Why are smoothbore trade guns more expensive?

[GoodOlBoy]

Looking at traditional muzzleloaders and drooling over ones that I will never own has become a favored pastime for me. But I have a curiosity question. Why in the world are flintlock smoothbore Indian trade guns MORE expensive than flintlock rifles? To me it doesn't make alot of sense since you don't have the issue of rifling the barrel.

Just curious.

Richard

[lancem]

I would say sales volume.

[waksupi]

Most smoothbores are semi custom, as they are hand built. The rifles are pretty much all done by machine. The machine work on the smoothbore barrels add quite a bit of time and expense, too.

[bedbugbilly]

Another reason is that most trade gun smoothbores have a transition profile of octagon to tapered round with wedding bands turned at the transition point. Trade gun locks are also larger in size - and it's easier to inlet a straight octagon barrel as opposed to a typical tread gun transition barrel.

I have built a number of muzzleloaders over the years from scratch. Setting up and cutting the octagon barrel channel is a fairly quick process with the cutters I made for a molding head - much quicker than inletting a trade gun barrel. I have built two trade guns - as an example - inletting a butt plate on a Fusil-de-Chasse is much more time cosseting than fitting a crescent butt plate on a Tennessee rifle. As far as inletting the lock - doesn't make much difference between percussion or flint - same process. Drilling the ram rod hole by hand - pretty much the same. It's the "little things" that you don't really think about until you go to do them.

As mentioned - trade guns - even kits - are pretty much a "custom build". Much different from a "production run" rifle. And, parts for a trade gun can often run more due to smaller production runs/demands of the furniture castings, etc. If you want to do something special - say forge your own trigger guard for a NorthWest trade gun - you're adding a lot of labor even though those particular guns may seem a little more "crude" as compared to a rifle.

Don't give up on owning one though - I'm a firm believer that anyone who tries and takes their time, cn put together a rifle (or other). If you want a trade gun - start looking for parts and accumulating them. Sometimes you can run across parts/pieces - you just have to be patient. As far as a stock - I used to buy "seconds" from several suppliers when I was down to Friendship - they might have a few "flaws" but most of the time, they can be "fixed". The stock on my Fusil-de-Chasse was a "second". When the ramrod hole was drilled, there was a flaw in the wood that ended up with a small hole extending from the underside of the forearm into the ramrod hole. It was an easy fix - i grafted a piece of maple in to the foreshock that matched well and once stained with Aquas Forte and finished with BLO - only I know it's there.

[rickw55]

I always wondered that as well. The irony is that the trade guns were originally intended to be a cheap gun, and now, as you pointed out, they are more expensive than most other muzzleloaders.
I intend to build one some day myself. I have been slowly collecting parts. I have a set of plans, a lock and a piece of walnut for the stock. I have a barrel, but it's not exactly what I want, so I'm looking for another.Someday I'll have all the parts and start my build.
Rick W

[GoodOlBoy]

maybe someday the dream will come true... lol if I don't stop watching those boys on beckum outdoors on youtube flintlock hunt I am going to drive myself up a wall!

Thanks for all the info!

Richard