johnnyo

Found a local listing for a 50 cal TC Hawkin smooth bore. The claim is its from TC's custom shop!?

Also a .45 cal drop in barrel is available... extra price.

Just wondering. A .50 cal smooth bore is not something I've heard about.

arcticap

Several companies have made guns with .50 smooth bore barrels in the past including Lyman and CVA.
They usually have adjustable rifle sights and are considered to be smooth rifles. They're not really popular barrels and were limited offerings.
This is the first TC .50 smoothie that I've heard about and could be fun if you don't mind its effective range being limited to more moderate distances.
The TC .56 smooth bore is known to shoot as accurately as any rifle at 50 yards with tightly loaded PRB's.
Hornady makes easier to load .480 balls for use with a thicker patch.
When loaded with shot it would be more like a .410 shotgun which is for fairly close range especially if it's without any barrel choke.
And then there's always the possibility of loading multiple buckshot much like commercial .410 shotshells offer, or a buck & ball type load.

Screwbolts

IMHO, the .50 smoothy would be the equivalent of a 34 ga shot gun with a cylinder bore when loaded with shot. This would be far more capable than a 410 shot gun! the .56 smooth bore would be closing in on or surpass a 28 ga. (.55) in capability with shot. Either should work well with RB out to 50+ yards with RBs. Load development is the important thing with all smooth bore guns.

My son would rather hunt deer in thick stuff with his New Englander 12 ga with RBs over 70 gr. Pyro. than his .54 barrel. Out to 100 yards it is well within minute of deer. He likes the speed of using just a bead sight in thick cover.

Ken
Central NY

cayugad

I own and have owned a number of smoothbore barrels. I never was too impressed with them. My first was a .62 caliber smoothbore. With shot it was a 25 yard gun. Lots of power mind you, but it did not pattern as well as I liked. I did grouse hunt with it, and because I had a very good dog, was able to score with it. BUT it was hard to do. As for shooting a roundball out of it. I shot the .610 ball and out to 35 yards, it was accurate. After that it was anyone's guess. For instance I put a brown shopping bag out at that distance and shot five times at it.. off bench. I managed to knock two holes in that giant bag. How some of these people shoot 75 yards with their smoothbores is beyond me. I tired every combination I could think of. 35 yard or 44 steps was the best it could do. The person I sold it to, seems to like it as they have never complained to me. Perhaps they are close hunters and like that large ball smashing game. It would plant large game with that 332 gain (I believe it was) ball.

I then went to a New Englander 12 gauge. This is my grouse shotgun. Works great. Again, with a good dog, it was deadly. Only because the dog warned me about what was going to happen. Since he died, I have missed a boat load of them little woods rockets. But for snowshoe rabbits it is a lot of fun.

I also picked up a Knight TK2000. This is a long range shot gun.

I personally would consider a .50 caliber smoothbore for my needs.. worthless. Yes it would be fun to shoot. Might make a good squirrel shotgun. Even rabbits. But I would rather have something of larger caliber that I could shoot.

I am not trying to discourage you. Just a .50 is not for me. And I have owned a lot of shotguns in my life. I just don't want something that small.

johnnyo

I question the practicality also. Perhaps I can haggle for the .45 cal drop-in.

Semisane

If it's one of the Green Mountain "Long Range Hunter" barrels it would be well worth acquiring.

Another option would be to explore what it would cost to have that smooth bore rifled to your specs. A shallow groove with a twist tailored to a specific heavy conical would be mighty nice.

johnnyo

The word is the .45 is a TC barrel.

Getting a bore rifled would be new territory for me. What kind of twist?

stripercrazy

I got a 56 smooth bore thomson center (havent shot it yet) and I seen a guy with a 54 smooth bore thompson center, he said it was one of a 100 made he was shooting it at a mountain man contest in the rain....I was thinking 1 in a 100 I might not want to be shooting it in the rain...I never heard of a tc 50 smoothbore but up to last week I never knew they made a 54 so it may be worth alot.....might be a good find

Semisane

Well, I don't know. But I think I would find out what the groove depth and rate of twist those great shooting White rifles have, and use that.

DUNNDEE

I've owned several smoothbores over the past ten years and can truly say they all vary in the accuracy arena. Even the same model from the same manufacturer bought as a father son pair differed greatly. With my particular 62 smoothy I was doing well to hit minute of milk jug at 30 yards but with my son's identical gun I could smack jugs all day long at 60+ yards. Now with my favorite 50 caliber smoothbore [after proper load development] I can do the same to the jugs at up to 70 yards. With shot it is strictly a close quarters affair but the patterns hold tight and have taken one turkey at 20 yards. If you check your history books you will find small caliber flintlock smoothbores were more common than not. The early frontiersman didn't always have the means to afford a rifle and powder and shot/ball was not in great supply as it was for most organized armys which tended to use the larger calibers; over 62, for their purposes. Just my observation.