Speaking of buying a used muzzleloader....,
Not boasting, as I confess I got extremely lucky with the following situation
So a couple of weeks back, I saw this used Pedersoli Bess for sale on a gun auction site.
Now I regularly comb such sites for used Bess and used Charleville muskets. What I do is, after taking a hard look at the photographs, I figure what's the most I'd pay, then subtract what the seller says is the shipping, and thus I form my "bid". I make the bid and then wait to see if I win.
Normally I don't win, as I'm looking to do a little work on the item to bring it back to good shape as a reenactment arm, and I'm up against guys trying to get their first Bess, so they will go a bit higher than I'm willing to go. Every now and again I get lucky. Like the other day.
The seller didn't know what he had to sell.
So I saw this Bess, and what caught my eye was the sideplate was rounded, like an LLP. I know that the Rifle Shoppe offers these for Jap Bess, but this was a Pedersoli, as I could barely read "Grice" on the lock in another photo. It was also heavily browned, so I figured the previous owner had set this up as a "Rogers' Rangers" gun.
Note how dark the barrel and lock bolt heads. Well, gee, I figured that since it already had the after-market part, I'd try to get that. So I made a bid.
Well I guess since it didn't have the bayonet, AND it was so dark, other folks didn't want it. I got it with shipping for less than $800.00
So she arrives, and I'm praying that the bore is good.
I immediately swapped out the Pedersoli ramrod with the "button" tip for a forged after-market rod. Note the difference in color between polished and browned.
She's going to need a lot of polishing to bring her back to British Infantry standards, so I went to work with some Evaporust, and then some very fine emory paper and oil. THEN I take a really close look at the lock, and the butt plate.....
This musket has had the engraving date changed to read "Grice 1756" in addition to the rounded side plate, AND it has the long comb version of the butt plate instead of the standard SLP butt plate. The "teardrops" are no longer found behind the rear points of the lock and sideplate mortise either. I don't think the stock is after-market; I just think the person who did the work also worked on the stock.
So what I've got is a Pedersoli SLP changed to look more like a 1756 LLP (with the shortened barrel). As I mentioned, the seller didn't know what he was selling (it was from a gunshop not directly from the owner).
SO the moral of the story is, keep your eyes peeled, as you never know when something will drop into your lap at a decent price. As for me, well I will keep looking around too, but I think I've used up all my "favors from the gun buying gods" for the next few years with this one.
LD
Not boasting, as I confess I got extremely lucky with the following situation
So a couple of weeks back, I saw this used Pedersoli Bess for sale on a gun auction site.
Now I regularly comb such sites for used Bess and used Charleville muskets. What I do is, after taking a hard look at the photographs, I figure what's the most I'd pay, then subtract what the seller says is the shipping, and thus I form my "bid". I make the bid and then wait to see if I win.
Normally I don't win, as I'm looking to do a little work on the item to bring it back to good shape as a reenactment arm, and I'm up against guys trying to get their first Bess, so they will go a bit higher than I'm willing to go. Every now and again I get lucky. Like the other day.
The seller didn't know what he had to sell.
So I saw this Bess, and what caught my eye was the sideplate was rounded, like an LLP. I know that the Rifle Shoppe offers these for Jap Bess, but this was a Pedersoli, as I could barely read "Grice" on the lock in another photo. It was also heavily browned, so I figured the previous owner had set this up as a "Rogers' Rangers" gun.
Note how dark the barrel and lock bolt heads. Well, gee, I figured that since it already had the after-market part, I'd try to get that. So I made a bid.
Well I guess since it didn't have the bayonet, AND it was so dark, other folks didn't want it. I got it with shipping for less than $800.00
So she arrives, and I'm praying that the bore is good.
I immediately swapped out the Pedersoli ramrod with the "button" tip for a forged after-market rod. Note the difference in color between polished and browned.
She's going to need a lot of polishing to bring her back to British Infantry standards, so I went to work with some Evaporust, and then some very fine emory paper and oil. THEN I take a really close look at the lock, and the butt plate.....
This musket has had the engraving date changed to read "Grice 1756" in addition to the rounded side plate, AND it has the long comb version of the butt plate instead of the standard SLP butt plate. The "teardrops" are no longer found behind the rear points of the lock and sideplate mortise either. I don't think the stock is after-market; I just think the person who did the work also worked on the stock.
So what I've got is a Pedersoli SLP changed to look more like a 1756 LLP (with the shortened barrel). As I mentioned, the seller didn't know what he was selling (it was from a gunshop not directly from the owner).
SO the moral of the story is, keep your eyes peeled, as you never know when something will drop into your lap at a decent price. As for me, well I will keep looking around too, but I think I've used up all my "favors from the gun buying gods" for the next few years with this one.
LD
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