? for Pedersoli 1777 Charelville owners

[Texas Moon]

After many years of wanting I finally ordered a Pedersoli 1777 Charleville from DGW. Its due to arrive shortly.
I was hoping to have a few questions answered about this particular firearm.

What bore size is this thing exactly? Everyone says .69.
I want to order a roundball mould and try patched roundball shooting.
Will measure the bore on the gun when it arrives and go from there.
I'll also make up some Buck and Ball loads.

What size flint are you having the best luck with?
Ordered some 1" English flints with the gun. Are the 3/4" better?

Does the ramrod have a threaded end? What thread pitch?

Which bayonet fits the best?

Thanks

 

[Loyalist Dave]

It's a .690... you will probably want .680 ball or .675...but not patched. Better to shoot a bare ball, or to use a paper cup to snug it up to bore size...for accurate shooting. If you decide to try rapid fire as they did for military fighting, you might want to try .670 or even .665 ball. 2Fg black powder for live shooting...black powder substitutes WILL NOT DO for a flinter...

If you make buck-n-ball loads, the three buckshot go in first, then you crimp the paper cartridge with the string over the buckshot, then add the ball, then crimp the cartridge again with string, then add the powder. You load the powder from the cartridge, then invert the cartridge, and ram it home so the buckshot is closest to the powder.

3/4 flints, English, do very well. Napped not saw cut flints.

The main springs on these tend to be very robust, so pulling to full cock is often a chore. But that makes for a very reliable spark generation...so no need to buy the expensive French "amber" flints.

The threads on the ramrod should be metric 6mm x 1mm I think

The Pedersoli brand, Charleville bayonet is what fits..or should... they are often finicky...

LD

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Dave: I am about 3/4 finished with my Brown Bess kit so I can join the world of musketry, but I have a question. Why would you not patch a .15 undersize ball in a musket? What holds the ball tight against the powder? Isn't the fit of the patch and ball just as important in a smooth bore as it is in a rifled barrel?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

An Excellent Question!

The rifle has the grooves, so the patch uniformly folds around the ball in a consistent manner each and every shot.

The smooth bore does not allow for this consistency, and you don't find any references to folks cloth patching their smooth bores...which I thought was wierd, as rifles were known,... so the patched, round ball was too...until I found that accuracy was often better from my smooth bores with either a bare ball very close to the interior diameter (say a .610 in a .620 barrel) OR... a smaller ball in a paper cartridge that acted as a consistent "patch" around the ball...like a shotcup of sorts...say a .590 ball, with a paper cartridge that makes the outside diameter .612 or so, loaded into a .620 barrel.

So you find historic references to powder, wad, bareball, and overshot card...or a big hunk of tow, the bare ball, and a little more tow on top....the wad seals the bore from gases escaping around the ball. I've used two 1/8" hard, fiber wads with good effect.

LD

 

[Texas Moon]

Thanks for the responses.

The 1777 just arrived via Big Brown Truck of Happiness.

Where can a guy find a carrying case for this behemoth?
Can standard 20 gauge shotgun implements be used? I'm not a re-enactor so historically correct gear isn't needed.

Ordering more goodies from TotW today! LoL

 

[4v50 Gary]

Try Log Cabin Shop. I forgot who made my aluminum case for my smokepoles.

 

[eastbank]

take a small square(6") patch cloth lube it and after loading powder drape over muzzle and push your ball in flush with the end of the barrel and cut it off, that will center your ball in the patch . i have a friend who has a 12ga flintlock folwer(smoothbore) shotgun and by doing that has killed several deer at close to 60 yds. eastbank.

 

[StrawHat]

An Excellent Question!

The rifle has the grooves, so the patch uniformly folds around the ball in a consistent manner each and every shot.

The smooth bore does not allow for this consistency, and you don't find any references to folks cloth patching their smooth bores...which I thought was wierd, as rifles were known,... so the patched, round ball was too...until I found that accuracy was often better from my smooth bores with either a bare ball very close to the interior diameter (say a .610 in a .620 barrel) OR... a smaller ball in a paper cartridge that acted as a consistent "patch" around the ball...like a shotcup of sorts...say a .590 ball, with a paper cartridge that makes the outside diameter .612 or so, loaded into a .620 barrel.

So you find historic references to powder, wad, bareball, and overshot card...or a big hunk of tow, the bare ball, and a little more tow on top....the wad seals the bore from gases escaping around the ball. I've used two 1/8" hard, fiber wads with good effect.

LD

Interesting information. I, too, would have thought a cloth patch would have been the answer for civilians. Military had to make do with what was researched and issued.

I have an older Charleville (from Navy Arms, unknown maker). I use a cloth patched round ball and enjoy shooting out to about 100 yards for plinking. Hunting is usually half of that, unless I can sneak in even closer.

I may have to try the paper patched round ball.

 

[MEHavey]

DO Spit patch the ball ("smoothly tight") the same as you would a rifle. (SpitDamp patch between shots.)**

It does make quite a difference.
Please See: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=551324&highlight=pedersoli






**
(Undersize balls for rapid-fire/no-cleaning military reqm'ts are a different kettle of fish)

 

[Texas Moon]

For sure will try the patched RB.
Will use the good lube on the patch that I use on the felt wads in the C&B revolvers.
Ordered some various sizes of RB today to experiment which one works best.
Also ordered some thread adaptors for making up a range rod. All the ones I have are too short! That barrel is loooooong. LOL!

 

[Mike OTDP]

Patch the ball. Also, stipple it...roll it between two coarse rasps. It's like the dimples on a golf ball, you're reducing base drag by making the boundary layer more turbulent.