US Model 1814 Common Rifle Questions

Does anyone know what the service charge would be? It is .54 caliber. Does it shoot a patched ball and if so, what diameter? .530? .525?

I have a U.S. Common Rifle model 1817 - H. Deringer contract 1825, so she's 199 years old now... Still shoots pretty durn good. Several deer and last November a big buffalo cow. 75 grains of 2 f Olde Eynesford, and a linen patched .524 ball. .530s will work but you need a really thin patch. The bore aint perfect and thinner patches tear up .
On the buffalo, shot her at a little over 65 yards; the ball broke a rib on the way in, punched a thumb sized hole through the heart and was flattened against the hide on the far side . My son was carrying a U.S. Model 1819 Hall rifle. Same balls and load in the Hall. The Hall has a near perfect bore and is very accurate. I make paper cartridges for the Hall out of regular wax paper. Tear open the cartridge, charge the chamber, pop in the waxed paper wrapped ball; really shoots well.

What thickness of patch?

wow i was thinking 'service charge for doing what' now i see. service load i guess im old.

With a .530 ball even very fine linen "handkerchief material is difficult to load. The .524 with heavy shirt linen works well, and is most accurate A .520 with heavy flannel "Chamois" type shirt material loads easy and shoots well enough. I've had the best groups using an over-powder wad of a pinch of wasp nest, and seating the ball on that.
I love the 1817, I think one of the prettiest, (and handiest) US military rifles ever. But... the Hall is a close second-- the easiest rifle I've ever developed a load for...

2 shots said:

wow i was thinking 'service charge for doing what' now i see. service load i guess im old.

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Matters if you are British or not.