Cleaning jag & threaded Ramrod Tip

[Loyalist Dave]

Thanks folks for the replies, and Gus for the reference to the rifle and the ball puller.

Oh, BTW Dave, how is that Miroku Bess you bought and talked about re-building coming along?

Thanks for asking,

I had two to work on. Both the NIB kit, and the Jap Disaster Bess came out quite well, even if it is myself that is making the assessment. :grin:

The Disaster was the remnants of a Jap Bess, missing the lock, a ramrod thimble, a nose cap, a ramrod, and a side plate, plus with some serious wood problems. A big thanks to Paul Ackerman at Ackerman Arms who had most of the parts for me. :grin:

I have some photos but I have trouble posting the stuff on this forum. :redface:

I found a way to fashion a brass nose cap for the disaster-bess, since I could not scrounge an original Jap nose cap, and Pedersoli nose cap assemblies run $37 plus shipping, when they are in stock. Granted an original would've been better, but I was trying to get it back to "reenactor grade". (Mr. Person would probably shudder a bit.) The finished musket has shown to be quite reliable when it comes to going BANG. :wink:

LD

 

[Artificer]

Yes, it was the "Disaster Bess" I was curious about - glad you got it shooting!

The worst Miroku Bess I ever worked on had been reduced to a "Kit that was missing important pieces," but not as bad as it sounds like the one you worked on.

Did you make/form a Nose Cap or a Nose Band? The reason I ask is because not only during the FIW, but also the AWI; British Artificers were adding both Nose Bands and in the AWI they also had some cast Nose Caps in their "repair parts lists."

Gus

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I made a cap, since the wood left to support a cap or band was pretty FUBAR. A band would've been easier, but I was worried the guy would bang the stock too hard when he fixed bayonet, so I went for a robust cap, and inside reinforced with epoxy.

Had the cap not been workable at that point, I was prepared to dovetail in new hardwood, with the dovetail being right in front of the trumpet ramrod pipe, and hopefully a dark enough stain would cover what wood was not covered by the nose cap. So I got lucky more than once on the project.

LD