Pedersoli Brown Bess questions....

[wahkahchimaol.com]

I fired a used Pedersoli Brown Bess for the first time today. Two questions:

#1: What ball/ox yoke patch combination do you use? I'm going to see what kind of accuracy I can get out of this gun. I've already got a good recipe for paper cartridges.

#2: The barrel felt rough when I cleaned it. And the cleaning patches kept coming out brown. Rust? What kind of flashlight can I drop down the bore to get a better look?

Thanks for the help!

Pete

 

[flintlock75]

The ball and patch size would depend on the actual bore diameter. My bess is marked .75cal but the actual bore size is .729. I use a .705 ball and a heavy linnen patch, 90gr of 3F for the load. It will print a 1 hole group at 25 yards.

I would recomend after a good cleaning, get some 4O steelwool and wrap it on a wood dowel, then use an electric drill and run it up and down the bore to clean out all the rust and polish the bore, then wash it out and oil it up. that should clear any rough spots.

 

[DickS]

I have a little Maglite penlight which I slide down the bore. Can't see the breech, of course but it makes inspection of the rest easier.

 

[Leatherbark]

Drop a nickel plated 38 special case down the bore and shine a light down there while you are looking.

Bob

 

[Waterman]

The late Frank Bartlett taught me that you can see the breech face anytime you want to. With butt on ground, point the muzzle in the direction of your light source (light bulb, sun). With a little practice you'll find that the light shines right down the bore.

Alternatively, Lowes amongst others sells a pocket pen light with a flexible end. Very effective, never go to a gun show without one.

Cheers, Bill

 

[BrownBear]

There sure seems to be lots of variation in bores with the Pedersoli Bess. Maybe has to do with year of production or whatever. Mine is a pretty old example, and it's really loose with .715 balls and ticking patching. So loose I can shove it right past the muzzle with barely any thumb pressure. Canvas is only a little better. It's "normal," for my tastes anyway, with a .735 ball and ticking. I've never taken a mike to it, but I'm guessing it's pretty close to a true .75.

One of my buds has one that you can barely hand-start a .715 ball with ticking. It's fairly recent manufacture, so maybe they lawyered up and made the bore a little smaller to add steel to the walls? The walls on mine are visibly a little thinner at the muzzle.

Neither of us is the least worried about it, because we use them almost exclusively for shot rather than RB. I use 10 gauge wads in mine, and he uses 11 gauge. Go figger.

As for the bore, I'd take a good shotgun bore brush to it and dink around with solvents. If it still feels rough, heck, I'd try some 4/0 steel wool on a jag. It's not as though you'll ruin the rifling....

 

[Rifleman1776]

There is a neat, very slim, flashlight at O'Reily's automotive that is great for any gun bore.
Yes, those Ped Brown Besses do vary in bore size. Mine is nominally a 12 ga. but really takes 11 ga. wads and I shoot a .731 ball with ticking patch cloth in it.
I sent some sample wads and balls to a member recently, at my expense, but the package was refused. If you would like to try them, contact me with a private topic, I'll only charge postage to send to you.
BTW, stainless steel scrubbing pads will clean that bore quite nicely.

 

[Carteret Kid]

BB are you saying Pedersoli .75 is not really .75? I want to know the true caliber before I buy.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Yep! :shocked2: :blah: Surprise! :barf: :nono: :idunno:

BORE sizes vary all over the place on these smooth bores. Buy the gun first; then measure the bore; THEN, and only then, order components.

my 20 gauge fowling piece actually has a bore diameter closer to 19 ga.!! :shocked2: :surrender: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


You'll survive the trauma, I am sure. :wink: :hatsoff: :hatsoff:

 

[wahkahchimaol.com]

I just miked my Pedersoli Bess. It's .729! Does that make it a 12 gauge?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Yep! Its a nominal 12 gauge at .729". Look at the wad and card slection in the ammunition section of TrackoftheWolf.com 's on line catalog, and read the dimensions they list for the wads and cards.

Traditionally, you would be told to buy Over Powder wads( approx. 1/8" ( .125") thick), a cushion wad( 1/2" thick), and overshot cards, approx. .010" thick. However, some find using soft, wool pre-lubed wads instead of the OP wad and cushion wads works better for their gun. Normally, FFg Goex Black Powder would be the chosen propellant, but BrownBear has been testing Fg powder and is getting tighter groups than when he uses FFg powder in his Bess.

Some members dispense with the OP wads, and cushion wads, and simply replace them with a couple of OS cards, so they only have to carry one card or wad into the field for reloading. A pea-sized ball of wax/oil is placed between a couple of the cards to lube the bore, while other simply carry a baggie with greased cleaning patches, and run a lubed patch down the barrel before each loading/reloading of the barrel. Use a patch jag on your rod, and run the patch down and then back out of the muzzle. It removes BP carbon residue on the down stroke and lubes the bore on the upstroke for the next shot. In the field, lubing the bore prevents rusting of the bore between shots, and prevents lead from rubbing off on the sides of the bore as the lead ball exits, assuming you are shooting a bare ball, or lead shot without some kind of protecting shot cup.

To determine proper ball diameter, measure the bore diameter carefully. Then find a ball that is at least .020" SMALLER in diameter than the bore. Find some heavy mattress ticking, or denim, or muslin, or linen, etc. for patching material. If you cut long strips of fabric for testing, you can place a strip over the muzzle and then pus a ball down into the barrel. If its not tight enough, just pull up on the two ends of the strip of fabric, and the ball will come back out of the barrel. If its too tight, you can go back to the fabric store and look for thinner patch material to use. Take a micrometer or caliper with you. :grin: :thumbsup:

 

[Rifleman1776]

I just miked my Pedersoli Bess. It's .729! Does that make it a 12 gauge?

I don't know what my Ped. BB measures. And, I'm not taking it off the wall to measure.
But, I do know it takes 11 ga. wads and shoots a .731 patched ball.
I consider it an 11 ga.
BTW: odd size wads can be obtained from Flintlocks, Inc. They will send sample packages to try. Good folks. No web site. Don't ask me why. :idunno: E-mail: [email protected]
Good folks.

 

[Many Klatch]

My Pedersoli Bess Carbine likes a .715 ball with a .010 spit patch and 90 grains of 2F. The gun will shoot cloverleafs at 25 yards if I do my part.

Many Klatch

 

[wahkahchimaol.com]

Wow~! This gives me something to work on, which is always a good thing.

 

[BillinOregon]

Sheesh. I just measured my Pedersoli Bess carbine, and I get .750.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Sheesh. I just measured my Pedersoli Bess carbine, and I get .750.

Maybe I should go in business selling .731" balls. :rotf:

BTW: my mould is one of the standard Dixie moulds. I had it made back when they would make any size you wanted. I think it cost $12.00 at the time, 1976.

 

[BillinOregon]

Rifleman: I have the Lyman .715 mold and the ball makes up into a nice paper cartridge using grocery bag material.

 

[rickystl]

Rifleman: I remember those Dixie moulds. Yes, they would make any size you wanted. No sprue cutter. Had to use tin snips and then a file to finish the ball. Bought one in 1965. Think it was $8.50 Bank then, it was the only source for custom size moulds.
By the way, you're right. That tiny flashlight from O'Reilly's is GREAT! Even has a hole on the end for a wire or string to lower it in the barrel. Learned about it here on the Forum. Maybe it was you? :grin: Rick.

 

[Carteret Kid]

Dollar store sketch pads have paper that works for catridges. It is plain and course looking.

 

[jethro224]

My Pedersoli Bess measures .749" and I shoot a .715 ball in a .018 ticking patch. It is a fairly easy thumb-start and accurate enough. Been meaning to try a tighter load some time tho.