muzzleloader waterfowling

R

rfberan

Active member
I have decided to try a double barrel muzzleloading shotgun for waterfowl this season. My gunsmith is a good friend of mine and has taken me under his wing for instruction on the proper use of the weapon. So I was curious if anyone had any experience in the marsh or field to share.
I ran across an old internet reference to a group of black powder waterfowlers and wondered if any were part of this forum.
Thanks for any input.
 
I have done a lot of black powder hunting-

but like you- intend to try for ducks with one for the first time this year

obviously-- you'll need barrel friendly shot- such as bismuth, and work up a load your gun likes
and keep it moving- the swing is very important with black powder

this is the newest addition - a British 15 bore great condition with solid barrels 45 thousands plus wall thickness

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Great subject. I have always had an interest in hunting ducks with a muzzle loader. Update this on your success and failure so those of us on the sidelines may be educated if we ever jump in.

Best of luck.

Chris
 
The Wildlife Conservation Officer that was in my county of Western PA, would only hunt ducks with a muzzle loader. When we encountered him hunting the same swamp I asked about his shot and chokes.
"Steel shot and open chokes work just fine" was his reply. I was a flintlock deer hunter for many years, but never did cap lock for waterfowl and upland game.
 
Rick~

That fowling piece goes in the "Heartbreakingly Beautiful" category! (even though I cannot see the splinter forearm....) Best of luck with it.

SJS
 
thanks Steve

I was lucky to get it - I saw it at an antique show but did not have my measuring tools with me so I passed

missed it a second time at a gun show when the dealer left early, third time was the charm- ran into him at another shop, when I asked if he still had it he said yes but had an offer for a down payment and the rest over time- a quick trip to the bank and he had cash in hand.

i will get a picture of the forend and entry pipe-

this is as much of it in a picture as I have at the moment

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and one of the wonder color in the barrels

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Robin...I've thought about giving muzzleloader duck hunting a try in the past. I still haven't worked up a good load in my smoothbore for turkeys yet though, maybe someday. That's part of the fun though I just have to find more time to make it happen. Good luck with this adventure.
Beautiful smokepole Rick... Make sure to post up some pictures when you do get out with beaut!
Steve
 
Thank you everyone for your input and advice.
I will try to report if I can get things to together and get it into action in the marsh.

Maybe should have also asked Cheech his opinion - "Up in Smoke".
 
I haven't tried out my Flintlock Fowler for waterfowl. I've tried to shoot some skeet with it and haven't become to proficient. I intend to though. My Daughter and I hunt Turkeys exclusively with Fowlers. I've found that my 12 bore patterns best with 80grains of FF and equal amounts of #5 copper plated shot. I use 2 cardboard over the shot cards to hold the charge in and 1 over the shot. I find that the heavier wads blow a hole in the middle of my pattern.

If I can figure out how to reduce the pic size I'll post one on here.

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Even the best tuned flintlock is significantly slower than a good percussion gun

I have shot some skeet and a few pointed preserve birds with mine. Not sure I would try it for any thing other than very close working decoyed ducks. And even then. I think I would miss the security of a back up shot
 
My smoothbore is a flintlock too...Tulle de Chasse custome made to be historically correct to the late 1700's fur trade era by Ron Goellner in Oregon. I love this gun but I doubt it will ever see swamp duty...I'll have to wait for a double for that.

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Rick, that is a beautiful side by side. I love the color of the barrel. Can you elaborate what type of bluing that is?? Is that something that can be replicated if building a gun from a kit??
Thanks,
Stevs
 
Rick, that is a beautiful side by side. I love the color of the barrel. Can you elaborate what type of bluing that is?? Is that something that can be replicated if building a gun from a kit??
Thanks,
Stevs
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the barrels were browned - and I expect redone prior to my finding it- those barrels are fine London twist, made of both iron and steel merged together- the two metals take the coloring solution differently leaving the pattern as shown

i am not aware of anyone producing them today, it was incredibly labor intensive to make them, all the kits that I know of have fluid steel barrels

to recolor them is somewhat similar to a slow rust bluing process on modern steel barrels - tedious to get right, but worth it in the end - the solution is applied, allowed to sit and carded (lightly removed) time after time (6 to maybe more then 12 iterations - until the color is where you want it, the barrels are boiled if you want to turn the brown to black.

so for example- one of the sets on another gun I did - first in the plum brown in the early stages - then the black after boiling (these are damascus - a different pattern than twist)
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