Brown Bess Musket Restoration Part 6: Inletting The Lock

Part 6 of a multi video restoration of an East India Company (EIC), India pattern 3rd model, brown bess musket with an EIC lock made by John Rea in 1784 and 0.75 caliber Nepalese Barrel with Gurkha markings, circa 1820. Part of the collection found in the Royal Nepalese Armory in Kathmandu.

[@desandbonville9254]

Nice work. I pulled the trigger and bought the kit. Just waiting for it to arrive. I hope to see more videos from you.

[@Restoring_The_Past]

Hello, sorry for the late reply. I have been dealing with some KZbin bugs regarding feedback. Congratulations on your purchase. I hope these videos helped you some with it. How did your project turn out? Let me know if you can. All the best.

[@roysuggs3635]

bees wax candle soot works good.

[@Restoring_The_Past]

Hello, sorry for the late reply. I have been dealing with some KZbin bugs regarding feedback. Yes, great ideas. There are many ways to approach this and thanks so much for sharing those with everyone! Take care and all the best!

[@tegunn]

Great series! You use candle soot if you don't have inletting ink..Same rules apply: don't use too much. less is better

[@Restoring_The_Past]

Hello, sorry for the late reply. I have been dealing with some KZbin bugs regarding feedback. Thanks for sharing this excellent tip with everyone. Thats a great idea and I am sure it works well.

[@ElijahCrehan]

Your videos have definitely inspired me to pick one of these up. I’m still debating whether to pay the extra money for the marked lock like the one you got. The wood inletting seems a bit overwhelming to me. Hopefully when I get to it it isn’t too tough.

[@Restoring_The_Past]

Hello, Elijah. I think you will be happy with whatever type you choose. There is no wrong answer here. Just try not to think too much about the inletting. Don't let it defeat you in your mind before you even try. its not that difficult. Just take your time and do a little bit each day until you get a feel for it. Take away a small sliver of wood and then test the feet....rinse and repeat a thousand times if need be ad you will eventually get the result you need. Don't hesitate to try it and once its over you will get tremendous personal satisfaction from the whole process. I always like to think that its the process itself which is enjoyable. Like any long journey be sure to enjoy the scenery before you get to the final destination.

[@ElijahCrehan]

@@Restoring_The_Past Thanks for the response. I shouldn’t have doubted myself before even attempting it. I’ll take it slow and really enjoy the process. Hopefully she turns out nice! Thanks again.

[@marcusmason3440]

Hi, thanks for the series of updates. When I restored my originals on both of them the pins for retaining the trigger and guard were behind or eclipsed by the bottom edge of the lock plate......this 1/8th may account for your touch hole and barrel tang issue? seen the same on a few pistols too. Best wishes from the UK.

[@Restoring_The_Past]

Hello Marcus, thanks for sharing this it is greatly appreciated. It certainly doesn't take much to make things go wrong that's for sure. Nice to see some different solutions to this issue other than grinding down the barrel tang. Take care and good luck with your future restorations.

[@usna98]

Looking good! I've got one of the IMA Bess kits waiting for me in my project queue. Your videos will come in handy when I start it. I recently posted a vid on my channel of a bunch of IMA projects if you're interested.

[@Restoring_The_Past]

Hello, thanks for the positive feedback I really appreciate that. I am happy to hear you will find these videos helpful. I saw your videos, you do great work. You will enjoy the brown bess restoration process. Good luck with all your future projects.

[@YELLOWBEAR-yg4uq]

There should not be a 1st or second stage in the pulling of the trigger. Having been a flintlock gunsmith since 1988, that tells me that there is something wrong with it. If its a pakastani or india made guns they were never intended to be shot. They are shipped to the usa with out any touchhole of any kind. So if you do drill a hole in those bbls, you take your own chances. Ive seen those things blow up in peoples faces before, and you can image, it aint pretty...

[@Restoring_The_Past]

Hello, thanks for the comment. The brown bess restored/ featured in this video is not a modern reproduction but a genuine musket with some historic parts manufactured in Nepal around 1820. The lock is English, made in 1784. The barrel is one of the pieces made in Nepal and the touchhole was already present but needed to be cleaned out. There is not a 1st or 2nd stage trigger pull on this musket, only when cocking the hammer back. That is where the old saying "half cocked" comes in. I think you make a good point regarding safety and that no guns or muskets either modern reproductions or genuine articles should be fired unless they are certified by a gunsmith as safe. Stay safe and take care.