Defarbing the Musket

One of the major hurdles to cross in getting a really authentic impression is defarbing the musket. Most of the people in the hobby use the Pedersoli Brown Bess, which is a very impressive reproduction of the Second Land Pattern musket. Unfortunately, there are a few things wrong with it.

First, the Pedersoli name is laser engraved on the barrel near the tang. This means that anyone can easily spot it, even from a bit of a distance. Also, a serial number is also laser engraved. Serial numbers did not appear on original Brown Bess muskets. Another problem, one that is easy to fix, is that incorrect swivels for the sling ship with the muskets. Sutlers like Godwin's produce good reproductions of original swivels.

The original muskets had numerous stamps and cartouches to show that a government official looked over the weapon and that it passed muster. Until now, getting the proper stamps on your musket has been difficult to say the least. There is a very limited number of hand stamps floating around.

Today, I happened to check out the Track of the Wolf website--they are now selling the proper stamps for the Brown Bess! There are four stamps, each priced at $29.95. I am going to try and get all four. If you want your musket to have the proper stamps, please let me know.

Here are the stamps:





Ich Dien!