First shots with new Fusil

[tg]

Some may recall the French Fusil I built early last spring with help form a friend, well today I took it out or the first time, and loaded 80 gr 3f with a .562 ball and a .012 patch, this was a rather loose fit, primed with a bit of 3f and took five shoots at a paper plate 45 yds from the end of the barrel while leaning against the end of the canopy on my truck, the spread is 3 3/4 center to center at the widest point...I be very happy, I think this gun will be a very good shooter once I get used to the heavy trigger pull, which was done so intentionaly to recreate what I think the originals had, FWIW the patches were blown thru, but who cares? I did place the front sight almos 4 in. back from the Muzzle which may be a part of the reason why the sight picture works so well when I shoulder the gun I see the top of the breech and the base and upright of the front sight, and hold top of sight to poa/poi, at any rate luck was with me and I have never had a gun shoot so well first time out.

 

[roundball]

Sounds like a good piece of work TG, congratulations!
:thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Good for you. Nice shootin for a fusil.

:hatsoff:

Boy. That's a fancy target board.

 

tg - you must have gone out before the deluge started That's a pretty dry plate. I'd be interested in how you overcome the hard trigger pull. The BB that I put the .54 barrel on has a terrible pull. I hold left on targets, but it wouldn't be kosher on critters.--- It would be good to see you and Skinner at Foxhill. Bring your new toy. I'm shooting your old Cumberland now.

 

good shootin! looks like a dead deer to me :thumbsup:
So far about the best I get with my 62 fusil is about 5-6 inches offhand at 35 yards, about 1 1/2 inches 25 yds rested.
keep up the good work.

 

[tg]

Hey Bill good to see you are still kickin', I held solid as I pulled hard yet not jerky and focused on follow thru,the simple solid sight picture (not having to look down at part of the barrel) really helps, it will take some getting used to but I am more than pleased with the first efforts, this barel is a .58 but has the same profile as the .62 so it has some weight which helps, Dad and I keep talking about getting up to the hill but we just got a lot going on, my deer tag goes thru Feb, so it will probably be spring before I make it up, tell the guys hi for me.

 

[musketman]

I would imaging the groups will pull tighter once you fine tune your load, still, I noticed with my musket that if I place my finger at the bottom of the trigger it pulls easier than a mid-trigger placement, it's all in the leverage...

Congrats on a well first group... :hatsoff:

 

[hawk]

tg nice shootin' !
do you know anyone (gunsmiths) that can lightin up the trigger pull. If so I'm sure you'll be take'n the eye out of the bull with that smoothie. :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

".....once I get used to the heavy trigger pull, which was done so intentionaly to recreate what I think the originals had....."

Sounds like he wants it that way to duplicate what they had to contend with "back in the day"...real dedication on his part to intentionally leave the trigger that heavy for that reason.
:hatsoff:

(I couldn't do it...I don't even like the front factory triggers on modern TC Hawkens which are probably far lighter than the Fusil to begin with, and even then I do what I can to lighten them further)

 

[tg]

Roundball is correct I left the trigger like it is intentionaly, I also did not use a vent liner just a 5/64 hole coned slightly on the inside, I would have stayed longer and tried some different combos but the rain drops were starting to fall and I am comfortable to hunt with the gun after that first outing, eventually I will play around with it but that group is about as good (or better) than my eyes anyway.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Good shooting, you are now prime for deer or whatever you may choose to use it on. When you try shot, do a follow up on that also to let us know how she prints.

My front sight is also centered 4" back from muzzle on my .62 fusil de chase. I built it with a 46" swamped oct. to rd. bbl, love the cow's foot butt stock, shoulders easy and onto target like nothing else I have.

And, IMHO, you are dead on about not looking down the bbl. but above it. Was the first thing I learned about mine, acquire the target and don't take my eyes off it, when the piece comes up, merely bring the front sight onto it, and squeeze er off. Works for me.

 

[CrackStock]

Good on ya for such success with a new smoothbore.

>

Now this interests me greatly as I am percolating on doing just this in a week or two. How did you do the interior coning?

I have thought about drilling the vent and then devising some sort of customized Dremel tool to have the shank run through the vent from inside.
I would then attach this to the Dremel to pull out to form the cone from inside. This was plan B after my dentist flatly refused to lend me his drill!

CS

 

[tg]

I flattend out the head of a small finish nail then shaped it to a "contersink" form filed a cutting edge then hardened it and slipped in thru the vent from the inside and attatched to a drill and drilled and pulled...if Birddog is around he has a much better description of the process I think he does it often.

 

[Rebel]

Couldn't you do it with a small Ball grinding bit on a Dremel from the breech with the breechplug pulled?

 

[tg]

I think you could Rebel, some use a chisel thru the breech end of the tube, I thought the modified nail method sounded good so we tried that.

 

[Rebel]

Whatever works for ya. Looks like a real good shooter you built. Congrats. Take care.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Been doing it for years with the finishing nail, made drawing up a while back.

Click enlarge icon at lower right of image.
[url] http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/TANSTAAFL-2/CONE4.jpg[/url]

 

[rudy parnell]

That is outstanding! Ain't no telling just how accurate and the ranges that you'll be able to handle with that "shooter". :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I'm missing something. "W" has to be smaller than the touch-hole, or are you pulling the breech-plug and threading it through from the inside?

 

[tg]

Yes it come from the inside and is chucked into a drill or dremel, or a tap handle and twisted by hand.