1863 Springfield Type 2

Preview of my winter project, almost completed. 1863 Type 2, all original parts except for the bridle, tumbler, and Whitacre barel with sights. I cheated and found an original stock that was a bit beat up, so I didn't have to do that much inletting, and only needed a little bit of epoxy bedding. Just need to tune the lock a bit, glassbed the lock, clean up and seal the wood, and make some minor modifications to 2 of the band springs. Hope to have it completed by the team meeting. Am going to put this head to head with the newly relined Providence Tool 1861.

1859 Armi Sport Sharps- mod for skirmish

Finally home, opened up the Sharps sent by Charlie Hahn. The following pictures show the details of the modification. The breech block was made solid (gas check plate is pinned in place) and the flash channel was simplified. The chamber sleeve was remanufactured in two pieces, with a captured o-ring used to make a positive seal with the breech block. He also made a taller brass front sight. Mr. Hahn provided info about care and feeding, as well as instructions for making the cardboard cartridges. This mild weather returns, and I should be able to post a range report. Still waiting on the Smith carbine sent for reline, should be any day.

1859 Sharps

My wife tells me that my Sharps has come back from the gunsmith. I've been stuck at work for 62 hours now, will be home in the morning to examine it and post some pics.
Jon

Caldwell Rock front rest on sale at Cabelas

Just ran across this sale, the Caldwell Rock BR 1000 is on sale at Cabelas for $89. Normally this lists for $199 and tends to sell online for $160-170, so this is a good deal. Here's the info:

Caldwell® Rock BR™ 1000 Shooting Rest

• Magnum size for heavy rifles and extreme-distance shooting
• Massive, 24-lb. frame supported by a wide 18" footprint
• Precision, ball-bearing elevation system
• Includes two forend bags

Unleash the full potential of your rifle and ammunition. The the magnum-sized BR 1000 is extra wide and heavy, perfect for taming hard-hitting long-range rifles. With features like a fine-adjustment ball-bearing elevation system, windage-adjustable cradle and customizable bag tensioning, it's built to meet the high expectations of competitive bench-rest shooters. The two-stage elevation adjustment reaches up to 11-1/2". It includes a 3" three-lobe bag and a 5" three-lobe bag. Stable, recoil-soaking 18" cast-iron footprint. Long-life stainless steel components. Accepts any of the Caldwell Deluxe front rest bags.
Weight: 24 lbs.

This would probably make a pretty decent front rest for muzzleloaders, combined with a rear bag would be a nice set up. There are better rests out there, but they cost $500-700 and up. I think this particular rest has been discontinued by Caldwell, so now's the time to get it.

Getting ready for Skirmishing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP8OVzVzR6o

This is before the big storm hit with 12 more inches!!!

Spring Nationals--4th VA Assignments

Here's our duties for the Spring Nationals:

Bridge
Jim Tantillo
Chad Severt
Line Judge
Mike Aluzzo
Rich Comeau
Logistics
Bernie Shuman
Registration
Thomas Witham
Al Otash
Billy Van Dewalle
Al Torday
Tim Schott
Al Pacheco
Fred Legault
David Wright
Diane Zuck
Walt Clark
Bill Lomeli
Denise Clark
Jon Faucher
Carter Gill
Safety
Katie Witham

The aging eyes saga continues

Been working on my shooting using a CZ 452 .22lr trainer with open iron sights, shooting 50 foot NRA targets indoors. With my normal contacts it was pretty rough; contacts with reading glasses not much better; things improved a bit with bifocal contact lenses. Today, I shot with my new eyeglasses, which have progressive lenses.

Here's the target I shot. I'm pretty pleased with the results: I could see the front sight pretty well, and as I worked on a consistent sight picture, the progressive lenses helped me maintain a consistent cheek weld as I worked to put the front sight into sharpest focus (there is a sweet spot where the front sight is clearest). This is a benefit of the progressive lenses that had not occurred to me.

Now the problem will be getting shooting glasses in polycarbonate safety lenses, especially for the carbine--those caps really explode off the nipple of the Maynard. Polycarbonate won't be cheap. But I'm thinking that my musket shooting will improve pretty dramatically by switching over to eyeglasses versus sticking with contact lenses and shooting glasses.

Carbines sent off for work

Sent 1859 Sharps off today to Charlie Hahn to have the breech block made solid, chamber sleeve o-ring modification, chamber set up for using cardboard tubes, and taller front sight. Also sent Smith carbine off to Robert Hoyt for a reline, and standardize it to shoot .515. While waiting, I need to glassbed the 1863 Type II and make a couple minor adjustments to a couple of locks. If all goes according to plan, I'll spend March casting bullets for the season, and April sighting in 3 muskets and 2 carbines.

Miroku 1863 Springfield Type 1 refinish/upgrade

Removed the varnish and re-shaped slightly (could have removed more wood). Tall dove-tail front sight added by Whitacre. Trigger smoothed and lightened by Walt. Glass bedded, and refinished. I'm planning on adding an L shaped peep rear sight for 50 and 100 yards. Weighs in at 9.9 lbs, could probably have shaved another half pound of wood.

Dixie Gunworks Japanese Springfield

I had bought a repop Model 1863 type 1 Springfield several years ago, before joining the team. It was in fact the reason I became interested in shooting rifled muskets, and also the reason I was introduced to the N-SSA. As I have some time between projects (waiting on a few parts and a mould), figured I'd try to tweak it a bit. Its made by Miroku of Japan and marked by Dixie Gunworks.
I sent the crunchy heavy pull lock to Walt, and he returned it operating smoothly, with a light trigger. So far so good. I then sanded the stock to remove the varnish and reduce some of the bulkiness. I found a .578 Hodgdon used mould on the N-SSA bulletin board.
Then I hit the wall. My first attempt at bedding didn't go well. I didn't put enough epoxy, and the two piece stock separated when I removed the barrel. So I sanded down the barrel channel, reinforced the forearm, and started over. To get a full length bed, the miroku required ALOT of Acraglas Gel. Lots of voids to fill. This second attempt was successful but...
The musket now weighs a ton. Balance isn't bad, the overweight barrel is now offset by the epoxy laden breech. I could probably put wheels on it and enter the artillery competition. The musket has stand hunter written all over it. Well, its not that bad, but it is noticeably heavier than the one I built last year, and the one I'm building this year. And its a backup to the backup.
I will post some pics soon. Just need to stain the stock and it should be all set. On another note, I'll be able to do a side by side comparison of a new Whitacre barrel and a newly relined Hoyt barrel this Spring. Neither has seen a round go through it. Both are .576, both are 3 land, I think the Whitacre is 1 in 72 and the Hoyt is 1 in 56.

Iowa MONSTER buck....

After waiting 3 years for the tag I was bowhunting in Iowa with a buddy, some poacher shot this with what sounded like a rifle, and it was too close for comfort. We told the land owner where we thought the shot came from (road hunter) and we both even heard the impact when the bullet hit the deer. Three days later after we left the land owner found the buck in a creek bed. He tagged it and gave it to my buddy when he went back out for shotgun season. What a deer, saw several even bigger than this guy during our week there...they just never came within bow range. Will be eagerly waiting another three years before I get another chance at one of these Iowa monsters. Unofficial score by a guy who knows what he is doing is 199 1/2" What a bruiser, what amazing whitetails that state has. ENJOY

New 150th Anniversary Civil War blog

Called The Long Recall, this blog will run for the next five years to commemorate daily events throughout the 150th anniversary of the War Between the States. Authors have an admittedly pro-Union slant but "hope to present Confederate views and news fairly and accurately as well."

Should be an interesting blog to read. Today's entry for December 18, 1860:

There is little relevant news from the South Carolina Convention today due to a smallpox outbreak that forced the delegates to relocate to Charleston. Before adjuring the meeting early, the delegates elected Mr. Jamison to the position of President and reaffirmed the need to draft a resolution calling for secession. Meanwhile, the South Carolina legislature is contemplating several important bills, including one that would limit the movement of free blacks and another to appropriate money to fortify Charleston and build up an arsenal.

Senator Wade, of Ohio, gave a characteristically heated speech in Congress yesterday upbraiding the stance of the South and sparking familiar debate. Although a few remaining hopeful Congressmen – most of them from the Border States – continue to submit resolutions to the Special Committee, many observers believe that the only way to reach consensus is to leave it to a National Convention.

A myriad of personal tragedies have struck several of the highest officers at the Post Office Department, further exacerbating the problems department leadership will face if Southern states secede.

Troubled by the lackluster financial markets, merchants in Baltimore are imploring Governor Hicks to call a special session of the Maryland Legislature to discuss the crisis.

Enjoy.

Open sights and aging eyes

I made a discovery this week when the muzzleloading deer season started--I'm blind as a bat when it comes to seeing my musket sights. What I really learned was that I can see the front sight when I put my reading glasses on (my eyes went to hell in the last six months). Voila! I can see the front sight.

Which led me to spend the last day or two researching Rx shooting glasses, aperture suction-cup thingies, etc etc. I should have stayed in skirmishing when I was young and able-bodied; now I am decrepit and can't see straight.

I suspect my eye issues are partly explain why I shot the carbine (with a peep) better than my two-bander this past season.

I like what Jon said--I wish I could have last season back knowing what I know now. But at least I've got a game plan for my musket for this next season.

Jim

ps. here's a cool link: http://www.starreloaders.com/edhall/nwongmain/eyeguide.html . Check out the links to his other topics.

Hoyt barrel reline

Got my barrel back from Robert Hoyt yesterday. Specs exactly as promised, in the time promised. My .576 sized Hodgdon minnies fits in the muzzle perfectly. Palpably deeper grooves at muzzle, and a proper crown. Kept the original 3 lands 1 in 56 twist. Cleaned the bore, snapped it back into the stock, ready for the season. Now I wish I had last season back.
Will need to sight it in again when I get some nice weather, have moved on to refinishing my backup musket, and looking out for the fedex truck with a Sharps carbine that I'm getting as a trade. Will be sending it off to Charlie Hahn to get it skirmish ready, now also planning to send my Smith to Hoyt for a reline. Bring on the Spring!