Seeking Advice: Stick with Current Rifle or Opt for a Replacement?

[Toxanism]

Hello everyone,

I hope this post finds you all well. I recently encountered a bit of a snag with a new purchase, and I'm seeking some advice from the community on how to proceed.

I recently acquired the Traditions™ 1853 Enfield Musket from Muzzle-Loaders.com, and unfortunately, the initial unboxing experience wasn't as smooth as I had hoped. The packaging showed signs of mishandling, and the firearm itself needed a thorough cleaning due to dried oil and other blemishes. While attempting to clean the barrel with a patch, the ramrod unexpectedly became lodged at the breach, requiring the intervention of a local gunsmith. This was due to the bullet starter of the ramrod simply coming lose immediately and getting stuck at the breach. The piece is not screwed so its not a case of it unscrewing as I put the patch down the barrel.

Now, here's where I'm at: the company has assured me that the issue is with the ramrod and has recommended reaching out to the manufacturer for a replacement. Moreover the . The gunsmith has fixed the problem, and the firearm appears to be in really good condition with minimal signs of any damage or problems. The only things I can not are 2 scratches(that due blend in when seen a little further away), some of the screws have some bends at the head caused by using a too small screwdriver, and the hammer where it comes into contact with the nipple having a dent(like it was dry fired a couple times).

My dilemma is this: despite the reassurances, I find myself hesitating to fully embrace the rifle. There's a part of me that's tempted to go for a replacement or explore other options and rifles at similar prices. I very much like the design of the rifle and over and its overall quality. I guess its the extreme anxiety I experienced when the ramrod piece got stuck sort of lingering around as I was under an enormous amount of stress as this isn't a cheap buy by any means for me. I did purchase this rifle to follow me for a very long time. The gunsmiths did reassure me many times that the rifle is in good condition and ready to be fired, and the support team at Muzzle-Loaders.com furthered this. I'm curious to hear from the community - have any of you experienced something similar? Would you stick with the current rifle, appreciating that issues can be resolved, or would you lean toward going through with a return for a fresh start?

I'm torn between being content with what I have now, despite the initial setback, and the allure of the possibility of a completely new rifle. Your insights and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[Toxanism]

I also forgot to mention that the gunsmiths were able to remove the lodged ramrod piece by taking out the breach plug and removing it there. They did it all in less than 30 minutes so i'm sure they did have all the special machinery and the support team i called second that notion.

 

[Trot]

I would say, you have a rifle that has been thoroughly checked by a gunsmith and declared good to go. If you get another, there is always a chance for some kind of quality issues with the new one as well, it can happen. I would keep the pressure on to get a replacement ramrod and keep it.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Considering that the rifle has now been “gunsmithed,” it may not be accepted as a return, so if you elect to divest yourself of this rifle you’ll probably need to just sell it. The two scratches sound like an annoyance but not a real functional concern.

I feel your pain. I bought a Euroarms Richmond some time back, and the various functional issues with this nice-looking rifle musket have taken years to resolve. After finding difficulty seating bullets, bullets keyholing, and considerable difficulty cleaning the breech with a jag and patch, we found a manufacturing defect in the bore, in the form of deep chatter marks down in the breech. Dan Whitacre said they were the worst he had ever seen. You’ve already had your rifle unbreeched by a competent gunsmith and he would have seen it if your rifle had this problem, but my point is that many of these guns have issues to be worked out when they are new. It sounds like your problem was just with the rod and not the gun itself, which is good. I would agree that a different new gun might have some issues of its own.

The metal ramrods on the imported replica military ramrods are notorious for coming apart, but nobody told you that ahead of time. Also, the driving head of the ramrod is not intended to serve as a jag. It is formed as a bullet pusher, not a patch puller. The distal (opposite) end of the rod should be threaded for accessories such as a jag, breech face scraper and so forth, but your best bet is to just use the ramrod for loading. You’ll want to invest in a proper range rod with a muzzle protector for wiping, cleaning, and pulling the inevitable “dry ball.” I would suggest getting a dedicated range rod for your Enfield from one of the Civil War specialty places like S&S, Lodgewood Mfg., or North East Traders rather than a general-purpose range rod from a generic muzzleloader dealer. You can get a good brass, aluminum, or fiberglass rod, made specifically for a .58 caliber rifle musket, with a properly-fitted muzzle protector, a threaded jag already installed, and a good handle for around $30, which will be money well spent. The rod that came with your rifle (or its replacement) should be considered a loading rod only. If you need help selecting a range rod made for your .58 caliber Enfield, just ask.

I get the impression that you have not shot this rifle yet. I would respectfully suggest that you lay in some powder, lube, caps, and projectiles and take the rifle out and shoot it. Shooting it might help you feel better about it. As noted above, returning the rifle may not be an option for you at this point. You bought it to shoot, so you might as well keep it and shoot it.

Good luck!

Notchy Bob

 

[Rifleman1776]

despite the reassurances, I find myself hesitating to fully embrace the rifle.

Welcome to the strange world of muzzle loading. Normal reasoning has no place in this game. Upon acquiring a new ml rifle one instantly becomes enamored or turned off by it for reasons that make no sense at all. It's 'your's or it's just a disliked 'thing'. For some in this game choosing between your wife or your favorite rifle might be a challenge. Ye like it and 'marry' it or place up for sale and replace with one you can fall in love with.

 

[SOLANCO]

It was the ramrod. Get over it. But, if you can not then sell or trade it and get a replacement. I would not want a gun that gave me negative feelings.

 

[Bill M.]

If you like the gun by all means keep the gun. Put the ramrod under the barrel where it belongs and leave it there. It is for decoration. Buy a steel cleaning rod and the attachment to put the bullet pusher and a cleaning jag on the rod and use it for loading and cleaning the gun. I refer to it as a "range rod". My "ram rods" are generally hickory and stay under the barrel. You are going to need to make this purchase regardless of whether you keep that gun or buy another.

 

[longcruise]

I'm torn between being content with what I have now, despite the initial setback, and the allure of the possibility of a completely new rifle. Your insights and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I'm guessing this was a used piece? If so, where you stand now is you have a thoroughly examined rifle that checks out. This little negative experience has you questioning your purchase. It's called "buyers remors".

Two ways to get over it. 1. Sell it. Be done with it. Put it behind you. Or, 2. Shoot it. Use it. Give yourself a chance to love it or hate it. If you still don't feel comfortable with it send it DTR ( down the road).

 

[Stykbow]

I could get over the ramrod problem. I’d keep it, cuss for a while about the rod, and move on.

 

[Toxanism]

Hey everyone! Thank you for all your advice. I do have a tendency to simply dwell on small mistakes and problems which is something I need to work on. Moreover, I'm actually feeling a lot better about the rifle as I was able to get it going a lot better now. I didn't mention it but the mechanism was also pretty scratchy and not smooth at all. So I went ahead and opened it up and checked out all the parts and screwed some things in tighter and removed old oil and put in new longer lasting oil in every single crevice and cranny and now the gun is smooth like butter. I'll go ahead and attach a photo and video later. I don't have what it was like before but I can take a video on how smooth it is now.

 

[Toxanism]

On a side note, I did go ahead and try to clean out the barrel as when the ramrod got suck I put water and oil in the barrel to loosen things up and try and get the part out but it was no use so I went to the gunsmith. I didn't have any other ramrod long enough to clean the whole barrel but I was able to put something together to get it to the bottom with bore cleaner and gun oil. But when we were cleaning there was definitely stuff on the patches. Is it rust or just old oil and other grease from the factory? There was another patch much darker than the rest which was the first one but they did all progressively get fainter with every patch as you see.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Do like some folks do with ramrods, sending them down range.

My computer must be broke, I dont see any pictures of this little orphaned Annie.

 

[necchi]

On a side note, I did go ahead and try to clean out the barrel

We don't understand your explanations/questions.
Are you telling us your "new" rifle's package was delivered as/in a damaged condition? From the supplier Muzzle-Loaders.com?
And, that as un-fired, your initial cleaning resulted in the ramrod being stuck?

Without that primary information, our assistance is of little use beyond speculation.
Please confirm. Members here can help, if we have the basic information.

 

[Toxanism]

We don't understand your explanations/questions.
Are you telling us your "new" rifle's package was delivered as/in a damaged condition? From the supplier Muzzle-Loaders.com?
And, that as un-fired, your initial cleaning resulted in the ramrod being stuck?

Without that primary information, our assistance is of little use beyond speculation.
Please confirm. Members here can help, if we have the basic information.

Sure so to put simply, I purchased the rifle new from Muzzle-Loaders. i got the rifle and unpackaged it and it had some dried oil and such on it on the surface so I cleaned it. With this i figured there would be more in the barrel so I went to clean it so i oiled a patch and went to clean the barrel and the tip of the ramrod detached very easily from the rod at the breach. The ramrod isnt screwed or anything its was Interference fitted(I believe thats what its called). And that's where I am at now. But I went ahead and got everything figured out in terms of removing the ramrod end from the breach. I went and cleaned the hammer mechanism and now its running super smooth, the only thing is because I didnt have a ramrod long enough to reach the bottom I hadnt cleaned it since the gunsmith. So today I was able to make a bootleg ramrod to reach the bottom and clean it out because i used water and oil to try and lube up the barrel so its easier to remove the lost ramrod piece when it was in there. So those are those pictures AFTER everything was figured out so I just want to know if thats perhaps rust or just dried oil or other things. It was left out after the gunsmith for just one day

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

On a side note, I did go ahead and try to clean out the barrel as when the ramrod got suck I put water and oil in the barrel to loosen things up and try and get the part out but it was no use so I went to the gunsmith. I didn't have any other ramrod long enough to clean the whole barrel but I was able to put something together to get it to the bottom with bore cleaner and gun oil. But when we were cleaning there was definitely stuff on the patches. Is it rust or just old oil and other grease from the factory? There was another patch much darker than the rest which was the first one but they did all progressively get fainter with every patch as you see.

That red on the patches is most likely the preservative used by the manufacturer. Cosmoline, if that's what it is has a reddish brown to rust brown color to it and can be a bear to get it all scrubbed out.

 

[Appowner]

Do like some folks do with ramrods, sending them down range.

My computer must be broke, I dont see any pictures of this little orphaned Annie.

You need to click on the link in each post.

 

[oldwood]

Even WD 40 leaves a brown residue in the bore. Shoot the gun and enjoy it. If still not happy , sell it.

 

[longcruise]

You probably got most of the Goomba out but if you didn't and you shoot it that could make getting the rest out even harder. Go to the auto parts store get some carb cleaner or engine degreaser and work it a bit.

I took it to be a used rifle due to the damaged screw heads. Do you know who is the manufacturer?

 

[appalichian hunter]

Shoot it, shoot it a lot the so-called problems you mentioned are easy fixes, if you're looking for a working, hunting target shooting gun sounds like you have one it's going to get some bumps no matter how careful you are. there fixed it for ya.

 

[sturmkatze]

Hello everyone,

I hope this post finds you all well. I recently encountered a bit of a snag with a new purchase, and I'm seeking some advice from the community on how to proceed.

I recently acquired the Traditions™ 1853 Enfield Musket from Muzzle-Loaders.com, and unfortunately, the initial unboxing experience wasn't as smooth as I had hoped. The packaging showed signs of mishandling, and the firearm itself needed a thorough cleaning due to dried oil and other blemishes. While attempting to clean the barrel with a patch, the ramrod unexpectedly became lodged at the breach, requiring the intervention of a local gunsmith. This was due to the bullet starter of the ramrod simply coming lose immediately and getting stuck at the breach. The piece is not screwed so its not a case of it unscrewing as I put the patch down the barrel.

Now, here's where I'm at: the company has assured me that the issue is with the ramrod and has recommended reaching out to the manufacturer for a replacement. Moreover the . The gunsmith has fixed the problem, and the firearm appears to be in really good condition with minimal signs of any damage or problems. The only things I can not are 2 scratches(that due blend in when seen a little further away), some of the screws have some bends at the head caused by using a too small screwdriver, and the hammer where it comes into contact with the nipple having a dent(like it was dry fired a couple times).

My dilemma is this: despite the reassurances, I find myself hesitating to fully embrace the rifle. There's a part of me that's tempted to go for a replacement or explore other options and rifles at similar prices. I very much like the design of the rifle and over and its overall quality. I guess its the extreme anxiety I experienced when the ramrod piece got stuck sort of lingering around as I was under an enormous amount of stress as this isn't a cheap buy by any means for me. I did purchase this rifle to follow me for a very long time. The gunsmiths did reassure me many times that the rifle is in good condition and ready to be fired, and the support team at Muzzle-Loaders.com furthered this. I'm curious to hear from the community - have any of you experienced something similar? Would you stick with the current rifle, appreciating that issues can be resolved, or would you lean toward going through with a return for a fresh start?

I'm torn between being content with what I have now, despite the initial setback, and the allure of the possibility of a completely new rifle. Your insights and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Just shoot the gun. Go shoot it. Stop over thinking this. Really.