Building a colonial American militia musket: FINISHED

[Jeff Stewart]

Simple, clean lines, and a business-like elegance.  The tea trick worked well on the finish.  Well done, sir.

[smart dog]

Hi,
Well, she's a shooter.  After getting some idea of powder charge and patch combination shooting at a dot on cardboard, I put up a real target and fiddled a little with the front sight. Every shot was from a bench at 50 yards. I used 90grs 2F powder, 0.020" patches lubed with ballistol and water, and 0.710" round balls.  I also shot 3 rounds with loose ball and no patch.  I did not adjust windage but filed down the front sight just a little and changed my point of aim from 6 o'clock hold to center.  I won't do more because the sight picture may be different for the owner and how the stock fits him will differ from me. The irony is that the gun will rarely be used with live ammunition since the owner will use it mainly for re-enactments.  I had to drill the vent hole out to 5/64" to assure reliable ignition because the barrel is very thick at the breech.  It is very comfortable to shoot and holds well.  It has considerably more drop in the heel than a Brown Bess so it is a much better shooter.

dave

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Really nice work Dave.  I doubt that original muskets were finished as nicely.  But yours looks splendid for sure.

[Ed Wenger]

Nicely done, Dave.  Love that thin lock panel!


          Ed

[Daryl]

Superb gun, Dave - superb indeed.

[smart dog]

Hi,
Thanks for looking and commenting. Bill, I have a natural and ecologically benign way to remove leaves - high wind.  Just waiting on the next windstorm, then mulch the rest with the mower and job accomplished.  After that, the snow fencing goes up and I am ready for winter.  Wayne, the barrel lugs are soldered without dovetails.  They have very wide bases that have to be inletted into the barrel channel, much like the originals I examined. I never noticed dovetails on those original Besses but they were all India pattern guns.  The front sight or lug is a different story.  I did not dovetail, rather I filed a shallow flat groove into which the lug fit tightly. I flux the barrel and lug, then press it in tightly with a C-clamp, then sweat the solder in from one side by heating from the opposite side until I see solder emerging from joint. The shoulders of the groove give the lug some extra strength when jammed by the bayonet.  The forward slot on the bayonet is tapered very slightly so it tightens on the lug when pressed home. You have to tap the bend of the blade upward with your palm to loosen the socket and remove the bayonet. That way if the owner decides to stick someone with it, he won't leave the bayonet behind in the body.  Although there is a hole in the guard for a swivel, there is no hole in the stock for one.  I soldered and inlet a lug just forward of the second thimble but did not drill it for a swivel.  The owner can do that if he changes his mind but it seems many, if not most, early Rev war colonial-made muskets did not mount swivels. The makers used guards from old muskets that were drilled but did not drill holes in the fore stocks and mount swivels. I do not know why that is the case.   

dave

[SingleMalt]

Thanks for the detailed explanation, Dave. 

[Long John]

Dave,

Superb job!  I admire your commitment to excellence and your devotion to thoroughly researching your project.  Also, I admire the fact that you are making so many of your own parts.  THAT is what gun-making is all about, in my opinion. 

Best Regards,

JMC
John Cholin

[smart dog]

Thanks, John, Ed, Daryl, Wayne, and Taylor,
Taylor, the photos don't do the gun justice.  If you saw it in person you can see the scraper marks, some file marks, and that the surface of the wood has a little texture and is not glass smooth. With a little dirtying up, dents, scratches, and tarnish, it will look about right.  Ed, I like narrow moldings too.  I almost made them disappear as I noted on some originals but opted for a tiny flat.  With that big lock, without vanishingly small flats, the stock would be as slab sided as a 2 x 4.

dave 

[tlallijr]

Beautiful work Dave !

[Blacksmoke]

Hi Dave:  Congrats on an outstanding build!!   I was privy to a lot of the 'behind the scenes" work that you did and I am very impressed with your efforts!  The new owner will be proud to on the firing line I am sure!!   Hugh Toenjes

[Daryl]

Hi,
Well, she's a shooter.  After getting some idea of powder charge and patch combination shooting at a dot on cardboard, I put up a real target and fiddled a little with the front sight. Every shot was from a bench at 50 yards. I used 90grs 2F powder, 0.020" patches lubed with ballistol and water, and 0.710" round balls.  I also shot 3 rounds with loose ball and no patch.  I did not adjust windage but filed down the front sight just a little and changed my point of aim from 6 o'clock hold to center.  I won't do more because the sight picture may be different for the owner and how the stock fits him will differ from me. The irony is that the gun will rarely be used with live ammunition since the owner will use it mainly for re-enactments.  I had to drill the vent hole out to 5/64" to assure reliable ignition because the barrel is very thick at the breech.  It is very comfortable to shoot and holds well.  It has considerably more drop in the heel than a Brown Bess so it is a much better shooter.

dave

Nice 'final group' in the middle Dave.   I am surprised the no-patch group is as good as it is.  That's about a 3" group and as good as I've ever seen for 5 shots, aside of a 10 Bore Bess that Taylor made, however that  2 1/2" group was a fluke as next time, I could not do that at 25 yards - larger and less consistent than your consecutive shooting at 50.  Again, well done. Good shooting smoothie.

[smart dog]

Hi Daryl,
One reason it shoots well is because of the way I shaped the barrel tang. Look at the photo showing the tang. I filed the tang flat but left a rounded hump where it meets the barrel. I examined some original muskets done this way. When sighting, the round hump is prominent in your view and the apex of the curve gives a nice reference point for centering the front sight in your sight picture. The round section would be ideal for a filed groove as a sighting reference mark. The fit of the comb and the hump on the tang give you a very fast and natural way to center the front sight.  When I shoot a smooth bore, I don't actually sight down the barrel.  I sight over the barrel because heat waves would instantly obscure your view if you actually look down the plane of the barrel. I shoot it like I do a bow instinctively. The comb on my face is the rear sight and the front sight is the tip of the arrow. A sighting groove or the hump give me another reference point for centering the front sight. If I was wing shooting at birds, I don't even see the groove or hump but simply rely on the fit of the comb on my cheek and the front sight.

dave

[Keb]

WOW! Awesome gun.