Bess vs charley, what’s your favorite

[tenngun]

Step aside from who carried what. Charlies were THE gun for American soldiers. Bess was the gun of the empire that wrapped the world.
But what one is your favorite?

 

[64Springer]

I have a Pedersorry 63/66 Charleville.

Turned her into a .69 shotty with a 33 inch barrel and half stock.

She was so slow I made a hammer and converted her to percussion. Look to the left. Looks like a rabbit with its nose stuck in a can of carrots.

I'd take a Bess any day.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I find them both painful to shoot.

 

[cynthialee]

well....they are both ugly

Why go with a musket when you could have a HC/PC Jaeger? Rather be a rifleman than a musketeer in them battles.

 

[tenngun]

well....they are both ugly

Why go with a musket when you could have a HC/PC Jaeger? Rather be a rifleman than a musketeer in them battles.

Rifles are their own class.
Military gun ain’t ever rifles, so can’t compare.
Charlie’s were tge AK47 of the day. We copied it for our muskets up till percussion times. Much of Europe did too. Although Prussia stayed with the bess style.
So I was comparing these two.
I think the bess is the most beautiful of military guns ever made, but Charlie is handy.
So I was looking for others thoughts on these two iconic guns

 

[2 shots]

mrs bess looks better , charlie handles better. i think

 

[Tumbledown]

Step aside from who carried what. Charlies were THE gun for American soldiers. Bess was the gun of the empire that wrapped the world.
But what one is your favorite?

THE gun? In what way? Outside of those captured in the F&I War, Charlevilles were not all that common. Most guns were old Bess models from militia duty, privately owned hunting guns, Dutch and Spanish guns, or guns built from French parts. The French, in an effort to appear neutral, sold locks and barrels early on (to be stocked by us), and didn't provide complete arms until they formally sided with the US.

Now, the Charleville was lighter, ammunition easier to carry, and the gun easier to maintain by nature of its design, so I'm sure many a soldier would drop his Bess or other clunky gun for a Charleville given the chance.

Personally, I prefer the lines of a Bess over a Charleville. The curved drop in the butt just doesn't look right, and the barrel bands are a distraction from the stock.

But if I were a real Rev War soldier, I would take whatever I could get!

 

[Sidney Smith]

Bess. I never liked the way the cock looked on the Charleville. I know it was designed to be stronger, but I just find it unsightly.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Of course, for me, I prefer the King's Musket, Long Land Pattern.

Huzzah, Huzzah, Huzzah!

 

[tenngun]

THE gun? In what way? Outside of those captured in the F&I War, Charlevilles were not all that common. Most guns were old Bess models from militia duty, privately owned hunting guns, Dutch and Spanish guns, or guns built from French parts. The French, in an effort to appear neutral, sold locks and barrels early on (to be stocked by us), and didn't provide complete arms until they formally sided with the US.

Now, the Charleville was lighter, ammunition easier to carry, and the gun easier to maintain by nature of its design, so I'm sure many a soldier would drop his Bess or other clunky gun for a Charleville given the chance.

Personally, I prefer the lines of a Bess over a Charleville. The curved drop in the butt just doesn't look right, and the barrel bands are a distraction from the stock.

But if I were a real Rev War soldier, I would take whatever I could get!

I understand your point but there were no American soldiers in the French and Indian wars. Only British and British colonials.
Americans would first fight in the revolution, and we got about half a million Charlies

 

[Timber Wolf]

I wish I had a Charliville to compare to my Bess (Pedersoli) but I do not. I have to say, even though the Bess is quite the handful I do like shooting it and it does not seem to be as ungainly as the size and weight would at first indicate. Pretty sure the average Colonial period solider was a lot smaller and weaker than me. They were probably (definitely) a lot tougher breed though.

 

[Paul-in-PA]

Let's clarify who used what. The American Colonies used both the Brown Bess, and Committee of Safety knockoffs, and once French Assistance started flowing Charlevilles, Model 1763/66, started to reach George Washington's troops. And on the British side the Royal army and here Loyalist forces were primarily armed with various models of the Brown Bess, Short and Long Patterns. But many Loyalist Regiments and Militia forces on both sides drew arms from the Colonial Armories established by the British Crown. These armories were stocked with a mixture of older British Brown Bess muskets, Contract Models produced in England to similar requirements, as well as captured French Muskets from 1700 to 1750 models during the French & Indian War.

The French sent over 100,000 French Charlevilles to the United States during the Revolutionary War. In 1777, just before the military alliance between France and the United States became official, 60,000 French arms, mostly muskets, arrived in American ports. And the Charleville became the basic pattern for the US 1795 Springfield Musket, with design similarities being found in the Springfield Model 1861 and 1863 used in the Civil War.

I like the Charleville for ease of cleaning, barrel bands versus barrel pins. As for which I enjoy shooting, neither they are heavy and do not fit for aimed fire. But they were not designed for individually aimed fire, but for volley fire. They are tools of war and not hunting firearms.

 

[Piquant]

Charleville for me. But I wouldn't kick Bess out of bed either.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I used to shoot an original India pattern bess date 1826. It knocked my hat off every time I pulled the trigger.

 

[Master Blaster]

Run whatcha brung...

"Gunga Din"

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Bess!

 

[Enfield1]

Step aside from who carried what. Charlies were THE gun for American soldiers. Bess was the gun of the empire that wrapped the world.
But what one is your favorite?

I own Pedersoli repros of both of them and love shooting both of them, but if I had to choose one, it would be my Bess. It just feels better in my hands.

 

[alde]

I own Pedersoli repros of both of them and love shooting both of them, but if I had to choose one, it would be my Bess. It just feels better in my hands.

I have both Pedersoli repros to. Do you have any ignition issues? My Chareville gives me problems. I have to clean the touch hole and re-prime about every third shot. I am considering putting a liner in it. The hole seems to be positioned in the right place.

 

[Enfield1]

I have both Pedersoli repros to. Do you have any ignition issues? My Chareville gives me problems. I have to clean the touch hole and re-prime about every third shot. I am considering putting a liner in it. The hole seems to be positioned in the right place.

I am happy to say that I have no ignition issues. I, too, prick my vent hole after ever third round, just as a preventive measure, but I think that would be normal. I keep a wisk and vent pick hanging on a little chain attached to a button on my clothing. Just a quick "poke" and back in business. Good, large black english flints from TOTW keep 'em going boom. With a little knapping after 10-12 shots, I can usually get 60-80 shots off of a flint. Now that you got me thinking, I installed a flint in my Charleville in June of 2022 and taking it to the range for a shooting secession around every 2 months, I'm still on that same flint.