Bessie is getting ready.

[Ugly Sauce]

Only weeks away from Turkey season, So Bess had to exercise a bit. She's good, I changed up my load a bit from last year, so we had to pattern her just to make sure. Got the paper Turk in the spine quite a few times, one almost dead center in the brain, and one just under the eye. Dead Turk!

That was 26 yards, always been able to call them in closer than that. First Turk I ever shot with Bess was 35 yards, might have been some luck involved. She's taken three so far, and only missed once. Well, I only missed once, she didn't. In my mind's eye I can still see my front sight way too high, I shot right over it's head. Clipped a couple feathers off, but no cigar.

Last year they closed Turk season down, until they were done gobbling. Nice eh? Gave us a couple weeks of (trying) calling in Tom's that weren't gobbling anymore. Didn't want anyone catching the flu while sitting alone in the woods, making turkey noises.

Anyhow, Bessie is a good girl. Feeds me grouse too, and a .69" ball over 140 grains of 1f makes me feel warm, fuzzy, and confident when she goes exploring or trekking with me in Grizz and wolf country. Also have speed loads, paper cartridge containing the ball, tear off end, prime, pour powder down barrel and ram the whole mess down. It's fast.

Disclaimer: I only prime from the cartridge before loading when a pack of giant wolves are attacking me. Otherwise I use a priming horn.

 

[ThomasT]

Nice looking gun. Has it been cut down? It looks short. I like it. I can stalk really close to Turkeys. I just quietly sneak up on the frozen foods cooler and grab one out of the selection at Walmart. I never get skunked that way.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

It was a (is) a Pedersoli Brown Bess Carbine kit. Barrel is 31-32" something like that. !!! Have had it a long time.

I tried that at Wally World, but when I sat down on the floor to take a coffee break, over in the cereal isle where the turkeys could not see me, and got out my canteen cup stove, and lit her up, they threw both me and Bessie out.

 

[ThomasT]

I have never heard of a Brown Bess carbine before. But it makes sense. You don't need a 5+ foot rifle except to increase bayonet reach. And I suspect a lot of military weapons, smooth bores and rifles were cut down and carried west and carried into the mountains with the Mountain Men.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Okay...just knew everyone, and their sister's brother's cousin wanted to see Bess with a dead Turkey. Just a little old Jake. Still have not got one of them giant Gobblers. Of course, the one I missed was a big gobbler. Too big to hit I guess.

 

[Sim Carstairs]

I’ve done a lot of hunting with a Pedersoli Brown Bess (2nd Model) that I built from a kit. I used it mainly for small game loaded with the cardboard wads and shot cards. It’s the ideal turkey gun! I spent two winters trying to get close enough to these two huge, skittish grey squirrels and managed to bag one with a pretty long shot using that Bess. Should have mounted that squirrel but it was lunch over a small fire. Years of solo hunting with black powder and that was one of my most memorable. Very simple. Very traditional.

 

[ThomasT]

US the more I look at your gun the better I like it. How difficult would you rate the kit? I have built and rebuilt about 15 guns. But the kits were simple like CVA and Investarms (Cabelas) and not like doing one of the Kibler kits.

And your turkey makes me jealous. All I've killed with a BP rifle is one Whitetail and one cow Elk. Next time I buy a turkey from Walmart I'm gonna shoot the dern thing with my 45 Hawken.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I keep looking for elk, but they elude me. And now the wolves have really decimated the herds. One of these days....but I'd be proud to say I've bagged an elk.

The kit was easy-peasy, really just a sand and put it together kit. There was no inletting to do on mine. Yeah, I tried one of those "high-brow" kits, a Jeager, ruined the stock right off the bat. So I had Birddog6 build me a rifle. And what a rifle it is. I don't how guys build rifles/long guns like that. Many of those kits are just the bare raw parts, and a chunk of wood in the general shape of a stock. That's beyond me.

This gun really handles nice with the 30-ish barrel (actually 30" exactly, from muzzle to touch-hole) 30" barrels, give or take a couple inches have always worked for me. It weighs 8.25 pounds, which is my comfort zone.

It's been quite a few years since I got Bessie, but it sure came with a nice piece of wood. Some really interesting figure in it. Don't know if they have changed things since then.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I have never heard of a Brown Bess carbine before. But it makes sense. You don't need a 5+ foot rifle except to increase bayonet reach. And I suspect a lot of military weapons, smooth bores and rifles were cut down and carried west and carried into the mountains with the Mountain Men.

I have heard, that a large bore musket was sometimes preferred over a rifle, for close encounters of the Grizzly kind. Not every mountain man stood in line for a Hawken. !! And it makes sense, the rifles often failed to stop Grizz, as Lewis, Clarke, and later mountain men would find out. But at close range a .75", 500+ grain ball over 150 grains of powder packs a much more powerful punch. French muskets throwing a sub-69" ball (.66" is what they used?) is still more whomp than the .50 and 54" rifles.

 

[vintovka]

Reloads faster too. I have one and its really nice. BBL is browned and still offered by pedersoli. Great for ML trapshoots using plastic wad cups but will flat thump your shoulder with a heavy charge and ball. Sparks great! But i couldn't afford to replace it at like $1k now,

 

[Ugly Sauce]

And not to mention, but as-mentioned, a heavy charge and ball in a Brown Bess will flat thump anything on the other end too!

 

[vintovka]

UHH just Checked noW $1.7k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I think I paid six-something for my kit, $700 after shipping.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Well I'm seeing $11-1200.00 for the full length kits.

 

[vintovka]

This inflation thing is getting serious. Mine was so cheap it would make you laugh. Some folks don't remember Muzzleloading was on a long decline for decades due to milsurp importation and stuff was not in demand. Think that has changed.

 

[troy fairweather]

Nice what's your load and what you using for wadding and what not.

I had my underhammer out today, it's got a 15ga smoothbore on it. Didn't do any testing from the bench but just some loads standing from 30-40 yards messing around. Are Turkey is just over a month away and hope I can call one in.

It was the first time shooting it so did some experimenting, went all the way up to 80gr pyrodex rs and 1 3/8 of a mix of no5 and no6. Will have to try more with paper and mess around with the loads but pattern looked nice and centered. Even messed with some .662 round balls, I was hitting a 16oz bean can most shots and was happy.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Smooth bore 15 gauge underhammer, never seen one of those. Would love to see a picture of that.

Since my barrel measures out to an 11 gauge, I can use some 12gauge shot-shell components. So I make a paper tube out of grocery bag paper that fits the bore exactly, then drop a plastic (sorry traditionalists) shot cup in there. Then I drop in about an ounce and half of #4, then sprinkle in some #6-7 shot (from a container of mixed shot, probably some #8's in there too) until the scale comes up to 1.75 ounce. Then put a card wad over the shot, and fold the ends over and lightly glue them shut.

I load 110 grains of loose powder, I used 1f until I ran out, now using 2f, then a thick 1/2" 12guage cushion wad over the powder, and the shot cartridge over that.

 

[troy fairweather]

Smooth bore 15 gauge underhammer, never seen one of those. Would love to see a picture of that.

Since my barrel measures out to an 11 gauge, I can use some 12gauge shot-shell components. So I make a paper tube out of grocery bag paper that fits the bore exactly, then drop a plastic (sorry traditionalists) shot cup in there. Then I drop in about an ounce and half of #4, then sprinkle in some #6-7 shot (from a container of mixed shot, probably some #8's in there too) until the scale comes up to 1.75 ounce. Then put a card wad over the shot, and fold the ends over and lightly glue them shut.

I load 110 grains of loose powder, I used 1f until I ran out, now using 2f, then a thick 1/2" 12guage cushion wad over the powder, and the shot cartridge over that.

I like the tube idea to keep the plastic off the bore, I'd like to mess with some paper wads in mind but don't know if I'll have time since its very limited were I can shoot around here. I'd like to try up to 2 oz by volume of shot, I have 5-6 about 50-50 mixed that should work. I made some leather wars for over the powder but they kinda want to curl going down the bore so I may just cut more paper wads. I've got 1/2 fiber wads but most guys only use about 1/2 of one to keep from blowing the pattern, but I'd like the best gas seal I can get.

Here's the action.don't think I really have a good picture of the gun. Note is about .677-.678 30" inch round barrel.

 

[Jim Watson]

French muskets throwing a sub-69" ball (.66" is what they used?) is still more whomp than the .50 and 54" rifles.

Bear in mind that US muskets followed the French pattern at .69 cal.
So which caliber was more common in Army surplus of the day?

Troy's looks a lot like the Numrich "Hopkins and Allen."

 

[TheOutlawKid]

View attachment 987619
Okay...just knew everyone, and their sister's brother's cousin wanted to see Bess with a dead Turkey. Just a little old Jake. Still have not got one of them giant Gobblers. Of course, the one I missed was a big gobbler. Too big to hit I guess.

Wow! Nice bird! Lemme know if youre throwing out the wing feathers as i could always use them for my traditional archery arrows tackle!

 

[troy fairweather]

Bear in mind that US muskets followed the French pattern at .69 cal.
So which caliber was more common in Army surplus of the day?

Troy's looks a lot like the Numrich "Hopkins and Allen."

Yea it's a earlier one I believe, kinda special since I got it from my dads friend. He worked at numrich for 20 years or so before he had to retire. Don't see many smoothbores or round barrels of seems.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Wow! Nice bird! Lemme know if youre throwing out the wing feathers as i could always use them for my traditional archery arrows tackle!

Thanks. I too am a traditional archer, but I've got plenty of wing feathers (never waste them...and pick up any I find in the woods) and would be glad to send you some. In fact, I will send you some.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I like the tube idea to keep the plastic off the bore, I'd like to mess with some paper wads in mind but don't know if I'll have time since its very limited were I can shoot around here. I'd like to try up to 2 oz by volume of shot, I have 5-6 about 50-50 mixed that should work. I made some leather wars for over the powder but they kinda want to curl going down the bore so I may just cut more paper wads. I've got 1/2 fiber wads but most guys only use about 1/2 of one to keep from blowing the pattern, but I'd like the best gas seal I can get.

Here's the action.don't think I really have a good picture of the gun. Note is about .677-.678 30" inch round barrel.

View attachment 987942

View attachment 987943 View attachment 987944

Those are too cool. I didn't know they ever made a smooth bore. I've had a couple-three or so friends over the years that had them. Seems like they were .45's and .50's.

 

[troy fairweather]

Those are too cool. I didn't know they ever made a smooth bore. I've had a couple-three or so friends over the years that had them. Seems like they were .45's and .50's.

36 and 45 seem most common but seen them in just about any thing. I'd like to get a 36 barrel one day for a nice squirrel rifle and maybe a 45 or 54 for deer. Think I'll try this next deer season with the smoothbore if I can, need to order some more balls or find a mold.

I have a 58 barrel that was cut down from another project some else started, I just need to pick up a did to thread the breach. The barrel will be 19" -20" and should be nice in a tight hunting blind .

 

[vintovka]

I used to be fairly heavy into ML trap shoots. When i switched to the Pedersoli 12 double i used nothing but powder, Remington "power piston" plastic shot cups and over shot wads punched out of plastic coated cardboard milk cartons. No one complained until i started winning consistently; Never had any plastic residue in bore and fouling was minimal. Used same set up for Pheasant hunting with the Ped 12 and the Brown Bess Carbine in CA (prior to their extinction). Btw I switched to the Ped. 12 after i learned my original 11 gauge gold and platinum inlaid double was a presentation piece made by Nathiel Whitmore (maker to US Grant!!)