I just picked up this; Attached File

Attached File

And I have a few questions;
-Are parts available for this? It’s missing the lower sling swivel.
-Is there a 209 primer conversion for this? I can’t find caps anywhere.
-what is a good load for it? Round ball or Minnie? I have a few pounds of pyrodex RS that I can’t use in my flintlocks-I hope it will work in this.
Thanks!

check Lodgewood.

they have repro and original parts.

https://www.lodgewood.com

Should be .58 cal, minie can be more accurate but also more expensive.

Its basically a copy of the Springfield, parts should not be too hard to find. I assume its an Italian judging from the  excellent condition.

Nipple conversions are cheap and available many places on the web.

Dont know about the pyrodex, I use Goex and 777 in my Springfield.

Yes, Italy, Armisport I believe. I need to measure the boar to figure out what size mini ball it will take. I would much rather prefer to get a mold and make them myself.
Thanks for the contacts!

That looks like a rifle-musket, three barrel bands/40 inch barrel-- a proper 1855 rifle would have a 32 inch barrel and only two bands. When Stonewall Jackson looted and burned the Harpers Ferry Armory, a lot of rifles were assembled from the parts at the original Palmetto Armory, a lot of them with fragmentary Maynard locks (the back plate with the high hump and the high-arched hammer) replacing the tape primers, which were never popular with troops or anybody else, with nipples for regulation caps.  There was also a musketoon with one band and a 24 inch barrel, but I have only seen pictures of them in the Armory documentation from before the War. I've been trying to get the parts for an 1855 lock together to build a rifle on for quite a while now, being a damn poor has not helped-- (In the interest of full disclosure, I may or may not have once been Sgt in a Louisiana Zouave reenactor unit)

ETA: Should be bored for .58 Minie balls, will feel about like shooting slugs in a 20 gauge shotgun

Thanks,
I found a conversion, and a friend has the mould for the Minnie balls. He has some cast already, so I’ll try them out.
He also has some caps so I might try it out this weekend.
I found that a good load for pyrodex RS is between 80 and 90 grains. But I might start out light at around 60 grains and see how it shoots.

Looks like Powder Valley has CCI musket caps in stock as of this post, although I have no idea the shipping situation for AK.

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product-category/reloading-supplies/primers/?pr_stock=instock&wpf_order=title

Edit: And they are already gone.  But I have seen them appear and disappear a few times this week.

I’ve got the same one  tredager iron works Richmond.  Awesome gun. You will get many, many years of enjoyment out of it.


Grew up walking distance from original Tredager iron works. Played in the ruins almost daily.

I checked on caps from powder valley, if I order, looks like additional $40 for ship and hazmat. Sometimes that will change at checkout. Just don’t think I need 1000 caps though.
I will see what my friend has this weekend, plus I did order the 209 conversion, yes I know it’s not historically correct, but for range practice I think it will be great.
I think the 4 pounds of RS will last for awhile.plus I saw some 777 at a local store.

Chiappa USA is great to work with- in Ohio I think.  Call them and they can hook you up.

The load for this type rifle-musket is 65 gr M powder (2fg) under a .575 3 skirt Minie ball. Various Arsenals may have varied the load +/- 5 grs.

Thanks for the info.
I tried to send an email to Chiappa about parts, but it’s not going through.

Try this:
+1.937.835.5000

I finally got my bullet mould, and started cranking them out.
Attached File

Got busy with other projects, but I finally took it to the range this morning. Shoots like a champ, but the trigger pull is atrocious. Can they be tuned up to give a better Feel?
And also how do you adjust the rear sight?

Musket triggers are usually heavy. You could smooth it some, but they got big durable mainsprings. You don’t adjust the rear for windage, but it should have a flipper for elevation.

OK...take yourself over to the North-South Skirmish Association (www.n-ssa.org) and check their bulletin board.  They are the experts on the rifle-musket.  Minie balls must be pure lead.  No alloy.  Size to .001 below bore diameter.  Best accuracy will be with loads of about 45 grains of 3F.  Triggers can be tuned up, we normally have ours set to 3.25 lbs.  Most N-SSA shooters will replace the front sight with a taller one for match use, get the gun zeroed with that.

Shots were to the right when I bench rested the rifle, but these were the first shots and I was getting used to the trigger as well. All fired at 50 yards.
Then I shot some standing and was more to center mass, but a much larger group.
I don’t think elevation will be an issue.
I was using 50 grains of Pyrodex RS, ignited by a 209 primer. A 460 gr minie ball lubed with beeswax/crisco mix. ( I’m saving my real black powder for the flintlocks)
I do have the 510 gr minie mold to make the ones shown above, but I wanted to start out with the lighter loads first.
Bullets went in tight initially, but after the first 6-8” it went smoother.
Shots were clean entry, no keyholes.