Bess is on the way!

[Stormrider51]

I just got email notification that Middlesex Village has shipped my East India Brown Bess.  It's coming via UPS and scheduled delivery is the 22nd.  I have everything I need to start wringing it out except for some tow.  I'll get that ordered.

John

[greggholmes]

 :hey-hey

[greggholmes]

i make paper cartridges by taking news print and a dowel with a concave end.
i use .735 RB put the ball on the end of the dowel and wrap the paper around and glue it with a glue stick.
glue the paper over the ball and pull it off of the dowel. i used 80 grains of 2f then fold over the end and glue it down with the glue stick.
Ill post some pics tonight of the ones i have made up.

[Stormrider51]

Thanks, Greg.  The first thing I intend to do when it gets here is to run a thick patch down the bore on a jag and feel if there are any tight or loose places.  Then I'm going to look at that front sight and see if it can be made more functional.  Once I start to shoot I intend to try traditional paper cartridges.  I also intend to try patched balls and balls sandwiched between wads of tow.  Whichever one proves best will get fired at longer ranges.  Once I'm done with that I will try shot loads.  

John

[Bigsmoke]

That front "sight" is a triffle wide, isn't it?  Probably wouldn't be so fat if it didn't have to hold a bayonette on, doncha know.
I would think that if you are not thinking about using a bayonette on it, you could file it down, or I have even seen a discrete bead mounted on top of the sight.  You might want to see how it shoots first before you do anything.  If it is high, adding that bead could be a good idea.
Have fun with it.
John

[Stormrider51]

Yeah, I'm not a reenactor and I've never had any urge to start bayoneting things.  I'm about as far from PC/HC as a person can get.  I'm already thinking that a pass down each side of the sight on a milling machine would make it a lot more shooter friendly.  
That would make filing the sight down easier if that proves necessary.
John

[Bigsmoke]

Good Idea, John.
And look on the bright side of things, if you ever did decide that a bayonette would be a good thing to have, there is always plug bayonettes.
I would still think about getting some sighting shots off, though.  If you do have to add some height to the front sight, you might weld a bead on top then clean the whole thing up with a couple of passes through the mill.
By the way, I cannot recall anyone ever telling me I was too PC/HC myself.  Like you, far from it.  
John

[greggholmes]

I'm trying to get more correct in my gear. I do late 1860s fur trade rondys,

[greggholmes]

My "back story" is William holmes captured my bess in the war of 1812

[Stormrider51]

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the HC/PC folks.  I admire and respect the dedication they put into researching and replicating our past.  I have been doing something along those lines in the past few months.  I've been learning to make flint points and tools using stone age technology.  But here again, I don't feel that I need to dress in skins while sitting in my little grove of trees and bashing rocks together.  That's my choice.  When it comes to the Brown Bess I'm not as interested in how the British Army used it as I am in how the average colonist may have.  What degree of accuracy is it capable of given the best loading?

John

[greggholmes]

I agree

[greggholmes]

this is my home made cartridge box


my cartridge .735 round ball 80grns of 2f then coated the ball with a mix of bees wax olive oil and just for fun a little powdered graphite.

[Stormrider51]

Looks good, Greg.  I'll be making some cartridges up over the weekend.

John

[TallTexan]

Watching this one to see how things turn out.

[Stormrider51]

The Bess arrived yesterday.  I'll start the accuracy evaluation later this morning.