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Hi Runnball. Thanks for posting your evaluation. Pretty much sums up my experience. And, you're right, that ramrod is pretty much useless. Good luck with the project. :thumbsup:
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Indian Imports
- Thread starter bingo1952
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So what do you think of it now that you have it? How does it balance? From what i can see it doesn't look to bad at all for the price. Good luck finding a replacement ramrod that long though if you ever need one.
Balance is much better than I expected since this gun has a 54" barrel. I call it my Bugs Bunny Hillbilly gun. The bore mikes at .6885 at the muzzle. This only 1/2 thousandth of an inch from being a full .69 caliber. The lock is an excellent sparker and the vent is correctly placed. I am going to cut one from hickory, the woods around here are full of them. Here is a full length pic of the whole gun. I am 6'2" and with the butt rested on the floor the muzzle is level with the tip of my nose.
Is the barrel actually 54" and not 51" like they advertize?
Have you had a chance to shoot it yet? What size ball do you plan to use in it?
It is 51" not 54", my bad I got "confused". I put two balls through it today after work around sunset and both went without a hitch. They were a little large for a patch since they came from a mould I cut 15 years ago for use in a 12 ga double gun. They are .6875 so there is very little windage.
So, i assume that it has decent ignition? Do you plan to try it with shot? Should be a fun turkey taker. Won't need to call them in near as close with that Long barrel. :grin:
Yes I plan on using it with shot also. Since I don't think it will be much of a wingshooter (hard to get moving and hard to stop once it is moving) I think it will be the cat's meow on rabbits and squirrels. Depending on how it groups with RB it may also see some time in the deer woods. 
Would like to hear what you think of it after using it for a while. Be interested in rd ball accuracy as well as shot patterns. I thought about getting one of them at one time. Kinda like the new Trade gun they have now with the shorter barrel too. Please keep us updated on it.
Thats really a very nice musket!, and its longer then a longland bess which is crazy "in a good way". Theres some nice figure to the wood aswell from what I can see.
Are you going to refinish it??
Loyalist has plug bayonets for sale on their site, might be a cool idea for your new beauty.
I really like that doglock, I have never tried one of those yet.
Rob :hatsoff:
Are you going to refinish it??
Loyalist has plug bayonets for sale on their site, might be a cool idea for your new beauty.
I really like that doglock, I have never tried one of those yet.
Rob :hatsoff:
Sounds like that long barrel should be just the thing for shot, especially if you use a shot cup of card material just under bore diameter. They make pass shooting tough but fired at stationary targets the patterns are pretty tight. Limb chicken in the pot! :haha:
squirejohn
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I purchased a MVT Cookson Fowler about two years ago. They were originally advertised as weighing less than 9lbs. However they've had several different production runs and mine weighed 10lbs. 20z. the bbl. weighs 4lbs9oz.,lock 1lb2oz and the stock,hardware, & ramrod 4lbs. 7oz.
I tried to remove as much wood as I could but only get rid of 2oz. witout running into problems as previously described by ricky. I refinished the stock using a dark leather dye and mustard and some other stuff (Chlorox?) to dull up the lock and bbl. To me it looks better than it did but is very heavy - more like a heavy military musket.
The bore is .685 at the muzzle and after trying several commercial size balls I purchased a .665 Tanner mold. I needed to bend the bbl. since it shot ball about a foot low and right at 30 yards. Bore diameter seems to be smaller at the muzzle as after the first six inches or so of loading, the ball almost falls down the remainder of the bbl. Accuracy however is quite good as is lock time. Accuracy, in my case, is enhanced by the gun's weight (holds steady) and the big front sight that is "way out there" and easy to see with my old eyes. The trigger is light and crisp although I may have filed down the sear spring (can't remember) to lighten up the trigger.
I never patterened it with shot but did take a first at a clay pigeon shoot (few participants). I don't recall the load but I used quite a bit of shot and reduced powder charge. Having no wads I used toilet paper. I guess I must have used quite a bit of TP since after firing it looked as thoughg I hit a flock of seagulls :grin:
The ramrod that came with it(same as you've pictured) works fine. For cleaning I made a range rod using a 4' dowel with a threaded commercial ramrod tip on each end. To be long enough I use a "T" handle extension (4"+/-) sold by TOW.
Is it worth it? To me yes. Of course it isn't in the same league as my NW trade gun. Type D fuzee, or Chambers PA fowler put together by Jim Klein. However I've had a lot of fun with it and am intrigued by long bbl. guns.
I tried to remove as much wood as I could but only get rid of 2oz. witout running into problems as previously described by ricky. I refinished the stock using a dark leather dye and mustard and some other stuff (Chlorox?) to dull up the lock and bbl. To me it looks better than it did but is very heavy - more like a heavy military musket.
The bore is .685 at the muzzle and after trying several commercial size balls I purchased a .665 Tanner mold. I needed to bend the bbl. since it shot ball about a foot low and right at 30 yards. Bore diameter seems to be smaller at the muzzle as after the first six inches or so of loading, the ball almost falls down the remainder of the bbl. Accuracy however is quite good as is lock time. Accuracy, in my case, is enhanced by the gun's weight (holds steady) and the big front sight that is "way out there" and easy to see with my old eyes. The trigger is light and crisp although I may have filed down the sear spring (can't remember) to lighten up the trigger.
I never patterened it with shot but did take a first at a clay pigeon shoot (few participants). I don't recall the load but I used quite a bit of shot and reduced powder charge. Having no wads I used toilet paper. I guess I must have used quite a bit of TP since after firing it looked as thoughg I hit a flock of seagulls :grin:
The ramrod that came with it(same as you've pictured) works fine. For cleaning I made a range rod using a 4' dowel with a threaded commercial ramrod tip on each end. To be long enough I use a "T" handle extension (4"+/-) sold by TOW.
Is it worth it? To me yes. Of course it isn't in the same league as my NW trade gun. Type D fuzee, or Chambers PA fowler put together by Jim Klein. However I've had a lot of fun with it and am intrigued by long bbl. guns.
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squirejohn: Thanks for your post. Very interesting. runnball: Thanks for posting pics, etc. For what it's worth dept: The Company who advertizes here on the Forum the indestructable ramrod sent me an email a while back saying they can make a ramrod ANY length even though there Web-Site says otherwise. You might be able to order just the hickory rod and install your own acessories? Just a thought. Thanks again.
Just my 2 cent's , may be the one time ya get a little more than you pay for, the owner did tune the locks himself a few years ago, (dont know about now), they fix a break Vey fast, and the 4 years I've kept up with them I have yet to hear or read of one blowing or hurting anyone. :grin: Fred :hatsoff:
Trkdriver99
40 Cal.
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- Jan 20, 2007
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:thumbsup: I have one of the "Cookson" fowlers. The ramrod I got was way too light and broke when I received it. They sent me a blank(hickory I think) to make another one, but I am not that skilled of a craftsman. I was thinking of putting bushings in the thimbles and drilling them to fit an iron rod and forge welding an end sort of like a Bess and threading it. Would that do? I know it would add some weight to an already heavy musket, but not that much and it would not break. I think being tapered and that long is always going to be a problem. And speaking of the "folks" at Middlesex, I have always been pleased with their customer service and how they stand behind what the say.
Ronnie
Ronnie
I took a 3/8" x 48" blank and finger spliced a 3" extension on one end. This is the type of joint the traditinal archers use for making footed shafts. this joint is very strong you will break the arrow shaft before the joint lets go. I have even built bows that were spliced in the grip using this method and have never had one fail. Is your blank a raw split or already rounded? The hardest part is scraping the taper to fit. That is a trial and error type of thing.
