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Is the Brown Bess good for hunting?

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The one used to have was good for hunting
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Kings musket makes meat again.jpeg
Kings musket makes meat.jpg
 
Nothing wrong with going off topic, I do it all the time. And I might be old but I ain't grumpy, just get irritate easy.
Sure.
It's just funny how some have started jumping up and down on my head for it before now!
I guess my time here is coming to its demise here, oops am I going off topic!
Dang.....
 
Is the Brown Bess good for hunting? I will probably be getting a Miruko when I get a Bess as I do not have one. I am going to try to reenact with it, but it would be nice if I could hunt with it

After the first part of the question was answered with a "yes", folks addressed the statement about reenacting with the 2nd Model Bess.

A ‘2nd ‘ model would be a might early for the F&I, late for War of 1812. milita might draw some guns from an armory and could have an older gun. A Canadian Milita man might have had a second model Bess in the war of 1812 but unlikely .

Something worth mentioning is when Louisbourg was captured in 1745 during "George's War", or the one before the French and Indian War, roughly FIFTEEN THOUSAND Charlevilles were part of the arsenal, and fell into British hands. These weapons would have been valuable for the colonial governments to issue or sell to their citizens, and it is likely that some of them were acquired for that use.

Well the Short-Land-Pattern Bess would be "right out" for anybody doing F&I, But..., since it was for many decades the only pattern available to reenactors, it's most often used by F&I reenactors. It's more probable that Canadians might have surplus SLP's than would Americans.

As far as Louisbourg, I'm not so certain the 15,000 muskets were captured in 1745 rather than 1758, or if they were "kept". If they were, they were the spoils of war for Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, since those colonies alone made up the vast bulk of the assaulting troops in 1745. With so many muskets in the hands of those colonials, it's a wonder those muskets were not heavily seen during the later, F&I war, so perhaps they did not fall into the hands of colonials in large numbers. The fortress was returned to the French in return for the British getting back Madras, India, so perhaps a large number of muskets simply stayed put? The 1758 assault and capture of the same fortress, was done by British regulars, and the military stores captured then, would be free for The Crown to vend.

As far as colonies acquiring muskets in the 18th century (of any type)..., it depends on the colony. British records show a lot of surplus Bess muskets being sold, as well as colonies procuring Dutch muskets, but not so much French muskets. The Pennsylvania Colony, with a government controlled by members of The Society of Friends ["Quakers"], had no militia law, and thus no legal requirement to own a musket or gun, and no colonial arsenal. Maryland, bordering South of Pennsylvania, had an arsenal of muskets in Annapolis from as early as the 17th century, for example, thus...showing the odd differences between colonial approaches to arming citizens.

So it's best to be specific as to one's persona and residence in the colonies before looking into a reenactment musket, as well as checking with your group if you already have a unit with which to participate.

As for hunting with a musket, from a .62 or .65 caliber artillery carbine up to a .80 caliber Fowler, if you can learn to accurately shoot it, it will take deer. :D

LD
 
Sure.
It's just funny how some have started jumping up and down on my head for it before now!
I guess my time here is coming to its demise here, oops am I going off topic!
Dang.....


ALERT: Very Off Topic!

"I guess my time here is coming to it's demise here"
What do you mean, your leaving the forum?
 
I've used an old Brown Bess (I built it from a DGW kit back around 1988) with the traditional lead ball paper cartridges to take a few Kentucky whitetail deer, along with loads of shot to bag a few squirrel and doves. With the round ball load it is accurate enough out to 40-45 yards to get it done (if I get it done behind the trigger)
View attachment 4786
Hi,
This is not a complicated question. If you can get your cheek down on a Bess stock and shoot it well, it is fine for hunting. If not, it is not so good.

dave
 
Yes, my Bess (carbine) will stay on the paper plate at 50, and with a good solid rest, or sitting position I'd shoot out to 60-65 if the deer/elk/bear was standing still.

In my musket, a .690" ball and denim patch work well, or a chewed ball and thinner patch. One thing I've learned is that a heavy powder charge will shoot more accurately than a light charge. I go with 140 grains of fg.

A touch hole liner would be a good thing. Then the hole could be located further above the bottom of the pan. On many repros the hole sits too low. I took the poor man's approach and made my pan deeper, and then coned the outside of the hole. I get good fast ignition now. I've probably posted all this before...but too lazy to check.
 
Hi,
This is not a complicated question. If you can get your cheek down on a Bess stock and shoot it well, it is fine for hunting. If not, it is not so good.

dave
(Reply from another Dave ;-)
dave_person sums it up perfectly....
I'de add in the weight factor if damage & age have made you less of a man than you once were ;-)
I have passed my Charleville w/modified buttstock along and only carry & shoot my light, short 24 ga fusil.
If you can't hit with it, it becomes a decoration or costume accoutrement.

The other Dave
 
When I owned my first Brown Bess Carbine around 1974, I bought it primarily for shooting in Northwest Trade Gun Matches - mainly round ball, but also some trap. So like Brown Bear, I found it accurate and handy for deer and WOULD have been good for Quail and Pheasant, but the trigger pull was too heavy for wing shooting. I didn't learn how to do trigger jobs on flintlocks for a few years and really not after I stopped using the Bess, but I found it was really no different than doing trigger jobs on the large Military Percussion Locks I had been doing.

Now as to the original question, if you are primarily going to be a reenactor, you should speak to the unit you wish to join about what is an acceptable musket/gun. However, as LD already mentioned, most units accept the Pedersoli or Miroku Short Land Pattern Bess's. The longer barrels of these Short Land Pattern Muskets don't swing real well on fast moving birds like Quail and Pheasant, but they work OK for squirrels and rabbits and fine for deer - even on the run. They may also work OK on Turkeys and Ducks, but though I have hunted both with modern shotguns, I've never tried my SLP Pedersoli Bess on them. Modern shotguns only have a bead or "front sight" so you would have to get used to the Miroku like any other modern shotgun. It takes more concentration to develop a uniform "spot weld" or cheek position to shoot round balls, but that is really not that difficult, it just takes some practice.

Oh, you may or probably would need to do a trigger job on the Miroku or have it done by someone who knows what they are doing for hunting.
Gus
 
Is this the weapon of 1812? You must agree that not every weapon deserves a nickname, not every weapon. And the nickname is not by the name of its maker but by some of its characteristic features.
 
You must agree that not every weapon deserves a nickname, not every weapon. And the nickname is not by the name of its maker but by some of its characteristic features. And certainly, not every weapon with such a nickname has become as famous as the Brown Bess. The progress of the Brown Bess was that over time, this gun got more and more simple finishes, and its barrel got shorter and shorter. It was mainly for combat, not hunting, although it was undoubtedly used for that as well. I wonder if it's available anywhere now on gun sites like ballachy.com or similar sites because I wouldn't mind getting one for my collection.
 
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