Rosie the .62" Jaeger speaks at last.

[Rat]

And she spoke loudly. A .62" definately goes BANG.

Decided she had enough layers of oil on her stock to be shot, and noticed that my "troublesome" neighbor was not home, so went out back and popped the cork for the first time.

Front sight was REALLY way too high...first shot hit the dirt! File...shoot...file...shoot...file....walked her on up one shot at a time. Got the sight down to a little nub and now she's on for elevation, or at least roughly. Pretty good windage-wise with both sights centered on the barrel.

Called it good for rough sighting, did not fire for group. Patches are a little torn so I need to shoot it with a wonder wad before going to great lengths to trouble shoot my patches and lube, barrel crown, etc. Didn't look like a crown-cut, looked more like the powder was starting/trying to burn the patch in the grooves. I have three or four different lubes, but I'll mess with that later.

At any rate, at this point it's not going to shoot a bragging group...will have to get out to the range for a full day, take everything AND the kitchen sink and get her fine tuned and a perfect zero at 100 paces. Then after a summer of off-hand shooting...this girl is gonna kick some serious black bear, elk, and deer butt. She's called the Rose of Alabama, or just Rosie for short.

All shots were with 100 grains of ffg Swiss, a .018" patch and a .600" ball, and wonder lube 1000. Range was only about 60 yards, from a back-against-a-tree sitting position. Recoil was soft compared to Bess with 110 grains of Swiss and that giant .735" ball.

This gun has a Colerain barrel and a Chambers lock...ignition was about the same as a cap-lock, as far as I could tell. I have the set trigger set ultra-light, and that seems to add to the perception of instant ignition.

Anyhow felt pretty good...this rifle has been a long time coming..

Rat

 

[Stumpkiller]

Oh brown Rosie,
Rose of Alabamy!
A sweet tobacco posey
Is my Rose of Alabamy.

Sounds like a whole bunch o'fun ahead. You pound sumpin with a .62 and it knows there's been a punchin!

 

Let's compare notes. My .62 Colrain Jaeger also cut patches the first 30 or so shots(then it stopped) and my front sight is down to a nub after filing to correct elevation. I was using 85gr of ff Goex, Wal-Mart pillow ticking, Moose milk and .600 balls at first and now I'm using .610 which Seeeeems to be a better combo but I'm not positive. I do plan to up the powder charge to 100gr on my next trip to the range. I wonder if the swamp of the barrel has anything to do with the front sight situation? I installed a touch hole liner and recently drilled the hole to 1/16" but I haven't shot it since. Congrats on first shots.

 

[Rat]

Yes, actually the swamped barrel does have a lot to do with the elevation, of the sights. The farther forward you put the rear sight, the lower it sits on the barrel, and the taller it will need to be, or the shorter the front sight will need to be.

On the other hand, the farther forward you mount the front sight, the shorter it will need to be. Or in other words, moving the front sight back from the muzzle lowers it on a swamped barrel, and moving the rear sight forward, away from the breech lowers it.

TOW originally installed the sights on this barrel, and my builder the kind gent in Alabama mentioned that one of the sights was not in the best place. I don't remember which. I believe a good builder would have placed the front sight further back, which would bring it lower on the barrel, require less filing, and leave it in it's original shape. (what I'll wind up with is a small "barley corn"...which is ok with me)

I can get a more clear sight picture with the rear sight more forward, so I'm kind of glad that it's not further back.

At any rate, there is still enough front sight on my rifle to get more elevation if I need it, and actually I prefer the front sight be small and low when done...so, all things considered, no problem.

Definatley not worried about the patches...being a new barrel as you mention. I also believe in wonder wads, and that will put a whole different slant on the situation. In my Brown Bess, certain loads, without a wonder wad will just tear/rip and burn the patch something terrible...totally SHREDS it...mass destruction! But put a wonder wad under the ball, same load, and the patch comes out re-usable...!!

I'm amazed you can get .610's down your barrel! The .600"s in mine need a short starter to get started, and then require a pretty stiff push to get down the bore with the ram-rod, and today I was using a heavy range-rod.

Ok...long live the .62"s!!

Rat

P.S. And Stump, "Like a rope my arms I fling, 'round the Rose of Alabama".

 

I use a small brass hammer with leather covering the striking surface and I tap the ball to get it started, then a short starter and then my range rod. Not speedy but short starters hurt. I have thought about coning the barrel a bit butI don't want to muck it up.

 

Glad to hear it's finished. Way to go!
: My bro used a .615 ball in his .62 Green River Hawken barrel back in the 70's. It was the biggest rifle around at that time and everyone thought it was a cannon. You'll like it a lot for big game, I am certain.
: It might be easier to find an accurate load with a bigger ball, in the .610" to .615" range.
: I didn't know Chambers made a Jaeger lock - or did you use his modified Siler?

 

[Bob J]

Wow! A .62 jaeger should handle any beast of the Black Forest! :: Will be interested in hearing what loads and groups you come up with once you shoot her in.

 

[Rat]

Actually it's the Viginia/English lock...she's more of an "American" Jaeger than traditional Germanic. Also has a nose-cap so I guess you could even say it's kind of a "transitional" rifle. The rifle is also very plain, with no carving or engraving, all iron trim and no patch-box. She's a very serious, lean, mean, hunting machine...!!! It's really a mean looking rifle. Should be the meanest s.o.b. in the Black Forrest.

The .600" ball is a real nice tight fit in this barrel, I believe it will be quite accurate. Don't want anything so tight that I can't load it with one whack of the short starter. After whacking a big black-bear with it, I'll want to get reloaded fairly quick. The .600" ball, with .018" patch does require a good whack on the short starter, and a pretty good push on the ram-rod to ram it down. .610"s would have to be pounded in and down, and for hunting that just would not work for me.

A good thing that I noticed with this barrel is that loading effort never really increased from shot to shot...
pretty much felt the same from first to last.

Yes the muzzle of a rifled .62" barrel is pretty impressive...does remind one of an artillery piece. It's funny though, the ball looks pretty tiny or tame compared to what I'm used to shooting out of Bess.

Rat

 

[kentucky bucky]

Rat
I'm jealous, I want a hand cannon with a rifled barrel, even though I have a .54 (I know, puny by comparison). I love shooting balls that could kill or maim by just throwing them at someone!!!!

 

[Rat]

Well a .54 is getting up there...I'm a .58 fan and have been shooting them for years, and when I pick up a .54 ball at the range I sometimes think it's a .58. On the other hand, .50"s and smaller really do look TINY...no offense anybody!! Anyhow I would be the last one to call a .54 "puny"!!!

Well if you can fore-go the rifling...any of the muskets from .69" to .75" sure do hurl balls big enough to break your toe if you drop one while reloading!!

I do like the .62" though...it's a big caliber, but not so big that it takes a heavy rifle to contain the pressures. My Jaeger is only 8.25 pounds.

Rat.

 

[Birddog6]

Rat: You can load a .610 and a .015 patch in that barrel, but you better have a hammerfist to rap the short starter with to do it by hand. I can do itin my .62 but not a range days worth, my hand gets to sore. And I don't like using a hammer on one, I would rather load by hand, so I usually settle for the .600's on them.

I have a Marshall Rifle here with a 37" Colerain barrel that I am gonna cone the muzzle on & see how it fares.... Then possibly a .610 would work in it & start easier.

Glad you like the rifle.... :thumbsup:

 

[Rat]

Glad I like the rifle!! No THERE's an understatement!!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

No, I will be sticking with the ball/patch combo you sent me, i.e. the thinner .018" patch with the .600" ball. IMHO it feels perfect. Even though it may sound loose, a .600" ball in a .62" bore, it's not...requires a short-starter and a good push on the ram-rod to get it down.

As this will be a serious hunting rifle, it would not make sense to me to go to a tighter combo in order to reduce group size by a half or one inch at 100 yards. I DO NOT want to be pounding a ball down the barrel with a 600 pound black bear laying on the ground!!!

:no: :redface: :curse: :no:

I have no doubt that with the .018" patch and .600" ball that the rifle will group WAY beyond or better than my expectations and minimum personal accuracy standards for a 100 yard hunting rifle. I mean with a wonder-wad, the right powder charge, and whatever lube it likes best...Old Brown Rosie is gonna SHOOT!

Rat

 

[Ron LaClair]

I love my .62 Jaeger. I took two whitetails with it just last weekend. My hunting load for deer is 120gr 2FF, 600 ball.

The gun was built for me in 1979 by custom maker Judson Brennan. I took a Bull Moose with it that year in Northern Ontario,18pt's 53" spread.

As soon as I learn how to post a picture I will.

 

[HardBall]

As soon as I learn how to post a picture I will.

Learn fast! I want pictures!!!

 

[Ron LaClair]

 

[HardBall]

Wow, you were serious about the "period correct" thing on that hunt weren't you?

BTW, Love the hat :redthumb:

 

[Ron LaClair]

You gotta remember that was 25 years ago. I was a lot more Gung Ho then.

Here's a picture that was taken last weekend. Same rifle, same man. The rifle looks and shoots as good as ever, the years have taken a toll on the man. ::

 

[Rat]

Wow...a man with a .62 calibre Jaeger and a dead moose...that my be my new screen saver! (which presently is Daryl's pistol)

Something about them Jaegers...eh?

Longhunter you look like yer still kicking ok...but you really need to go back to the original hat...that blaze orange cap just don't cut the cheese if you know what I mean.

:crackup:

Rat

 

[Java Man]

Rat,

Unfortuneately, we have to wear some hunter orange these days in MI. Ron has probably lost that Voyagers Cap a few times since the moose pic.

Java Man

 

[Ron LaClair]

Ron has probably lost that Voyagers Cap a few times since the moose pic.

Yer right Java Man but it's never totally lost, I know it's around here someplace. :haha:

When your way out in the Canadian Bush (I was 40miles by canoe north of the last road) you don't need to worry about anyone mistaking you for a critter and shooting you. Down here in Civilization you'd better have yer blaze orange on or you'll end up being a statistic. :results: