Salvaging Japanese Bess

[Loyalist Dave]

So a fellow reenactor handed me a Japanese Bess with a serial number under 2600, so I'm betting it was a 1980's version, since it also looks like it was a kit. He said "See what you can do with this." Apparently he was given it and of course "I don't know what happened to the lock" by the previous owner.

Missing a lock and the bolts, a ramrod, a ramrod thimble, a side plate, I don't know why the builder wrapped the nose with sheet brass instead of a proper cap, and the trigger looks home made. Barrel rusty; stock damaged in several places and repaired with wood glue, not epoxy.

So I'm thinkin' it would make good tomato stake...

Fine, ... well took it apart, and found the previous owner (before it was rescued and handed to me) used finishing nails for pins...neglecting to remove the heads, nor to round the ends. Which explained the pop-outs of wood around the pin holes. :shocked2: The stock is going to need some major reworking, some epoxying, and one piece that rests between the front of the frizzen to the front of the lock, on the top of the lock... was completely broken out and is barely there with wood glue. Most of the stock problems are in areas not seen by the naked eye so if I can work some epoxy magic (and if Saints Barbara and Hubert intercede - OK Artillery Patron Saint and Hunting Patron Saint, so I should be covered) then maybe this will shoot again.

Derusted the bore of the musket and it is rough, but no obvious pits. Might actually be shootable, and should shoot blanks fine if I get a lock that fits flush to the barrel and the touch hole isn't super low. Next is stock stripping and repair.

I have the recent dissertation by Dave Person to refer to as well...., first step is to see if the musket may be brought back to safe working order, then maybe apply some of Mr. Person's stock modifications to get it closer to an original in appearance. I figure what the heck, I'm not going to do any more damage to the stock.

I have a lead on a Jap Bess lock and the rest of the parts. Wish me luck. Sunday is stock-finish-stripping day. :wink:

LD

 

[dave_person]

Hi Dave,
Best of luck. I find that the Japanese Bess stocks are so straight that I cannot shoot one because I cannot get my cheek down on the comb. The wood is also very soft so go slow although the Pedersoli's are not much better. I understand that Miroku barrels are very good and very safe. If it cleans up I suspect it will be fine.

dave

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have a rifle from the 70s that the builder used finishing nails for pins and left the heads on. I found this out when I needed to pull the trigger guard and work on the trigger. I had some chips pop out at the pin holes, I fixed them as to be unnoticeable. I wanted to pull the barrel but found
the pin holes wandered, none were 90 degrees to the barrel, no telling where the heads would pop out.

 

[Wes/Tex]

May the farce be with thee!

All seriousness aside, good luck. Sometimes it's those odd projects that can be the most rewarding...then again! :wink: :thumbsup:

 

[Artificer]

I feel your pain, though on one Jap Bess I resurrected, at least I had most of the parts.

Take a good look at the bottom of the trigger so it is not even slightly bumping the trigger guard. Otherwise it will drive you crazy trying to figure out why the sear sometimes hit the half cock notch and sometimes didn't. A 1/16" clearance between the bottom of the trigger throughout its travel and the trigger guard will fix that, though.

Good luck on the project.

Gus

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Yeah I completed a vintage Jap Bess kit that I bought off of an ex-sutler who found five hidden in his loft in his garage about 10 years ago. I got around to starting it last November or so, and completing it last December. So I'm pretty familiar with the quirks of the Jap Bess. :wink:
I retro fitted it with a forged ramrod, as I never did like the welded two-piece construction of the Jap ramrods.


OH, the stock in the rescue Bess has a a knot, well what marks deep in the tree where a knot would have been, closer to the bark, at the right side of the stock where it meets the nose cap. A distinct, darker O, well several O's in a sort of bullseye pattern in the wood grain. Frankly the stock should have gone back for replacement, but folks didn't know about that in 1981.

I confess I was toying with the idea of making some sort of quasi "committee of safety" musket, by giving it a flat lock plate if I had to construct a lock to fit the mortise.

(Talk about being over ambitious. :redface

LD

 

[Wes/Tex]

Not at all! That's the kind of off beat idea that'd start floating around in my hollow noggin! :wink: :haha: