Who made replica Harpers Ferry 1803's?

[mastadonald]

Hello all, question.........who made 1803 replica's? I mean factory not custom. I know Euroarms and Zoli, anyone else come to mind?

 

[Many Klatch]

The only ones I have seen have all had problems with getting sparks. Part of it is the frizzen hardening and part of the problem is the geometry of the lock.

 

[Henry2357]

Dixie GW has one they sell on the front page of there current news paper.

 

[Dane]

If you want a correct one, that will actually work, you can get one from Don Stith.

 

[Henry2357]

If you want a correct one, that will actually work, you can get one from Don Stith.

Wow, I never had a rifle I purchased from Dixie that wasn't top notch in looks, reliability and accuracy.
From the sounds of it, you must have?

 

[varsity07840]

If you want a correct one, that will actually work, you can get one from Don Stith.

Wow, I never had a rifle I purchased from Dixie that wasn't top notch in looks, reliability and accuracy.
From the sounds of it, you must have?

Take Manny's words to the bank. Dixie imported them, the didn't
make them.

 

[Henry2357]

Understand that, but, I guess each is different, again, never had a problems with any of Dixie's "imports" . Would NOT hesitate to purchase another import from Dixie. Maybe back in the day when the imports were maybe manure,?? times have changed.
The Dixie 1803 was only a suggestion which, still believe the OP would enjoy.

 

[Jaegermeister]

My Zoli was my first flintlock and was very reliable. Wish I still had it.

 

[Grumpa]

I have one of the early Zoli's (.58), a friend bought a couple of cases from Val Forgett. Another friend had to put a couple of brass shims in the lock to get it to work. Lots of misfires (probably due in some part to my lack of knowledge), and when it did go off there was usually a sapling between it and the deer.

The second friend built his own (.54), not a kit, and I got it when he died. It gave me my only flintlock deer. If I do my part, it does its.

With the knowledge I have gained on this Forum, I may try to work on the Zoli if I find the time...before I run out of time! :grin:

 

[Artificer]

I don't remember exactly in the 70's when I got my then new Navy Arms M1803 rifle, but it was before Euroarms began selling them. I had already owned and fired my Navy Arms Brown Bess Carbine a lot in Northwest Trade Gun Matches and it proved very reliable. I had also purchased the Navy Arms .69 caliber "Charleville" Pistol that I fired some and was also very reliable as to the ignition. (It also shot surprisingly well at 25 yards considering it had no sights and the grip was HUGE even for my large hands.) My next purchase, though, was the M1803 rifle and that proved an utter disappointment.

I had been firing both my Brown Bess and a hand built flintlock rifle with an original Siler lock a good deal in competition, so it wasn't like I didn't know what I was doing with flinters, but I could NEVER get that M1803 to spark or go off reliably. We had quite a few folks in our club who shot flinters and some flintlock builders, but no one knew how to fix that M1803. Though I was working on WBTS guns back then, I as yet did not know how to work frizzens and change geometry of the cock. The lock on that rifle was just junk and even though I eventually did learn to case harden frizzens, it did not work on that lock. I thought about trying to "percussion" it for use in WBTS reenacting, but just never got around to it.

I thought I might have been the only person to have such problems with the Italian made M1803's, but I later learned lock problems were significant problems many people reported and I never came across a good way to fix them. I eventually sold mine for use as a "decorator rifle" to be hung over a fireplace and I made sure the new owner knew all the problems I had had with the rifle. He did not care, because he had no interest to shoot it. Since I got the rifle for distributor price in the 70's, when I sold it at a much reduced cost over current retail in the late 80's, I did not lose much money I had originally spent. So at least that was something where I got much of my money back, even figuring the loss from the way the dollar had devaluated over at least a decade. I was GLAD to have gotten rid of it and made some of my money back.

Gus

 

[54ball]

If want a 1803, the Rifle Shoppe/Track of the Wolf / Petaconica River parts set is really the only game in town for a good quality assured rifle you can work with. Re-locking an Italian is not a good option as the Italian locks are so much different than the Davis 1803 lock. That would require a major retrofit of the Italian rifle. Heck, you might as well build one.

As far as I know Don Sith does not offer an 1803, he has a 1792 Contract Rifle.

 

[nit wit]

Grumpa:
I have a Navy Arms. I put a Davis Harpers Ferry lock in it. Minimal in-letting. Huge difference.
Nit Wit

 

[Grenadier1758]

The Rifle Shoppe and Track of the Wolf offer kits.

I bought my kit when ToW sold the Rifle Shoppe kits. Presently the ToW kits are from a different supplier with Davis locks.

My lock was the Rifle Shoppe lock and was assembled by the Rifle Shoppe. I put my kit together before the rifle was found that may be a preproduction 1803. The Rifle Shoppe is now offering the early preproduction 1800 rifle based on the serial number 15 found in St. Louis a few years ago.

 

[rich pierce]

Gus, the only fix I heard of for the bad 1803 locks was to cut the front part of the reinforced cock, removing about 1/8", bending till the cut edges met again, and brazing or welding it shut. That changed the angle of attack of the cock to the frizzen and turned it from a "pecker" to a "slicer"..

 

[Artificer]

Gus, the only fix I heard of for the bad 1803 locks was to cut the front part of the reinforced cock, removing about 1/8", bending till the cut edges met again, and brazing or welding it shut. That changed the angle of attack of the cock to the frizzen and turned it from a "pecker" to a "slicer"..

Wow, wished I had heard of that years ago. Thank you. I could have done everything but the welding as I am not a welder, but it would not have been a problem getting someone to weld the cock for me.

Gus

 

[bob308]

I have a zoli in .58. it sparks good only problem was the touch hole was too low. moved it up. it is a very reliable rifle now.

 

[rich pierce]

I think it was the Navy Arms ones that gave the 1803 a bad rap for a while.

 

[jefair1]

Pedersoli now has a .54 Cal 1803. Saw an ad for it the other day.

 

[Salukiwhippet]

That is exactly what I've just done to mine, plus faced the frizzen with a section of saw blade. Not done a great deal with it since it's surgery but it certainly seems better. Was my first flintlock and so has some sentimental value! Mines a .58" smoothie.