dealers for muskets

[Bob Roller]

Just for grins and giggles, TOW sells these low priced, low quality firearms from India. And "yes" the vent hole needs to be drilled.

               CW

Is there any reason to activate such a poor quality musket?
The ones I saw some years ago were barely useable as a
floor lamp which is my suggested use for them.

Bob Roller

[The Rambling Historian]

If you read about these muskets elsewhere, they are known to have varying degrees of quality even from the same selllers, but they are not designed as wall hangers as many people like to state. They are simply not drilled so they can legally be shipped just about anywhere. They steel is said to be plenty strong enough to handle appropriate loads just fine, multiple sellers of these muskets will proof test them for you for a fee and many reenactors have used these muskets for years. If they were so dangerous these companies would be out of business due to continual lawsuits. Places like FlintlockRepair.com function test them and fix any issues as well as drill the holes and harden the frizzens.

[PPatch]

If you read about these muskets elsewhere, they are known to have varying degrees of quality even from the same selllers, but they are not designed as wall hangers as many people like to state. They are simply not drilled so they can legally be shipped just about anywhere. They steel is said to be plenty strong enough to handle appropriate loads just fine, multiple sellers of these muskets will proof test them for you for a fee and many reenactors have used these muskets for years. If they were so dangerous these companies would be out of business due to continual lawsuits. Places like FlintlockRepair.com function test them and fix any issues as well as drill the holes and harden the frizzens.

Reenactors fire blanks, the equivalent to a firecracker load that comes nowhere near the powder and ball load a true charge produces. Your statements leads me to believe you would stake your, a bystander or a loved one's life on one of these " ...known to have varying degrees of quality..." muskets modified to shoot full loads. One, of course, that you bought on the cheap but have paid extra to have proofed and brought up to a marginally useable standard. Money spent that would go a ways toward purchasing a firearm worthy of the name. What else but a wall hanger is a faux muzzleloader sold without a touch hole? And likely sold that way to avoid the lawsuits you mention. And last "...[The] steel is said to be plenty strong enough..." - who then, specifically, said this?

dave

[Monty59]

Hello dogface you right TOW sells also the India stuff. But I meant the 1746 Willits First Model Long Land Pattern Brown Bess kit and with a good gun builder you have
a nice working and historical accurate musket.

Monty

[hammer]

Just seen that musket on TOW, Dogface.  Just have to drill the touch hole??   What about proof?   Yet are TOW guaranteeing these as safe to shoot?  They do seem to be.    That would be illegal in the UK where it is against the law to sell or transfer any firearm intended to be, or suggested may be, shot without a valid Proof.   And for very good reason.   

Aren't those Middlesex Village guns sold with touch holes proofed locally before shipment?   May be adrift here.

[oldtravler61]

As to the statement you get what you pay for. Three grand you should get a quaility firearm. In my case not quite. Look good on the outside. Real mess on the inside. Should have taken her apart before I took her home. Big learning curve. But lesson well learned.

[The Rambling Historian]

I do not own one nor have I fired one, but I have seen a couple. The main reason I don't own one is I took the advice of the more experienced people on this forum, and I obviously have a great deal of respect for the talents of many of this forum's members. I just think that the denunciation of these things often goes to far. I simply wanted to point out that these dealers will proof test the guns, and they are not made to be wall hangers or only fired with blanks as many people have suggested. Recommended load information is included by the dealers. The varying degrees of quality I mentioned are mostly reported in terms of how good the bores are and whether the locks run well out of the box. Some of the dealers inspect this, the frizzen, breech plug, etc. before they ship each gun.

Here is a description from FlintlockRepair.com concerning the barrel strength:
"The steel in the barrels are typically SAE 1026 high pressure DOM (drawn over mandril) grade which is typical of smooth bore.  Metallurgy of India musket barrels comply with modern and original requirements and have been shown to have a tinsel strength of approximately 85,000 psi."

[smart dog]

Hi Hammer,
Yes, Middlesex Valley Traders and Loyalist Arms (Canada) do advertise that they proof the barrels and tune up the locks.  In truth, I don't think any of the India-made muskets would pass inspection by the British ordnance inspectors during the 18th century. The barrels might prove safe but the quality of the locks and stocks is not nearly comparable to the quality I observed on original British muskets from the period.  Actually, I doubt Pedersoli's Bess would pass either. Locks and other hardware are inlet too deep and the quality of the stock wood and shaping is not comparable to the originals that I have handled and inspected closely.

dave

[tuffy]

Gentlemen... Please don't mistake my previous post for a letter of endorsement for these pieces of C@$&. Far from it. I was merely showing that these things could be found just about anywhere. Would I buy one? H#** No. Would I shoot one? Absolutely not. I wouldn't even be on the line next to one, or next to that or next to that.

           CW