Nw tradegun

[old salt]

Keb wrote

"Actually, the statement made that a true smoothbore has NO rear sight is just not true. Historically, mostly all trade guns didn't have a rear sight. but some did. The "Carolina" trade gun is an example of a rear sighted trade gun. But there are plenty of surviver smoothbored guns with rear sights. I know, I'm nit-picking now but, well, yes I am nit-picking."


Some years ago I ran into a gentleman who liked to give new folks a hard time about being period correct, and could a real pain in the A$$ about it.
I finally took a copy of Colonial Frontier Guns by T. M. Hamilton.

Mr. Hamilton's book is written about smooth bores that have dug up from arkillogical sites .  George now carries a trade gun and what we call a smooth rifle

[Hanshi]

  You mean there is a difference between a rifle and a smoothbore!??  I stand corrected.



Now I know this is a smoothbore because I was told so by somebody else.  Ignore the fuzzy footed guy; don't know how he sneaked into the picture but at least his claws are retracted.

[pilgrim]

    learned something again,  Thanks.   At the local black powder shoot,  all the old timers always shot both rifles and smoothbores,   but their smoothbores had no rear sight  and they had long barrels,   interesting to know that some smoothbores DO have rear sights,

[old salt]

Pilgrim

You should be able to tell which gun they are going to be shooting by the it is listed in the flyer

If it says trade gun then they are more than likely going to use the gun without a rear site.

If it says smooth bore you can use the rear site.

Now you have to remember Murphy's law what they say in some flyer's is not what they really mean

[pilgrim]

     I researched a bit and found NMLRA rule # 5640 =  "sighted smoothbore, front and rear sights,  no restrictions on caliber

                                                                       #5650 =   trade gun or Fowler,  NO rear sights  54 cal minimum,  Flintlock only

http://nmlra.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Rules-Regulations.pdf

     I am never too old to learn,    Thanks again for setting me on the correct path

[old salt]

Thanks for the list of rules   

[Keb]

There's those pesky rules. Yes, I did leave out the trade gun must be a flint lock, too. I noticed they were rules for 2010. I stopped competing in 1996. Mostly the same rules as then. I couldn't find the "Northwest Trade Gun" match. Maybe I dreamed it or it's no longer a match. You know, sometimes we tend to remember things differently that factually. Markinmi may remember the old trade gun league at OCSC. They may still have it, I don't know. Flintlock, single simple trigger, smoothbore & no rear sight above the plane of the barrel were the rules for that league, too. Ahhhh. The good old days.

[pilgrim]

    at the shoot I went to,  nothing was listed for smoothbore and never asked,  they just shot smoothbores without a rear sight.  I asked one shooter,  How can you aim and hit and get such a good group, time and again?  Always amazed me,   but then they were shooting most of their lives, and were in their 70's plus.  One old timer, won the egg shoot, at the ripe old age of 97 years old.  Still and always will marvel at the firing sequence of a fine Flintlock,  whether it be smooth bore or rifled. 

[markinmi]

They still do them that way Keb, I dont make all of them the way I used to but I try.

[rfd]

a 1/4 year old thread, but still ...

i like the idea/concept/feeling/whatever of the simple smoothbore - flintlock, .54 or larger bore, single trigger, front sight only.  really, what more does one need other than good components? 

to each their own, i s'pose.  it's all good, one way or t'other.

[markinmi]

well I started this thread some time ago but finaly got the picture

[Keb]

Mark. Nice looking trade gun. I always liked them things. I just sold Lloyd's 24 gauge Gustomski trade gun to a fella in Tennessee. You may remember getting yer butt whipped by that gun. I whould'a kept it but it whacked my face pretty good.

[Renegade]

Nice looking trade Gun mark! I like the Hawk and Axe too.
I really enjoy shooting my new trade gun, but It sure does take some getting use to shooting without a rear sight.

[markinmi]

Its a Northstar West built by Tom Fishwild

[markinmi]

Well ,I received another addition to my armory yesterday, an old friend that I befriended more than 20 years ago decided he can no longer shoot with bad eyes and becoming more and more unsteady.
I was at a rendevous years ago and saw a elderly couple leaving very shortly after arriving, For some reason I hailed them over and asked if they enjoyed the camp, the man said he thought the folks were kinda standoffish and unwelcoming, Well not here I says sit down and have a beer with us, well we wound up talking for hours about how he wanted to participate so I invited him to get his gear and come on to the next shoot and I'd be happy to help him with getting into buckskinning.
We became good friends and shot often together,he progressed to a good trade gun shooter and became a regular part of my shooting companyaros.
Well now his wife is gone, and he has advanced in years and told me because I had invited him into my camp that day and introduced him to the buckskinning world and so many good people, he wanted me to have his trade gun, so now I'm the owner of a Caywood Chiefs grade Wilson 20 gauge,maybe the finest smoke pole I've ever owned and will be a cherished keepsake as I move through the rest of my years.
So thank you to French Pete, for the years of friendship, your service to your country, and the most generous gift I've ever received, not bad for a can of beer. 
Will get around to posting picture but here's a stock photo from caywoods web site