American Stocked Brown Bess?

[hollandbriscoe]

I was at colonial williamsburg this past week and noticed something rather interesting in the Governors mansion. There was a Brown Bess with a tiger stripe stock. This was an original gun. Were there any besses made here in the colonies or was this possibly an american restock.

Jack

 

[musketman]

I can see the American colonists gathering a brown bess that had a broken stock and having one of their gunsmith makes a serviceable gun out of it...

However, I suspect they would use the same wood they were fitting their guns in, this leads me to believe it's an after the fact custom job...

On the other hand, the Governor would be one of the few that could afford a Brown Bess with a tiger stripe stock... :hmm:

 

[Puffer]

NO " True Besses" were made in the colonies. BUT The Amer.s during the Rev. War made copies, called Provincial or Commity of Safety muskets.

"Real" "besses" would have been READLY avail. Either because of Brit Mil. service or being issued one as a member of a "local" Militia,(as required by law, prior to RW)

As to the "fancy" stock, Officers had besses made for them w/ fancy stocks (one is in the Smithsonion (select walnut checkering etc.) This could have been in this catagory, but stocked in Amer. W / Maple :hmm:

Puffer

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've seen several american restocked besses in curley maple.

 

[Gary]

During the war, broken guns were recovered and sent to gunsmiths to be reassembled into functioning firearms. It's not unusual to see a gun with a Bess lock and Charleville parts. So, seeing a Bess with maple stock would suggest "American" lineage to an otherwise British gun.

 

I saw a French model '63 musket restocked in curly maple once in the Dixie Antique Gun listings. It was a beauty. I think there was a lot of restocking and refitting going on if the surviving specimens are telling the truth.
Don

 

[Toomuch_36]

This is not surprising as Turner has a reputation for refurbishing a pile of parts and calling it an antique.

Toomuch
............
Shoot Flint

 

[Swampman]

http://www.jaegerkorps.org/neumanNRA.html

Check out number 4. The practice was quite common.