Potsdam smoothbore musket salvage

[MedicMike3762]

My uncle loves attending gun auctions and sometime he comes home with odd black powder guns as he knows I buy them from him! Well the other day he said “I got some black powder manure for ya”, so I anxiously waited until we could get together! This time he had a box of 4 flasks two leather shot flasks and two metal powder flasks and a bunch of random patches and some inline junk. He also gave me an old smothbore musket and with a bit of research I believe it’s an old Potsdam musket. I’ll be honest it was pretty run down stock had been cut and the bore had a decent ring or bulge in it. But the lock worked and I though what the heck!

Back home I got to thinking, blanket/canoe/poor man’s blunderbuss! Well here it is I cut the barrel at the bulge to give some flare to the muzzle. Cut the stock back again, and reused the front barrel band which I had to expand. Bore was filthy and is getting better! Today at the property I tested it with some light 50gr loads and bird shot! It has potential but will have to get the nipple replaced before any extensive use happens overall I’m pretty happy with how it turned out! Bore measured.720 should be a fun toy!

Does anyone have any ideas for the nipple removal? I thing this one may wind up being a drill and tap with a new thread, as it’s more or less rust welded to the bolster.

Mike

 

[Tumbledown]

I'd rename that a Potsdamnitalltohell.

 

[64Springer]

If the nipple isn't hardened, you can you the flash hole as a guide hole and drill it out.

Maintaining your angles is critical.

So the newly tapped threads allow the nipple to fall within the hammer cup.

Not hard to do. Just take your time.

 

[Sam squanch]

Kroil is your friend. That and heat, cool, kroil, heat again. Let the kroil and heat do its job. Do this for at least a week.

 

[bud in pa]

Has anybody tried Superzilla that's advertised on tv? Supposed to be the best thing for removing rusted screws.

 

[Mle1822]

Interesting piece. It wasnt made in Potsdam thou, but in the Prussian royal armoury in the fortress town of Neisse (Nysa) in todays Poland. The armoury was located in an old building erected in 1725 that was formerly used as a Jesuit school and then a seminary before itvwas taken over in 1810 by the state. The building stands even today.

 

[wganz]

Kroil is your friend. That and heat, cool, kroil, heat again. Let the kroil and heat do its job. Do this for at least a week.

for my barrel, I took a Monster Energy drink can since it was taller & smaller diameter than a standard soda/pop/cola/coke can. Put the breech end of the barrel in the can, filled with Kroil oil to cover 1" over the nipple. Pour Kroil in the barrel sufficient amount to be higher than the Kroil oil on the outside. Secure in the corner of the work bench where nothing would knock it over. At about Month #2, took a cleaning rod and tried to go up&down. Succeeded. Daily would swab the bore about 3 good licks. Three months later, it easily came out with a standard nipple wrench.

 

[andy52]

Interesting piece. It wasnt made in Potsdam thou, but in the Prussian royal armoury in the fortress town of Neisse (Nysa) in todays Poland. The armoury was located in an old building erected in 1725 that was formerly used as a Jesuit school and then a seminary before itvwas taken over in 1810 by the state. The building stands even today.

It's amazing what you can learn on this site, thank you.

 

[Jungle Dave]

for my barrel, I took a Monster Energy drink can since it was taller & smaller diameter than a standard soda/pop/cola/coke can. Put the breech end of the barrel in the can, filled with Kroil oil to cover 1" over the nipple. Pour Kroil in the barrel sufficient amount to be higher than the Kroil oil on the outside. Secure in the corner of the work bench where nothing would knock it over. At about Month #2, took a cleaning rod and tried to go up&down. Succeeded. Daily would swab the bore about 3 good licks. Three months later, it easily came out with a standard nipple wrench.

Patience is often our greatest ally.