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<  16ga. Guns  ~  I’m considering a 16 gauge flintlock fowler
Dannyboy175
PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2018 8:57 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Mar 2013
Posts: 162
Location: York, PA

MaximumSmoke wrote:
The 20 is just as magical, but being almost entirely restricted to yellow shells is a huge aesthetic drawback Wink .

Cheers!
Tony


Thanks for all of the detailed information. This may help when I'm experimenting to find the best loads/patterns.

Relative to your comment about the color or 20 gauge shells, i must admit that my two least favorite colors are yellow and purple, but that doesn't stop me from using both 20 and 16 gauges for everything I can.

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Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen
Browning Citori Superlite Feather 16 ga.
Merkel 1620 (straight stock and single trigger)
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Dannyboy175
PostPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 6:56 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Mar 2013
Posts: 162
Location: York, PA

I found a Colerain barrel in 16 gauge but the builder said he already has a 16 gauge Rice barrel that he can use. I think they are both the same length, but the Colerain is flared at the muzzle. Rice has a superior reputation for barrels, I think, but kind of liked the look of the flared barrel. Nooner have thoughts about Rice vs Colerain barrels? Is there any benefit to the flaring, other than aesthetics? For a smooth bore, what advantages would a better barrel have over a lesser barrel?

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Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen
Browning Citori Superlite Feather 16 ga.
Merkel 1620 (straight stock and single trigger)
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duckdup
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 7:06 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 12 Feb 2018
Posts: 258
Location: West-central Missouri

Dannyboy, there is only one answer to your barrel dilemma; build two flintlocks...

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An ounce of fives, the smell of nitro in paper hulls, wet gundog, and Hoppe's #9...
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Dannyboy175
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 3:34 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Mar 2013
Posts: 162
Location: York, PA

duckdup wrote:
Dannyboy, there is only one answer to your barrel dilemma; build two flintlocks...


Yeah, I think you are right...

Fowler first and then a PA longrifle.

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Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen
Browning Citori Superlite Feather 16 ga.
Merkel 1620 (straight stock and single trigger)
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MaximumSmoke
PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 11:21 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 01 Dec 2005
Posts: 1550
Location: Minnesota and Florida

Make the fowler and get Briley or Mike Orlen or somebody to put in choke tubes! Wink
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Dannyboy175
PostPosted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 5:29 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Mar 2013
Posts: 162
Location: York, PA

The builder has not been good at meeting his promised dates, but I think we are close. It may be shipping this week. I’ll post photos when I get it in hand.

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Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen
Browning Citori Superlite Feather 16 ga.
Merkel 1620 (straight stock and single trigger)
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16'er
PostPosted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 8:11 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 1392
Location: Tappahannock, Virginia

Thanks for the update. Pics when you can!
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16gaDavis
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:48 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 24 Jun 2013
Posts: 2058
Location: canandaigua - western n.y. (formerly deerhunter)

If you can do some shopping , down south is the place to look . The 1st gun show that was in our area , got a really cool civil war 16ga smoothbore - 75 bucks . 1) would recommend a caplock - bad weather concerns . 2) my gun has a feather weight 33'' barrel . gun weighs 5.5lbs . If the barrel was heavier , what can be done to the bore is jug choke . Won't affect loading / breaching , but CAN put some choke in . That's the scourge of smoothbores - no choke . I have shot mine a few times - 50grns 2F , cork wad , 3/4oz shot .... would REALLY like it if NY had an early Teal season again - would be the bomb to use for that . The smoke cloud would discourage the guys that like to hunt arm to arm with you !! (in the day , hunters shot Fowl on the water , so these guns had some value . On the wing , any firing delay is a real test for hitting/killing something . A flintlock could be quite a challenge wing shooting in a sleet storm !)(another thought might be to use choke tubes - load the barrel tubeless through the threads and put the tube in once loaded . yeah , I know , a loaded gun .)

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MaximumSmoke
PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 11:55 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 01 Dec 2005
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Location: Minnesota and Florida

Just re-visiting some old stuff and found this thread on the idea of a flintlock 16. Did the OP ever get one? How does it work for you. Please let us know.

Cheers,
Tony

P.S. -- Am I right to assume one motive for turning to a muzzle loader is the avoidance of hulls? e.g. Has frustration with the qualities of currently available 16 ga. hulls caused this extreme response? Laughing At least we can still get 16's in multiple colors. Idea A muzzle loader 20 would get me around having to use all these damnable yellow things. Are percussion caps and gunflints more available today than primers?
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Bill K
PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2021 5:42 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

Back during the bicentennial I tried hunting pheasant with a .75 caliber Brown Bess musket - I used 12 ga wads, about a 1-1/8 ounce of shot, and most importantly ground FFFFG black powder to talcum powder consistency in a small mortar & pestal.

The priming powder was the critical component - the flintlock fired a fast as a percussion cap.

I remember I shot a couple of cock pheasant with it, and got standing ovation from a game warden when I emerged from the field. I got a picture lying around the house somewhere.

It was an interesting endeavor BUT, something I did once !

In the end you’ll spend the price of a modern gun, the satisfaction isn’t that great, and you’ll never get your money out of it.

If you research the historical use of ‘flintlock fowlers’ the colonials used them to ambush waterfowl sitting on the water - no aerial shots. Essentially they’d wound as many birds as possible - then wring their necks. They were more of a protein harvesting tool than a sporting arm.

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Bill K
North of Boston
Browning New A5 Sweet Sixteen circa 2019
Browning Citori Upland 16 GA circa 2014
Darne R10 1962
Browning Sweet Sixteen 16 GA circa 1957
Savage Fox Sterlingworth 16 GA circa 1934
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Bill K
PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2021 5:48 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

Oh yeah - use only French amber flints, or black English.

No black powder substitutes, you’ll need wads of tissue paper as over the shot wadding, watch out for burning bits of ejecta ( you could set the woods on fire) - and forget moist or rainy days.

It’s a romantic notion, but not practical.

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Bill K
North of Boston
Browning New A5 Sweet Sixteen circa 2019
Browning Citori Upland 16 GA circa 2014
Darne R10 1962
Browning Sweet Sixteen 16 GA circa 1957
Savage Fox Sterlingworth 16 GA circa 1934
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Bill K
PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 5:08 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

Also, as a matter of note -

Several years back I bought my son a Pedersoli double barrel 20 gauge percussion shotgun, 26" barrels, fixed chokes cylinder & improved cylinder - a pretty sweet upland gun. At the time I paid over $600, last time I saw one listed they were going for $1,000.

The only (reversible) modification I made was to remove the #11 nipples, and replace them with 2-piece nipple adapters that allow the use of 209 primers. He uses American Pioneer Jim Shockey's Gold non-corrosive black powder substitute which works fine. As for his load he uses 1 ounce of lead shot over fiber wads, with an over the shot wad.

The gun handles like a modern 20 gauge side by side, he gets his share of birds.

The worst thing to be said is reloading in the field which can take a generous handful of minutes, he makes a point to have his loads pre-made at home, and carries a small funnel to facilitate loading the powder.

If you're going to go the route of a muzzle loading shotgun this is what I would recommend, besides the Pedersoli shotgun retains some value - if it is well taken care of (i.e. not rusted up by using actual black powder).

As an additional note referring back to when I was using my Brown Bess, I hade the barrel and flintlock plated with #2 nickel which is virtually indistinguishable from the original steel look, clean up was far easier, and the gun looked great.

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Bill K
North of Boston
Browning New A5 Sweet Sixteen circa 2019
Browning Citori Upland 16 GA circa 2014
Darne R10 1962
Browning Sweet Sixteen 16 GA circa 1957
Savage Fox Sterlingworth 16 GA circa 1934
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Charles Hammack
PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:18 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 1729
Location: Central Missouri

One of the Dr's I visit with has a 14 ga he built when he was going to college back in the 70's , not sure of the name of the lock , I know the lock is worth more than the gun , is incredible fast and once used to it it is easy to kill starling with it.

Had lots of fun with it on several occasions.


If I were not into airguns so much I would have one just for fun.

Best Regards Nick
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duckdup
PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 9:22 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 12 Feb 2018
Posts: 258
Location: West-central Missouri

Fun to revisit this topic thread. Just thinking about another fowler...

Bill K. "It’s a romantic notion, but not practical." could be said for all hunting in this century. Please don't keep pointing that out, my wife might be reading over my shoulder. Very Happy

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An ounce of fives, the smell of nitro in paper hulls, wet gundog, and Hoppe's #9...
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16'er
PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:04 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 1392
Location: Tappahannock, Virginia

No connection to gun or selller:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/920516328
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