Fowler Gauge?

[Reactor]

I'm looking to build a fowler for hunting turkeys.  However, I think i may load a round ball and try for black bear during the early season with this gun as well.
I'm looking at 10 gauge but not sure that is what i really want, should it be an 11 gauge.  Was the 11 gauge more historically correct? 
For those of you with a 10 gauge or 11 gauge, what's your opinion?

[Buzzard]

I’ve taken most everything from quail to elk with my 20ga

[Bigsmoke]

I used to shoot an 11 ga Charles Moore double, and really I could not tell a lot of difference between that and a 12 ga.  IIWM, I would go for a 12 ga instead of a 10 or an 11 Ga.  But that's just me.  I don't really think you would gain a lot going to the larger bore, except recoil, all things being equal.
I think a .715 ball weighs in at approx 555 grains, and that is enough to flatten most anything you're liable to run across on this continent.
IIRC, it is pretty unusual to find trade guns in anything but 12 and 20 bore, and mostly they are in 20 bore.  So there is your historical perspective.
Good luck with the decision.  Let us know what you decide and pictures of the trade gun when you get it.
John

[prairie dog]

faced with that decision, I decided on 20 gauge.  It works well on turkey and elk.  I think it would do fine for bear. 

[Reactor]

Well I pulled the trigger on a Jim Chambers New England fowler in 10 gauge, walnut w/ upgrade.  I am thinking of having it choked to full.  This will be my new turkey gun. 
I now need to find someone who can choke this barrel for me.  Anybody know who can perform this service?

[Bigsmoke]

Not really that familiar with smooth bores with chokes, but it seems to me that choking the barrel to full choke would rather alleviate the ability to use round ball in it.
Anyone else have an opinion on that?

[rollingb]

Not really that familiar with smooth bores with chokes, but it seems to me that choking the barrel to full choke would rather alleviate the ability to use round ball in it.
Anyone else have an opinion on that?

Patched round balls, and (near) bore-sized round balls, are NOT recommended for "choked" bores,.... "choked" bores are dedicated to the usage of shooting "shot", a smooth bore with no choke is considered a "cylinder-bore". 

[2shute]

You might consider jug choking, a process by which a few inches of the bore close to the muzzle are relieved a few thousandths of an inch, allowing the shot to expand and then contract again right before exiting the bore.  There are numerous testimonials about the effectiveness of jug choking by shooters and respected builders about firing both shot and round ball effectively.  Lowell Tennyson in Iowa and Danny Caywood at Caywood in Arkansas have provided the service in the past.  Might be worth a look.  The best to you in your efforts.

[rollingb]

You might consider jug choking, a process by which a few inches of the bore close to the muzzle are relieved a few thousandths of an inch, allowing the shot to expand and then contract again right before exiting the bore.  There are numerous testimonials about the effectiveness of jug choking by shooters and respected builders about firing both shot and round ball effectively.  Lowell Tennyson in Iowa and Danny Caywood at Caywood in Arkansas have provided the service in the past.  Might be worth a look.  The best to you in your efforts.

Heck, I plumb forgot about "jug choking" ,.... from what I can find out, the idea of jug-choking shotgun barrels dates back to around the mid-to-late 1940's so it's a rather "modern concept" to get tighter patterns from cylinder-bored barrels. 

Also,... jug choking seems to be rather popular among some muzzleloading shooters who wish to stray a bit from being strictly 100% "historically correct" type hunters/shooters. 
Personally,.... I wouldn't have it done to any of my traditional smoothbores, but I certainly don't/won't begrudge anyone who wish to have it done to their's. 

[Reactor]

Hey rollingb, I know what you mean.  I don't want to change anything on the gun that will detract from it's authenticity.   I have not jug choked the barrel yet but I'm doing some homework on the subject.  I came across this link:

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=121752&page=all

According to this link the art of jug choking a barrel goes as far back as the late 1600s.  I have not read the book that was referenced, English translation of Espingarda Perfeyta (The Perfect Gun) first published in Portugal in 1718. 

I'll keep researching the subject and see if it is authentic or not.  Heck if this gun patterns well, I might be able to sway a couple of people into using a flintlock for turkey hunting.

[rollingb]

Hey rollingb, I know what you mean.  I don't want to change anything on the gun that will detract from it's authenticity.   I have not jug choked the barrel yet but I'm doing some homework on the subject.  I came across this link:

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=121752&page=all

According to this link the art of jug choking a barrel goes as far back as the late 1600s.  I have not read the book that was referenced, English translation of Espingarda Perfeyta (The Perfect Gun) first published in Portugal in 1718. 

I'll keep researching the subject and see if it is authentic or not.  Heck if this gun patterns well, I might be able to sway a couple of people into using a flintlock for turkey hunting.

Reactor please do, I'd be interested in what you find out. 

[Reactor]

Here is another link that documents jug choking a barrel back to 1872. 

So I guess it would be safe to say that others experimented with this concept.  It clearly did not take back in the 1700s or we would find that the current surviving firearms would be jug choked; at least one of them.

https://books.google.com/books?id=IRHYTAJYLYAC&pg=PA118&lpg=PA118&dq=History+of+jug+choking+a+gun&source=bl&ots=5sWYxPbDl5&sig=ACfU3U3C7Kci3WIdjvc37AfoiRgUzm8GjA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXpJfd2d_gAhUQ84MKHZ8_D0w4ChDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=jug&f=false