Foolish use of Brown Bess?

[Jdzara]

After reading the posts on .62 proof loads, I'm concerned about an old Bess.
It's a Napoleonic period India pattern Bess,
barrel was made ca. !798. It has been restocked and the hammer and frizzen are replacements.
Anyway, I had the frizzen hardened abd the lock "tuned up" by Roy Stroh.
I carefully inspected the barrel and hung it from the tang and rang it. It rang like a silver dollar,(being an old miner who has sounded many a roof, I like tha sound of a good ring) so I reassembled it.
I fired 60 grs of FF compressed by aluminum foil
twice. When that went off without a hitch, I tried a .735 patched ball over 60 grs. That also went well so I fired five more patched balls.
Again no problems, the old gal functioned flawlessly.
After reading the .62 proof posts I wonder if I was being foolish in firing old Bess. Should I just leave her in the gunsafe?

Jerry

 

[blacksmithman64]

Well, from my rather limited experience, I would say that if it checks out safe to shoot by a competent gunsmith,there wouldn't be a problem unless you want it for historical aesthetics.Probably since it has been reworked some,the historical value has decreased. Just my 2 cents.

 

Did he inspect the breech--by removing it and looking it over? Some old guns have rusted through the threads and that needs to be checked out. The breech area is the danger area in most old and new MLers.

 

[spudnut]

There is a gunbuilder here in Michigan that has a similar Brown Bess for sale and I have seen this weapon several times at Kalamazoo(Can't miss the home flared barrel :youcrazy: ) and the Lapeer gun show with a price of around 900 dollars,Check the breech and enjoy...Mark

 

[robinghewitt]

It's a Napoleonic period India pattern Bess, barrel was made ca. !798.

Hi Jerry

I have one of them, tried it out using the standard musket load... if you put any more in you'd rather not fire it... and pretty soon I was loading it with a shovel and the tongue of flame was threatening to set the target alight.

I figured out it was the eroded touch hole so I welded the ouside shut and drilled a new one through the weld. Now I can shoot shoulder crunching loads through it.

Perhaps old besses are tough, perhaps I'm just lucky. Didn't see any of the old hands running for cover, they just didn't stand to the right of me until I fixed that touch :thumbsup:

best regards

Squire Robin

 

[Roy]

I think theres some misunderstanding. I only recieved the lock to harden the frizzen since it was a replacement and soft. I did add a piece to the cock (also a replacement) so that the tumbler was not the only thing stopping the forward progress.

 

[Jdzara]

Please let me clear this up. Roy worked on the lock. And while he did a great job, he did not even see the rest of the musket.
I inspected the musket. Sorry for getting you involved in this Roy.
Let me rephrase the question. Even though the barrel is in good shape now, could firing it lead to metal fatigue? The iron/steel is after all 200 years old. Squire Robin what's your opinion?
Jerry

 

[Roy]

I thought it was clear in the first post :haha: :v

 

[halfdan]

Well, If it was me (and it was, sort of) I'd have the gun checked out by a competent smith. If it checks out I'd say shoot it! I have a mid 19th century musket that I shoot regularly with no apparent ill effects.

The Bess was a ubiquitous model in its day, so without some factor that would make yours particularly rare or precious, it should be fired well and often. A gun that can't or won't be fired isn't a gun.

regards,
Halfdan

 

[Spot1540553049]

Black powder and old steel are suprizingly compatable.. I dont believe that any of the India pattern Long Land Pattern had forge welded breech. Some of the later Infields produced in that country did, A good barrel will in fact ring. This is not to say that a ringing barrel will not blow. If in real doubt if the breech is threaded on or welded; have the thing fluroscoped or x-rayed to assure it is patent if the breech can't be removed and inspected.
as usual,
Spot

 

[spudnut]

There was a feller a while ago,used to write in Smoke and Fire from time to time (Byrd,or Bird) wrote a booklet on shooting the smoothbore.He used an original and used some pretty heavy loads.As the others say,Try to check the threads on the breechplug..

 

[Leonredbeard]

AZC96,
In my humble opinion, fire it once more, remove the barrel and look for leakage at the breach bolt. If there isn't any keep your loads light and enjoy. Here is the reason I reply. Please don't attempt to 'proof' it. Why destroy a good old barrel when it might shoot for another century with reasonable loads?
God bless.
volatpluvia

 

[Jdzara]

Volatpulvia,
Thanks for the reply. Would you consider 60 grs of Schuttzen FFG to be an OK load with a .735 patched ball?
Jerry

 

I would agree with the others. It's not the use it's the abuse. Use the common sense you have been, and don't try and win a Darwin award with hot loads.

bill

 

[Wes/Tex]

I agree with the advise of having the breech & plug checked adn if in good shape, the charge you use (60 grains of FFg) is certainly mild enough for guns of that era. Mine was a M1809 Prussian musket that had the 1839 conversion to percussion. Shot ball, shot and pink Easterbasket grass out of the old girl...the last was purely for grins at a parade!! :haha:

 

[Many Klatch]

I think that the old guns are better off with being shot and cleaned and oiled regularly than they are sitting in a museum or gun safe. A friend of mine had some original Derringer shotguns that we used to shoot. I asked him about "using the guns up" and he replied that they were kept in better condition with the shooting. I said OK, loaded and commenced to blaze away at clay birds with full loads.

Many Klatch

 

[trent/OH]

The next time you go in for a colonoscopy, tell the doc you want to bring in Cousin Bess also. She's over a hundred years old and you believe it's important to have her pipes checked out also. That scope should be able to reach the breech without trouble and you'll be able to see how good a shape she's actually in, and your insurance might cover the proceedure to boot!!!

 

[Leonredbeard]

ACZ96,
Sounds like a reasonable load. The bigger the bore the lower the pressure. That load probaby wouldn't produce 5000 lbs. in a Bess.

Now I would amend my statement slightly. If you know a smithy who could remove the breechplug without destroying your barrel you could have it looked at. But I'm leery about it. The process could destroy the integrity of the threads n a barrel that old.

Remember, these are iron barrels. Iron doesn't rust away nearly like steel does. It's the carbon in steel that responds to the oxygen in the atmosphere or in the saltpeter. I understand it takes some very strong nitric acid to acid brown soft iron.

volatpluvia

 

[slashcat]

Excellent idea! File the paperwork and health insurance might even cover the procedeure.