Brown Bess Options?

[Smokey Plainsman]

I’d love a Brown Bess as a shooter, so that means most likely a reproduction.

I see Pedersoli is selling there’s for $1700:

https://muzzle-loaders.com/products...5-cal-flintlock-s-260#shopify-product-reviews
Is it worth that price? Any issues with these? Other than that, there’s the Indian made ones and I know that’s a whole different kettle of fish. Curious is any custom builders can make one for me?

If a guy wanted a Brown Bess to shoot what would you do? Thanks!

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I'd order up some rifle shop parts and have smartdog make me one.

 

[Tumbledown]

Smartdog is aka dave_person here.

 

[Commodore Swab]

It all depends on your budget and time. Naturally the best option financially is to find a used one. Having one built will take time, pendersoli may not bee in stock at that price. India is the cheapest of course but don't expect great performance out of the box as those importing do almost nothing to making sure they spark well. Other importers work to make sure they work and will continue to work with a warranty. Many will look for the cheapest and think they are the same.

 

[Dave Marsh]

I'll second The Evil Mike Brooks recommendation.

 

[54ball]

I’d love a Brown Bess as a shooter, so that means most likely a reproduction.

I see Pedersoli is selling there’s for $1700:

https://muzzle-loaders.com/products...5-cal-flintlock-s-260#shopify-product-reviews
Is it worth that price? Any issues with these? Other than that, there’s the Indian made ones and I know that’s a whole different kettle of fish. Curious is any custom builders can make one for me?

If a guy wanted a Brown Bess to shoot what would you do? Thanks!

The Pedersoli is a good gun.
It’s not really a historically accurate piece as a 2nd Model. There’s plenty written about the historical accuracy of the Pedersoli.

It really is closer to the independent contractor guns post Rev-War before the India pattern was adopted.
The Grice lock is all wrong.....
The barrel and thus the whole gun is a lot thinner/ slimmer than the original.

With that said it’s still a very good high quality gun and has been a staple reenactment musket.

It’s a real gun not a hokey teak stocked abomination.

Dixie offers this gun a little cheaper.

If it were me I would get the kit and save a few hundred but I have the stuff and the skill to put one together.

If want a truly historically correct musket take Mike’s advice.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Like Mike Brooks advised. Send the order in for the TRS parts and have Dave Person build it for you. I was just down at TRS a couple weeks ago and they had piles of Brown Bess parts on hand. I’m not sure about barrels.

 

[Rudyard]

In defense of the derided India Muskets ,I agree often rough but' cheap & cheerful' and they will 'Work up" my own Re enactment musket I kept in the US was a composite of three dismissed guns. But it worked up to a fine reliable Musket (Vaguely' After 'some Colonels private Purchase ) but fine by me .No one picked it it stood Birmingham proof was a sparking 'fire risk' what more could I ask '? , Well nothing so I didn't .Same story with my kept in UK carbine old militia barrel dodged up ex North Star reject stock , India lock . replaced guard & pipes for wood rod ,passed muster for 7 years war stuff . Even shot it at Bisley after doing a rendezvous' in darkest Surrey, I think it was Surrey some where South .The Cobblers kid is allways the poorest shod but I was quite happy to have them. But I have an old Bess here for what Events I might do .mostly the 1840s local ' Nelson Battalion of Militia 'only brought out to offer the 'Challenge 'ceremonies when modern Troops march to affirm their right to bear arms in the City ' Flags flying , Swords drawn, B nets fixed & Bands playing . The Militia raised in haste in 1843 being still Gazetted and provided these last 30 years an interesting option to the usual Policeman on a horse .
Rudyard's take on such things

 

[tenngun]

Your very best option is rifle shop and someone who knows how to assemble it
Perdisoli is great but less then correct
A loyalist arms bess from India will spark as well as my custum lock, at least mine does. They offer more models and are as close to original as Perdisoli.
The wood is not walnut
Buy the best you can afford

 

[sportster73hp]

11 bang bang has a video on YouTube comparing his Indian made to the Pedersoli and a flint to percussion original. It gets a little long winded but is an honest comparison.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

In defense of the derided India Muskets ,I agree often rough but' cheap & cheerful' and they will 'Work up" my own Re enactment musket I kept in the US was a composite of three dismissed guns. But it worked up to a fine reliable Musket (Vaguely' After 'some Colonels private Purchase ) but fine by me .No one picked it it stood Birmingham proof was a sparking 'fire risk' what more could I ask '? , Well nothing so I didn't .Same story with my kept in UK carbine old militia barrel dodged up ex North Star reject stock , India lock . replaced guard & pipes for wood rod ,passed muster for 7 years war stuff . Even shot it at Bisley after doing a rendezvous' in darkest Surrey, I think it was Surrey some where South .The Cobblers kid is allways the poorest shod but I was quite happy to have them. But I have an old Bess here for what Events I might do .mostly the 1840s local ' Nelson Battalion of Militia 'only brought out to offer the 'Challenge 'ceremonies when modern Troops march to affirm their right to bear arms in the City ' Flags flying , Swords drawn, B nets fixed & Bands playing . The Militia raised in haste in 1843 being still Gazetted and provided these last 30 years an interesting option to the usual Policeman on a horse .
Rudyard's take on such things

Thank you, but I am not a reenactor and would be buying it for shooting purposes.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Thank you. I emailed the Rifle Shoppe to see what they had available.

I have heard stories that it can take the better part of half a decade to get parts from them.

 

[springfield art]

I'd order up some rifle shop parts and have smartdog make me one.

That would result in a fine musket, but the cost might put off a potential buyer!

 

[springfield art]

The Pedersoli is a good gun.
It’s not really a historically accurate piece as a 2nd Model. There’s plenty written about the historical accuracy of the Pedersoli.

It really is closer to the independent contractor guns post Rev-War before the India pattern was adopted.
The Grice lock is all wrong.....
The barrel and thus the whole gun is a lot thinner/ slimmer than the original.

With that said it’s still a very good high quality gun and has been a staple reenactment musket.

It’s a real gun not a hokey teak stocked abomination.

Dixie offers this gun a little cheaper.

If it were me I would get the kit and save a few hundred but I have the stuff and the skill to put one together.

If want a truly historically correct musket take Mike’s advice.

If you want a musket just as a shooter, it wouldn't make any difference if the lock marking is "wrong"; historical accuracy=twice the price! But it certainly is good that there's a group of scholars examining tiny details for the historical information it offers.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Thank you. I emailed the Rifle Shoppe to see what they had available.

I have heard stories that it can take the better part of half a decade to get parts from them.

And some of those stories are true. However, Mike (the son) says they get more orders for English stuff than any other stuff. So they always keep those parts in the pipeline.

 

[Rudyard]

Thank you, but I am not a reenactor and would be buying it for shooting purposes.

Well it shot ,shot & ball just the same . Rudyard

 

[Commodore Swab]

Thank you, but I am not a reenactor and would be buying it for shooting purposes.

Get an india piece then, loyalist and veteran get from the better builder. Veteran will ensure the lock is sparking good and is domestic so they get my vote. Other companies will require work tuning, drilling vent drilling ect. For those saying they are "unsafe" ask yourself why with thousands out there being used aren't there countless examples? Instead there are countless tests proving they are safe. Most recently the thread regarding proofing.
You could buy 2 different besses for less than the next comparable.

 

[Clark Badgett]

If you want a musket just as a shooter, it wouldn't make any difference if the lock marking is "wrong"; historical accuracy=twice the price! But it certainly is good that there's a group of scholars examining tiny details for the historical information it offers.

It’s more than a lock marking being wrong. The Pedersolis are smaller in the butt, smaller in the lock, smaller in the barrel.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Get an india piece then, loyalist and veteran get from the better builder. Veteran will ensure the lock is sparking good and is domestic so they get my vote. Other companies will require work tuning, drilling vent drilling ect. For those saying they are "unsafe" ask yourself why with thousands out there being used aren't there countless examples? Instead there are countless tests proving they are safe. Most recently the thread regarding proofing.
You could buy 2 different besses for less than the next comparable.

Because cheap is always going to be cheap. Out of curiosity I went over and perused the offerings from India. Craptacular is being polite.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Thank you, but I am not a reenactor and would be buying it for shooting purposes.

Just for shooting, the muskets from Loyalist Arms or Veterans will do every bit as good as the Pedersoli.

I have a Loyalist Arms Long Land Pattern King's Musket.