Loading a musket?

[pepperbelly]

I finally shot my musket last weekend and had a problem. I had taken both blue and red stripe pillow ticking lubed with BB. I could not start the prb with either. The rb measures at .678"- it's a .69 caliber Pedersoli. I shot with just a ball- and yes, it does get dirty that way!
I read on the Pedersoli site that the barrel has a tapered bore. If I pound on the prb and manage to start it without cutting the patch should it be OK?
How hard should I pound on it? I read about guys using mallets to start them.
I also read that I should try some .662" balls, but I am limited in my choice locally.

Ideas?

Jim

 

[Rebel]

You normally use a .020"-.030" under bore size ball in a smoothbore. There is no rifling for the patch material to compress into. Your .678 ball will work but you will need a thin patch. Try putting an overpowder wad or half a lubed fiber cushion wad over the powder then the thin patched rd ball. Or just use the ball with wad. Pour your powder, put in an overpowder wad and seat it on the powder, then start a half a lubed fiber cushion wad just below the muzzle, center your ball on it sprue up and then put a thin overshot card wad on top and ram it all down. Give both ways a try and see which works best until you can get some .662 balls.

 

[longfowler]

don't pound on it, you need a much thinner patch! that size ball is meant to be shot bare in that size bore. A .678 ball in a .690 bore leaves only .012 windage total around the ball - .006 on each side of the ball. that pillow ticking materiel is usualy .015-.018, way to tight. find some thing more like .010 and use a wad under the ball to prevent the patch from burning through. better yet, find (or cast) some smaller ball, like the .662, and use a thick denim patch. I can't help you with the "tapered bore", is this a turkey gun with full choke? if so, you might have to stick with the bare ball, just use the wads and you may be suprised with your accuaracy.

 

[torn moc]

No Sweat...just juse a thinner patch with the .678 balls....
or use .662 balls....cheapest if you cast your own....but Never hammer the ball down the bore...
needing to "hammer" means your patch is tooooo
thick...
You will get the hang of it ...just keep trying till you find what combo works without hammering... :thumbsup:

 

[pepperbelly]

Thanks guys!
Longfowler it is a Pedersoli 1777 Charleville Corrige An IX musket. It is a replica of the French infantry wepon Napolen's troops used.
I will see if I can find some thinner patch material or smaller balls.

Jim

 

[Wes/Tex]

Just so you know, the French military load then was a .63" ball in a paper wrapped cartridge. I saw your post about front sights and the bayonet lug which substituted for a front sight, per say. By putting the cheek on the stock at the same spot each time it is possible to shoot a military musket with what might be called reasonable accuracy. The French used skirmishing screens with enough success that the other European countries scrambled to figure out how to deal with them. Only the British really found a successful deterrent.

 

[pepperbelly]

Wes, this is the description I found on several sites selling this musket, apparently all copied from the Pedersoli site.

Pedersoli 1777 "Corrige An IX" Charleville Musket

An exact copy of the famous French flintlock musket modified and employed during the 9th year of the French Revolutions. Different from the “Revolutionnaire” model in that the “Corrige An IX” has 3 barrel bands held in place with retaining springs instead of screws. The frizzen is also slightly different and the lockplate is marked differently. This reproduction features a European walnut fullstock 57" long with satin finish, 1 3/4" drop and 12 3/4" trigger pull. Barrel is armory bright .69 caliber smoothbore, round tapered 1.260" at breech to .850" at muzzle. Flintlock uses 1" flints. All steel furniture is armory bright. Three barrel bands held with retaining springs, sling swivels. Steel ramrod with trumpet shaped head and 10x32 thread. Gun is 59 1/2" in overall length and weighs 10 1/4 lbs. Load with 60 grains FFg black powder and patched .680 round ball. Made by Pedersoli in Italy.

They state that it is an exact copy and is .69 caliber. The rb they suggest is actually a little larger than the one I tried. I will try to find thinner patches, but that's tough in this size. Pillow ticking is all too thick.
One site said the 1777 musket, the model just before mine, is a .66 caliber.
The .678" ball dropped easily down my barrel.
Oh yeh, I re-read the description. My barrel is slightly tapered, not the bore. I have no idea what I was thinking!

Jim

 

[smoothbore69]

I have done a good deal of experimenting with patches and wadding in my smoothbores. I find that they shoot just as well at 50 yards without patches. Your loading will be much easier if you do away with having to force the ball down the bore.
Pine straw, grass not completely dried, leave that aren't dried up- all make good wadding.
If you look back at what many used in the past, you will find many references to the use of wadding in smoothbores.

Chris Quattlebaum

 

[squirejohn]

Pillow ticking doesn't compress very much. Cotton drill about .015 may compress enough to load OK. Take your micrometer to a fabric store and buy a few small pieces of various size cotton drill or other tight weave cotton material and try it out.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Have you checked your musket's bore diameter yet? It is likely .685 not .69 so you need to take that into consideration. I have a .680 diameter mold that I shoot unpatched in both reproduction (currently a M1842 - .685 bore) and original muskets (Whitney M1798 - .695 bore and Virginia Manufactury 2nd model musket dated 1817 - .705 bore as well as others over the years) and it does very well that way so the best bet on your .678 may be unpatched? I also shoot US standard .64 diameter balls cast from an original mold with denim patches and have good luck with that as well. The .64 does surprisingly well unpatched or with correctly made paper cartridges as well, use 16 pound bond paper on the .64 ball. Don't be afraid of a bare ball, but hey, what do I know.... :wink:

 

[pepperbelly]

The only problem I have shooting a bare ball is the amount of fouling it leaves. The first 2 rounds I shot at 25 yards with a bare ball had the second ball cut the hole the first made.

When you say drill cloth do you mean the thin drill like used for pockets?

I prefer a patch not only to make it more accurate but to cut down on the fouling.

Jim

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Understood, to each his own. You will want to look for a smaller mould, something in the neighborhood of the .662 mentioned above. Whatever you do, you will really enjoy shooting and learning about the military musket, they have given me a lot of enjoyment over the years, even when I was the only one shooting them.

 

[Rebel]

If you are loading the bare ball correctly there won't be any more fouling than with a patch. Load your powder, an overpowder wad and then half a lubed fiber cushion wad, the ball, and thin a thin overshot card wad on top. The wads scrape the fouling off and lube the bore.

 

[pepperbelly]

Thanks Rebel. If I can figure out what patch to use that sounds easier to use than the wads, etc.
When I shot it the patches I had were too thick to use, but I had taken it and wanted to shoot it, so I poured the powder, dropped the ball down the bore, tapped it gently with the rod and fired. Having 2 holes touching, even at only 25 yards, with it loaded like that is encouraging. The bore did have a slight amount fouling though. I tried to wipe the bore and, like the big dummy I am, didn't think about the tulip-shaped rod end slipping off the patch and leaving it in there. DOH! It shot out just fine, but I need a better way.

Jim

 

[bingo1952]

Next time you find yourself with patches that are too thick lube them and run a couple down on top of the powder and then load your bare ball. Some of the lube will vaporize and help keep your fouling a little softer. You won't get the scrubbing effect that you do with a patched ball but it is better than nothing.

 

[pepperbelly]

Runnball, hopefully I won't go that unprepared again, but that is a good idea in case I do.
Thanks,
Jim