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Granted, I didn't follow any particular style and the metal parts, (except for the barrel) are aluminum.
Being an AR guy, I wasn't very serious when I started the build, so I just used whatever I had in my garage.
Now I have to find somewhere to try it, as no one wants me at their indoor range.

29-Finished.jpg 31-Finished.jpg
 
Granted, I didn't follow any particular style and the metal parts, (except for the barrel) are aluminum.
Being an AR guy, I wasn't very serious when I started the build, so I just used whatever I had in my garage.
Now I have to find somewhere to try it, as no one wants me at their indoor range.

View attachment 3337View attachment 3338
Now THAT is cool! it also shows that a little skill and determination goes a LONG WAY!
Well done sir!
 
It works ! I got to fire several off hand shots behind a friends house. It was a little unnerving pulling the trigger, then waiting for the , "Flash! Bang! I flinched big time, but if had been an elephant, I would have hit it .......and promptly been stepped on.

Not much of a group. 12" ctr.> ctr. at 15 yds. with 50gr. of FFG and a patched 5/8" glass marble.
But, it worked.....Next time I'll try a rest.
First test-2.jpg
 
Last Edited:
I realize that the bell on the end of the barrel was to facilitate loading while onboard a careaning coach,
but what do you use to aim the darn things?

Good question! I think it's more 'point in the general direction and shoot' :D
 
Here is my first, "off the bench" target. The first shot hit in the throat and is on video, but it says it's too long to load..

Only 15 yards, but still not a bad group for patched marbles out of a smoothbore a? I was having a lot of ignition
trouble with FFG in the pan. Next time out, I'll try some 3F, or 4F, and see if the finer powder is more reliable.

I've watched the video several times and I still can't believe I reached over the flash pan with my left hand to adjust the
wick with the safety cover open. Dam! That's an accident waiting to happen if there's a hang fire.

When I got home, I also filled the rear sight opening with solder and re-cut a narrower slot in it to help improve the
sight picture.
Musket Target.jpg
 
Got in some more range time with the Matchlock yesterday. I switched to 4F
powder in the priming pan and the results were quite satisfactory. Only a couple
of slow fires and reasonable accuracy. Shot a 6" 4 shot group with one flyer at
15yds., but at 25yds., looking out of the side of my progressive lens, things went
to crap and I only kept 4 out of 5 on the paper. (Still flinching)

Later my wife said, there had been a deer watching me from one of the butts that must
have felt pretty safe. Kind of brings home the reason they used, volley fire in,
"Them thar days" a?

I'll just keep tinkering and maybe pick up a cheap set of single vision glasses for
bench shooting. Right now the musket is all over my bench again as I want to clean
up some of my inletting and stock work.
37-First 4F target.jpg
 
The "firing mechanism" on that smokewagon is very similar to one on a 500 year-old Ottoman Turk thang my dad bought in Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s. It looks to be made of silver and has a goat's skull for its buttstock. Value unknown; probably very little. Most likely been a century-plus since it was last fired...
 
The "firing mechanism" on that smokewagon is very similar to one on a 500 year-old Ottoman Turk thang my dad bought in Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s. It looks to be made of silver and has a goat's skull for its buttstock. Value unknown; probably very little. Most likely been a century-plus since it was last fired...
Yeah, they're quite a thing. Probably kick like a mule with a .62 cal. lead ball in it. :eek:
I've been using a patched glass marble and 60 gr. of FFG, prime with FFFF. It does the
job and I have fun shooting it.:)
 

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