Zouave, good and bad.

[hanshi]

I ordered a Navy Arms zouave in 1969 and paid, IIRC, around $60. It was stocked in "generic hardwood" and looked pretty good. It shot okay and got shot a lot but hit really high at 50 yards. I kept it for a few years and enjoyed it immensely and later traded it. Then 15 or 16 years ago I ordered a Euroarms US M1841 in .54 from Jarnigans (sp). Now this rifle was beautiful had a real walnut stock and was so precisely fitted it looked almost hand built. I got it for over 40% less than DGW wanted, a fantastic deal. It also shot high but I easily fixed that. Accuracy is astonishing with 5 shot groups averaging about 1" at 60 yards with a 230 grain patched lead ball. It also killed deer in the fall.

I hope you enjoy your zouave as much as I enjoyed mine.

 

[bang]

I ordered a Navy Arms zouave in 1969 and paid, IIRC, around $60. It was stocked in "generic hardwood" and looked pretty good. It shot okay and got shot a lot but hit really high at 50 yards. I kept it for a few years and enjoyed it immensely and later traded it. Then 15 or 16 years ago I ordered a Euroarms US M1841 in .54 from Jarnigans (sp). Now this rifle was beautiful had a real walnut stock and was so precisely fitted it looked almost hand built. I got it for over 40% less than DGW wanted, a fantastic deal. It also shot high but I easily fixed that. Accuracy is astonishing with 5 shot groups averaging about 1" at 60 yards with a 230 grain patched lead ball. It also killed deer in the fall.

I hope you enjoy your zouave as much as I enjoyed mine.

Thanks. Hope I do too and feel confident I will. It just looked too good. Doesn't have the usual heavily used or poorly maintained issues.

 

[tenngun]

Had two never got Minnie’s to shoot well with them but patched .562 shot real well

 

[bang]

'kay. Other markings SHOULD be a square cartouche with either Roman numerals in it, or letters - the date code. Also a five-pointed star in a crinkly circle, meant to look like a multi-groove rifled barrel, the marking PN [black powder], Made in Italy, Black powder only. The calibre is usually expressed like this - .58cal, but your gun might be older, so the C58 is the calibre designation. 445? Unknown to me. The triangle with two dots is another unknown. When you get it, take a look at the cartouche and we can advise you of the age of the piece.

The rectangle with 2 dots is AA, 1975. Got to be special, year I graduated high school. The moon over mountain looking thing is the star circled by rifling over PN. The other is the star over coat of arms barrel proof. The serial 445 most likely 1445. Guess my eyes are just better today. Actually I found another ranson that the pix of it were clearer and once I saw them it made it easier to make them out.

 

[bang]

Well, it's here. I'm pleasantly surprised. If it has been shot it's only once. The nipple wasn't even tightened. The minite amount of soot just wiped off. The bore shows no wear evidence. The coloring is even throughout. No corrosion. The miniscule exterior rust wiped off using steel wool with almost no effort. The lock inside is spotless with no corrosion. There is even a spare nipple in the patch box. The stock has just the typical small handling dings. No scratches, cracking or gouging.

Seems the system doesn't like my other pixs.

 

[Walkingeagle]

You done well grasshopper!
Walk