Brown Bess ?'s

[JEEVES]

I was down at Cabela's today & I'm having them order in a Brown Bess so I can get a look up close.

How close to the original are these & what model did they copy? I thought the Bess had a 46" & not a 42" barrel. Are these made by Pedersoli?

It must have been unreal standing opposite a line of redcoats with these! :shocking:

 

[Stumpkiller]

There were six distinct "Long Land Pattern Muskets" - what we call the Brown Bess. The first model was arrived at around 1720. It had a wood ramrod until about 1750. 46" barrel of 76/1000" caliber. There was a "Militia & Marine Model" produced from 1759 to 1769 but I'm not sure what set it apart (I think it had a black lacquer finish) This may be the same as the "Sea Service" model which had a 37" barrel, 78/1000" bore and was black-painted and often had a full-length stock (which could not take a socket bayonet). A smaller caliber 'carbine' of 42" bbl in .66" cal was issued to special troops during the F&I War. The second model ("Short Land") started replacing it around the time of our Revolution but the first model continued production until about 1790. That one had a 42" bbl. (And remember - the colonies were held by second string troops. The new stuff would have gone first to the first-string troops keeping things hot for France and Spain). Then, the India Pattern with a 39" barrel came out around 1800.

As far as I know the Italian Besses are not an exact copy of a specific model of Bess, but are a near-miss of the 2nd Model.

 

[JEEVES]

I just found this site-
muskets

Has anyone bought any of these?

 

[musketman]

I have a brown bess and I love it... ::

Mine is the British (2nd Model) Short Land Pattern Brown Bess Flintlock Musket...

 

[steved]

Musketman,

Just want to make sure I'm reading your post correctly. You have a Brown Bess that came from the site referenced by Jeeves? If so, do you know where/who produced it? Obviously you love it, but did it need any work (lock tuning, etc) to bring it to the performance you love? Inquiring minds want to know. I'm thinking about adding a Brown Bess to my collection. Anyone out there make one from a kit?

 

[musketman]

I ordered mine from PEDERSOLI about a decade ago (roughly), not at the site posted...

The only thing I had to do with my bess was polish the ramrod a tad to keep it from sticking in the thimbles for the last two inches...


Other than that, it's been great...
The lock is strong and fast, the frizzen is crisp and the spark is like a grand fireworks display...

 

[JEEVES]

I'm with Jersey_Flinter. I sure would like to hear from somebody who has a Bess from that website. They sure look good. It seems that they accurately reproduced each pattern.? It sounds like all you have to do is drill a vent.

The price is right on these too!

 

[musketman]

It sounds like all you have to do is drill a vent.
The price is right on these too!

I never drilled my vent, it came with a 1/16" hole in it...

I have shot it for over ten years and have yet to have a mis-fire because of the vent...

When I pull the trigger, it goes BOOM... ::

 

[steved]

If you read the fine print in the above referenced website, it says that the barrel on the Bess is not drilled for the vent hole. That way this Canadian company can ship the gun as a "non-firing replica" without the bureaucracy of shipping a gun across national lines. They claim that all you have to do is drill the vent and it will fire.

As Jeeves mentioned, the price is about $550, around 200 bucks less than a Pedersoli, so it is an attractive option. The question is, after drilling the vent hole, do you have a reliable shooter, or are you left with a $550 movie prop? If anyone has experience with a Brown Bess from this company (www.militaryheritage.com) I'm all ears.

 

[musketman]

Good point...
If it is not going to be a safe, real musket, might as well spend the extra $200.00 and get a real one...

I wish I could help you...

Added note: I contacted them about the musket, all I got was this...

If you require an immediate answer please phone us at 1-613-692-3577 or 1-519-942-3865 (9:00am to 3:30pm (800h - 1530h)-Eastern Standard Time).

I don't know about this Canadian company, however there are several Canadian members here in this forum...

How about it guys?

 

[JEEVES]

Oops!

Missed this discussion:
Brown Bess

 

[Darryl]

I checked out the Canadian company's www.military[url] heritage.com[/url] site and it is impressive. After a hard look at the Brown Bess photos and information I'm pretty sure it's made in India. My take is that it'll be a good rung or two below the Pedersoli Brown Bess. But I really can't say for sure until I get to see one.

But the price is right! At just over $500 it's a deal. Pedersoli Brown Bess are now a buck under $900 at Cabela's and a wholesale listing I got yesterday has it at $827.75 dealer! The prices have gone up 20% plus due to the US dollar vs the Euro-dollar exchange rate. Not a time to get a new BMW. The US dollar to the Canadian and India currency is still favorable.

 

[musketman]

I just got a reply from the Canadian musket company via e-mail...

QUOTE:
The barrel is designed for shooting and requires only the vent to be drilled. We also suggest test firing it mainly to ensure there is no hidden stock issue like a flaw in the wrist or something. This is something you should do with ANY musket you acquire.
Sincerely, Robert

They sound shootable, but mainly for show...

 

[steved]

Musketman,

Thanks for the investigative work. Still dyin' to hear from someone who's got one.

 

[JEEVES]

Well the picture on the website sure shows them with smoke comin out the end of those muskets!

I guess Jersey Flinter's just gonna have to buy one & let everybody know. They do have a money back guarantee.:: Not only do they look nice, but they offer all of the Bess pattern's (I think).

If I do get a Pedersoli, I'll buy a bayonet from this website! $39.50 vs. $100! :shocking:

 

[musketman]

They do have a money back guarantee.

I would ask if that guarantee is still valid after drilling the vent hole...

Also, you may not be able to ship it back to the factory once the vent has been drilled...

Questions to ask...

 

[steved]

Jeeves,

You'll be waiting a long time for my testimonial on a Brown Bess. It's on my list, but behind:

1) Finishing building my Lancaster style longrifle from a stock blank and components (3.5 yrs and counting)
2) Making a powder horn to go with it
3) Making a fowler (from a builders kit, this time)

By the way, did I mention that I've never accomplished any of the above tasks before. And they are just my wishes, not taking into account the wishes of my wife and two small children. Man, those things called work and family obligations really cut into ones quality black powder time. But I'll stop whining...

 

[Stumpkiller]

I understand.

But I figured, somewhere between my attempts of finding the cure for prostate cancer and meeting an honest politician, that I would be better off saving for a couple years and buying a gun made by someone who had talent and had already made the learning mistakes and now produced quality work.

A man's got to know his limitations. I have unlimited limitations.

PS Start with the powder horn. Even I can make them.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

JerseyFlinter - I am like StumpKiller I know my skill level that why I bought my Fowler in the white from Tip Curtis. I am real proud of it, but you know who did the real work. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

I've looked over a bunch of the muskets on the site, read most of what they've written along with the warrantee. Because the vents aren't drilled, they've overcome a ridiculous problem with the government here - that's all.
: IF the lock sparks like it should and they say it doe,o with a good English flint, bevel up or down, thorwing the sparks into the pan, and the plug (you will remove it to check bl. etc) doesn't interfer (you can measure vent locaton in relationship with the end of the plug threads)it WILL fire perfectly, just like any other. I'd install a White Lightening vent liner. If it doesn't throw good sparks, then by all means, return it or use casenit and re-harden the frizzen properly. Springs and other lock parts are available from Track. The price of these muskets is phenominal. If in the market for a musket, I wouldn't wait for someone else to try it out. I'd do it before they raised the price. IMHO, of course. I do like some of the pistols and muskets. Cool!
Daryl
CDN