New rifle

[Russ T Frizzen]

Anyone have a "Buffalo Hunter" version of the Zouave? I picked one up at a gun show today and am curious as to loads. I know Val Forgett used one to take the Big Five in Africa, but I don't need to stoke it up that heavy. I'm thinking 70-80 grains of ffg under a 560 grain Minie. Any thoughts?

 

[Swampman]

I'd try round balls and 3f too.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

If yours still has that silly 1/4" wooden ramrod, I'd first replace that with a steel rod. You could order a Zouave replacement rod from Dixie Gun Works and shorten it as needed. Use a 1/2" dowel rod as a range rod. Even though Dowel rods are cheap wood the 1/2" size should be sturdy enough and like Swampman said I'd try .570 or .575 roundballs with .015 to .018" patches.
Other than the skinny ramrod it should make a fine hunting rifle. :grin:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I have some .57 balls around here someplace and will give them a try.
The rifle does have a small diameter wood rammer which seems a tad frail for the job. The gun has never been fired which probably explains why the rod is still in one piece. I have a length of brass rod that I plan to use in the field. The little wooden stick will be for display only.

 

[biliff]

I've had one for more years than I care to mention. As has been mentioned, ditch the skinny wood ramrod. I replaced mine with a fiberglass one.
I've found 60grains of FFg with a .570 PRB to be pretty accurate for a plinking load out to 50 yards or so. Bump it up to 80 grains for longer shooting/hunting.
I've shot the Hornady great plains slugs in this gun. They are very accurate with the listed load (90 grains if I remember correctly) but the recoil was fierce. Would make a good elk load, though I've never tried them on game.

 

[thehorn]

Anyone have a "Buffalo Hunter" version of the Zouave?

Ever since I was a kid and saw one for the first time in the Ridgefield store of Navy Arms/Service Armament, I wanted one. Still have yet to get one, but always admired their looks. Good luck with yours.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Navy Arms still carries them, but the price is high. Used ones appear in the on-line gun auctions from time to time and Track sometimes has them for a decent price. I was lucky and got mine for less than half the cost of a new one. They are handsome little guns and their size and balance makes them very handy--especially in the woods.

 

[RedFeather]

Nice gun but Forgett apparently used something heavier to take the big five. There was a string here on that subject. Do a search and I think it will be worth your while. When I bought my Zouave in '73 I was contemplating that or the Buffalo Hunter. My old circa '72 Black Powder Digest has a nice write-up on it. I don't think I would cough up over $600 for one, though. Enjoy - that's actually about what a settler heading West would have carried following the Civil War, so it is sort of period-correct for CAS, too.

 

[ronrryan]

I have had one for about twenty years. It is quite accurate with the round ball at about fifty yards, which is as well as I can see anymore. Mine was made by Zoli and, oddly enough, is rifled for the round ball, about one in sixtyish near as I can get. It does NOT shoot minies or maxis or anyies well, only the sphere. I took it hunting a couple years, but never saw a deer when I had it along, only when I had rifled slug guns. I have no doubt it would be big medicine for whitetail, Good smoke, Ron in Fla

 

[silverfox]

Rusty: Buffalo Hunter by Zoli. Good hunting gun, nice looking also. As mentioned probably best with a PRB. It's like the Zoave hard to get to shoot with minies due to the slow rifling. Had one long time ago and settled on the PRB as the most accurate
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I wonder why they don't take to Minies? My old three band Enfield, with an even slower rate of twist, does just fine with them. And, according to Val Forgett, he took the African big five with one of these, using projectiles of over 600 grains. I wonder if they like a tighter fitting bullet than is usually used?

 

[faw3]

Val didnt use this one ,it was a much modfied Hawken shooting a one of a kind mine, I sent out a half dozen copyies of the 5 page story, maybe someone will share one with you Ive put those back in storage. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[RedFeather]

I wonder why they don't take to Minies? My old three band Enfield, with an even slower rate of twist, does just fine with them.

I've never really checked and should, but everything I've read says the early Zoli Zouaves were about a 1:72 twist. Why, I don't know. The BH looks like it was simply a sporterized musket, so it should share the same barrel.