Well, I just finished up building a 12-bore Jaeger rifle. I am using .735" balls that weight 597.5 grains with a 0.15" T/C greased patch. I must now head to the range with file and hammer in hand to "zero" it. I would like to havea load that gives me +- 1350 FPS MV, and zero it to be +2" @ 50 yds, - 2 @ 100 yds,or close to these figures.
all i can say is IM JEALOUS!!!!!! for a while i wanted a flintlock for turkey and other such critters....i got stuck on building me a big smooth bore jaeger flinter...just kinda hard to scrap up the money i want to put into the gun going to college and all......but a couple years and ill be building away hopefully......awesome looking rifle.....you going to work up some shot loads for it as well? or just going to use it as a "shoulder mounted mini cannon" as i call them GIANT roundball guns?? 600grs of lead......my goodness...for comparisions sake...how many grains are in a pound?? if i had to guess i wanted to say 550ish....but that cant be right....wait...i know this..its close to 2000grs in a pound isnt it?? powder is measured in grains right?? theres.....i forget how many grains of powder in a pound......ahhhh its too early...not enough sleep...and i gota goto work!! ill be waiting for the answer though! lol....congrats on the rifle.....that looks GOOD.....and you made me jealous!! i think smokin a turkey with one of them would be absolutely awesome...but they look a tad on the heavy side...opposed to my 5-6lb 870 turkey gun with a 21 inch barrel! lol....but lugging it around would be awesome......and man that big of a ball......thatll knock the fur off a deer!
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Thanks! I hadn't considered the shot load idea, but it would probably work for short range shooting, as the rifling twist is 1/78", so the shot charge might not disperse too rapidly.
There are 7000 grains in a pound, so this rifle actually carries 11.7 balls per pound - just a little bigger than a 12 bore, but close enough to be called a 12, I guess.
I haven't weighed it yet, but guess it is around 10 pounds - a sling will be mandatory, but the extra weight helps hold the recoil down. I have fired it a couple of times with 150 grains of Swiss FFg, and while the recoil was "noticeable", it was not too obnoxious. Not nearly as punishing as my Ruger No. 1 in .45/70 with a stiff load. Must be that big ol' broad butt spreads the recoil around some.....
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oh.....the 12 bore threw me off thinking you had a smooth bore...i think the ones i were looking at were 71 or 72cals...which your right...is close enough to a 12bore to call it one...and the weight...yes im sure that helps recoil ALOT....i couldnt imagine it NOT weighing that much....i know my 50cal tc hawken can knock you around a little with a 350gr bullet and a stiff load of powder behind it...when i get the cash in the future i want a smoothbore....like i said a flintlock for turkeys is what i want mainly...and if its anything accurate maybe try my hand at thumping a deer with it..i read smoothbores CAN be accurate...
did you shoot yours yet?? curious to as how it shot...looks like a mighty fine rifle
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Since this is a rifle, what is the rate of twist in the barrel if it has one? That is a beautiful rifle. I can't wait for the range reports. That was the one reason I wanted to get a Brown Bess was to be able to throw that kind of lead around. I would think with the right twist and around 120-150 grains of powder, that would take out anything..
That really is pretty. Have fun at the range.
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Since this is a rifle, what is the rate of twist in the barrel if it has one? That is a beautiful rifle. I can't wait for the range reports. That was the one reason I wanted to get a Brown Bess was to be able to throw that kind of lead around. I would think with the right twist and around 120-150 grains of powder, that would take out anything..
That really is pretty. Have fun at the range.
Thanks! The twist is 1/78", wide, shallow grooves, relatively thin lands. In effect, it is a Forsythe bore, but with a faster twist.I had originally thought a 1/120" or slower would be correct, but the barrelmaker, Riley Smith, recommended the 1/78" fora 12-bore.
Hopefully, I'll get to the range tomorrow with chronograph, file,hammer, and brass drift to see if I can
A: Find a load that gives around 1300-1350 FPS
B. Get the sights regulated
The sights look like they're"on" now using a Bushnell Boresighter with 12-ga spud. But of course, "chawin' de string don't prove de puddin'. "
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Very nice work. Not my favorite style, Jaegers have always seemed kinda stumpy for my taste. It's gonna be a thumper, that is for sure.
And so they are, mine being especially bad in that respect. I have seen some that handled a lot better than their appearance would lead you to expect before picking it up,but those were usually around54 caliber and had swamped barrels. It'll be awhile before I get daring enough to try to inlet a swamped barrel. Straight ones are tough enough for me!
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A 140 grain load of FF should put you really close to the 1350 mark.
What is your bore size, a true 12 ga. is .729, that .735 must take a stiff wrap to start...........or is your bore bigger?
I shoot .725 to .705s out of my 73 cal, but it only has a 26" long tube. The 725s weigh in the 550 grain area.
Thanks, BS. I too was thinking of starting off with 140 grains of Swiss FFg.
When I slugged it, the slug showed the land diameter to be right at .730" with a groove of .7385". The .735 ball will sit on the muzzle without a patch, and it does require a pretty good whack to start it even with only a .010" patch. However, the balldoes not have to be hit hard enough to deform it or leave a mark when using a 0.50" diameter hardwood short starter.
Where didyou find .725" balls? Did you have someone make you a .725" mould? I have some .715" balls and some .735" balls, which I purchased locally. But I believe BOTHthese diameters tobe a compromise, as somewhere between.720" to .730"would seem to be closer to the ideal diameter for this bore. (The barrel maker, Riley Smith of Long Hammock Barrels, said the barrel would be a .73-caliber, and it is!) I can certainly shoot it with the .735" balls, but these might be a little slow loading for hunting. I have not tried the .715" s yet, but with the right patching these might prove satisfactory.
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New 12-Bore JAEGER FLINTLOCK Rifle
