'Ranger' Brown Bess

[Sister]

I finally scraped enough to purchase one of these. I have not fired it yet; that will hopefully happen this week. It took a while to get some real black powder as it is scarce in Western Massachusetts.

The piece is lovely. I got it from Middlesex Village Trading Co.

I am absolutely delighted with it. At the moment I have .735 round ball for it, but will also try smaller and I want to learn to make paper cartridges. I would like to use shot with it too; I have seen elsewhere on the forum that some folk use 12g wads wrapped in paper. Lots of investigation to do.

Excited, yep.

 

[George T.]

Thank's for your post! I looked them up and they have a nice site. Their prices are not bad either. Where are their rifles made? Geo. T.

 

[bpd303]

On another forum there was a long discussion about them. Their replicas are made in India. Some loved them and others trashed them. Personally I haven't had any experience to relate.

 

[buzz]

Do a search for india made guns lots hre just be aware of the issue one can incounter
Also posts here on paper cartiages
Happy shooten

 

[Sister]

Thanks! I am aware of the potential drawbacks but it would be a lot longer before I could get something custom made. Thus far she has given good, hot spark so hopefully she will be one of the good ones, so to speak.

Yes, made in India. They use teak dyed with walnut for the stock as walnut over there is fabulously expensive and teak isn't. I was surprised at how light she is given this.

So far I am delighted with it.

 

[redneck]

you can get corret wads from track of the wolf

 

[Ike Godsey]

do you have a pic from the other side too?

ike

 

[Sharps1863]

Just be careful with cleaning, I flashed the pan on mine to see how it sparked when I got it. I thought I would do a quick clean and sprayed some cleaner around the lock and pan and the over run ran down the stock and that stain peeled right off. It does not penetrate the wood. So I just took it down cleaned the rest off and rubbed it down with linseed oil. Its plain but hey its an Indian made musket. Still have not shot it yet !!!! So no opion on loads.

 

[sumoj275]

I am new to the whole flintlock thing. Is this a musket that would have been used in the F&I War and possibly by Colonials in the Revolution?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

UM yes and UM no. :haha:

The "Long Land Pattern" musket would've been used in the colonies for the F&I, and by the majority of the British troops for the AWI. There is some debate over whether or not the metal rammer and metal nose cap was widely used in the F&I. You can use a Long Land Pattern with the metal rammer and the nose cap for both eras, and "get away with it".

As for the "Ranger" muskets..., well there is A LOT of conjecture about them. They did find some objects identified as barrels from "muskets", some were 4" (which would make the barrels 42" when finished) and some were longer. The problem is no one was able to show how they were identified as Long Land barrels vs. civilian fowler barrels.

Rogers also had guns made for the Rangers.
Note that Lord Loudoun during the F&I war authorized Rogers to form 5 new ranger companies, and and when doing so wrote"to find their own arms, which must be fit, and be upon examination, shall be found fit, and be approved of." Which shows that the rangers did have to obtain their own muskets. So these may have had shortened barrels from day one, or the Rangers shortened them while on Rogers' Island (which might account for the recovered pieces of barrels AND they could do without army permission as they were "owned" by the regiment).

Arms supplied from other sources other than The Crown were used by units other than the rangers..., Abercromby on March 15, 1758, wrote to several governors in colonies raising troops, and told them the troops needed to bring their own muskets.

In 1759, Rogers contracted with Greg & Cunningham to provide muskets (at least I think they were muskets) for his Rangers. Rogers was informed on February 26th 1759, "..., arms have been tried and proved by the artillery; they answer very well, and are ordered to be sent to you as fast as possible."

So what form these took, were they short copies of the Long Land musket or something different, who can say.

By the AWI the British were very short of muskets and they switched over their sergeants to also carrying muskets, but had to issue artillery carbines, which were short.

LD

 

[sumoj275]

LD, thank you :hatsoff:

 

[spudnut]

nice looking piece but Im very partial to aunt bess

 

[greggholmes]

You get a chance to shoot it yet?
im looking at the 3rd model india.

 

[spudnut]

I had cut down a Dixie Japanese Bess years ago and with the small amount of wood and metal I removed it kicked like a mule,unlike my full length LL.Would love to have it back though.It now has a mix of brass and steel furniture,a reworked,wood rod, and stamped lock and bears either K.R. or Kit Ravenshear on the barrelthough I happen to know it was not done by him :nono:

 

[Ike Godsey]

in addition to what LD said, in De Witt Baileys book "Small Arms Of The British Forces in America 1664 - 1815" he wrote that the british used captured french arms to arm the british second lines. the muskets he referring to was (mostly) the French 1728.

that could also be true for the rangers.

as i understood this, most rangers used their own muskets which has to be serviceable - so it could be everything from TVLLEs to the Kings Muskets.

another question: the cut off barrels they found on rogers island, no one yet could say why those barrels been cut down. it could be as simple as worn out bore or any other damage.

ike

 

[tenngun]

Its not somthing we can answear upright. The 46 inch barrel of a bess would make a 42 inch look short.I've carried 42 inchs in the ozark woods and the high Rockies,having hunted in NM,Co,Ut.Wy.and cant say I've ever found it a draw back.Shortes is lighter an easier to use on bunnies,I dont shoot the flying but think it woud be the same.Howsomever.To date we have no idea how long Ranger muskets were,so yours is as good as any one elses.Were I doing ranger I would go with longer,but I think you will like your gun.Any one who owned a bess back then who for whatever reason wanted a shorter gun could have had that.