New gun

[leatherstocking]

This is not "particularly" the era but I thought some might enjoy. This one is a creation of Lloyd Moler and I know a few of you know Lloyd and appreciate his work. For 15 years I have wanted a flinter that I could "theoretically" hunt everything walking, flying or crawling (minus big bears). Obviously the best choice is a smooth bore. I was first inspired to go this route back in the 70's upon hearing of a Colorado front range buckskinner who had killed every small game, water fowl and upland game bird and big game animal except a big horn ram. At the time he was the only modern day hunter who had taken a Mt. Goat with a smooth bore flintlock (Northwest gun).

So anyway I have a lot fewer years ahead of me than I did then, but hopefully I'll have some success over the next decade....starting by the grace of God this fall.
I failed to get all the particulars from Lloyd, but it has a 46" .62 cal oct-round barrel. Iron furniture and maple stock.

[gregorio]

That's a beauty, and you know it's done right. Lloyds work is second to none.

[trapwise]

Beautiful gun. Hope it serves you well.

[TurkeyCreek]

That is an absolutely beautiful smoothie! Thanks for sharing and let us know how she shoots. Definitely looking forward to some pics of your successful hunts this fall.

[leatherstocking]

Thanks guys......here's a photo of my "sighting in"........took a while as I needed to lower the front blade about a 1/8th inch. to raise it up above the bulls-eye enough to hit something out there at 50-70yds.
There were three cows and calves walking through the meadow about 100yds from the house.......so we will see. I think I may take something this year whether it has antlers or not!


Everything in the red circle are my final shots.......The two flyers are of course.....me. And I don't expect single hole groupings with a smooth bore or considering my aging eye sight! I plan to do a lot more shooting this year.

[gregorio]

I have been hunting with a 20 ga. smooth for a number of years now. Deer and elk. What kind of load are you shooting? Mine likes a shotgun wad under a patched round ball,100 gr. 2ff/ Really wanted to just shoot a patched ball only but it really tightened up my groups with the fiber wad under it.

[leatherstocking]

I have always shot 80gr loads in my 20 ga.......however the wall thickness on this barrel "I would suppose" could handle heavier loads. I have some fiber wads I got from Lloyd, so I might try them. I doubt with my personal abilities I could "tighten" my groups much regardless of load.

Thanks for the information.........why do you suppose the wad makes a difference?

[gregorio]

I don't know what the difference is. I tried a lot of different combos ball/powder, and this one works quite well so I stuck with it/ My barrel must be a "tighter " one I have been using .590 ball tick patch. and you can finger start the ball .  Going to try canvas patch same ball and hopefully get rid of the wad. It actually shoots pretty good with just the patched ball so my second shot. comes from a ball block if needed. I get a lot of fouling if I use 3f in it too.  My eyes are bout in the same box. Your target I would feel comfortable to hunt with.                                              

[leatherstocking]

In my 20ga. NW trade gun I built back in the late 70's, I have always shot the same ball I did in my Leman .58, which is a .562 ball, but instead of a ticking, I use a canvas patch and it works incredibly well....able to connect with 9" gongs out at 60yds consistently. I believe my canvas is 10oz....so probably too tight for your loads. I think that some smoothies can be a lot more forgiving than rifled guns. My original colonial gun is a Caywood officer's 12ga fusil and I still haven't worked out a good load for it. However it is "jug chocked" and I suspect that is the problem. Once it cools down this evening I may try some rounds out to 70yds on a gong to see how my "long rang" does with the new smooth rifle.

[Chuck Burrows]

Lloyd did a fantastic job and it's sure nice seeing his work - as the late great Bette Davis once said - "getting old ain't for sissies!"

Try denim for patching it comes in IIRC 10, 12, and 14oz. I've found it to work well - in my smoothie (28 ga) I use a 5/6 oz leather wad over a mattress ticking or 12 oz denim patched .530 ball and I'm getting 2-3" off the bench at 50 yds with a rear sight when I don't have the shakes!

[leatherstocking]

Well....here's a few rounds shot at my gong at 60yds with .600 rb with pillow ticking and spit and 100gr ffg. Lloyd suggested I might want o back down a bit, suspecting I might be wasting powder out the muzzle. Only one of the holes in the tree trunk is mine...the other a youngster taking a shot. My round that hit the tree was at 80yds. Obviously I am pulling to the right a bit, however as it stands I think I am pretty close, off hand at 60yds. Still got some more to do to get really comfortable.

[TurkeyCreek]

Good shootin'! I hope my NW trade gun shoots that good when I get'r finished! Thanks for posting the pics and the load info.

[Dan'l Hickham]

Jealous - Looks like a crazy nice gun

[leatherstocking]

Dan'l

Thank you........I started planing for this gun back about 12 or so years ago. I saw a "smooth Rifle" built by "at the time" a fairly well known gun builder, offered on TOTW. I wanted some "fancy" but a practical piece that would stand up to hunting here in the Rockies.....that I could "theoretically" hunt any large, small or feathered critter in those same Rocky Mts. LLoyd did a super job and I am very pleased with it. I probably frustrated him a bit, by not giving him total "creative license"........especially when I asked him to checker the stock and add the silver spots. I think he wanted to do a lot more carving, especially in the beginning and actually wanted a bit more of a German influence. Anyway, I am most blessed that he agreed to build it for me. I made a lot trips up to Priest River to fellowship with him and view the progress.

So......after all these years, I still have the original GRRW full stock Leman flinter, and my North Star/Green River Forge composite trade gun, both of which I built when I first got into this insanity........and the Pedersoli Mortimer cap gun for fur trade doins.......don't know what this next decade will bring, but at least I can "theoretically" cover 18th century and first half of the 19th. I hope in the next couple of weeks to get my David Snellen 1830's/40's saddle..............with a good stout mule under me......I can grow old more gracefully.

[leatherstocking]

Aug 28, 2015 10:51:35 GMT -7 TurkeyCreek said:

Good shootin'! I hope my NW trade gun shoots that good when I get'r finished! Thanks for posting the pics and the load info.

Make sure you post it when you get it done........my Nor West gun was the second I built and will never sell it!