Rogers rangers musket photos please?

[Florida airgunner]

Hi all. this is my first post although i have been reading on this forum for quite some time now.

I'm planning on purchasing my first flintlock soon, and im thinking about getting the rogers rangers musket from military heritage. Its a cut down brown bess with a 34 inch barrel. Im about 5 foot 6 so im thinking it would be the perfect size for me. It would be very helpful to see some photos of the whole gun from people who have it . I dont want to turn this thread into something about the quality or safety of the guns please. Thank you very much.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Your height has nothing to do with how long your gun should be.
Frenchman in the 18th century were less than five four but they had guns with 53 inch barrels, or longer.

 

[Daveboone]

At the same time, any Brown Bess is cool, And would be fun….We live in the Rangers stomping grounds, and I always thought it would be great fun to join a RR reenactment group.
Get the gun you want….and have fun!

 

[Tumbledown]

Is there any historical evidence of Rogers' Rangers using muskets with 34" barrels? The standard musket was 46", while the Rangers may have cut 4-8" off to increase handling and refresh the muzzle.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Documentation is considered pretty sketchy about any shortening of ranger muskets. Some say yes, some say no.

 

[Florida airgunner]

Is there any historical evidence of Rogers' Rangers using muskets with 34" barrels? The standard musket was 46", while the Rangers may have cut 4-8" off to increase handling and refresh the muzzle.

I'm not sure, however military heritage calls it a rogers rangers so I'm going to address it as that. I do wish the barrel was a little longer in the 36 inch range however.

 

[springfield art]

Hi all. this is my first post although i have been reading on this forum for quite some time now.

I'm planning on purchasing my first flintlock soon, and im thinking about getting the rogers rangers musket from military heritage. Its a cut down brown bess with a 34 inch barrel. Im about 5 foot 6 so im thinking it would be the perfect size for me. It would be very helpful to see some photos of the whole gun from people who have it . I dont want to turn this thread into something about the quality or safety of the guns please. Thank you very much.

I think your take on the gun relative to your size is right on! Also, kudos to you for not wanting the thread to turn! You are on the right track, I wholly agree with you, and wish you the best of success. I'm gonna look up that musket just for curiosity's sake, I almost bought a MH Trade Gun but stumbled upon a Gostomski instead. Best regards!

 

[Florida airgunner]

Your height has nothing to do with how long your gun should be.
Frenchman in the 18th century were less than five four but they had guns with 53 inch barrels, or longer.

yes however I plan on hunting with my musket in thick swamps so I want something manageable for me.

 

[2 shots]

i have a pedersoli bess that was cut down to a 35 inch barrel. it was done nicely and handles well. if you get the full size bess you can make it as you want it. shorten, reshape stock, ect. check out Dave Persons threads. have fun.

 

[stevenj4810]

FR0600 Dixie Brown Bess Trade Gun Kit

This is a kit version and will have the same features as the FR0665 when completed. This reproduction features a one-piece, American walnut fullstock, 42" long with 2 1/2" drop and 14" trigger pull. Barrel is 30 1/2" long .75 caliber, tapered round 1.250" at breech to .900" at muzzle...

www.dixiegunworks.com

Dixie has a Ranger Bess with a 30 inch barrel as a kit. I built two Pedersoli kits before. They do all the hard work for you of barrel channel, lock mortises, ramrod thimbles pinned, barrel pinned, and front sight soldered. You just sand the stock and metal finishings then stain the wood. I have handled the India made guns it is a gamble. Pedersoli is way better.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I have had no trouble hunting anywhere with a gun with a 48" barrel. Maybe I'm more talented than most.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Mold and Gun Shop sells a “British Officers Model ( Rogers Rangers) as a kit or in the white.

 

[tenngun]

We don’t know what real RR muskets looked like. However you get the gun you want. I just got a loyalist arms gun and very happy with it.
But this isn’t about Indian guns, it’s about usefulness. I like long guns in looks and I don’t find them a handicap in the tall timber.
I doubt even the strictest juried event will look askance at your gun.
It is all about what makes you happy. I had a bess cut off to thirty inches and it was a hoot to shoot.
There is no practical reason to have a longer gun then you want
And for all talk about what old guns were like non military people did all sorts of ‘field modifications’
And I’m willing to bet when Cornwallis fell in to Yorktown there were all sorts of kings muskets that had all sorts of field modifications that wouldn’t match the king’s standards. You can bet after the running fights there were a lot of besses that the armoror had to repair on the run and modified as he could to keep servicable

 

[Trot]

I like the long barrel, even in heavy brush. My Carolina gun, some guy in Iowa made for me, , suits me fine.

 

[Grenadier1758]

At the time of Robert Rogers and his Rangers, the forests were old growth virgin forests with none to very little invasive undergrowth. There would have been little advantage in handling qualities of a shorter barreled musket. Any speculation that Rogers had the King's property cut down is just that speculation. There are accounts of letting the barrels go from shiny bright to brown. There are accounts of short sections of barrels found on Rogers Island. But no account that authorizes the shortening of barrels.

 

[Ed Pilkington]

Here’s my outfit fellow Ranger…

 

[Fitzhugh Williams]

There were pieces of musket barrel found on Rogers Island leading to the conclusion that the Rangers muskets were cut down. The pieces found were from 2" to 4" in length and probably removed due to damage to the end of the barrel. The muskets were originally 46" in length so a "cut down" musket would have been no shorter than 42". I once discussed this with a well-known builder and his conclusion was that a cut-down musket would have been the result of some sort of barrel damage. He showed me an example he owned and it was easy to see that the barrel was thinner on one side than the other resulting in a burst barrel.

 

[Florida airgunner]

We don’t know what real RR muskets looked like. However you get the gun you want. I just got a loyalist arms gun and very happy with it.
But this isn’t about Indian guns, it’s about usefulness. I like long guns in looks and I don’t find them a handicap in the tall timber.
I doubt even the strictest juried event will look askance at your gun.
It is all about what makes you happy. I had a bess cut off to thirty inches and it was a hoot to shoot.
There is no practical reason to have a longer gun then you want
And for all talk about what old guns were like non military people did all sorts of ‘field modifications’
And I’m willing to bet when Cornwallis fell in to Yorktown there were all sorts of kings muskets that had all sorts of field modifications that wouldn’t match the king’s standards. You can bet after the running fights there were a lot of besses that the armoror had to repair on the run and modified as he could to keep servicable

i think i will get a full length gun then. i have always been drawn to the looks of a full length musket.

 

[rudy43norvelle]

I have the shortened version of a Brown Bess from Loyalist Arms. I like the way it feels, however whatever is best for you. I also have a Pedersoli Land Pattern Brown Bess which I also like.

 

[smoothshooter]

Is there any historical evidence of Rogers' Rangers using muskets with 34" barrels? The standard musket was 46", while the Rangers may have cut 4-8" off to increase handling and refresh the muzzle.

Okay! Heeerrre we go!!