Found a Peach

[Ironhand54]

At my last gunshow I got a Peach of a deal. A Zouave rifle made by Zoli.



What was interesting was the inscription on the patch box.



Clearly a well loved and well cared for gun.
Given the inscription and the stock color I think her name is Peaches

IronHand

 

[entropy]

Herb wants his gun back.
(Peaches and Herb? anyone? Is this thing on? )
Hopefully Antonio, and not Angelo Zoli.

 

[1KPerDay]

Cool.

 

[troy fairweather]

She's definitely a blond lol.

 

[44 Dave]

Good looking blond! I have one made by Ranson Remington in the '70s, it has a 2 piece stock with the joint under the second band.
Did Zoli do the same?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Lucky Dawg! I have two Miroku's, within a few serial numbers of each other, and the both have bores that are "lumpy". Something went wrong with the reamer. But they just won't shoot well. One of them has a stock much the same color of Peaches. Or Peach. I was going to refinish it, until I saw an original rifle that had that same light color finish.

I've always liked the 1863 Remington Contract rifle. Might send the barrel of one of mine out and have it re-bored to .60-.62", if anyone will do it.

That is a real mystery, is the rifle "Peach" or is Peach the presenter/gifter of the rifle?

 

[whughett]

Retirement gift perhaps. Can the serial number be dated. ?

 

[StrawHat]

...I've always liked the 1863 Remington Contract rifle. Might send the barrel of one of mine out and have it re-bored to .60-.62", if anyone will do it...

Go to North South Skirmish Association site and look for Bobby Hoyt. He can do your rebore for you. Or line it if you want it to stay 58 or smaller.

Kevin

 

[weaponhead]

Herb wants his gun back.
(Peaches and Herb? anyone? Is this thing on? )
Hopefully Antonio, and not Angelo Zoli.

I laughed....

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Go to North South Skirmish Association site and look for Bobby Hoyt. He can do your rebore for you. Or line it if you want it to stay 58 or smaller.

Kevin

I have heard of this notorious Bobby Hoyt, and I've been contemplating that for about a year now. Don't need to keep it .58, I'd be using it as a "back up" rifle for hunting. Always take a spare rifle with me. Not that I don't have other ones for "back up", but I hate to see it just sit and gather dust. And again I like the rifle. Boring it just enough to clean it up, and rifle it for round ball would be great. I'd be happy with .60-.62, or even further if he'd do it. Aside from the lumpy bore, it's a good rifle.

 

[armoredman]

I wonder what happened to Mr Bell...

 

[Ironhand54]

I wonder what happened to Mr Bell...

So do I. The guy who bought it in to sell didn't look like he was even born in 1980.

Ironhand

 

[Ugly Sauce]

It was Bell's good for nothing kid! Hunter Bell! Mr.Bell thinks it's still in the back of the closet.

 

[armoredman]

I can see that one...

 

[AlexanderA]

The Zoli is reputedly the best of the Zouave repros.

The Zouave is a handsome rifle.

Those are the factors on the plus side.

The factor on the minus side is that Zouaves were never issued during the Civil War. These were "orphan" weapons, bought by the government in a sweetheart deal with Remington, put into storage, and eventually sold as surplus. In the 1960's, there were plenty of Zouaves still around, in excellent condition (never having been used). So, in view of the Civil War centennial, some of these were sent off to Italy as samples for reproductions. The repros were snapped up by nascent Civil War reenactors, who didn't realize that they were not authentic (and even if they did realize that they were not authentic, that was all that was available). Today, a reenactor carrying a Zouave would be laughed off the field as being a "farb." (That's almost as bad as carrying a Garand in a Civil War reenactment, something that was actually done in the 1960's.)

 

[Ironhand54]

A lot of people mention how the Zouave was never issued. That's a valid concern for a reenacter. I just want to shoot the thing.

The way I see it it's a win - win situation. I get a good hunting gun and I save some poor newbie from being labeled as a farb.

Just doing my part
IronHand

 

[arcticap]

The Zoli is reputedly the best of the Zouave repros.
The factor on the minus side is that Zouaves were never issued during the Civil War..................

Please read the comments section about whether the Zouave was ever issued or not. --->>> https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_414408
Maybe they were like the famous women who disguised themselves as male soldiers during the war, but no one realized it because they keep their identities secret.

 

[StrawHat]

A similar situation with the Spencer carbine often being mistakenly considered the second most used carbine during the ACW. Not so. The orders were made during the war but most not delivered until after the hostilities were over.

Kevin

 

[Captain*kirk]

A similar situation with the Spencer carbine often being mistakenly considered the second most used carbine during the ACW. Not so. The orders were made during the war but most not delivered until after the hostilities were over.

Kevin

Right. Or the Rogers & Spencer...same deal.

 

[AlexanderA]

A similar situation with the Spencer carbine often being mistakenly considered the second most used carbine during the ACW. Not so. The orders were made during the war but most not delivered until after the hostilities were over.

But Spencers took a leading role in the Indian Wars from 1865-1873. They were arguably superior to the single-shot Trapdoor carbines that replaced them. Zouaves went straight from the factory, to storage, to surplus sales.

 

[StrawHat]

The Spencers and Single Shot Springfields fought side by side from 1866 until the Spencers were mustered out. Not sure how the Spencer is “...arguably superior...” but that could be a good thread if you feel like starting one.


Kevin

 

[PapaG]

I have an early reproduction Zouave owned by a local gunsmith who shot on the Army team after WWII. He had his Grand, sn 500,000. This Z is one marketed in the sixties by Hy Hunter of Hollywood and has the lockplate stamped Remington with "x's" marked through the name. Bore is tapered as we're the originals and it still has the sniper sight and spare nipple in the patch box. Old Rip used this to clean our clocks at the Illini Muzzle Loaders matches around '67 or so.