Cossack Rifle

[Dave Markowitz]

Last week I saw this rifle on Lodgewood Manufacturing's website and decided to grab it because it's so unique. I ordered it last Tuesday and it arrived today after shipping out on Friday.





It's a replica of 19th Century Cossack rifles. Stylistically, Cossack rifles were heavily influenced by rifles from the Ottoman Empire and the Caucasus (e.g., Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan). Cossack rifles tended to be plainer while those from the other regions were usually very ornately decorated.

This rifle was built by Steve Krolick. According to Lodgewood, it may be the first replica of a gun made in the US from that region. I've certainly never seen another.

Specs of the rifle:

The barrel was rifled by Bobby Hoyt with 3 grooves, .577 groove diameter, 1:78" twist. The barrel is 37.5" from muzzle to where it joins the breech. It is held in place with four brass bands. The diameter is 0.8" at the muzzle.

According to Lodgewood, many originals were rebored to shoot Minie balls for the Crimean War and this rifle was built to reflect that.

The lock is an R.E. Davis flintlock, marked "TULA 1802". It's secured with two screws. There is no sideplate.



The stock is walnut with artificial striping. The buttplate is made from ebony with a rosewood spacer and secure with two screws. It's fitted with two sling loops.



For sights there is a brass half moon front sight soldered or brazed to the barrel with an open rear sight located between the breech and tang.



The ramrod is slightly tapered wood, fitted at the muzzle end with a unique brass tip hollowed out for the bullet and which is usable as a cleaning jag. The other end is plain. I might fit that end with a plain brass tip threaded for accessories.



As expected the rifle is muzzle heavy but it carries nicely in the hand.

The overall length is 54" and the weight is 8.4 lbs. Lodgewood recommended a load with a .575" Minie ball and 40 grains of FFg black powder. By comparison, the US service load for .58 rifle muskets during the Civil War was 60 grains of Fg or FFg under a Minie ball. I intend to try it with both Minies and patched round balls.

I'm hoping to shoot it on Sunday.

 

[hawg]

That's a nice and unusual rifle. 40 grains of bp behind a .575 minie is a paper punchers load.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

That's a nice and unusual rifle. 40 grains of bp behind a .575 minie is a paper punchers load.

Yup, I plan to load it up a bit more if I use it for hunting. I'm hoping I can get a good accurate load with 60 - 70 grains of powder and a PRB. That will take care of anything in PA.

 

[hawg]

The original Civil War service load for .577 Enfields was 65 grains. I get very good accuracy put of my ArmiSport Enfield with a .580 bore and .577 minies and 65 grains of powder. Much over that and you will blow the skirt and accuracy will go out the window.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Slight correction, it's an L&R lock, not a Davis. The mortise is cleanly inletted, too.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Definitely a cool looking rifle. Hope it shoots as good as it looks for you.

 

[Jim Watson]

It looks well done, but how does that style present to the shoulder and the aim?

 

[4v50 Gary]

From horseback like any true defender of the Don.

 

[Roverguy]

Not so plain! Lovely figure in that wood. Congratulations.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

It looks well done, but how does that style present to the shoulder and the aim?

Quite well, actually. When I shoulder the rifle my eye is placed right behind the sights. With this amount of drop it's definitely stocked for offhand shooting.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Not so plain! Lovely figure in that wood. Congratulations.

Much of what you see is actually artificial striping.

 

[Appalachiannative]

Gonna have to get a beaver fur hat to go with it lol seriously though that thing looks pretty sweet

 

[Ugly Sauce]

With this amount of drop it's definitely stocked for offhand shooting.

Wow, wow and wow. What a cool rifle. I believe it is more "stocked" for shooting off a horse, where you put the butt under the armpit.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I got it to the range today and put 11 rounds through it at 50 yards from the bench.

5 x .575 Minies on paper.
5 x .562 patched round balls on paper.
1 x .575 Minie at a gong, fired offhand.

I used 50 grains of 2Fg Goex for all shots. Each group had 3 shots clustered in a couple inches with a couple fliers, probably due to me yanking the shot. Mean POI was about 4" or 5" high and right. Once I settle on a load I'll do some filing on the rear sight to sight it in.

The patched round balls started a bit easier than the Minies, which are pretty snug.

The Minies were lubed with Crisco in the grooved and the base cavity. The patches were lubed with Bumblin' Bear Grease from October Country.

For my priming charge I used 3Fg Schuetzen. The lock were perfectly with no misfires or hang fires.

I also have some .570 and .575 round balls and thinner patch materials to try.

The recoil with these loads wasn't bad.

 

[hawg]

Wow, wow and wow. What a cool rifle. I believe it is more "stocked" for shooting off a horse, where you put the butt under the armpit.

That skinny rounded butt would tend to verify that.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Nope, it's ideally stocked for offhand shooting. If you tuck the butt in your armpit you'll get a face full of smoke from the pan when firing.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Nope, it's ideally stocked for offhand shooting. If you tuck the butt in your armpit you'll get a face full of smoke from the pan when firing.

For aimed fire or on foot, that would be true, but during a charge I believe it would be held under the arm Arab-style. I believe the Cossacks were masters of the hit-and-run charge. On a running horse with the rifle held off to one's right, (right handed) one-handed, the flash and smoke would not be so bad, the lock area would not be as close to your face as when you were aiming the rifle, (you would just be pointing it on a running horse) and considering the circumstances not one's greatest worry...and those dudes were tough. !!! I would say it's stocked for both. Or not. !!!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Anyhow, sounds like good shooting, must have a nice tight bore if the .575" slugs are tight. I wish, those fall down the bore of my 1861 Springfield.

 

[hawg]

Anyhow, sounds like good shooting, must have a nice tight bore if the .575" slugs are tight. I wish, those fall down the bore of my 1861 Springfield.

I don't doubt it. His is a .577 bore tho. I use .577 in my repro Enfield. I can use a couple in my original before they get too hard to load from fouling. In my repro they load easy and you can hear the air whooshing around them as they go down.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Maybe someday I'll get a mold that throws a larger diameter bullet. But the REAL works okay, so, no hurry.

By the way, my comments on how the Cossack rifle is stocked...I really have no idea, just guessing. !! How in the world did you ever embark on a journey to embrace a Cossack Rifle? That's really thinking outside the box. Ruska blood? Cossack ancestors?

 

[jmohme]

Beautiful rifle!

 

[Dave Markowitz]

By the way, my comments on how the Cossack rifle is stocked...I really have no idea, just guessing. !! How in the world did you ever embark on a journey to embrace a Cossack Rifle? That's really thinking outside the box. Ruska blood? Cossack ancestors?

I've always found the guns of the East interesting but there have never been any shootable replicas. This rifle came up at a reasonable price so I snagged it. That it's apparently unique at least in the US was an additional draw.

My ancestry is 100% Ashkenazic Jew. Historically our relations with the Cossacks were poor, to put it mildly. Me having this is like taking the enemy's weapon as a trophy.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I suspect there is some Turkish influence in that stock. Remember the Ottomans were their neighbors.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I suspect there is some Turkish influence in that stock. Remember the Ottomans were their neighbors.

Absolutely.