Committee of Safety muskets….

[CMHouchins]

Have been doing a bit of reading on these revolutionary war era muskets. While the resemble the Brown Bess it seems they are a bit different and not cookie cutter. Pondering the possibility of using a Pedersoli Brown Bess as a donor. Scrub it of markings etc and change a few things that made the major difference between the two. Is that possible with the Pedersoli?

 

[CMHouchins]

Did a bit more reading and scale wise they’re wrong…. Answered my own question. Thanks

 

[Brokennock]

Have been doing a bit of reading on these revolutionary war era muskets. While the resemble the Brown Bess it seems they are a bit different and not cookie cutter. Pondering the possibility of using a Pedersoli Brown Bess as a donor. Scrub it of markings etc and change a few things that made the major difference between the two. Is that possible with the Pedersoli?

You say you've answered your own question. But, if you want to learn more about recreating period smoothbore guns, and especially the B.B. search through the posts of @dave_person and read all he has to say,,,, then read it again.

 

[Tumbledown]

Did a bit more reading and scale wise they’re wrong…. Answered my own question. Thanks

Get an India import Long Land Pattern and start from there.

Here's an article that may provide inspiration: American Made Muskets

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
You could make a pretty good COS musket from a Pedersoli Brown Bess. In fact, it might make a more historically accurate COS musket than it ever could a Brown Bess. Many COS muskets were crudely made and there were never a lot of them because shipments from France eventually made them no longer necessary. You would need to wipe out the lock markings and rework the stock a bit. If you file off the lock markings be very careful where the sear spring is attached. Pedersoli often milled a slot for that spring way too deep leaving you very little thickness of metal over it and it is right where some of the lettering for "Grice 1762" is located. When altering a Pedersoli lock, I usually have to weld steel on top of the lettering to make sure the metal is thick for engraving any new markings. If you go here, you will find a lot of information about reworking a Pedersoli, some of which may be of use to you.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/
dave

 

[FlinterNick]

There are three questions to ask regarding this topic

What was the committee of safety?

The committee of safety was a group of Americans that took over government from the royal governors and crown law makers. they raised militias (mostly for their own protection), collected revenues, imposed temporary laws. You’d use view it as a type of marshal law system that quickly seized control.

And what was a committee of safety musket?

A committee of safety musket is a musket that was surcharged by the committee that took possession of it when they seized political control. These muskets were often militia grade muskets, older and used, many restocked in North American maple and cherry. These muskets came from a variety of sources, some were British, many were Dutch, some were British surcharged French and Spanish muskets (in the south). These would have been stamped U.S. and by the armor that maintained and storekeeper that recorded them.

What are american muskets ?

American muskets and committee of safety muskets are really interchangeable terms.

Many of these muskets had Americanized features, such as long land Bess’s that were cut down, restocked and had royal markings filed off.

An American musket can really be what ever you want it to be. Moller and Neumann book show many specimens that are simply a hodge of parts lobbed together on a stock, some of these muskets do not have parts that go well together, some do.

There is a pretty famous American Musket with a french 1717 lock, home made barrel bands, a cherry stock and a brown bess barrel or Dutch barrel. I believe it is on display in Princeton NJ.

We often use the term committee of safety to represent a militia musket or american musket, its simply become a catch phrase for Americanized Musket or pre-revolutionary colonial restock.

Does a commitite of safety musket have to be a pedersoli or miroku defarbed, absolutely not. Kit Ravensheer and many other builders did defarbs of these over the years, to simply remove the modern day features of the muskets to make them appear more authentic.

My own personal example, i have a pedersoli bess in parts (hardware, lock, and barrel) that I’m restocking in cherry, and having the barrel lined down to .62 caliber, brining the pedersoli musket into a broader category of light infantry fusils. The Lock I am removing the markings (with an MIG / TIG Welder) and just stamping U.S. on the Tail. The stock is a copy of a pedersoli stock with more wood in the butt for some alternative shaping.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Interesting history of these muskets.
I had to restock my Brown Bess (not sure but possibly Japanese made?) about 40 years ago. (The wrist snapped during a very dramatic reenactment “die”).
I ordered a Pecatonica River Fowler stock with just the barrel inlet (.75”) and ramrod hole/ groove done.
I was in my early 20’s with almost no exposure to authentic arms like these and had nothing to go by except some pictures from library books, and because I liked sliding wood patch boxes I added one
I had always referred to it as a Committee of Safety musket but realize that’s not quite right.
At any rate, it has served me well over these many years as a good functional musket and it will return with me to the field of battle on September 2-3 at the Battle of Charolette (NC).

 

[Red Owl]

I may be wrong, probably am, but I thought committee of safety muskets were made at the time of the American Revolution and were clones of the Brown Bess with a couple of minor changes and they cost about $10 a piece. It was then found muskets could be purchased from France for only $6 a piece so the committee of safety musket had a rather short life. The French Muskets were 69 caliber, used less powder and more ammunition could be carried.

 

[CMHouchins]

Thank you for the information gentleman…. I will read over your suggestions tonight at work and may just do this project. Much appreciated!!!!

 

[Tumbledown]

There are three questions to ask regarding this topic

What was the committee of safety?

The committee of safety was a group of Americans that took over government from the royal governors and crown law makers. they raised militias (mostly for their own protection), collected revenues, imposed temporary laws. You’d use view it as a type of marshal law system that quickly seized control.

Well, they took BACK government after the royal governors tried to illegally stop the local representative governments from meeting.

And what was a committee of safety musket?

A committee of safety musket is a musket that was surcharged by the committee that took possession of it when they seized political control. These muskets were often militia grade muskets, older and used, many restocked in North American maple and cherry. These muskets came from a variety of sources, some were British, many were Dutch, some were British surcharged French and Spanish muskets (in the south). These would have been stamped U.S. and by the armor that maintained and storekeeper that recorded them.

The Committees of Safety had to build up their arms, since the royal governors were trying to confiscate American arms and munitions "for their safety."

 

[Tumbledown]

I may be wrong, probably am, but I thought committee of safety muskets were made at the time of the American Revolution and were clones of the Brown Bess with a couple of minor changes and they cost about $10 a piece. It was then found muskets could be purchased from France for only $6 a piece so the committee of safety musket had a rather short life. The French Muskets were 69 caliber, used less powder and more ammunition could be carried.

Check the article I linked above. They often resembled Bess's, but that's probably because it was a familiar form.

 

[FlinterNick]

Check the article I linked above. They often resembled Bess's, but that's probably because it was a familiar form.

They often resembled Brown Bess’s because most of the parts were taken from Brown Bess’s, the hardware, locks and barrels are often land pattern musket parts, mostly older long lands.

 

[Brokennock]

Well, they took BACK government after the royal governors tried to illegally stop the local representative governments from meeting.

The Committees of Safety had to build up their arms, since the royal governors were trying to confiscate American arms and munitions "for their safety."

Well said.
It's a constant struggle dealing with the way those pushing a revisionist history frame things and control verbage.

 

[Brokennock]

I may be wrong, probably am, but I thought committee of safety muskets were made at the time of the American Revolution and were clones of the Brown Bess with a couple of minor changes and they cost about $10 a piece. It was then found muskets could be purchased from France for only $6 a piece so the committee of safety musket had a rather short life. The French Muskets were 69 caliber, used less powder and more ammunition could be carried.

I think you've got it pretty close there.
Sometimes when there are slightly different versions of something like this subject the truth lies in a mix of those things, usually not an even mix. And sometimes we also have to decide who has more credibility, while also looking further into an idea we are skeptical of.

 

[FlinterNick]

I think you've got it pretty close there.
Sometimes when there are slightly different versions of something like this subject the truth lies in a mix of those things, usually not an even mix. And sometimes we also have to decide who has more credibility, while also looking further into an idea we are skeptical of.

Arms manufacturing was very limited at teh start of the revolutionary war, private gun builders had to be contracted to build muskets, some of these contractors whateverry they had on had or could purchase or were supplied with.

Much of what was available was surplus parts from older long lands, older french and Dutch guns.

Exhibit

American-Made Musket​

DESCRIPTIONPhysical Description American-made composite musket,.75 caliber. This gun is assembled with a barrel bearing London proofmarks, a lock bearing French marks, and the trigger and stock of an American manufacturer. General History During the Revolutionary War, many gunmakers were forced to cannibalize parts from guns manufactured in various foreign countries. These guns, referred to as composites, contained disparate parts and are therefore difficult to date with any degree of accuracy.

Committiee of Safety muskets as they’re called, mostly resemble Land Pattern muskets because that was the bulk of what was available.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/american-made-muskets-in-the-revolutionary-war/

 

[Penske]

Committee of Safety muskets were stamped with the state intials of committee that refurbished or built them. Each state had its own committee of safety. They could have been stamped with the US marking but that would have been added latter towards the end of the war.

 

[Penske]

Committee of Safety muskets were stamped with the state intials of committee that refurbished or built them. Each state had its own committee of safety. They could have been stamped with the US marking but that would have been added latter towards the end of the war.

 

[springfield art]

Have been doing a bit of reading on these revolutionary war era muskets. While the resemble the Brown Bess it seems they are a bit different and not cookie cutter. Pondering the possibility of using a Pedersoli Brown Bess as a donor. Scrub it of markings etc and change a few things that made the major difference between the two. Is that possible with the Pedersoli?

I have my eye on a potential 1776 Rifle, made from Rifle Shoppe parts during the Bi-Cen; an older retired re-enactor may sell in the next couple years. This was the Bess-looking rifle the Brits had made (1,000) by couple mfgrs. to counter the rifles of the Rebels. (That would be us!)

 

[CMHouchins]

Thanks for all of the great information. It will give me something to ponder. Starting next month I’ll be 12-16hr a day seven days a week for the next three plus months so I won’t be seeing to much of my shop.

 

[Red Owl]

Some more info:
https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/american-muskets-of-the-revolution/