option for my lifestyle/hunting/HC period.

I have settled on the Chambers PA Fowler parts and style. I will be using my own stock blank from a local mill.

The current plan is to use my antique hand tools for the entire build.

I will be contacting Mr.Chambers next week to discuss the project.

I'm sure I will be bugging the rest of you with plenty of questions.

Thanks for all the information here

[carve4utwo]

After a bit of searching, a 20ga fowler seems like the best option for my lifestyle/hunting/HC period.

Seriously consider a 16 bore, I doubt you will regret it.
Dennis

[Dan'l 1946]

 I'd favor a 16 gauge too. Long, slender and as light as possible.
                                                             Dan

[CTShooter]

Ok, please enlighten me, what would the advantage be of 16 over 20?

I only have experience with modern 12 and 20.

[bob in the woods]

Unfortunately, the Chambers Penn. kit isn't available in 16 gauge as far as I know.  The 20 bore kit is a wonderful gun, and extremely well balanced.

[frogwalking]

One can easily put a 16 gauge load of powder and shot into a 20 gauge.  However, if you plan to make your own stock, buy the barrel elsewhere like TOW and get a 16.  I built the Chambers 20 gauge and it shoots great.  I think the long barrel is the reason, or at least part of it.  I think Chambers can make a precarve from your wood, but you may have to wait a while.  (Their precarves are nice.)

[thimble rig]

Yeah I got their 20 smooth bore rifle kit it was awesome.All good quality parts the stock inletting was really good.You can also save youre money and later get a rifled barrel for it to,Then swap the barrels out as needed.

[Dennis Glazener]

Ok, please enlighten me, what would the advantage be of 16 over 20?

I only have experience with modern 12 and 20.

First reason, IMHO is that for me shooting the exact same load in each, the 16 bore did not have the felt recoil that the 20 did. In the guns that I owned the 20's were brutal with 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 oz of shot with 3 1/4 - 3 3/4 dram equiv black powder, have forgotten actual grains of powder, I was using 3F Goex. Next is the weight. I used Colerain barrels and the 2 twenty's had the exact same dimensions as the later 2 16 bores (so I would think a Colerain 16 barrel C profile would fit the Chambers 20  C profile bore barrel channel but don't take my word for it. The larger bore of the 16 means less total barrel weight than the 20. 3.70 lbs on the 16 and 4.24 lbs on the 20. This figures out to be 15.04 oz less for the 16 versus the 20.( https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/652/4/COLE-FOWL )

The patterns I get with the 16 seems to be better distributed than heavy loaded 20 but to be honest neither one were anything to get excited about beyond 25 yards (both cyl bore).
Dennis

[Dan'l 1946]

Dennis has perfectly explained it. My experience has been that using a 16 gauge load in a 20 bore strings the shot column out and the pattern is thus less evenly spread. Others my have ha different experiences. Right now I have a 10 gauge long fowler that does it all and weighs under eight pounds and feels lighter. But that's a different story.
                                          Dan

[Vomitus]

   I like my lil 28ga. with a J. Getz 50 and a half inch offering. Uses Jim's English lock and Penn fowler furniture. Taylor Made...of course. With 80gr. of 2F behind a generously patched .515 RB, she shoots like a rifle.(well, sort of, lol)
 oh, recoil is moderate.

[Dennis Glazener]

I like my lil 28ga. with a J. Getz 50 and a half inch offering. Uses Jim's English lock and Penn fowler furniture. Taylor Made...of course. With 80gr. of 2F behind a generously patched .515 RB, she shoots like a rifle.(well, sort of, lol)
 oh, recoil is moderate.

LB,
I don't doubt how well the 28 shoots RB but the one I had didn't shoot shot worth a flip, I could have gotten better patterns throwing the tiny amount of shot with my hand
Dennis

[Dan'l 1946]

Yup. I have a 24 gauge trade gun that does well with ball, but only so-so with shot, despite hours spent working up loads. The 10 bore throws an ounce and a half of shot over 3 drams of FFg in a lethal pattern, and at 50 yards will put three shots using balls into about three inches.
                   Dan