dave parks

[perry]

Working on a wm moore muzzle loader just browned the barrels and the triger guard and waxeed them,sanded the stock,and added beeswax,alchinut root linseed oil wax polish,japan drier. got new nipples in the mail today .260 x 28 the gun dose not have any ga marks on it. going to need info on amont of power and shot to use. hope to use the gun with my classic BBSB. thank Bill

 

[Dave Parks]

Hi Bill,

The Wm. Moore sounds good and I'm sure your work on it will look great when you finish. New nipples will make a great difference in how a gun like that will shoot. There should be some reference as to gauge on the bottom of the barrel near the breach end. The chokes should also be found there in numbers as well as the proof marks.

It's a good idea to invest a couple of bucks in a brass bore gaude. I have carried one around for years, especially when going to guns shows. Infact I keep one in my possibles bag and one in my glove compartment. You can order a couple of them from Track of the Wolf, here the link to them:

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(2o4yfp55utkake45es3niwz3))/CATEGORIES/PARTDETAIL.ASPX?CATID=1&SUBID=19&STYLEID=91&PARTNUM=BORE-GAUGE

Once you find out the gauge, it's pretty easy to work out a load. A standard duck load for a 12 bore is 82 grains of 2F black powder and 1-1/4 ounces of Bismouth in whatever size shot you want.

You can come pretty close to figuring out the gauge by just comparing a 12 or 16 ga. shell to the muzzle to see which size comes the closest. I am going to have to make a new main spring for a little cutie of an 1850's percussion 28 gauge that I bought. It was made for a young boy in England so that he could hunt with his father. I'll take some photo's of it. Everyone smiles when they pick it up becasue it's so small. Yet it has the nice checkering and was not a cheaply made gun. Infact, it has an ebony nose cap on the stock where the ramrod goes in and the ramrod is made of solid ebony with a brass cup on the end that un-screws to expose a screw on the end for removing a stuck cleaning patch or a stuck lead ball if someone forgot the golden rule....FIRST the Powder, THEN the ball!

Take some pic's of the Wm. Moore when you get a chance, I'd like to see it Bill.

Dave

 

[perry]

Dave there are no ga marks on the barrels/or prof marks there is only a overal symble with E above LG and star below and s with star above on each barrel and 6" up circle with an N inside. I do have a bore gage gos to 12/IC and the bore are larger then that,the breech end is about .75" some stamping can not read with a magnifing glass thanks Bill

 

[Dave Parks]

Bill, the E above LG within a circle with a little crown at the top is the Belgium proof mark showing that the gun was made & proofed in Liege, Belgium.

Many English gunmakers would order barrels from Belgium for their high production models right up through the early cartridge guns of the early 20th century. Infact, many late 18th and early 19th century gun makers imported some of their guns from Belgium with company's name stamped on them. That is one of the reasons that Browning O/U's were made in Liege, Belgium for years. Turkey is now the cheapest place to have guns made for you, Kimber, Renington, S&W, CZ, and De Haan to name a few.

You can find these guns in about every gauge. And measuring the muzzle can not always be correct because of ranrod wear. My 1850's English double has Liege barrels and is really an 11 gauge and I have to order 11 gauge wads and caeds for it.

All the various wads, over powder and over shot cards are available for just about every gauge from Track of the Wolf also. I shoot patched .750 (3/4") round balls in my 11 ga. and my bore ga. shows the gun to be an 11 ga, at the muzzle. You'll get it figured out I'm sure.

Did you know Bill Wasson is an avid BP shot-gunner too?

Below is my 1850's 11 ga.

Dave

 

[Wispete]

Thats going to be nice Bill. A friend of mine shoots black powder shot gun. They pattern much better than modern shot guns. I think your going to be pleased.