Acera
Member
A friend of mine recently picked up a civil war musket made by Savage in 1863. The gun appears to be in good shape for the age on the outside, but we are worried about the internals. The lock is tight and the nipple is clear and not clogged up. Wood is in great shape without any cracks and shows few signs of serious wear. There is even some bluing left on the metal.
Ran a patch down the barrel on a jag. The patch slides in and out easily for almost the entire length of the barrel. When it gets at the very bottom, it hangs up and is extremely difficult to remove then. We fear that there has been some deterioration around the area where the powder and bullet will seat prior to firing. Since he wants to shoot this gun (with low power loads) we are concerned at the size of the cavity if one exists down there, and the possibility of the bullet getting sideways and causing an overpressure.
Long way to the question, but does anyone know of a reputable gunsmith that specializes in these types of guns? Would be better if in the Houston TX area, but can ship to the right guy if needed.
I really want him to get it professionally checked out before we fire it, both for mechanical, safety, and historic reasons.
Also does anyone have a supplier for period correct .58 minie balls?? He has a new reproduction rifle of the same style we would like to shoot. Easy to find round balls and modern sabots but want to put together some paper cartridges like those carried by the troops.
Thanks,
Ran a patch down the barrel on a jag. The patch slides in and out easily for almost the entire length of the barrel. When it gets at the very bottom, it hangs up and is extremely difficult to remove then. We fear that there has been some deterioration around the area where the powder and bullet will seat prior to firing. Since he wants to shoot this gun (with low power loads) we are concerned at the size of the cavity if one exists down there, and the possibility of the bullet getting sideways and causing an overpressure.
Long way to the question, but does anyone know of a reputable gunsmith that specializes in these types of guns? Would be better if in the Houston TX area, but can ship to the right guy if needed.
I really want him to get it professionally checked out before we fire it, both for mechanical, safety, and historic reasons.
Also does anyone have a supplier for period correct .58 minie balls?? He has a new reproduction rifle of the same style we would like to shoot. Easy to find round balls and modern sabots but want to put together some paper cartridges like those carried by the troops.
Thanks,
