Bought my first Zouave. Overall it is in excellent condition with a bright and shiny barrel. The front sight has been filed down so it must have been shot previously. It was made in 1974. My RWS musket caps fit loose on the nipple so I'm going to try a new nipple from Track of the Wolf or from the Log Cabin Shop. I'm going to buy Minie balls from the Log Cabin Shop next week, then head to the range when it warms up.
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Navy Arms Zouave
- Thread starter tc45dave
- Start date
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Nice pick up!
Tips
If any way you can slug the bore, use Minies about 0.002" under that size.
Once you know the size, also try the Minies from The Cast Bullet shop, as he gets only $45 for (100), where other places are almost $1 each! Link = www.thecastbulletshop.com
Tips
If any way you can slug the bore, use Minies about 0.002" under that size.
Once you know the size, also try the Minies from The Cast Bullet shop, as he gets only $45 for (100), where other places are almost $1 each! Link = www.thecastbulletshop.com
Get your minies from Lodgewood. They know minies and the guy casting for them is a N-SSA competition shooter. I don't recommend any other commercial source.
For parts for military type guns, there's only a couple reliable sources- Lodgewood, S&S, DixieGW. The others are round ballers.
I'm going order 100 Minies from Lodgewood this week. 100 is his minimum order. I'm getting .575" Lyman Minies in 2 different styles. Depending on how they fit into the bore, I may or may not need to buy a Lee Sizing Kit for $50.
www.lodgewood.com/Bullets_c_7.html
www.lodgewood.com/Bullets_c_7.html
EN
36 Cal.
If you can find the Lee wadcutter minie ball your gun should shoot well. My nephew and I both have zouaves and we don't know why we would bother to shoot any other minie. They work well with pyrodex and black. The mold is hard to find. I believe it is #90475
hunter thompson
45 Cal.
i use roundballs with number 11 nipples ..best accuracy yet. I tried hollow base bullets lighter ones and they werent as accurate as the R.B. all with 60 grains..both roundballs and conicals.
Surfinator58
40 Cal
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2018
- Messages
- 228
- Reaction score
- 370
We use a set of "Zouaves" in our work with Scouts and here's what I shot with one of them when we were setting them up for a 50yd zero. Group is 10 shots fired offhand, rapid fire. Note that this wasn't a load looking for Nth degree accuracy, it's a load we can shoot without wiping all day.
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2018
- Messages
- 117
- Reaction score
- 158
Very nice shooting! I would sure like to see a group you shot with that Zouave from the bench.
I happen to know of one for sale 
If I hang onto mine much longer I’ll have to buy some supplies to shoot it.
If I hang onto mine much longer I’ll have to buy some supplies to shoot it.
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2018
- Messages
- 117
- Reaction score
- 158
Thank you for posting this impressive target dave951. Wish I could do half as well with my old kit-built Zouave.
I have two questions if you don't mind.
1. What is a "Korean" Zouave? I am not familiar with them.
2. Is your lube recipe of beeswax and lard a 50/50 ratio or something else?
Thanks for your time in responding.
There was a run of “Zouaves” made in S Korea and the quality was on par with the best Zolis. One small difference is the patent breech in the Korean ones, even so, they shoot rather well. They are easily identified because the barrels are stamped Korea.
The lube varies a bit based on season. Winter is 50/50 beeswax/lard+coconut oil. Summer months I up the beeswax to about 60%.
That’s some impressive groups there. Zouaves we’re always my favorite guns.
hanshi
Cannon
I once had a Zouave I bought from Navy Arms. I cast both round ball and 500 grn minies for it and used it quite a bit; it was fired a lot. Other than targets the only game I ever took with it was small game, squirrel, etc. I sold it after a few years for some reason or other. This left a hole in my battery that was only filled 20 years ago. I bought a beautiful US M1841 "Mississippi" rifle in the original .54 caliber. That good rifle loves prb and is accurate with the ball and it has killed deer. I didn't hunt with it very much due to it's 10-1/2 pounds. That is a heavy rifle to carry for anyone. I no longer hunt but I still have that fine rifle. The fit & finish is custom gun level and the stock is fine European walnut.
