Musket Slings, Flints & Accessories

English Black Gun Flint - $1.50 each or $16.50 per dozen

9/8" for Brown Bess muskets (9/8" wide x 1¼ long) Limit of one dozen per customer.

8/8" for Charleville muskets (1" wide x 1-1/8" long) Sold Out - more in November.

7/8" for Rifles (7/8" wide by 1" long) Sold Out - more in November.

6/8" Square for Rifles (3/4" wide x 3/4" long) Only a few available

6/8" Rectangular for Rifles (3/4" wide x 7/8" long) Only a few available

Wooden Musket Flint (also known as a Snapper or Driver) for Bess or Charleville $.50 each

With regard to flints Cuthbertson (pg.92, X) writes "The flints should always be screwed in firm, between a thin piece of lead, it having a more certain hold, than leather, or any other contrivance.... a Soldier ought to have...a small bit of wood, shaped like a flint, to use at exercise, in practicing the firing motions..."

Cartridge Former - choice of cherry or walnut. $2.00 each

5/8" Hardwood dowel with one end hollowed out to accept the ball when rolling cartridges or for tucking in the end of cartridge paper when rolling blanks, as specified by Timothy Pickering in An Easy Plan of Discipline for a Militia (1770). He writes, "A piece of wood about six inches long is to be made round so as to fit exactly the size of the ball; this is called a former: make one end of it hollow to receive a part of the ball...". From Cuthbertson (pg.117, IV), "...that all the cartridges may be exactly proportioned to the bore of the firelocks, a sufficient number of wooden formers, of a proper size, must likewise be provided."

The cartridge must fit snug in the block. Countless times I've found rounds on the battlefield that look as though they were rolled on a pencil or felt pen former. These undersized tubes will fall out of your pouch when you are running or falling to the ground. The proper paper tube cartridge must have some fricton between it and the wood block. These formers will make rounds (live or blank) for Charleville or Brown Bess.

Hammer Stall - Brown Bess or Charleville $5.00 each. Made of leather with matching thong. The free end of the thong is slit for inserting onto the musket swivel or can be tied to the swivel or trigger guard. Available in black, natural light brown (pictured), or buff leather. This item is sometimes called a "Frizzen Cover" (Frizzen being a term used in 18th C. civilian context).

Hammer stalls and flash guards are authentic and did exist in the 18th Century. Regarding hammer stalls, Cuthbertson wrote (pg 93, XIII), "...On Service, leather Hammer-stalls are undoubtedly an advantage to a Battalion, when loaded, and resting on their Arms, as accidents may be prevented by having them fixed upon the hammers of the Firelocks..." The following are orders for the Royal Artillery Regiment, issued at Philadelphia on 2 June 1778 in anticipation of the march to New York which culminated in the Battle of Monmouth. "It is left to their [officers] discretion in time of real Action to disencumber such men as they may think proper entirely of them [arms], taking care that they be lodged in their Ammunition Carriages and to prevent any possible Accident happening therefrom, thumb stalls have been ordered to be provided which the men are constantly to keep on the hammer of their pieces except when posted centrys." Source: Great Britain, Royal Artillery Regiment Library, Woolwich, Brigade
Orderly Book, James Pattison Papers.

Musket Parts - I don't have them, but a source for newer Italian Brown Bess parts is Ed Woodland 610-326-9126. Parts for Japanese Brown Bess, Japanese Charleville, and older Italian Brown Bess muskets are nearly impossible to find, however Jim Casco may be able to help (see below). The mainsprings on newer Italian Brown Bess are awful, but replacements are available. The older Italian Bess mainsprings can be replaced, but it takes drilling and filing to make the replacement springs fit. This is not something you can do in the field.

Ackermann Arms (Paul Ackermann) can make repairs to ramrods and bayonet lugs, tune and repair locks, hone barrels and crown muzzles, repair and refinish stocks, and reharden hammers (frizzens). Paul is the West Point Military Academy curator of arms and can be reached evenings at 845-658-9248.

Jim Casco (Whitcomb's Rangers) now has Japanese Brown Bess hammers (aka frizzens), hammer springs, sear springs, and main springs. Jim's email is caspar@vermontel.net and phone 802-235-2457. Jim also has parts for the older Italian Bess's and is making springs out of real spring steel, as opposed to the cast garbage found on the new muskets. Jim can also do repairs, tune-ups, and restoration work. If you don't know Jim, he is the fellow who brings the proof and armory stamps to events.

Antique Arms Restoration (John Bosh) specializes in 17th and 18th century firearms and repairs to these arms. John is in eastern Massachusetts at 508-695-3548.

Musket Sling - for 2nd Model/Short Land Brown Bess (26 ½" between the sling swivels) or Charleville. Prices range from $20 to $35, and longer slings for the 1st Model/Long Land Brown Bess are available for an additional $5 from the prices listed below. Slings are 1 3/8" (35mm) wide.