Zouave with breech chamber

[civilwarlife]

Have a Zouave with a breech chamber. Is there a way to remove the chamber? Why is there a chamber in the breech. Have had problems cleaning the breech area and have had too many misfires. Can these barrels be relined to eliminate the chamber? Thanks.

[Mike Hale]

....an early Numrich barrel replacement on the Zouave. I have a Zoli Zouave from the 1970's and guys on our team replaced the barrels with Numrich 8 groove barrels back then because that was all the rage to improve accuaracy, but I do not like the Numrich barrel because it has the recess in the breech but have never replaced because mine was glass bedded.

[Rich Foster]

If it is so fouled that your misfiring use a bore brush and push down into breech and turn. Then remove brush, remove barrel from stock, remove nipple and place barrel in a container of boiling hot soapy water ( make sure you have something to lean barrel on) 2" over nipple threads, Drop nipple in water to. Use cleaning rod, patch and pump it till it water starts coming to top then stop and let it sit. Every once and a while pump it and let it sit. After the water has gotten cold remove rod and dry and oil barrel. If you still see fouling in breech redo. Get use to this procedure it is a sure way to clean your patent breech chamber.

[civilwarlife]

Thanks. Is there a way to remove the chamber? so the barrel is the same size all the way to the breech? I have access to a great gunsmith.

[Rich Foster]

Sent you a Private Message. Rich

[John Holland]

civilwarlife -

It will help to know who made your barrel. Is it a Numrich, Bill Large, etc?

JDH

[civilwarlife]

Yes sorry. It is a Numerich barrel.

[Don Dixon]

You have a breech that is based on the Delvigne system. In the States it was called a "patent" breech. In the design, the breech was smaller than the bore diameter. Among other things, it was used in the Austro-Hungarian Army Muster 1842 and 1849 Kammerbüchse, or as they were called here "Garibaldis." Initially, the chamber was used to mash the round ball with the ramrod so that it took the rifling. Later, with conical bullets, the theory was that a small air gap between the powder and the bullet avoided crushing of the powder granules and promoted better burning. What you need to clean the weapon is two different sized bore brushes: one the size of the bore and one the size of the chamber in the breech screw. There is no need to attempt to take the chamber out of the brreech. That would probably ruin the brrel. All you need to do is keep the chamber clean. The Dixie "Jäger" used the same system.

Regards,
Don Dixon
2881V