03 August 2004, 04:50
54JNoll24 ga Flintlock Fowler ... Growing old with grace
I was going to post this with the Termite Food post but Hunt101 would not let me in last week. But then I decided this grand old girl deserved her own thread.
No fancy epoxy finishes, coatings, or sealants. While not carved or highly engraved this fowler still represents the superb skill of the craftsman who built her about 200 years ago. She has aged and weathered the ravages of both time and nature gracefully, some of the engraving has worn off and the barrel has taken on a mostly gray patina from being �left in the white� but she is still sound. The 24 gauge (.577) octagon-round barrels are 33.5 inches long with the ramrod thimble soldered directly to the barrels and fitted with a single wedge pin and a hooked breach for easy disassembly. Stocked in fine-grained French Walnut the LOP is 13.5 inches and she weighs in at 6.5 pounds. The ramrod is tapered in order to maintain a thin forearm.
Now this is what I call �smoking� some squirrels �





03 August 2004, 05:01
MarcBeyootiful! Hope I look that good at 200!
A friend has a single barrel fowler by J. P. Beck. Half octagon barrel and also carving on the stock. Very nice piece. I don't think he shoots it though.
03 August 2004, 06:02
54JNollBeck made some real nice guns.
Got lucky with this one. Still has the original mainspring too. The frizzen, cock, and frizzen spring were replaced though.
I should also mention that light loads are the rule for this grand lady of the hunt.

First time I hunted squirrel with her my fathe was hunting with me. He was rather surprised I was using the flinter as he brought his lever action .22. I got the first squirrel of the day. After the shot my father hollers, Did you get anything"? I hooler back, "I don't know, can't see a thing, but the shot felt good". Walked up to where the squirrel was and there is still was.

I got the only squirrels that day to.

Although he never fired a shot either.
The picture with the two squirrels is another hunt I made with her while scouting out some new deer woods.