In need of some Smoothbore hunting tips (.75cal Brown Bess Musket)

[Jay Templin]

Been hunting with one Bess and another since the early ‘90s. As some of these other gentlemen have said, a .735 ball is going to give you better accuracy, with paper cartridges or wads. I like 90gr of 2F. Never have felt the lack of a rear sight. Fun for turkey hunting, too, but not with a .735! Try the Skychief load.
Happy hunting!
Jay

 

[flintlock75]

A few days ago I got my hands on a Brown Bess, it is Pedersoldi (not IMA or Original). I got it at a local gun shop in a charity raffle brand spanking new and I took out on the farm for some target practice. I was using .715 round balls with 120g FF powder in military paper cartridges and after a few days I got the whole cheek hold thing down pat (kind of). I noticed no matter what I did I could never keep a tighter than 8"-10" at 50 yards ( I managed twice to get a 3 shot group of 7"). I read on different online forums that the barrels need to be straightened on some Bess muskets but I would assume that Pedersoldi knows how to make a straight barrel, I have also read that .715 isnt too accurate in a Bess (got the round balls for free so meh) and that paper cartridges are also not accurate in terms of filling the barrel volume. Lastly I have heard of people putting rear sights on these muskets ( I have no idea of what to use or where to put it so if anyone has done or has seen it done your input is greatly appreciated). If anyone has gone Deer hunting with a Bess what is better Round Ball, Buck and Ball or Shot? Do you need to patch the ball like in a rifle? If so then what size ball and patch combo has produced the best results in your collective opinions? I am very new to Flintlocks as this is the first I have ever owned, handled and fired. My Muzzle loading experience is limited as I have only ever used a Percussion Cap inline that a friend lent me for a hunt and he had speed loaders. I want to use this as an all around hunting firearm for Small Game, Birds, Turkeys and Deer. I live in Maryland so White Tail Deer is the largest animal this Musket will most likely pat on the back. I know most hunting is done with rifles because of the accuracy but if any smoothbore hunters are on here any tips for what to use in the musket as well how to hunt proficiently with it would be appreciated. I thank anyone and everyone who responds to this post.

I have hunted with mine many times, taken moose and caribou with it as well as lots of small game. My pedersoli has a bore size of .729 dia. I use a patched .705 ball with 90 gr. Of 3F. Shoots 3” groups at 75 yards, big game shots at 50 yards or less. For small game I use 1.25 oz of 7 1/2shot. Same powder charge, I have shot 10” to 12” groups at 100 yards in competition. I can shoot unpatched .715 ball with just a wad.

 

[SmoothboreMurph]

I have hunted with mine many times, taken moose and caribou with it as well as lots of small game. My pedersoli has a bore size of .729 dia. I use a patched .705 ball with 90 gr. Of 3F. Shoots 3” groups at 75 yards, big game shots at 50 yards or less. For small game I use 1.25 oz of 7 1/2shot. Same powder charge, I have shot 10” to 12” groups at 100 yards in competition. I can shoot unpatched .715 ball with just a wad.

I just measured my bore yesterday and I came out to be .738 diameter so a .735 or .730 ball will be a tighter fit. I have been using FF Goex powder. Does FFF give a faster burn or was it just your powder of choice ?

 

[Grenadier1758]

@SmoothboreMurph, based on the measurements of your Bess, I would want to try a load of a 0.730" or 0.735" ball bare or on a nest of tow. Looser might be a better choice. Lots of information on a nest of tow here on the Forum. A bare ball load would be a couple (2 to 4) of thin over shot cards followed by the ball and another over shot card. Another alternative is 2 over shot cards on the powder, a nest of tow, the ball and either more tow or an over shot card.

A quick summery of tow is that tow is waste fibers left from the processing of flax into linen threads. For out purposes, tow can be any of a family of fiber strands from the aforementioned tow from flax to strands of jute, hemp or sisal string cut from a ball of twine and balled into a golf ball sized mass of strands. If using the over powder cards, the tow can be lubricated to be damp to keep fouling soft for the cards to scrape out on firing.

Good procedure to measure the bore before committing to a specific ball size.

The 3fg powder will burn faster and at a higher pressure than 2fg or 1fg. In my opinion, the 90 grain 3fg load is more powder and pressure in the bore than is needed for a good hunting load. I would use 2fg or 1.5g. Modern muzzle loading versions of the Brown Bess can take the pressure of 3fg load, but such loads are striving for magnum type performance where such high pressure loads are not necessary.

 

[tenngun]

I was thinking about using a piece of brass or steel corner bracket to make a rear peep by placing it at the tang screw and line it up with the front lug. With your experience do you think this will help at all with accuracy by giving a more clear sight picture?

For me a rear sight is a must. Just a 1/32 of an inch off right or left will throw your shot off.
if anyone ever put one on a bess in the past it was no longer in the kings service.
Fine officers fusils that looked like bess on a diet, probably never had a rear sight. But we do see smoothbores made at that time and before and after fitted with rear sights.
You don’t get to play in a lot of smoothbore matches with a sight, but you can be competitive in most woods walks with them. And shines in the deer woods.
But that’s me. There are smoothbore shooters that shoot on par with a rifle to fifty yards or more with just a front sight. Boys what might beat me with a rifle.

 

[TFoley]

Sight it in with a horizontal stripe and then a vertical stripe. First shoot from a rest at a horizontal black stripe at 25-35 yards. Set a sight picture with the front sight showing fully over the barrel, half, and just a sliver of the top showing, with the tip of the sight right on the line. See where the balls land above, below, or on the line. With a fixed load you should be able to find a sight picture that will get you on the line.
Then try hitting a vertical stripe. See where the front sight lines up with the tang screw (left, right, center) to get you right on.

Thank you Sir, for a timeish reminder.

The 'stripe target' POI detector is one I've been using since I was about ten and I can reinforce just how effective it is in getting an initial line-up of sights.

 

[FlinterNick]

For a pedersoli bess, a .713 patched round ball works best for me.

Paper cartridges can work very well too, it depends on the paper you’re using. I’d recommend parchment paper as it doesn’t stick to the inside of the barrel and doesnt break when loading.

The .735 ball with a patch works very well while the fouling is limited.

I mostly use my Bess’s for fowl.

A .69 caliber Charleville or Springfield is more accurate than a Bess for big game (in my opinion).