Bess, next project, what would you do?

[mikee51848]

Ok, this is my next project, a Bess kit from Pedersoli. Not expected to be too complicated. But my question is, what, if anything, would you do to customize, or "Americanize" this gun?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Are you planning to do any re-enacting? That would have an effect on your plans. Aging the musket, adding brass tacks or building it as a brand new issue gun are just a few options. No matter what, you will have a lot of fun with it.

 

[mikee51848]

Yes Russ, I bought it for re-enactment purposes. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[LSU TIGER]

Feast your eyes on these muskets! http://www.11thpa.org/neumann.html

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I've always wanted number 5, ever since the first time I saw it. Seven pounds, 16 gauge--that's a fine combination.

 

[LFord]

Feast your eyes on these muskets! http://www.11thpa.org/neumann.html

Musket #4 has some features that you could do without spending anything more than some elbow grease. Do away with one of the ramrod thimbles, relocate the middle one and remove some wood in a couple of areas. This would give you a musket with most of the hardware from a Short Land, the lock from a later model Long Land, and a couple of features done to save on production time and material. Here is another of Neuman's Brown Bess articles on our unit's website(I'm a member of the 11th PA)showing the development of the Bess that might help out a bit.
http://www.11thpa.org/Bess.html

 

[mikee51848]

Were the barrels browned, or left white? Some look like they could have been either.

 

[LSU TIGER]

You're looking at 230+/- years of oxidation. The usual finish was bright. In fact, the British Army issued a mixture of brick dust and oil to polish the metal with. Here's a link specific to the Bess.

http://www.11thpa.org/Bess.html

 

[LFord]

They were lift bright and often highly polished by the troops. Well polished muskets were the sign of a good unit and this was sometimes carried to an extreme. The following quote describes muskets of the 62 Regiment circa 1775.

"so Abus'd to keep them bright, that there is not the least appearance of the Kings mark".

 

[Zonie]

Polishing their barrels was part of the "Idle hands and boredom are not good for the men's morale. Give them a simple task and demand that they carry it out." mentality all Services are famous for, I suspect.

 

[LSU TIGER]

Sorry for posting a redundent link, Les. I didn't see you had, too. :sleep:

 

[LFord]

Polishing their barrels was part of the "Idle hands and boredom are not good for the men's morale. Give them a simple task and demand that they carry it out." mentality all Services are famous for, I suspect.

I believe it was a bit of that and the rivalry that exists between different units in the military. Once a standard is set, such as shiny musket barrels, any unit that does not meet those standards is viewed by others as second class. It doesn't matter in a lot of cases if the standard actually has any bearing on the combat effectiveness of the unit, the thought is that if shiny musket barrels or polished buttons are the mark of a good soldier our unit is going to look like a field of diamonds.
When I was in the navy I was member of the first department on the ship to earn the right to paint an "E" on the bridge wing for a high grade on an outside evaluation of our department. One of the other junior enlisted guys and myself ripped up some of the tiles in the shape of a capital E in our supply office and replaced them with blue ones. After our department head saw it he spent the whole day figuring out reasons for other officers on board to come by so they would get a look at it. In the grand scheme of things it didn't mean alot but in our minds we had set the standard aboard USS Elrod and everybody else had to rise to our level and we were not shy about letting them know it.

 

[Chuck Thom]

I had a bess years ago that had lots of wood taken off the stock, really shot well, one of the guns I regret selling. it also had all metal browned except the brass. I think the bulb by the forestock was gone too. a slender fowler that handled well....Chuck.. if I ever got another bess I would do the same modifications again

 

[Vince N]

To "Americanize" do Not mount the sling swivels. Geo. Neumann,in his excellent books, states Colonial muskets did not have sling swivels.

 

[Story]

Why not copy a Committee of Safety musket?

At the Revolution's inception, colonial gunsmiths were producing a simple, less expensive copy of the Short Land weapon, often called a Provincial or Committee of Safety musket.

from -
http://www.concordma.com/magazine/janfeb02/brownbessmusket.html

Efforts were also implemented to make use of the limited production capabilities within the Colonies. An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 gunsmiths were available, of which perhaps two-thirds favored the American cause (Moller I). Early in 1775, local

 

To "Americanize" do Not mount the sling swivels. Geo. Neumann,in his excellent books, states Colonial muskets did not have sling swivels.

Always and never do not exist in the gunbuilding world. Neumann shows dozens of American made muskets with sling swivels in many of his works!

The Bess kit will be way too fat as it comes from the factory. You will need to remove a couple of pounds of sawdust before you will have anything that looks like a Bess. Pick one of the muskets from Nemanns work that shows several views of lock area, forend and butt and trim the wood down to resemble one of the origionals.

Bright metal was the military standard but most farmers and shop keepers did not have time to sit around and scrub on a gun barrel! Militia troops were famous for mustering with no guns or guns that were rusted beyond use and unservicable. A well cared for civilian musket would have a well oiled but aged patina.

:thumbsup:

 

[mikee51848]

"An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 gunsmiths were available, of which perhaps two-thirds favored the American cause "

Well, make that 3001 when my kit arrives. I thought I would try to pattern after Neuman's example #4, from an above post, as a goal. :results:

 

[Story]

More inspiration for your #4 - seems like cherry comes up alot as a stock wood choice.

American Revolutionary period restocked English Musket - It has an altered English brass butt plate, which was cut down to fit the gun. American made brass buttplate and an English trigger guard, American brass bands and a beautiful American cherry stock. The barrel is made from a second model Brown Bess with unmarked locks. (Overall size: 57 inches overall, 42 inch barrel.)
http://www.garyhendershott.com/productimages/11650el.jpg


American Revolutionary period cherry stocked Musket with fancy French brass trigger guard and buttplate. - American made ramrod pipes and rammer pipes. American Cherry stock has been refinished, done in the British Brown Bess style. It has been pinned, so the stock does not have bands. British made lockplate, no evidence of a sideplate. http://www.garyhendershott.com/productimages/11623el.jpg

 

[Hoyt]

WildatHeart...what caliber, lenght and make barrel did you use on you Pecatonica Andrew Verner?

 

[mikee51848]

.50 cal, Green Mtn swamped, 42", but I cut an inch off due to a build error on my part.

PS. Huzzah! :hatsoff: My Bess kit arrived today!