Japanese Bess?

[Cheyenne]

Ok fellers, I want to be like Musketman when I grow up.....gotta a possible trade going and the other guy's got a "Japanese brown Bess"....I think DGW imported them once upon a time.....what's the concensus on these? Authenticity? reliability? General workmanship? Decent, or stay far away from it? :huh:

Tried searching for anything, but came up blank on a Jap Bess, so help me out.

 

[davidthered]

Funny you should ask... I just saw one on Guns America for an unheard of price of under $500!!! The Jap Bess is just that, a Brown Bess made in Japan, and some used to think superior to the Pedersoli Bess's, don't know about that, but it is a gun that will shoot and shoot well. :results:
Here's the link to it Japanese Bess

Great Price!!!

 

[musketman]

Ok fellers, I want to be like Musketman when I grow up.....

Me too... :winking:

A bess by any other name is still a musket, get it and shoot till you can't shoot no more...

Enjoy yourself...

 

[Cheyenne]

Pvt. David, no that's not the one, but that is a very good price! Pictures show me more than the ones the individual sent, so they do help......now, I need to find a way to convince the wife that I "NEED" this one too! :hmm:

Well, we'll just have to wait and see if the deal goes or not........so, if I do get it, can I change my handle to "Musket Boy"? :: :thumbsup:

 

There ws a Bess from Japan, many years ago, that was from the company called "Ultra Hi". The barrel was two pieces, screwed together in the middle, complete with gaps at both ends under a barrel band that shouldn't have been there. It also had a welded breech plug, I believe. The Ultra Hi Bess is NOT a firing gun, it is ony a club although listed a a shooter in early catologs.

 

[Cheyenne]

This one doesn't have a band, so I doubt it's one of those. Keep seeing somethiong similar to what you describe on e-bay, and they really don't look like much.

 

[musketman]

so, if I do get it, can I change my handle to "Musket Boy"? :: :thumbsup:

There was a "Musket Boy" on this forum about a year or so ago, he was from Florida...

How about Musket Geezer, Musket Old Coot, Muskets-R-us???

 

[Rebel]

Or the ever popular with the younger Generation "Musket Dude" ::

 

[Wes/Tex]

"Musket Dude"!!?? I think Rebel has been picking THOSE kind of mushrooms in the forest again! Maybe it's the fumes from St. Helens or Sasquatch Pie...never know about those guys out west!!

As for the Jap Besses, the ones I've seen are about the quality of the Pedersoli product. Think they're made by the same folk who made the Browning stuff. :blah:

 

[Rebel]

Hey Wes, good ta hear from ya. And some of them mushrooms are godd eatin'. Could be those St. Hellens fumes though. ::

 

[Rat]

The guns made for Ultra-Hi in Japan were made by "Mirouko" or something like that...which is a very respected company that made quite a few other, high quality firearms for other makers....they may have made Weatherby rifles for a while...or I may be totally wrong there.

Anyhow, I have an old Zouave replica made by them...it's definately as well made as the Italian replicas. I'm not really aware of any wall-hangers made by them.

Rat

 

[Cheyenne]

Well, thanks for the responses, as it turns out, I won't be able to smulate my hero Musketman for now......it's may be a good gun, though the owner told me a "couple of the barrel pins are mis-drilled", and he wants too much in trade for it, at least from my perspective.

Guess I'll keep saving my pennies and get a kit from TRS.

 

[Gary]

How about Musketeer?

 

[Musketeer]

How about Musketeer?

I resemble that remark! He can't use the name! I's a'ready usin' it! :shocking: :crackup: :thumbsup:

I hear tell nobody's usin' the name "Mousketeer" though... :crackup: :thumbsup:

 

[Wes/Tex]

I think it's Mouseketeer! M-I-C-K-E-Y-O-U-S-O-B! Then again, maybe not!! :crackup: :crackup:

 

[musketman]

How about that Bess, is it made in Japan?

Moseying back towards topic... :winking:

 

[Ppsh41]

It my days of AWI re-enacting, some members had Japanese Brown Besses. IMHO they are well made, the engraving on the lock plate nicely done, but the wood isn't walnut. It's some kind of birch/beech that's lighter in color than the Italian ones. The color also wasn't as even or straight grained as the Italian Besses, with light and dark bands, looked odd next to a Pedesoli.

 

[davidthered]

Just putting my 2 cents in here. I was just looking at my Regiments stand of arms, and there is a virtual Perdersoli rainbow going on there.
One of the guys picked up a Bess in Quebec (snuck it back across the border) and it's blond as can be! Last summer we had two guys from the 23rd fall in with us, and they had matching blondies!!
I bought a brand new Bess from Pedersoli (via Loyalist Arms) and it was nice and dark.
Then I bought a used Pedersoli (never used), and it's darker still!! and it was 5 years old!
Anywho...
:redthumb:

 

[davidthered]

Hey Wes, good ta hear from ya. And some of them mushrooms are godd eatin'. Could be those St. Hellens fumes though. ::

I like the big red ones with the white speckles on 'em. :shocking:
:crackup: