Brown Bess Manual
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panzerfuehrer
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Can't help you with the manual, but I own a BB and lived in Snalbans til a couple years ago - where you at? If you have BB questions, would be glad to help if I can.
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I don't have a "manual" for a Bess but what would you like to know about them? BTW, I think Museum Reproduction Services has an 1820s Infantry Drill manual ($5.95) if you want to learn the Napoleonic Manual of Arms as well as a book on the Brown Bess (by Anthony Darling). That book has been in publication for years and is one of the best book(let) on the Bess I've ever seen. It contains an invaluable footnote that read how the Royal Americans were to be provided with muskets unfit for regular service.
I'm looking for basic things like proper cleaning, safe handling, powder charges, etc. I have a TC muzzleloader .58 cal. percussion cap, but suspect the safe use of the BB are somewhat different.
I am in Plainfield, VT
Any and all advice gratefully accepted!!!
I am in Plainfield, VT
Any and all advice gratefully accepted!!!
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Hardly any difference at all.
As you know, soldiers carried paper cartridges and bit off one end, primed the pan and snapped it shut. They poured the remainder of the powder down the barrel, spit the ball down and wadded up the paper (to serve as a wad) and jammed it down the muzzle. The ramrod was then withdrawn and used to tamp everything down.
Modernly though, one should never prime until after the gun is loaded. You don't want an accidental discharge while your loading and saving the priming for last generally prevents this from happening. So, the pan is left uncovered (frizzen forward) while the gun is loaded. Afterwards, the pan is primed (from a charger) and then the pan is shut (frizzen moved into place to secure the priming charge).
To recap, introduce powder into barrel. Ball is next and then paper wad. Ram down. Put gun on half cock. Introduce priming charge into pan. Close frizzen. Put gun on full cock. You're ready to shoot.
On cleaning, it's no different from your 58 cal minie gun except you may want to carve a toothpick to fit the touchhole when you flush out and scrub the barrel with hot soapy water. It's probably best to remove the barrel altogether and not worry about getting the stock wet. In case you don't know how to do it, you remove the tang screw. Then drive the pins out from the stock (there should be one pin for each pipe/thimble). Turn the gun upside down (muzzle up) and placing one hand beneath the barrel, tap the heel of the stock against a carpeted surface. The barrel should pop out into your hand. Place barrel into a coffee can filled with hot soapy water. Place patch on ramrod and use ramrod as a pump handle to flush the water. Rinse with more hot water and check cleanliness with clean patches. Oil afterwards.
Be sure to clean the bottom of the pan as it tended to erode away on the older guns (and sometimes had to be replaced).
BTW, I love your state. Use to run around in Southern Vermont quite a lot in the old days when I attended Ruger Armourer's School.
As you know, soldiers carried paper cartridges and bit off one end, primed the pan and snapped it shut. They poured the remainder of the powder down the barrel, spit the ball down and wadded up the paper (to serve as a wad) and jammed it down the muzzle. The ramrod was then withdrawn and used to tamp everything down.
Modernly though, one should never prime until after the gun is loaded. You don't want an accidental discharge while your loading and saving the priming for last generally prevents this from happening. So, the pan is left uncovered (frizzen forward) while the gun is loaded. Afterwards, the pan is primed (from a charger) and then the pan is shut (frizzen moved into place to secure the priming charge).
To recap, introduce powder into barrel. Ball is next and then paper wad. Ram down. Put gun on half cock. Introduce priming charge into pan. Close frizzen. Put gun on full cock. You're ready to shoot.
On cleaning, it's no different from your 58 cal minie gun except you may want to carve a toothpick to fit the touchhole when you flush out and scrub the barrel with hot soapy water. It's probably best to remove the barrel altogether and not worry about getting the stock wet. In case you don't know how to do it, you remove the tang screw. Then drive the pins out from the stock (there should be one pin for each pipe/thimble). Turn the gun upside down (muzzle up) and placing one hand beneath the barrel, tap the heel of the stock against a carpeted surface. The barrel should pop out into your hand. Place barrel into a coffee can filled with hot soapy water. Place patch on ramrod and use ramrod as a pump handle to flush the water. Rinse with more hot water and check cleanliness with clean patches. Oil afterwards.
Be sure to clean the bottom of the pan as it tended to erode away on the older guns (and sometimes had to be replaced).
BTW, I love your state. Use to run around in Southern Vermont quite a lot in the old days when I attended Ruger Armourer's School.
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My old Gun Digest Blackpowder manual says 80 grains of F powder. Can't recommend going over that amount but do find a load that shoots well for you (and if you're just reenacting, 30 grains would do for the smoke & bang effect).
BTW, I have a Canadian Loyalist Arms First Model Bess that features a swell in the forearm, no nosecap, 46" barrel. I haven't shot it yet but the sear spring is too strong and causes the hammer to reengage the half cock notch of the tumbler. It's going to have to be filed down to lighten it. The battery/hammer/steel/frizzen isn't polished either but that's no challenge to correct. The wood to metal fitting isn't good on the thumbpiece, trigger guard, entry pipe and too much wood was removed around the area where the toe of the stock meets the buttplate. What can I say? I bought it used.
BTW, I have a Canadian Loyalist Arms First Model Bess that features a swell in the forearm, no nosecap, 46" barrel. I haven't shot it yet but the sear spring is too strong and causes the hammer to reengage the half cock notch of the tumbler. It's going to have to be filed down to lighten it. The battery/hammer/steel/frizzen isn't polished either but that's no challenge to correct. The wood to metal fitting isn't good on the thumbpiece, trigger guard, entry pipe and too much wood was removed around the area where the toe of the stock meets the buttplate. What can I say? I bought it used.
I rescued this one from the back of my sister-in-laws closet. My deceased brother-in-law was a Pawtucket Ranger. He didn't take care of the musket, it has a light coat of rust I'm cleaning a little at a time. When I get her clean and shiny, I'll be headed to the back yard for some "smoke and lightening". I'm really looking forward to that!
I actually didn't think to ask. I can rectify that today. He was a huge history buff, very knowledgeable about the civil war, however he felt the reenactment groups for the civil war took too much money and a "higher brow" than he had. So it was the Rangers. I'll see what I can find out.
Brown Bess
Pedersoli Brown Bess: Use 90 gr. 2F blackpowder, 11 ga. wads and cards and .735 roundballs. This is a pretty good range load for targets out to 100 yds. Longer ranges may require more powder. For a beginner i'd start at 75 grains at 25 yards. Pour main charge, place an over powder card and wad into muzzle about one inch, put roundball on top, split an over powder card with your fingernail so it is half the thickness (or buy seperate over shot cards), put this on top of ball and ram down. This card, wad, ball and card column will compress the air in the barrel and will probably move some powder out the touch hole. You did clean the touch hole first didn't you? Ram in one motion to the bottom. Do not stop. Fouling can have the effect of freezing the stack in place in you don't do this fairly vigorously. However, you then know when to wipe the bore in the future. You also gain practice in the fine art of ball pulling. Or just wipe the bore after every shot. Prime the pan. I use 2F, 3F or 4F. The Bess will put out a lot sparks and can usually ignite a priming charge that wouldn't go in a pistol or rifle. I use the Sawn (as opposed to chipped or knapped) Agates from Germany held in a sheet lead wrap firmly tightened in the hammer's jaws. Sheet lead is much, much better to use than leather. It holds tighter and transmits more of the force against the frizzen. It is also historically correct. You can hammer a lead ball flat if you can't find sheet lead. Adjust the flint/agate to strike near the top of the frizzen. It shouldn't extend out so far as to stop the frizzen from snapping over at the bottom of the hammer stroke. Full cock the hammer, aim and shoot. Repeat. Balls, wads, cards and flints/agates are available from Dixie Gun Works and elsewhere. There you go, Brown Bess 101. I learned this years ago from Dale Dirmyer, Gold Medalist in the World Shooting Competition- Pan-American Games, maybe?
Pedersoli Brown Bess: Use 90 gr. 2F blackpowder, 11 ga. wads and cards and .735 roundballs. This is a pretty good range load for targets out to 100 yds. Longer ranges may require more powder. For a beginner i'd start at 75 grains at 25 yards. Pour main charge, place an over powder card and wad into muzzle about one inch, put roundball on top, split an over powder card with your fingernail so it is half the thickness (or buy seperate over shot cards), put this on top of ball and ram down. This card, wad, ball and card column will compress the air in the barrel and will probably move some powder out the touch hole. You did clean the touch hole first didn't you? Ram in one motion to the bottom. Do not stop. Fouling can have the effect of freezing the stack in place in you don't do this fairly vigorously. However, you then know when to wipe the bore in the future. You also gain practice in the fine art of ball pulling. Or just wipe the bore after every shot. Prime the pan. I use 2F, 3F or 4F. The Bess will put out a lot sparks and can usually ignite a priming charge that wouldn't go in a pistol or rifle. I use the Sawn (as opposed to chipped or knapped) Agates from Germany held in a sheet lead wrap firmly tightened in the hammer's jaws. Sheet lead is much, much better to use than leather. It holds tighter and transmits more of the force against the frizzen. It is also historically correct. You can hammer a lead ball flat if you can't find sheet lead. Adjust the flint/agate to strike near the top of the frizzen. It shouldn't extend out so far as to stop the frizzen from snapping over at the bottom of the hammer stroke. Full cock the hammer, aim and shoot. Repeat. Balls, wads, cards and flints/agates are available from Dixie Gun Works and elsewhere. There you go, Brown Bess 101. I learned this years ago from Dale Dirmyer, Gold Medalist in the World Shooting Competition- Pan-American Games, maybe?
panzerfuehrer
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Sounds like a lot of good advice here. I always used just 3F powder, and had good results.
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