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Der Musiker said:
You've gotten some good advice, IMHO... If a custom built isn't in your price range, the Pedersoli's are reliable and very common in the BAR & CL units.
I have my eye on a couple now. I am going to a gun show this weekend looking. Tulsa gun show (worlds largest) is in 3 weeks or so, there should be a good selection there......Just a matter of time.
Thanks to all for the info. I will post when I find "Bess of My Dreams"
 
What about the "long land pattern" and bayonet offerings from http://www.militaryheritage.com/muskets.htm

The Discriminating General
1121 Jean Park Road
Manotick, ON
K4M 1E4
Canada

They indicate that I would need to drill one hole to make them functional, and the prices look good.

(I'm brand new, never done black powder, just interested in something from 1775 time frame for use at Appleseed events)
 
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This is Another one of the company's selling Indian muskets, this one would not be correct for 1775. If you are going to buy an Indian musket here in the states I would recommend Middlesex Village Trading Company if for no other reason than they come with the touch hole already drilled. I have one of their Long Land Bess's, way more correct for 1775 than the later period Bess's like the one in your link.
http://www.middlesexvillagetrading.com/M1BB.shtml

I am told that guys doing what you will do with it will need to rework some things to make it look more correct, I just shoot mine on the range and it has been no trouble at all for that.
There are other choices out there, some of them are listed in this thread, but most, if not all of them will cost you more.
Brand new to BP? Make sure you do some reading here on the forum, and try to find someone near you who can walk you through the loading and firing of flint muskets. For starters you will need real Black powder, you can't operate a flintlock on the substitute powders like 777 or Pyrodex. Some folks use FFG for the main charge, I use FG only because GOEX recommended it for a .75 caliber bore, they both work. FFFG for priming your pan only, never use such a fine powder for the main charge. Bullets, these big .735 balls are expensive when you buy them ready made. Casting your own is recommended, and fun, Lyman makes a nice mold that so far has cast me 1156 musket balls. You must use a thin patch with this ball in the Indian muskets, and probably the other makes as well. If you have never shot BP before then you will have to learn to clean up the mess it can leave, it's done with soap and boiling water, BP leaves fouling in a bore like nothing you have seen in a modern cartridge rifle, and because there is salt in it you must clean it up ASAP. You must learn to set your flints properly in the cock, and to keep them sharp. You will also need other things like a powder measure, black powder is measured by volume not weight like smokeless is. A vent pick to push fouling that might plug the touch hole, and a good flint knapping hammer as well as a powder horn. I recommend a proper spring vice so you can strip down your lock. I am sure I left something out but Track of the Wolf, or Dixie Gun Works can sell you it all.
You are lucky, you are starting out with a tool like the internet, any questions you have there is probably somebody here who can answer it. When I started out before the internet I had a flint musket, a can of pyrodex ( all that was to be had around here at the time) and that's pretty much it, I had to learn by experimentation. First thing I learned was to use leather to hold the flint in the cock, second was that pyrodex sucks in a flint lock, third was that it's very difficult to learn to aim when there are no sights on the barrel.
I can't stress this enough, as you are brand new to this try to find someone local to you who can walk you through it, and help you select a musket. There were French, Spanish , as well as captured English, and German muskets being used by the Continental army not to mention the muskets made in the colony's. Try your local gun clubs, gun stores, or search the net for local reenactor groups that might be near you. I know a lot of shooters out your way but they are all into modern rifles.
I almost forgot, these kinds of weapons can be very addictive, I started out with just the one, now I have dozens and shoot them constantly, I have to bulk order my powder on line in 30 pound lots and if I wasn't in the scrap business I would go broke buying lead.
 
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These guns cost so little because they are imported as "Wall-hangers", and not as functional firearms. The hole you have to drill is the Touch hole, leading from the flash pan to the back of the barrel where the BP charge is located. This is essential if the gun is to fire.

As has already been noted, these are made in India, and the quality varies all over the map. It is very hard for anyone here to recommend these to you, particularly as a "beginner".

Welcome to the forum. At the top of the Index page, under Member Resources, there is a section titled, " Articles,Charts, and Links". Explore that section for your education. The Chats are useful to us all. The Links take you to suppliers and their on-line catalogs, and the Articles cover many things you need to know. You will also find tutorials at the top of many of the threads, here- like the Gun Builder's Bench. Take the time to view them. The reason they are there is because Claude, and the moderators thought they were TOP NOTCH information that you are unlikely to find anywhere else.

The Best made Brown Bess replicas come from Pedersoli, today. They are expensive. If I were new to this sport, I would first find a re-enactment group, or gun club where these kinds of guns are used, get my education about how to tell the accurate reroductions from the others, and then watch for sales of used guns in good condition. You will often find great buys on these guns, and the owners will sell you all the gear they have that goes with the gun, too. Knowing that any reproduction gun is safe to shoot, and what loads have been fired in it is a great step forward for you, and cuts out a lot of the learning curve required to get these guns shooting well. You might even find a gun whose lock has been tuned, Frizzen hardened properly, and springs lightened so you don't smash those huge flints in just a couple of shots.

Good luck to you. :hatsoff:
 
how are the TOTW kits . are they good quality ? how close are they to the orignal pattern ?
 
The TOTW kits are basically parts guns, with good parts. They are Not the kind of kit I would recommend to anyone who has not had prior experience building a MLer, however. You might better look to someone like Tip Curtiss, who has guns that have been assembled, but required finishing of both metal and wood parts, along with sanding, and some filing work to finish the shapes. ( Call Tip at 615-654-4445).
 
The TOTW kits for the Brown Bess should fall under their advanced projects category of kits. Those kits for the Brown Bess are based on a couple of the variants of the Rifle Shoppe kits. These are very accurate iwth respect to the parts and parts quality. There is a lot of work to be done to complete them. I would suggest that you contract to have the lock built since the parts are all cast and have to properly polished and tempered. The Frizzen needs to be properly hardened to spark. They are great kits, but you need a lot of skill to complete them.
 
Hello Jim Chambers, Where are you. Top quality Brown Bess Kits seem to be in high demand.
 
I have taken delivery of an Indian made Bess from TOTW, and it does not seem to be bad at all. I bought it with the 10 day inspection,and I am going to call it a keeper.Next week I will drill the vent and proof it. I'll post results.
 
I don't know if they are still available, but didn't Navy Arms help supply the Brown Bess guns for the restoration of the governor's mansion in Colonial Williamsburg? It has been many years since I have been there. I thought the tour guide mentioned something about Navy Arms and their assistance. I don't think Navy Arms is in the muzzleloading business anymore. Just a thought.
 
Their WEB site says they are. BTW the Besses are in the muzzleloading rifle section.
 
I had a couple of Japanese bess's back when you could get em from dixie and before the internet.I used to get manure from reenactors all the time about them not being an accurate repop.Now it's the one to buy if you can find one .What gives?
 
spudnut said:
I had a couple of Japanese bess's back when you could get em from dixie and before the internet.I used to get manure from reenactors all the time about them not being an accurate repop.Now it's the one to buy if you can find one .What gives?

I don't know. If you read this entire topic you will see the opinion of several (knowlegable) ML shooters who have formed very definite opinions on the subject.I bought an Indian made Bess from TOTW,and proof tested it myself. I am satisfied with it's safty and performance. It is mostly hand made and is a very good reproduction.
I value the opinions of the members of this forum, but sometimes you just have to weigh things out and decide for yourself.
 

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