rifleboy91

any one have any info on a zoey .58 muzzleloader.my dad has one from a little ways back,not that long i think.heres some pics.

cayugad

I am guessing you have a Zouave Rifle. These were a rifle used by a Civil WarUnion Company of soldiers who took their name and style of dress from a French Infantry Unit, renowned for their fighting skills,known as the Zouave. If you would take a full view picture of the rifle, lock side I would be able to be more positive. Also look at the sights. Semisane can tell you tons about the sights on the rifle.

rifleboy91

k,my camera isnt working right now.

Semisane

If it looks like this, it's a Zouave as cayugad has surmised.

rifleboy91

thats it.but the woods alittle depper in color.what caliber is that one?one thing sucks is its almost impossible to find bullets,i got to go to cabelas or a simular shop.how muck take down power would this have?

rifleboy91

thats its,what caliber is that one? and what kind of bullets can it shoot,roundball only or others. what kind of knock down power would this have?when was yours made?

cayugad

That rifle would handle anything in North American for take down. After all a .58 caliber is a very large bore rifle. For instance a .50 caliber roundball weights 177 grains. A .58 caliber is 282 grainsI think it is. When you push that ball into the vitals of an animal it has already made over a 1/2 inch hole going in. If it expands at all, it only gets worse for what ever you shot.

The Zouave was a military rifle. Some of them actually had a bore of .577 instead of .580. They shot minnie ball out of them. The load was normally 60-70 grains of 2f black powder and a minnie. The object was not pin point accuracy but instead just push a hole through the target. The size and weight of the minnie would normally do the rest.

They will shoot a roundball. I would get some .570 ball and .015 patch. Start with 70 grains of Pyrodex RS or Black Powder in 2f and then seat that patched ball on it. Be advised, many of them rifles were made to shoot high... In the civil war the target sight at close range (from what I have read) was the belt buckle. This would put the projectile into the chest area of a man. At long ranges they could them aim dead on and compensate for the drop of the projectile without thinking too much. So if your rifle is shooting high, there might be good reason. Although I tend to think the new production models would have been more sight true.

Semisane can tell you a lot more about the shooting ability of the rifle. Since he has been making modifications to his and maybe doing some load testing as he is a powder junkie and likes to shoot I believe. I never had the pleasure to shoot a Zouave, but did for a long time shoot a Springfield Rifle. My friend who got me into shooting black powder owned an original 1861 Springfield Rifle. We could hit a gallon milk jug at 100 yards with a patched ball and 70 grains almost every time with that rifle. It was a lot of fun to shoot.

Semisane

Everything cayugad said is right onthe money. So far I'm gettingmy best groups - about three inches at 50 yards - with a .570 patched round ball and 75 grains Pyrodex RS. I've tried .575 balls and they are much harder to start and were cutting the patches I was using and not as accurate. I'm just getting started playing with loads in mine, but it looks like the groups want to open up with heavier powder charges. With the original military sights it shot almosta foot high at 50 yards.I haven't tried any minnie balls yet. You've got yourself a fun gun. It's the easiest cleaning muzzle loader you'll ever find because the barrel is so easy to remove from the stock. Get yourself a good range rod for it. The tulip head steel rod on the gun is a real pain.

rifleboy91

i should mention it is a production rifle.it doesnt say who made it really,my dad just told me.the serial number isa only n the 5XXX range.it was made in XXX jaquer italy or someplace in italy.how much would you think it would be worth(insurance reasons)?

cayugad

Many of the NEW Zouave sell for around $475.00 listed. If your rifle is in good condition and the bore is good, they tend to hold good value. The fact it is made in Italy I would guess it comes from Euroarms Inc. They are a common maker of the rifle.

Euroarms makes a .58 caliber with a 33" barrel and a 1-48 twist. So they should be a good all around shooter.