Silly question...

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Uplandguy

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Okay, background. Been hunting for about 20 years, since was a kid. I am able to hunt after work and weekends with the kids so I get out a lot. I do pretty well and I chase pretty much everything that is legal. Awhile back I started shotgun hunting whitetail deer - this forced me to learn to stalk prey and get close (with 75 yards). Once of the advantages I found in shotgun hunting was versatility - I could hunt deer in the morning and then switch to hare/upland hunting without packing two guns with me.

So, the next thing to try is Modern muzzleloading. Usually when I start something new I start on smaller game. Here is the question:

Is there a modern muzzleloading gun that fires shot as well as ball? My shots with a ball would have to be accurate to 50-70 yards on the long side. I see lots of rifled muzzleloading guns for sale but no smooth bore. Can you fire birdshot of through a rifled muzzleloader?

Thanks all.

Tim
 
Not really. The rifling in the barrel screws up the shot pattern.
You would need a smoothbore muzzle loader to do both. But then your accuracy with the slug is hurt and you would be restricted to patch and ball which makes it even less accurate.
 
Okay thanks. Now with a smooth bore the ball should be accurate to 50 yards I would think similar to a rifled slug which is fine as honestly the longest shot I have taken in years is 75 yards. Does anyone in Canada sell smooth bore muzzleloaders? WS and Cabela's seem out.

Thanks again. I plan to do some research on calibre etc and probably buy after the deer season and then take a year to practice before hunting with it.

Tim
 
Although I haven't done much with my muzzleloaders for the past 15 or 20 years (having gone more into black powder cartridge shooting) in my experience, a tightly patched ball in a good smoothbore barrel will be quite accurate out to 75 yards or so. As an example, this is a 10 shot 50 yard group (from a rest) with my Miroku reproduction Brown Bess musket (flintlock, .75 caliber, if you aren't familiar with them .... admittedly shot nearly a quarter century ago!)

besstrgt.jpg


During the Fur Trade era, the Trade Guns most desired by the aboriginal peoples were smoothbore, specifically because they could be used quite effectively with both shot and ball .... The majority of them were flintlock, but if you would rather not go down that road (flintlocks can be a lot more "finicky") later ones were percussion.
 
You can pick up an original cap lock smooth bore in decent condition for a reasonable amount of money. Not sure of too many modern reproduction guns excepting the double barrel shotguns which would probably be better as you could load one barrel with a roundball and the other with shot. i would recommend loading the barrel with the more open choke
if it has any) with the roundball as it will be easier not having to load past the restriction at the muzzle.

Cheers. SJ
 
I'm not too sure if its practical but putting sights on it would help. I have seen a friend put round after round into a gong at 100 yards with a smooth bore percussion that was set up with sights. and that was off hand too!

Cheers. SJ
 
Easiest would likely to find a decent shape brownbess type. Or even a pedersoli brownbess copy. Close to 12ga bore, smooth bore, flintlock, and relativly easy to find.
 
I agree with the New Englander suggestion. Find one that has both the rifle barrel and smooth bore barrel. Very easy to switch. But you would still have to carry along an extra barrel.
 
i guess that was my reasoning for a double. When it comes down to it, any gun is acompromise in this situation. At least with a double you can have two different loads giving you much more versatility. A half decent Pedresoli double goes for a decent enough price and the quality is definetly there. The barrels are much shorter than a musket like a brown bess and the percussion system is simpler to learn and maybe more reliable but if he learns how to care for it a flintlock can be just as reliable.

Cheers. SJ
 
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