Ok what the heck....who made/makes a .68 Bess???? I'm getting ready to load up another lot of smoothbores, some muskets, and I have this. Obviously it's something I've never bothered to touch and I'm just now seeing this. It's a pretty light repro but with no markings.
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.68 cal brown bess repro?????
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It looks too nice to be an Indian, custom build? If it represents a Bess I don't know what variation (I'm no expert).
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Carbines of about 16 bore no matter barrel length 42" ect its the class or' nature' of the user that determins its a carbine as in Dragoon or Light infantry Carbine. The India Pattern (3d model some term it) has a Carbine version for NCOs , I restored one that was' got up' into a lamp standard . This carbine has poor tang apron & tangs are not rounded at that date plus the proof mark is NEVER applied to a side plate historically ( Not being to likely to be overloaded !) fine gun other that such minor varyence .
Rudyard
Rudyard
It's a North Star West Officer's fusil. Unfortunately, North Star West closed in 2016 I believe. I think it was a fantasy musket that was a modified copy of the English 1807 Sergeant's Carbine which was .66 cal with a 37 inch barrel and changed to .69 caliber with a 38 inch barrel with a different sideplate & Bob's Your Uncle - it's now an officer's fusil. Don't get me wrong, a nice weapon though and wouldn't mind owning one!
Mike
Mike
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OK so as mentioned, that's not a Bess, that's an officer's fusil.
It's only a "fantasy gun" in that it's not a copy of an extant original, but it is well known that officers often purchased, either pre-made or ordered built, personal firearms that were Bess-like for the officers' use.
Now there were some .69 Bess made by Miroku….I've seen one. Apparently the first "run" of Japanese Bess, the Japs reduced cost to the importer by making both the Bess and the Charleville in .69 caliber. The Bess barrels were then shortened a tiny bit, the tip of the tang was squared, and the bayonet lug soldered on the upper part of the barrel.
Buyers cried "foul", and shortly thereafter, a "proper" caliber barrel was found on the Jap Bess..., but I've also heard stories of the occasional .72 caliber barrel found on Jap Bess and even Italian Bess. The irony is...a .69 Bess is proper for a "carbine" of the period. So folks that have such a Bess have a nice oddity.
LD
And more info here: https://www.muzzleblasts.com/archives/vol1no1/articles/bess.shtml
Agreed.
Steve Blancard
40 Cal.
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FWIW - I have a Miroku Bess. Its .75 cal.
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