1863 Remington Zouave Sighting

[Sham66]

Howdy!

Just got a Euro Arms 1863 Remington Zouave. Couldn't resist as Dixie has them "on sale", and I have always wanted a Civil War musket. As soon as it came, I disassembled and cleaned.

Yesterday at the range was kind of a disaster. At the range where I shoot, the officer has to witness you hitting the paper at 50 yards before you can continue to shoot or move to 100 yards. Also, you have to shoot through a tunnel to prevent overshooting into the adjacent skeet range and golf course.

Two shots into it, the officer cannot tell where it struck, just that it did not hit paper. We went to the .22 range and tried 25 yards. Hit the backboard high, but missed the paper. Back to the 50 yard, can't tell. OK, the officer says to shoot into the dirt in front of the tube at a certain point (about 10 yards away). Right as I was aiming, I realized I dryballed it and went home. The range officer said to come back and he would help me out again.

Hopefully this weekend I can go out to a friend's property in the country and work this out. Maybe start at 10 yards and work backwards.

The sights on this gun are interesting as there are three settings and they flip up based on distance. They are loose on the gun and flop up and down, but side to side is tight. These are fixed and not adjustable.

My question for those who are familiar with this rifle. Should the front sight line up with the top of the rear sight? May be a dumb question, but I want to make sure I am getting it right.

The load:
60 gr. Goex FF
.575 hand cast ball from TOTW
Pre-lubed patch from Ox-Yoke

The ball was difficult to get started in the barrell, but pushed down easily.

Thanks!

James

 

[walruskid1]

i had the same rifle and it shot about 2 feet high at 50 yds. i put the top of the blade in the bottom of the notch. i bought an extra rear blade and filed it deeper. some guys drill a peep hole low in the blade. some .575 minnies may work for you.

 

[Big John]

I have the same rifle. Problem is that the three leafs that are your rear sights are for 100yd. 200yd. and 300yds. You will find that the front sight is too low for 50yds unless you compensate for the rear sight. Try 60gr. of ff and a 530gr. minnie ball, should be approx. 2in. high and right on at 100yds. I use .577 minnie ball from Track of the Wolf mold is 577611. Try that for starters. p.s.Sink the bead into the rear sight vee.

 

[Plains99]

Welcome to the world of almost all Civil War Replicas! I've had them shoot high, two feet to the right, two feet to the left and so forth. I have yet to run into any that were even close except for a Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter which had totally different sights.

 

[jan buck]

i have the same rifle-and the same problem. i shoot 440 gr lee real bullets, cast and round balls. they hit at 2 o'clock 10" high. hopefully i'll be able to put a lower rear sight on some day and hunt with it. chopper

 

[silverfox]

Zoave's they seem to be one of the hardest of the CW guns to get to shoot. It takes trying a lot of different combinations to get them right but then they are fun to have when you figure them out. Due to the slow rifling they seem to work better with the patched RB unless you get lucky and get the right minnie. As has been mentions already the sights are a big problem for 50 to 100 yard shooting, most change or modify their sights. If you don't plan to shoot civil war matches first try adding a little height to your front sight.
Solder, glue, or tape to get about 1/8" and try that. If you are shooting to one side or the other you can stick it on the side of the sight a nd try that. If it is close just open the rear V on one side to move your sight picture. You could also deepen the V to move POA down a little.
Good luck and have fun working it out.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[omgb]

I bought one of those Dixie Zuaves about 5 years ago. I fought/struggled/cried/beat my head against the wall and tried just about everything but Vodoo to get it to shoot. I even had the sights from an 1895 model Krag mounted on it. I tried every dang mould combination you can think of. Lyman, RCBS, Hotch, SAECO and Lee. Finally, I tried the Lee target minie and viola! cloverleafs at 50 yards. I love/hate that rifle. It is at once, a POS and a fine gun. The trigger was ccrud so I had a smith do a trigger job and that helped a great deal. I like to fiddle so this gun was as fun as it was frustrating. Sort of like a puzzle that strains your brain almost to the point of insanity but the process is such a pay-off you can't leave it alone. Good luck with your Zuave

 

[Sham66]

Thanks! You folks were right on. Shooting way high. Burying the front sight into the rear sight worked, but the front sight is already blurry to me and I found myself "losing" the front sight.

Peepholing or deepening the rear sight is most likely going to be the next move. Or somehow adding to the front sight.

James

 

[Sham66]

Dixie sells a "sniper sight" for the 1863 Zouave. But there is no picture. It's $29.95. Anyone know what this looks like?

James

 

[Leatherbark]

The so called "Sniper sight" that Dixie sells is probably a gimmick.......It is a circular band that slips over the end of the barrel with a thumb screw to hold it tight........On top of the band is another smaller circular piece with a crosshair in it...........I doubt anyone uses it...........What you can do is file down the front sight and slot it to take a soldered in blade that is taller.........Or do like other people and build up the front sight with "J B Weld".......and shape it with a file................I have built up front sights like on the Zouave with soft solder and reshaped............Bob

 

[RedFeather]

I have the "sniper sight". It is a band that slips over the muzzle and snugs with a side set screw. Atop this is a little globe with a sheet-metal + inside. Mine is a bit crooked. I haven't really used it, as that screw is bound to mark up the barrel and it probably doesn't work, anywho. I don't even know what the measurement from mid-bore to sight center is, to see if it lines up with the first leaf of the rear sight. Will bet it do not.

 

[walruskid1]

drilling a peep as low as possible in the rear blade works pretty good. :thumbsup:

 

[jan buck]

thats a good idea, never even considered that. all i know is i've had that zouave since'99 and tinkered with it here and there. i even put on a rear sight from a rem. 700 i have in my junk box. it actually worked til it came loose. it was low enough. but now it sets in the gun cabinet. maybe next year i'll mess with it. chopper

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Most folks try to use a ball or light Minie in these rifles, and it rarely works out well. I use a 560 grain Minie in all of my rifle muskets and 60 to 70 grains of ffg. This load gives good accuracy and plenty of power. The same load is also good in my Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter.

 

[arquebus]

Hello,
I also have a Euroarms Zouave, that I bought new about nine years ago. I was originally using FFg powder with various Minies & was getting very eratic accuracy. I then tried FFFg & the groups immediately shrunk & I have never looked back (except to reconfirm that MY Zouave doesn't like FFg by trying it again). I use 55gns of Goex FFFg with a 615gn Minie sized to a hair under bore diameter & lubed with SPG (grooves only). I have been shooting the same load for years now & get very good accuracy at 100m. As far as sighting goes, I always like to have the top of the front sight level with the top of the rear. As my shooting is always at either 100yds or 100 meters, on the ISU 50m pistol target, the lowest sight leaf on the Zouave is pretty much on with either a 6 o'clock or dead on hold (depending on the light, etc.). However, I also shortened the middle leaf to be a little higher than the first one & that way I've always been able to get a good sight picture regardless of the range I'm shooting on in various parts of the country & overseas. As for the windage, my Zouave has a screw that holds the rear sight to the barrel (two dimples, no slot), & the sight sits in a flat that has been machined into the top of the barrel. I found that by loosening the screw I can pivot the sight a little either to the left or right & this has solved most all of my windage problems that I have encountered due to light, & range direction, etc. I think this sight mounting arrangement is common on most Zouave replicas & possibly originals(?). My Zouave is the least expensive muzzleloading rifle I own, but it is also one of the most satisfying to shoot, it is very consistent & is one of my favourites. The only changes I have made to it are bedding it to comply with MLAIC rules (no synthetic bedding material allowed), smoothing up the trigger a little & modifying the height of the middle sight leaf. Hope this has helped.