.68 cal brown bess repro?????

In 1994 I went to a pre 1898 show and seen two parts kits and a completed North Star officer's fusil on a table. Talk to the two gentlemen at the table and was informed that these were new from Curley and North Star. When I left that day I made a promise to purchase. A week later I called and talked to a wonderful lady that went by the name Irma. I wanted a parts kit and she stated that she only had two. I sent funds that day. I was also informed that day that her husband Curly had just gone into hospice. I'll never part company with this fusil. It's taken deer every season I've used it and shamed many a rifled ball shooter. Never has it failed to fire and I've yet to touch the lock. In my opinion you've got a very fine fusil.

Thank you much!!!! Well it's got to go...
Everything I'm selling off is funding an 1876 gatling gun purchase!!!!

We don't talk about em kartridge kinda guns here on the MLF.

EZFEED said:

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EZFEED, What is the gun to the left of the Fusil we've been discussing?

That's that Palmer fusil de fin. I posted about it here


https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/fusil-de-chasse-by-palmer.118987/

Zonie said:

We don't talk about em kartridge kinda guns here on the MLF.

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Oooooh s'cuse me for that

The gun is an older kit by Northstar West, its supposed to be a light fusil or some type.

There were a few manufacturing runs of .69 Brown Bess Muskets by Miruko in the 1970’s with Navy Arms and Dixie Gun Works.

There are even some original commercial Brown Bess Muskets that were bored at .70 to .72 caliber.

I had a .66 cal Light Infantry Carbine (42" bbl) made by Kit Ravenshear. Some Officer's Fusils and light arms used .66 cal/16 bore.

dd832 said:

It's a North Star West Officer's fusil. Unfortunately, North Star West closed in 2016 I believe. I think it was a fantasy musket that was a modified copy of the English 1807 Sergeant's Carbine which was .66 cal with a 37 inch barrel and changed to .69 caliber with a 38 inch barrel with a different sideplate & Bob's Your Uncle - it's now an officer's fusil. Don't get me wrong, a nice weapon though and wouldn't mind owning one!

Mike

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Actually, when Curly Gastomsky owned “Northstar West he supposedly created the “Officers Model” from an existing musket at the Smithsonian. It may not have been a true Officers Model nut it’s a joy to shoot.

shortstart said:

Actually, when Curly Gastomsky owned “Northstar West he supposedly created the “Officers Model” from an existing musket at the Smithsonian. It may not have been a true Officers Model nut it’s a joy to shoot.

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Its hard to tell what guns were originally copied.

Pedersoli’s Brown Bess lock is a copy of a 1755 long land with some improvises to it, longer springs and distinctly different engravings. With the rest of the gun supposedly being a late second model or early third model, as the tapper of the Barrel is more in comparison with the third generation of muskets.

Miruko’s, by Navy Arms Charleville, isn’t actually a copy of a French Charleville, its actually a copy of an Americanized version made to look like a Charleville or it was a copy of a restocked Charleville in later period 1790’s era American Militias.

The Track of the Wolf Long Land Brown Bess, isn’t even a pattern that existed by Willets. Willets didn’t make 1740 long lands (according to Goldstein), Willets made 1755 locks and 1769 locks and pistol locks. The Willets lock is actually a copy of the Clinton Contract Bess Lock casted by Jess Melot of the Rifle Shoppe.

The Miruko Brown Bess is likely a copy of a Nepal Army late second pattern Brown Bess.

dd832 said:

It's a North Star West Officer's fusil. Unfortunately, North Star West closed in 2016 I believe. I think it was a fantasy musket that was a modified copy of the English 1807 Sergeant's Carbine which was .66 cal with a 37 inch barrel and changed to .69 caliber with a 38 inch barrel with a different sideplate & Bob's Your Uncle - it's now an officer's fusil. Don't get me wrong, a nice weapon though and wouldn't mind owning one!

Mike

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Larry zornes at Mold and Gun shop recently accquired the molds and tooling from Matt at North Star.
This kit is now availible lock, stock and barrel from Mold and gun shop Jackson OH.

The measurements were taken from an original gun that Mr Gostomski supplied.
You can ask Mr Zorns for mire informatiom as he did the molds.

This gun was supposed to represent a Rangers type carbine the basic concept was my influence but the devolopment there after was nothing to do with me . I did make numbers of similar carbines the 1756 & 7, Wm the 111 Dragoons, Artillery Carbines , Elliotts first pat 1760 Dragoons, the 1776 Rifle, 1760 Light Infantry & one conjectural Royal Foresters , these being popular with the discerning re enactors .Plus a 1820/27, Bakers series East India Co carbine & a Portugees Pagett . I sort of like the carbines .I have a 1835 Mantons Carbine lock but the rest ile have to knock up but no problem it's on my 'to do' list. Rudyard

Nice looking piece.

Was there a pattern for officers fusils or were they a custom piece to the buyers specs?

Some would be a custom piece that is built to a more or less land pattern musket pattern.

tenngun said:

Was there a pattern for officers fusils or were they a custom piece to the buyers specs?

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There were officers who purchased custom weapons.

There are many of these on example in several museums.

The Rifle Shoppe offers a few patterns.

Jim Chambers also has a British officer's fusil that is more reminiscent of fowler with a full round barrel and a turned breech, its not cut for a bayonet so, it looks more like a civilian gun.

Lisa was said to have had a bess. He was pretty wealthy and could have had a top end gun. I’ve often wondered if it was an officers fusil.

FlinterNick said:

...With the rest of the gun supposedly being a late second model ...The Miruko Brown Bess is likely a copy of a Nepal Army late second pattern Brown Bess.

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IF either is a late SLP, then they are both missing one of the ramrod thimbles....

Actually a lot of the scholars suspect that the musket copied by Pedersoli as their Brown Bess was actually an English Militia Musket, not quite following the proper pattern of the SLP, but very similar and back then nobody making the decisions knew how to tell the difference.

LD

Loyalist Dave said:

IF either is a late SLP, then they are both missing one of the ramrod thimbles....

Actually a lot of the scholars suspect that the musket copied by Pedersoli as their Brown Bess was actually an English Militia Musket, not quite following the proper pattern of the SLP, but very similar and back then nobody making the decisions knew how to tell the difference.

LD

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You mean the flared second thimble ? For the Miruko?

I know when Miruko ceased operations and no longer made their Charleville’s Pedersoli made them for Navy Arms for a short while, they were almost identical then pedersoli designed a new 1766 Charleville. Copying competitor brands is possible.

I could see the pedersoli gun being some type of civilian gun, the stock is much more slender and the barrel is thinner in the breech than the originals.