smooth bore shootin with a brown bess

[yip]

    we had our first smooth bore shoot today, and i shot it with a brown bess musket, it was a little hard figurin how ta sight down the barrel, but after shootin at 7 targets out of 10, i think i figured it out. the other guys had fusils and fancy shootin irons, i felt a little out classed, but hunged in there and had a ball. now i can't wait fer the next one. now all i got to do is melt down 10lbs of lead, ta shoot 10 shots. GOD thats a big ball!

[northmn]

I brought a Bess to a trade gun shoot and they felt a little out classed.  With practice a Bess will out shoot a small bore at longer ranges and definitely hold more shot for shot matches.  I ahve broken several clay pigeons with a Bess.  I got rid of mine because they also kick into your face and mine left an acorn on my cheek.  More than a few originals I saw at an reinactment site had the cheek piece hollowed out to hel alleviate that.  I built a 12 bore musket to replace the Bess and really wish I had it back as I sold it when I quit shooting BP for a while.  The individual I sold it to also is trying to get it back as he sold it and misses it.  The big ones ring gongs with real authority.  I had to quit shooting them at one club in deference to not destroying the welds. Even the 50's with maxi-ball could not match the Bess for effect.

DP

[yip]

   i bought this bess fer reenactments and toted this piece fer a longgggg time,never thunk of shooting lead thru it. about two years ago i fired it at a muzzle gun match and had bunch of fun,  shooting it yesterday at the smooth bore match was a treat i left ther with a smell on my face, the only draw back i think is the throw of the cock, it has to near 4 inches, it takes a longggggg time to contact the frizzen. other then that its a lot of fun and i encourage those who have em ta shoot em, and a have as much fun as i did

[Roger Fisher]

Not picking apart the Bess or Charleville at all.   My smoothy is a 28 gauge, Less pwder and lead (w/a round ball) and less pounding on my skinny shoulder.....so I'll stick with that little lady!

I should add our matches are out to 50 yds generally.  Once and a while at 100 ugh!

[Daryl]

The larger the bore, the greater the accuracy potential.

[J.D.]

Yep, those bess' will shoot. Try a .715 mould to cast alloyed lead balls. Balls cast from an alloy  generally come out a few thou larger and fit the bore better. A .718 ball with an .018-.020 patch will still thumb start and shoot accurately to at least 75 yards.

I have won my share of smoothbore matches with that old Ped bess.

It has proven itself during military matches to about 75 yards, shooting at rectangular steel plates, the size of a kill zone on a man, supported on vertical angle iron stands, to chest height.  a number of these targets, usually 5, or so in each bank,  are lined up in ranks at 75 yards. One team of Brits and one team of frenchies in formation fires volleys at their respective targets. Each time a target is knocked down, one man corresponding to the target on the opposing team, i.e. the first man on the right, if the right hand target is "killed", is eliminated. One or two volleys are fired at each range, with each team moving forward 10 yards, in military fashion, to fire another volley until  the opposing team is "killed". The fenchies didn't like to compete against our Ranger company. They said we cheated by "practicing" throughout the year. Our practice consisted of hunting, trekking, and competing at whatever events we could attend.  They, on the other hand, primarily attended battle reenactments, firing live rounds only a few times a year.

These matches are LOTS of fun, and that big ball hits that steel with authority.

God bless

[Daryl]

We haven't shot Taylor's Bess for a quite a while. It's a 1728 model- (Longland Pattern I think), with 10 bore barrel (.774") He now uses a .740" ball from a Tanner mould instead of the .735" Lyman, with a .030" denim patch lubed iwth moose snot.  The last time out, we got a 2 1/2" group at 50 yards with it.  It's heavy and shoots well with 100gr. or more 2F.

[J.D.]

10 bore barrel (.774") He now uses a .740" ball from a Tanner mould, with a .030" denim patch lubed with moose snot. 

That combination gives .012" of compression of the patch. Does that load require a starter?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I use a starter with all my guns, except shotgun loaded with shot.  That patch is lofty enough to carry a lot of lubricant.  When it is seated in the muzzle, there is a band about the circumference that gets squeezed, but it still loads very very easily.  Most importantly, no gases get by the patch to burn it and deteriorate my accuracy.  With 100 - 120 grains of powder one needs a tight patch/ball.  I usually use those heavier charges for ranges like 100 meters.  For shorter shots, I use 85 grains FFg.  This musket weights 11#.

[peterw]

Taylor, what is diameter of touch hole in yours BB? 

[J.D.]

I use a starter with all my guns, except shotgun loaded with shot.  That patch is lofty enough to carry a lot of lubricant.  When it is seated in the muzzle, there is a band about the circumference that gets squeezed, but it still loads very very easily.  Most importantly, no gases get by the patch to burn it and deteriorate my accuracy.  With 100 - 120 grains of powder one needs a tight patch/ball.  I usually use those heavier charges for ranges like 100 meters.  For shorter shots, I use 85 grains FFg.  This musket weights 11#.

I have noticed that when I load a card wad, over powder, but under a patched ball, recoil feels heavier, which would indicate some blow by.  Maybe I need a thicker patch.

The TH in my Ped bess was .103 before a liner was installed. Haven't had time to shoot it since installing the liner, so don't have a reference to compare ignition, before and after.

Thanks and God bless

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I installed a Chambers' White Lightning 3/8" x 32 liner and bored out the hole to .070".  Ignition is wonderful.  I'll photograph it and post is for ya'.

[peterw]

Thanks. In my Spanish Infantry musket M1757 (.72) TH is straight hole (diameter: .100, length 7/32"). The ignition is very reliable but delay is too big for me and of course accuracy isn't good. I use 70 - 80 grains 3F, .690 ball and .020 patch.       

[J.D.]

Thanks. In my Spanish Infantry musket M1757 (.72) TH is straight hole (diameter: .100, length 7/32"). The ignition is very reliable but delay is too big for me and of course accuracy isn't good. I use 70 - 80 grains 3F, .690 ball and .020 patch.       

Practice, practice practice. Follow through, follow through, follow through. 

Try dry firing with a wooden flint held in the jaws. Works good, but ya gotta keep at it, since it takes roughly 40 hours of practice to confirm muscle memory.

I do it inside when I'm home alone, or when the wife is otherwise occupied, so's there is no danger of her walking in front of the muzzle. She frowns on having a firelock pointed at her, empty or otherwise. 

God bless

[bob in the woods]

Ignition should not be slow. Mine goes off instantly. If not, then there is something not right,  and can be improved on. If if you don't have fast ignition,it's pretty tough to get decent accuracy.

[Daryl]

BTW- Taylor shoots nothing but WW balls in his .77cal. Bess - with that .030" patch - and loading is easyily acomplished with it's wooden rod.

[northmn]

You may be also confusing ignition time with lock time.  A musket lock in general is very reliable but also a very long hammer travel.  The Repo Bess I had was very reliable and went off beautifully, but it was not as fast as a small siler lock for instance.  I did break a few clay pigeons with it in trap matches.  As stated follow through.  Mine had a very large touch hole, never measured it.  I used a card wad under the patched ball as I also noticed that it sounded more authoritive and seemed to kick more.  With a patch it seemed to have more of a hollow sound.  Noticed that in 20 bore guns also.  Never benched one though as shooting a five shot group with the thing was not my idea of a fun way to spend an afternoon. 

DP