Caliber/Gage In The Buccaneer Period

[Animal]

I have been looking at various guns for the early buccaneer period. I must assume that they were smoothbores during that time. Does anyone have any information on the standards of the era???

Animal

[michaelsbagley]

Standards? In the mid to late 17th century?

You'll only give yourself a headache ... There were SOME commonalities... But standards... Nuh-nuh...

From "Colonial Frontier Guns" by T.M. Hamilton.

Pg. 41

The average buccaneer gun had an overall length of 5', 10" (5 pieds, 6 pouces) and a barrel length of 4', 7". The barrel was pin mounted and the bore was usually 18 calibre.

There are various other references in the book, all state that 18 calibre was the most common, but examples have been found from 16 to 22 calibre. Keep in mind that I believe this author is using the term "calibre" as an equivalent to "Gauge" or "Bore", so this would be about .597" to .663" range with the most common of 18 calibre being .639".

Out of all the various books I have collected over the last few years, the above book has the most examples of the French Buccanier muskets, and best technical details, but the downside is that out of all the books on muskets I have, this book also has the smallest variety of muskets in general, focusing in on a handful of different styles rather than the catalogue of variety that the Nuemann book contains.

There is also this old thread about the "Fusil Buccanier (Buccaneer musket)" from the Captain's Twill section, if I recall correctly, the thread had some awesome information in it and good debates.

[michaelsbagley]

Ooops, accidentally double submitted my reply... Sorry

[callenish gunner]

Aye mickey the majority of French muskets and pistols of the era were between .62 &.69 caliber ....but that is more a guideline than an absolute rule since guns were all handmade there were slight variations even from the same gunsmiths

[Animal]

Thanks guys. I also want to use this during hunting season here in Florida. Bear, deer and turkey are the most often hunted here. Been debating between smoothbore and rifled. Will have to check or call Fish and game for restrictions, ect.

Animal

[Quartermaster James]

Thanks guys. I also want to use this during hunting season here in Florida. Bear, deer and turkey are the most often hunted here. Been debating between smoothbore and rifled. Will have to check or call Fish and game for restrictions, ect.

Animal

If you plan on using one gun for all of the above, I'd go smoothbore.

If'n you take turkeys with a rifle, you need no advice from me!

[callenish gunner]

I have hunted turkeys for years with a .410 shotgun I used to use a .22 but they changed the law on that 30 years ago ...the range is 20-25 yards in most cases... a .62 cal with #4 shot should bring down some nice birds

[Animal]

Thanks again guys for the responses. Callenish, I can't wait to get into hunting again. The turkey population here in Florida is pretty healthy from what I've seen. When I out doing deliveries in the rural areas, I see literally herds of them along side the roads. I stopped once and counted 30 birds with a pocket monocular. To say the least, I was impressed and a little awed. Now if only they'll stay in the same place during the season.

Animal

[hurricane]

Are you sure they weren't vultures you saw? Waiting for you to pass by? They're smart you know - they know eventually they'll get a meal out of ya! :)

-- Hurricane

[Animal]

Naw I been lookin' at pictures. Know the difference between them and a turkey. Susi's son laid in a field once with ketchup over him trying to lure one down. Didn't work tho. I told him he was too skinny, not enough meat fer them.

Animal

[hurricane]

I only take a day and a half to consume, if it's a King Vulture followed by the others. They have a scale at the Brevard Zoo that tells you how long it takes the vultures to recycle you.

- Hurricane

[callenish gunner]

Salty & I took a drive three weeks ago on a local back road and counted 8 flocks of 25-35 per flock plus at least 3 dozen deer, along a 3 mile stretch of road a few miles from our house. In the churchyard next to us I have counted as many as 40 in one flock just after dawn ....in the churchyard I have taken a tom with my bow ....didn't want to wake the vicar

[Quartermaster James]

Round these parts it's geese.

Seems like you could just pull over and take them by hand!

They're the most common road kill, even in the 15 mph industrial area, so they can't be too fast...

Edited March 18, 2009 by Quartermaster James

[Joe Pyrat]

This topic reminded me of something. During the fur trade, guns were referred to as so many shots per pound of lead, for example, 32 shots per pound was around a 52 caliber. for obvious reasons, a mountainman did not want to have to haul any more lead around than he had to and he wanted what he had to go as far as possible, so large bore weapons were rare. Were muskets etc. referred to by caliber or shots per pound during the GAoP?

[Guest]

for obvious reasons, a mountainman did not want to have to haul any more lead around than he had to

But the standard gauge (Rocky Mountain Fur Trade era (with a rifle.....))...was still about .50 cal.(and larger to about .58....) they had to use the lead they carried efficiently, but they still carried large caliber guns...They weren't just shooting for sport, but for survival (eweh.... Ok larger game, and Indians....(yeah... I know... not PC))..... the guys back East could carry smaller caliber guns .45 but if they didn't kill dinner, they still had something back at home to eat....

A discussion about the number of old military smoothbores would be fun..... a lot of old besses made it out West as night watch guns and for shooting birds.... They just ain't as romantic.......

Early period guns were throwing a huge chunka lead by modern standards.......

[michaelsbagley]

This topic reminded me of something. During the fur trade, guns were referred to as so many shots per pound of lead, for example, 32 shots per pound was around a 52 caliber. for obvious reasons, a mountainman did not want to have to haul any more lead around than he had to and he wanted what he had to go as far as possible, so large bore weapons were rare. Were muskets etc. referred to by caliber or shots per pound during the GAoP?

Hey Joe,

I'm not sure if it was universal or not, but the quotes I was referring to in my previous post are based on shots per pound. Judging from various other excerpts from the book I am citing it seems at least the French measured bore size of their muskets in shots per pound (or whatever the French equivalent was, this was well before metric). It is also important to note that the French weight measure was a slightly different measure than the English "Pound". I'm not sure if they were different by whole ounces, or off by a fraction of an ounce. I guess this is something I can and should look up.

In re-reading the title and description of the topic, I realized that Animal was not JUST asking about the French Fusil Buccanier musket, but muskets in general of the period.... So to add to that more broad question, one must also realize that the French mostly used muskets in the .62 to .69 range, but the English and Dutch preferred larger bore weapons that I believe generally ranged in the .69 to .80 range... Again just as there was a "common" range for French muskets with LOTS of exceptions, there would be similar variation in English and Dutch weapons. I haven't done any reading on Spanish weapons, so who knows what the trends were like for the Spaniards?

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

One item of extreme importance; lock-timing. If your lock is not instantaneous at ignition and you have any delay in flash to charge, you will see your turkey run off before the shot leaves the barrel. They have a resolution power 1000 times greater than we do and react quicker than the average hunter. Make sure whatever you get has a "snappy" lock on it!

Bo