Question About Replacement Front Band - M 1816 Musket

[sneezy]

I'm considering purchasing an original United States M1816 Conversion Percussion Musket that is missing the front/upper barrel band. My question concerns using a modern-made band meant for an Italian made reproduction, as sold by Dixie Gun Works. I am in no way hoping to ever pass the replacement as an original; I am just asking if anyone knows if it is possible to make it fit the original musket. I'm curious about such things as placement of the hole for the band retaining spring, clearance for the barrel, etc.

Any information and help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[Jim_Burgess_2078V]

Reproduction M1816 muskets may have interchangeable parts today but original M1816 muskets predate the use of interchangeable parts. You may get lucky and a new band may fit your musket perfectly but it is more likely some hand fitting will be required.
Jim Burgess, 15th CVI

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Original double-loop front bands for the M1816 musket are far more common than you may think, and while you could expect to pay between $100 to $300 depending on condition, replacing a missing front band with a reproduction while making the musket look more complete, if there are any alterations required to modify the original stock contours so to fit the repro band and the original musket is still in "serviceable" condition (or is capable of being returned to serviceable condition) this would only detract from the value of the original musket. Even if the musket were a mere relic, such alterations would only be appropriate provided you could not find a suitable original replacement or replaced it with an exact museum-quality duplicate replica part. Some years back I bought a set of new investment cast bands from S&S Firearms that you have to finish but which would be a closer pattern to the original than one of the Italian-made repros since the investment cast parts appears to have been cast from an original specimen. S&S lists their investment cast front band (16S34) for $38 in the current 2009 catalog. Unfortunately, the repro parts made in Italy are not of such high quality; many of the Italian makers use zinc-die casting for their parts which are re-modeled in 3D by computer. To determine whether it is even feasible to install a repro front band, it doesn't cost all that much to find out for sure whether it would fit?

Or you can buy an original front band like this one:
http://www.gundersonmilitaria.com/pictu ... 1816fronta (http://www.gundersonmilitaria.com/picturedisplay.html?partbandm1816fronta)

[threepdr]

I concur with Mr. McAuley. Get one of the investment cast reproductions. They are cast from original and will do you much better than the Italian repro. You will have to clean and polish. Youn also may want to grind off the cast in place front sight and solder on a brass blade like the originals.