Shooting the Fusil de Chasse

[mark3smle]

With help from a variety of resources to include The Fusil de Tulle in New France, I made this thing. A 20 gauge Fusil de Chasse patterned after a Tulle pattern musket of the 1740s. Everything but the barrel I made. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6EkZEJ0xZw

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Nice job on your gun. I liked the information about the lack of patched round ball in smoothbores, very correct, AND I liked that you put the stopper back into your horn, before you closed your pan...many folks don't understand that, and run the risk if there is an AD on a flintlock, there is a shower of sparks and if you have an uncapped flask or unstoppered horn, that can be a real hazard.


I'd like to see you show accuracy of Round Ball from that fusil out to 50 yards, then shot pattern our to 25, and any tricks you've found to tighten your pattern out at 25 - 30 yards for turkeys, squirrel, etc.

LD

 

[ExMachina]

isn't it wonderful how accurate a smoothbore can be once you put sights on it?!

i imagine that the casulty count for most 18th wars would have been signifigantly higher if the muskets had a full, front/rear sighting system

 

[BullRunBear]

Thanks for the link to your video. Great job on the fusil and on including all the information you were able to get into a short video. Like Loyalist Dave mentioned, I appreciate you capping the horn before shooting (I'm a bit obsessive about that) as well as the obvious eye and ear protection.

I would also be interested in the accuracy for both ball and shot loads. The fusil de chasse is probably what my ancestors in Quebec used for hunting and the F&I War. My few times shooting a 20 ga. smoothie (a reamed out 28 inch T/C Renegade barrel) have been unexpectedly accurate at 50 yards.

Jeff

 

[Jim Watson]

Interesting.
The first time I ever handled a fusil, I knew it was the period gun for me. Doubt I would have been able to afford spectacles in those days so a smoothbore would have been enough. And a lot easier to hump in the countryside than a crowbar barreled kaintuck.

 

[mark3smle]

I appreciate the kind comments. As with the originals this one only has a bead front sight I installed. Just about everything but the barrel on this fusil I made. Being a Cajun, I was excited to build and shoot this. I am no flintlock shooter but I think I finally got over my flinch. I will be building and testing a number of firelocks this year . Some run of the mill. Some oddball.