Loyalist arms and the 1768 Charleville musket review

[pargent]

Thats good just go slow on the honeing thing, try to gauge a measurement, might not get it perfect but close will be an improvement.

 

[Matt85]

Thats good just go slow on the honeing thing, try to gauge a measurement, might not get it perfect but close will be an improvement.

i will wait to shoot at an actual range before i do any kinda permanent work to the gun. i know of a good range near by that will let me shoot this puppy at 25 and 50 yards off a bench. sadley they have been closed due to flooding. as soon as they open again ill see how this thing punches paper.

im working on cleaning musket and the 40 shots without swabbing made cleaning at home a pain in the rear. the fouling was thick and had dried hard in place. i ended up plugging the flash hole with a Q-tip and filling the barrel with warm water then just letting it soak for about 10 minutes. in the future i may swab every 10 shots or so just to make clean up easier.

-matt

 

[Matt85]

i may have gotten photobucket working.

-matt

 

[Ike Godsey]

congrats matt - seems like it works well. :thumbsup:

 

[palladius]

Just curious, why did your local range turn you away when you showed up with a musket?

 

[Matt85]

Just curious, why did your local range turn you away when you showed up with a musket?

the range master would not let me use the 25 yard line cause:

1. "its for pistols onley."
2. "your high velocity musket rifle rounds will penetrate our back stop."

they didnt want me using the 50 yard line cause:

1. "your gun doesnt have a rear sight."
2. "can you garantee you will hit paper every time at 50 yards?" (not on my first outing with the thing.)

-matt

 

[palladius]

High velocity musket rounds??? And that guy is a range master...

9mm or .45 rounds commonly used on the range have a much higher velocity.

 

[Frontovik193rd]

I just got my 1740's Long Land Bess from Veteran Arms....I had a Pedersoli Short Land, but sold it several years ago. I was very impressed with the firelock overall. It wasn't as "perfect" as the Italian one which was made on modern machinery. The Indian made was like the various pieces were made by different artisans and then assembled.....like in the 1740's! It's not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot more accurate in appearance that the Pedersoli. It sparks like a fiend. I may even try to some some ball through her as my only other experience has been blanks in reenacting. I collect a lot of modern weapons and I have heard a lot of the same grousing about Century made modern weapons that I have about the Indian made. Both offer weapons that, previously were impossible to get or to afford. I treat both like 95% completed parts kits.....knowing that I will have to tweak the remaining 5%. I have bought, in the past, a DG Baker (absolute cr@p with the lock bearing a Crown over VR stamp). My recent experiences with Veteran Arms and Track of the Wolf have cured my gun-shyness over Indian weapons. That's my 2 pence worth.....OBTW...I'm new to forum and find it a great group! Cheers

 

[Ike Godsey]

hi bill,

welcome to the forum!

while i like your commend - and i myself am VERY interested in your idia made bess - would you please do me a favour and open a new thread for it? and also privide some good pics?

i think we're all interested in learning from eachothers experience :thumbsup:

ike

 

[cynthialee]

High velocity musket rounds?
:haha:

Where do I buy them? Or do I gotta make them myself?
:rotf:

 

[Carteret Kid]

Moulded from pewter?

 

[buzz]

most range master i known have little to no clue as to black powder shooting
and Matt85 get some shotgun bore brushes makes cleaning alot easier

 

[Matt85]

well i just got a responce back from Loyalistarms and they suggest i return the gun for a refund. this isnt the responce i was hoping for. according to their website they will not refund shipping costs. i also have to return the musket the same way it came to me, which means in two seperate packages. so id be out the $80 i paid for it to come to me and then im out another $80 to send it back to them. so $160 and i end up with nothing to show for my troubles.

ive sent em an email asking them to consider an exchange. will see what they have to say.

-matt

 

[trettie]

They agreed to take it back after being fired? That's unusual.

 

[satwel]

FWIW I picked up a second hand Loyalist Arms India Pattern Bess that hadn't been fired, just used as a prop for re enacting. The bore of my barrel exhibits the same widening towards the breech that you described-it loosens up about 6 inches from the breech face. I once read on another forum that this is common with the Indian made repros. I shoot a .713 ball with a cloth patch. Accuracy is just fine. IMHO the looseness at the breech doesn't harm shot to shot accuracy.

 

[Matt85]

They agreed to take it back after being fired? That's unusual.

i told em i fired it in my email. :idunno:

they gave me a responce about the exchange but i dont think they understand what im asking. ill call em tommorow and get it figured out. there is a good chance ill just keep it as is cause i really dont want to spend any more money unless its going to land me a musket with a decent barrel.

when this is all decided i will finish my review of the company itself.

-matt

 

[Ike Godsey]

FWIW I picked up a second hand Loyalist Arms India Pattern Bess that hadn't been fired, just used as a prop for re enacting. The bore of my barrel exhibits the same widening towards the breech that you described-it loosens up about 6 inches from the breech face. I once read on another forum that this is common with the Indian made repros. I shoot a .713 ball with a cloth patch. Accuracy is just fine. IMHO the looseness at the breech doesn't harm shot to shot accuracy.

reading the above statement, i wounder if one has a india made musket from a different seller, maybe veteran arms or flintlock repair?
if so, are those musketbarrels marked the same way matt85's barrel is marked?
and/or do their barrels open up too, after a couple of inch after the muzzle?

does anyone here have a good answer?

ike

 

[pargent]

This stuff has been covered over and over again, the points against these guns have been pointed out before by shooters and builders, if you are handy with tools are competent with musket work you could well get your moneys worth and get a good gun . :yakyak:

 

[pargent]

Every industry in India recycles every thing they possibly can and then some, their levels of skill and quality of work go from one end of the scale to the other, they have also been making all sorts of fire arms from the 1600's.The only way to QA a product is to go there and inspect and test till you get what you want. Find an importer or dealer who has done that and you will be happy with your purchase .

 

[tiger13]

My musket from Middlesex village does not have this problem. Neither one of them had it, the bore of both were consistent all the way from breech to muzzle.