Old Ford -
I've sent you a private message concerning my reasons you shouldn't buy one of these guns. We have strict policies regarding libel on this forum and/or running down a maker, but at the same time, I feel it is important to gaurd our membership against poor and possibly dangerous workmanship.
I sincerely suggest no one purchase one if you intend to shoot it. Unless this has changed, they come without vents drilled. It is best they be left that way, in my honest opinion.
If you could get one for a couple hundred or maybe $300.00, then re-barrel & re-finish it, that would work out to a decent deal, if you can put up with poorly threaded & sloppy screw holes in the rest of the gun.
You should purchase a real gun barrel from Track or some other barel maker and install it or have someone else install it. The "East Indian" breech theads are not standard size and the ones in my musket appeared to be hand filed - or something. The plug is not properly shaped as the originals to begin with, as it has a flash-type-plate that seats flush against the rear of the barrel, instead of a tang and screw which is proper. This plate, I assume is to seal the leaking gasses due to the poor thread engagement of the breech.
I am going to post this and suggest to the other moderators that we lock this thread to prevent it going on and on - a warning form someone with direct experience with them is what was needed, not a drawn-out bash-session or argument in print.
