alacan, plenty of experience with modern shotguns and muzzleloading doubles. I hunt squirrel, rabbit, dove, and turkey. Also shoot clays all year. Not at clubs but woods walks and regular throwers. So I prefer an all around 50/50 pattern. This is just my first flintlock muzzleloader. I'll admit I got excited to complete this kit and went strait to clays and missed every one. Next I put a clay on a log and watched the leaves dust up on the ground so I went to the rest to see the POI low and honestly set it aside for a bit.
Bigmon, starting to wonder that.
Rmjchas, prior to stock fit for POA alignment for the eyes, the shot pattern needs to be correct along the rib to start with. Similar to regulating doubles before you ever fit the stock to the shooter. That's where I'm at though it's just a single barrel which leads me to believe that either the barrel is bent of otherwise flawed.
Daryl, correct, I'm using the tang as though it is the rib.
Let me better articulate my challenge.
Whenever I acquire a shotgun I first check for POI. I do this with a rest, bead center of target area, eye down rib, bead resting on rib. I take 3 shots and examine the POI. Very similar to the picture below with a 50/50 to 60/40 above/below and equal side to side.
Once POI is verified, I work on density via the usual powder, shot, and wad combinations. While this may change POI slightly, it’s never drastic enough to alter it.
Next is POA where the stock is looked at to align my eye with the sight picture. I’ve never had to adjust one being of average height. Maybe a minor adjustment on my part.
From Greener page 419, “Fling up the gun quickly whilst looking steadily at the mark, and immediately the gun is at the shoulder close the left eye, and glance
along the rib; the sight on the muzzle should
cover the object at which the shooter was looking as he brought up the gun; If upon this maneuver being repeated several times, it is found that the gun each time covers the mark at which it is aimed, it should be tried in like manner at other marks at different distances and elevations. If these marks are covered in the same manner, the gun may be considered a fit, and a little practice will make the shooter quite at home with the weapon. It should then be tried at a target. Take a few snap shots at a bull's eye, and if the shots are
not placed central, something is wrong with either the gun or the shooter. If a man can not every time hit a fixed mark at thirty to forty yards every tie with a shot gun he cannot expect to hit birds on the wing.”
My challenge here is with POI being around a foot low at 20 yards there really is no point in considering stock adjustment or fit for POA. I doubt a rifleman would move a rifle sight 3/8” to the left to correct windage or add a 3/8” block to adjust elevation and consider that normal.
Question is, are there any flintlock fowler wingshooters out there (original or reproduction) that can confirm the POI is correct on theirs using shot? Or were all fowlers prior to regulated doubles just smoothrifles without a rear site?
