Loading .690 smoothbore

[rich pierce]

I’m finishing a .690 musket for shot and round ball. I have some .670 balls, will take patching of various thickness and some supplies for shot. Stoked to shoot it. I guess it’s about 14 ga if I decide to buy some commercial cushion and over the powder wads?

Any places to look for wad punches?

[Daryl]

14 bore wads will work just fine Rich.  .670's might be a bit large - or not. Depends on patching, of course.  A 16 bore ball is a common mould # from Lyman & would
give more wiggle-room for thicker patches.  Arch punches in that size? Not known Sry. Track has wads.
A 14 bore should be fun. 14 is .693", nominally.

[Clark Badgett]

What kind of musket is it? I ordered a .645 rb mold from Larry Callahan and it works great. If you make paper cartridges by the old ordnance manuals you will have a paper patch ball that will provide just enough friction to hold the ball in place while you shoot it. I don't think I will shoot much other than ball and some buck and ball just for giggles in my Charleville.

[ScottH]

Rich,
C. S. Osborne
Harrison, NJ. 07029
Is the place to get arch punches in about any useable size you might need for patch cutting. A dead blow mallet or a rawhide mallet and a good cutting board would about guarantee success.
🙂

[rich pierce]

Thanks guys. The gun is a New England musket/fowler stocked in cherry using parts from a 1728 French fusil ordinaire. I’ll post pix when I get it closer to presentable. Today I found the ramrod would no longer fit after finishing. So I had to skinny it down some, re-stain, and will get some finish on it tonight. Susan and I are hoping to retire to Vermont in the next year or so and I “needed” a gun befitting a retired local farmer.

Some pix of the original that inspired it are here https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=57529.0

My build will not be everybody’s cup of tea but it will look the part of a gun with a tough start then used hard for 40 years or so. 

[varsity07840]

I use a .662 ball and .022 patch in my 1816. It has a .687 bore.

[rich pierce]

It’s off to a good start. Offhand 25 yards 2 and 3/4 drams FFG, over powder wad, wet cleaning patch and a .670 ball. Loads easily enough.

Also tried shot and got 8 pellets in the beer coaster.

[Daryl]

Starting out pretty good, Rich.
Best wishes with the retirement in Vermont.

[JW]

Rich, .670 balls shoot great in my .69 and I shoot a bare ball 90% of the time. Nested in tow or whatever over powder wad I'm using it shoots minute of deer at 50 yards off hand. Personally, I don't find patching smoothbores beneficial, but I'm also a doggone stitch counter, so I can't be trusted.

[Dave Marsh]

Rich, where in Vermont are you thinking of retiring to?   When I retired that is where we would have gone but couldn't leave the grandkids and great grand kid.  Would not stay in NY if it weren't for them (I don't think I need to mention why)..   Some really great places up there and super ones if you have lots of that green stuff as it is the green state.   

[rich pierce]

I bought a .662 mold and yesterday shot patched round ball with 0.020” patches. The patches were all intact. It’s shooting very well with left to right spread no more than 3” at 50 yards and most within 2” left to right. I need more practice with elevation having no rear sight. The barrel is very big at the breech -1.25” - and thin at the muzzle, so there a lot of “elevation” built in with a period correct low profile front sight.

I’m still shooting a few inches high at 50 yards. I’ll need to take my sight picture so I barely see the front blade above the breech.

This gun is so much fun to shoot!

[Daryl]

When the work well, they are a joy, Rich. Good shooting.
Of course a higher front sight would help, but being able to
get a zero by sinking it, is better. It will likely be just a tich high
at 25yds. A full blade should give 100yard zero. Nice!

[rich pierce]

Rich, where in Vermont are you thinking of retiring to?   When I retired that is where we would have gone but couldn't leave the grandkids and great grand kid.  Would not stay in NY if it weren't for them (I don't think I need to mention why)..   Some really great places up there and super ones if you have lots of that green stuff as it is the green state.   

Dave, we are thinking between Bennington and Manchester Center in SW Vermont. Close to family near Schenectady NY and west but in different terrain with trout fishing right there.

[Dave Marsh]

Great area.  We drive through it often when we go up to our cabin in Rochester, Vt. when we feel like taking the scenic route.  Probably would have picked the same area to live in.  Great choice.

Dave