Cleaning a Pedersoli Charleville Musket

[JLayne]

All,
I recently bought a Pedersoli Charleville replica musket from DGW and, with my local range finally open, plan to take it out and shoot it this weekend. I have shot and cleaned several longrifles, but this is my first experience with a smoothbore or musket. So my question, is there anything special I need to know about shooting and/or cleaning it versus a longrifle?  If it makes any difference, the musket is .69 caliber and I am planning to start with a DGW recommended load of 70 grains of Goex 2F, a .675 round ball, and a .010 patch (I also have some .678 round balls and thicker patches to try, but will start with the lightest and thinest and work up). Also, when cleaning a longrifle, I typically leave the barrel pinned in the stock and let the bore soak, followed by cleaning with wet and dry patches. I do it this way to minimize wear and tear on the wood around the barrel pins. But since the Charleville has barrel rings and an unfinished armory bright barrel, would you recommend removal each time I clean?

Thanks,
Jay

[Bob McBride]

You're normal routine is fine. Any rifle of mine that doesn't have pins and is a quick remove on the barrel gets the barrel taken out. If you're not going to take the barrel out of any gun for routine cleaning I'd put some RIG (rust inhibiting grease) under the barrel and take it out every 5-10 times out or once or twice a year depending on how much you shoot.

[Daryl]

The Musketoon I had, had 2 barrel rings. I removed the barrel each time for cleaning.
The toothpick in the vent will work fine- too a nylon or bronze brush would/could also be of use.
Remove the lock and press some cloth or paper towel into the lock mortise to collect any water that
might get in there.
The 15 bore ball in the 14 bore musket is a good idea. I would tend towards an even smaller ball, though,
just so I could use a more substantial patch That holds more lube to control "soften" fouling shot to shot.
A 1 ounce ball, ie: .662"(16 bore), along with a .018" to .022" denim would be my choice.

[Bob McBride]

The Musketoon I had, had 2 barrel rings. I removed the barrel each time for cleaning.
The toothpick in the vent will work fine- too a nylon or bronze brush would/could also be of use.
Remove the lock and press some cloth or paper towel into the lock mortise to collect any water that
might get in there.
The 15 bore ball in the 14 bore musket is a good idea. I would tend towards an even smaller ball, though,
just so I could use a more substantial patch That holds more lube to control "soften" fouling shot to shot.
A 1 ounce ball, ie: .662"(16 bore), along with a .018" to .022" denim would be my choice.

I couldn't possibly agree more, unless you said do all that while Crappie fishing....

[JLayne]

"The 15 bore ball in the 14 bore musket is a good idea. I would tend towards an even smaller ball, though,
just so I could use a more substantial patch That holds more lube to control "soften" fouling shot to shot.
A 1 ounce ball, ie: .662"(16 bore), along with a .018" to .022" denim would be my choice."

Daryl,
I am going to order some .662 balls and try them. Even though the musket is advertised as .69 caliber, I wasn't able to get a .675 ball to start with a .010 patch. I was able to get them in easily without the patch, and it grouped pretty nicely for a musket, but I was only to try it at 25 yards on this trip. Fouling did build up quickly without a patch though. The first couple of rounds dropped easily down the bore to the powder. After that, they would drop maybe one fifth of the way down the bore before hanging up on the fouling. But I want to try your suggested load to see if that will work better out to 50 yards. Assuming that works, is it realistic to expect to hit anything consistently at 100 yards with a musket?

Thank you.
Jay

[Daryl]

We've been able to do that with a couple different muskets, loaded with thick patches and balls .030" smaller than the bore.
By doing that, I am talking about hitting our 90yard to 110yard gongs on the trail, running from bunny targets, to pails and a goose.
Taylor killed his moose one year with a Commercial Bess, Lyman I think, with a .715" ball and .022" patch - I think that one was a .75 cal.
The moose was between 90 and 100yards, seems to me. One shot was all it took. I still have the recovered ball which stopped under the
 hide on the off side after traversing ribs and lungs. IIRC, that one walked about 20yards and lay down.  He used 100gr. 2F for the load, and
a 545gr. round ball.
I have used .682" balls in my .69 rifle with 165gr. 2F GOEX and .030" and patching.  One moose went about 20yards, the other refused to
take a step.
Incidentally, the issue ctg. for the flintlock .69 muskets  used by the US army, contained 165gr. musket powder. Some of the guys complained
abut the recoil.

[Clark Badgett]

A .65 ball in a news print tube will shoot just fine. The original load was just north of 170 grs of musket powder. Later reduced to around 140gr.

Clean it with wet tow on a worm.

[JLayne]

A .65 ball in a news print tube will shoot just fine. The original load was just north of 170 grs of musket powder. Later reduced to around 140gr.

Clean it with wet tow on a worm.

Thanks, Clark. How is your Charleville kit build coming along?

Jay

[Daryl]

I would suggest something in the line of about 75gr. to 85gr. GOEX 2F as a charge, with patched round ball.

[Clark Badgett]

A .65 ball in a news print tube will shoot just fine. The original load was just north of 170 grs of musket powder. Later reduced to around 140gr.

Clean it with wet tow on a worm.

Thanks, Clark. How is your Charleville kit build coming along?

Jay

At a standstill for the time being until I get home projects knocked out, and I'm doing some authenticizing on a friends Civil War firearms.

[Daryl]

A .65 ball in a news print tube will shoot just fine. The original load was just north of 170 grs of musket powder. Later reduced to around 140gr.

Clean it with wet tow on a worm.

cool! - Firearms of the American West noted the original charge in the issue paper ctgs. for the .69 Muskets was 165gr., changed to 130 or 135gr. in about
1820 when powder quality was improved.  This, of course, included the priming.