Issue with Zouave need help

[thumper15]

I posted last december I have a 1976 Italian made Zouave. I finally took it out to shoot it last weekend and today and have a problem. Running a patch down the barrel after the shot is tight but once the jag gets to the breech it's locking the jag in the barrel and not able to pull the ramrod out. Today, I was running a brush and a couple patches down the barrel between shots and was doing better but it finally stuck the ramrod and ended my shooting. I'm not that familier with the civil war guns, but what I'm shooting are the 577611 bullets with CVA lube over 70gr FFg, using german musket caps. The barrel has 3 wide riflings and I was thinking maybe it's just not liking the thicker skirt on the 611 minie. If I can't figure this out I'm just going to sell it and move on to something else. Any help would be appreciated.

[Timmeu]

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[Joe 3rd N C Art 2440V]

The age of your Zouave suggests that you may have a pattent (sp) breach. There is a small chamber at the breach that the powder falls into. Your cleaning and ram rods are getting stuck in this (maybe). Numrick made barrels like this. I have one from 72 that I only used for a short time because of this problem.

[thumper15]

That was my first thought as to why it was sticking. Just shining a flashlight down the barrel I can't see well enough to tell. I was thinking first try the 213 old style to see if it's leading the breech, and if it still does it then I'll have to find someway to inspect the breech.

[WMdBlkSmth]

I too have a 70's vintage Italian-made Zouave ( bought new in the late 70's). Way back then I was having problems with it and unscrewed the patent breech from the barrel...and found the following:

1) there was a long, large diameter cavity in the breech, more than enough volume to hold 60 gr of powder.

2) there was a big gap, like 1/4", between the face of the "breech plug" and the rear internal face of the barrel,
'
What all this meant was:
1) when the bullet was seated it was in, or against, the breech, not the powder.

2) with all these nooks and crannys you are just asking for a cook-off.

Yours may be different; I don't shoot mine and I couldn't figure out any reasonable way to fix it.


A.

[thumper15]

Here's what I tried awhile ago. I took the brass disk off my 54cal bullet puller and put it on a cleaning rod at the very end, basically I just wanted to have an edge to run down the barrel to feel for a lip. I couldn't feel anything remotely like a lip or gag or anything all the way to the end of the breech. I know that doesn't rule a lip or something out but was a basic test. I'm not sure how hard the breech would be to unscrew from this rifle not sure it's ever been removed and don't want to mess it up trying. That would be a last resort. I'm going to look around my stuff for something thinner to run down the barrel to try to feel a lip or edge at the breech, but right now I'm going to try the 213 old style minie and see if I have the same problem. I did notice that the 611 minie Lyman states it's a tight fit and needs cleaning more often. I hope the old style 213 gives enough room on the lands to solve the problem.

[Southron Sr.]

POSSIBILITY # 1:
IF your Zouave has one of those "Patent Breeches" that means that it doesn't have a breech plug that screws into the rear end of the barrel but the breech is actually a casting that forms the last two or so inches of the barrel.

Take your barrel out of the stock. Look for a line that circles the rear of the barrel just ahead of the bolster. If you spot this line, that is where the patent breech section of your barrel screws into the rest of the barrel. This patent breech could account for some of the difficulties you are presently having (that is why I hate patent breeches.)

POSSIBILITY #2:

Your barrel has a screw in breech plug just like the original Zouaves. IF THAT IS THE CASE-then you possibly have a "skirt" stuck in your breech. A "skirt" happens when the hollow portion,rear of the Minie Ball remains in the breech then the arm is fired. This ring of lead ensconced in your breech will cause all sorts of problems, including "cook-offs." The cure? remove the breech plug and remove the skirt.

Let us know what your find.

GOOD LUCK!

[thumper15]

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