Hunting with Muzzleloading Shotguns and Smoothbore Muskets

Smoothbore guns such as shotguns, muskets and blunderbusses are a less frequently used part of the present muzzleloading market, yet these versatile guns can take small game, fowl and big game in all parts of the world. This is illustrated by the author using a variety of replica and original guns to take game in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Species taken include quail, dove, squirrel, rabbits, ducks, geese, swan, wild turkeys, deer. wild hogs, bison, warthogs and blue wildebeest. Guns include single shots, doubles and bolt-action guns, including some original military issued muskets.

Relatively few modern hunters use their smoothbore shotguns and muskets to take game, yet these versatile guns have taken all of the world's game including elephants. In this book the Corresponding Editor for black powder for the Gun Digest Annual uses a variety of single shot, double barrel and bolt-action shotguns and muskets to take game as diversified as dove to deer to wildebeest in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. The books 9 chapters cover muskets, fowlers, shotguns and blunderbusses and documents their use with candid comments about their successes and failures. Much practical information is given about traditional loads as well as those using modern powders, plastic wads and HeviShot for small game and fowl along with round-ball loads for big game animals. In order to more completely examine the capabilities of these guns, the author has even used the seldom written about blunderbuss to help take a swan and make a decisive kill on a wild turkey. This book is intended for those who have a general interest in the historic capabilities of these guns and particularly for those who want to extend their muzzleloading hunting experiences by using historic and replica guns to take game.

Wm. Hovey Smith is a Professional Geologist who has been hunting and writing since the 1970s. He has published thousands of magazine and newspaper articles, 15 conventional books and is releasing a "Muzzleloading Short Shots" series of 8 E-books in 2013. He is the Corresponding editor for black powder for the Gun Digest Annual and is also the producer of over 250 YouTube videos. Those videos that relate to the Short Shot books have links in the text. "Hunting with Muzzleloading Shotguns and Smoothbore Muskets" investigates using a variety of guns to take small game, waterfowl and big game animals in North American and Africa.