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Arrived!! British Sea Service Pistol from Loyalist Arms!!

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The British Sea Service Pistol I ordered from Loyalist Arms back in early March has finally arrived. It was sent in two shipments: one with stock and barrel and the other with lock and belt clip. No explanation why. I presume it has something to do with export/import convenience. Both packaged extremely well and arrived 100% intact. The second shipment also included instructions on how to "proof" the pistol. It hasn't been test-fired, so I guess it's up to the end user to make sure the pistol won't blow up. They even included one ball to do that. Hah!! Not something Pedersoli would do, I don't imagine.

First impressions: the finish is rather dull and opaque and screams for some light refinishing and certainly some hand-rubbed oil. I can't tell what the wood is like until I get into that. The lock seems rather nice and robust and the springs seem nicely balanced. The **** engages and releases nicely. The trigger has the appropriate amount of play at full ****. The flint is stiking the frizzen rather high but I think flipping the flint should be enough to remedy that. Included is a nice flint that looks to be a French flint. Some of the inletting leaves something to be desired, but not material to function, not noticeable at a casual glance, and anyway, I might be able to remediate that to some degree when refinishing. The bore looks nice and smooth, though I might do some additional polish. Finally, this gun is lighter in weight than I thought it would be.

This is not a factory-finished production gun ready to be shot, but it's a giant step up from a kit. So, I'd classify it as a simple project gun, perfect for the upcoming weekend.

And looking forward to being shot. But first, awaiting an order of some .600 balls from Track of the Wolf.

A long wait, but looks to be worth it. And satisfied with Loyalist Arms as vendor. Linda Higgins is your contact at Loyalist if you have any questions about their offerings.

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After sprucing up the stock, polishing the metal, and final assembly:

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(Compare to OOB pics in post #1 above)

There was very little I could do wrt improving the inletting as this crazy Indian wood is like working with cardboard and I didn't want to risk making things worse. But all in all I think it turned out nice enough.
 
What are your thoughts on this barrel-proofing procedure? The instructions say the standard load is 35 gr and the barrel is proofed by using a 65 gr load. Obviously if it's going to fail it's going to fail with a double load and that's why it's supposed to be done. However, I'm never, ever going to shoot it with that heavy of a load, and I'm pretty tempted to just skip it.
 
The difference in the finish as shown in your photos is pretty dramatic. I like it a lot. What did you do?
 
What are your thoughts on this barrel-proofing procedure? The instructions say the standard load is 35 gr and the barrel is proofed by using a 65 gr load. Obviously if it's going to fail it's going to fail with a double load and that's why it's supposed to be done. However, I'm never, ever going to shoot it with that heavy of a load, and I'm pretty tempted to just skip it.
I guess it’s for piece of mind….if it doesn’t blowup with a double charge then it’s likely gonna last forever with the “standard” loads. Also in the event one should accidentally “double” charge it down the road I guess one can assume it will survive…
I usually just give er abit of a heavy charge to start….then settle down to my usual loads 🤷🏻‍♂️
I see little value in stressing things out right off the bat !?
Of course that’s oppinion and others will surely disagree 😜
 
The difference in the finish as shown in your photos is pretty dramatic. I like it a lot. What did you do?
Thanks. Steel wool, two coats tinted linseed oil (brown Transtint dye, with a little mineral oil to accelerate), then two coats red-tinted paste wax, each coat paper-burnished in between. It'll probably get one more coat of wax after this cures.
 
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What are your thoughts on this barrel-proofing procedure? The instructions say the standard load is 35 gr and the barrel is proofed by using a 65 gr load. Obviously if it's going to fail it's going to fail with a double load and that's why it's supposed to be done. However, I'm never, ever going to shoot it with that heavy of a load, and I'm pretty tempted to just skip it.
On this proofing procedure, is it one time or multiple times?
 
On this proofing procedure, is it one time or multiple times?
One time. It's the rigging of the dismounted barrel that's a PIA. Sample-test barrels are proofed in India, so I'm sure unless there's an undiscovered defect in my barrel the barrel design and manufacture is plenty strong enough. End-user proofing is also to protect the seller from liability for injury incurred during normal use and resulting from unknown defect.
 
One time. It's the rigging of the dismounted barrel that's a PIA. Sample-test barrels are proofed in India, so I'm sure unless there's an undiscovered defect in my barrel the barrel design and manufacture is plenty strong enough. End-user proofing is also to protect the seller from liability for injury incurred during normal use and resulting from unknown defect.
Ok, I have an India barrel with a Spanish lock and stock I believe. I used about 20gr 2f loose powder and some in the pan. Went click whoosh. So that part works good. The barrel is 8", the OD is approx .820 and bore at muzzle approx .619
 
Ok, I have an India barrel with a Spanish lock and stock I believe. I used about 20gr 2f loose powder and some in the pan. Went click whoosh. So that part works good. The barrel is 8", the OD is approx .820 and bore at muzzle approx .619
Well, that's just testing ignition, it's not "proofing". Proofing is (basically) trying to see if it will explode. Hah.

Without going into all the nitty gritty step-by-step detail, the Loyalist Arms instructions for proofing my barrel call for dismounting it from the gun stock, then mounting it securely to something else that will both absorb the recoil and at the same time contain flying parts. The barrel is marked and its outside diameter measured at various points down its length for before and after comparison to discover bulging. Then it's loaded with a double charge, a ball and a wad, rammed home, and a fuse is stuck into the touch hole, far enough in to contact the powder. Point the muzzle down range, light the fuse with a match, and get the heck well away.

If it goes boom, if it stays in one piece, and if it doesn't bulge, consider it "proofed".

Apologies for the long spiel, it's only for the benefit of those readers who might not know what "proofing" is. ;)

There are "proof marks" on the barrel, but as Loyalist points out they're merely decorative, because indeed, the gun could never have been fired since when it left India it had no touch hole!!
 
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Well, that's just testing ignition, it's not "proofing". Proofing is (basically) trying to see if it will explode. Hah.

Without going into all the nitty gritty step-by-step detail, the Loyalist Arms instructions for proofing my barrel call for dismounting it from the gun stock, then mounting it securely to something else that will both absorb the recoil and at the same time contain flying parts. The barrel is marked and its outside diameter measured at various points down its length for before and after comparison to discover bulging. Then it's loaded with a double charge, a ball and a wad, rammed home, and a fuse is stuck into the touch hole, far enough in to contact the powder. Point the muzzle down range, light the fuse with a match, and get the heck well away.

If it goes boom, if it stays in one piece, and if it doesn't bulge, consider it "proofed".

Apologies for the long spiel, it's only for the benefit of those readers who might not know what "proofing" is. ;)

There are "proof marks" on the barrel, but as Loyalist points out they're merely decorative, because indeed, the gun could never have been fired since when it left India it had no touch hole!!
I understand all that. I have a jig for mounting revolvers, pistols, shotguns and rifles. And of course all I did on those was to see if they handled regular factory ammo.
Never done any black powder or muzzleloaders. Once ignition is good. I just didn't know the procedure for proof testing.
Thanks a bunch for that info.
 
Well, that's just testing ignition, it's not "proofing". Proofing is (basically) trying to see if it will explode. Hah.

Without going into all the nitty gritty step-by-step detail, the Loyalist Arms instructions for proofing my barrel call for dismounting it from the gun stock, then mounting it securely to something else that will both absorb the recoil and at the same time contain flying parts. The barrel is marked and its outside diameter measured at various points down its length for before and after comparison to discover bulging. Then it's loaded with a double charge, a ball and a wad, rammed home, and a fuse is stuck into the touch hole, far enough in to contact the powder. Point the muzzle down range, light the fuse with a match, and get the heck well away.

If it goes boom, if it stays in one piece, and if it doesn't bulge, consider it "proofed".

Apologies for the long spiel, it's only for the benefit of those readers who might not know what "proofing" is. ;)

There are "proof marks" on the barrel, but as Loyalist points out they're merely decorative, because indeed, the gun could never have been fired since when it left India it had no touch hole!!
I’d almost (almost 😀) pay you money to post pics of your proofing steps. Seriously, would love to know any other details and how it goes. For example, what will you “securely mount” it to? Where do you get a fuse and what type?
 
I’d almost (almost 😀) pay you money to post pics of your proofing steps.
IF I do I'll post pics. Actually, interest in how almost motivates me to do it anyway. ;)

....what will you “securely mount” it to?
Probably a big, heavy board, maybe with a couple bricks to hold it down. I don't want the recoil flipping it over and chancing getting my nice shiny barrel all scratched up.

....Where do you get a fuse and what type?
Loyalist provides a ball and a fuse and instructions packed with the lock. See post #1 - it's the little green curliecue thingie in the plastic bag with the ball.
 
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