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Hi

I've just got hold of an old Adler (Armi Jager I believe) repro of an 1863 Remington 'Zoauve' smoothbore. It came with a mould so will get a friend to cast a few to get me going until I get time to start casting my own, but can't really find much data on the charge. At the moment it has to be Pyrodex RS. Does 50gns sound reasonable for this type of gun?

Donald

If you want any sort of round ball accuracy from a smooth bore then the ball needs to be well centred in the bore, good fitting patch or good wadding like tow or wasps nest to bed it on. Also they need to be driven hard in my experience so I would be looking at at least 65 gns of Swiss 2f as a starting point and expecting results over 75gns at around 85-95gns. The maximum load for that rifle should be on the barrel by the proof marks so do not exceed that in any event. I cannot comment on the efficacy of substitute powders for such loads.

Thank you for the info, I'll have a closer look at the markings on the barrel. I bought it more for a fun gun to shoot, but will bear in mind your advice re accuracy. I have a free slot for a flintlock pistol, so will be looking to get an explosives certificate soon so will hopefully be moving to BP rather than Pyrodex for all my muzzle-loaders once my stocks have gone.

Donald