Patent Breech

[David Kennard 12146]

All,
I have just purchased an EuroArms .54 cal. Mississippi which has a barrel with a Patent breech.
I have gotten pros and cons on this type of barrel. I would like some opinions, facts, etc. on this set up before I begin setting the gun up for use in the N-SSA.
Thanks

[John Holland]

Dave,

The patent breech is a historic breech used prior to, and during ,the Civil War. All of the percussion "Garibaldi" rifles have a patent breech. All H&P converted muskets have a patent breech, and all Bill Large military muzzle loading barrels are patent breech barrels.

Here is the critical part of a patent breech barrel when using a minie ball, it must be a perfect fit at the juncture of the bore. If there is a gap where the breech stops and the bore begins, and your powder charge permits the minie ball to seat at or below the gap, it will tear the skirt off. I say this because a fellow who used to shoot on my team had one like that, and when his powder charge dropped below 45 grains he would tear a skirt off every time.

JDH

[Don Dixon]

The pattent breech is also somewhat more difficult to clean. Since the breech is narrower than the bore of the barrel, the cleaning rods that most N-SSA shooter use will not go all the way to the end of the breech. You will need two sets of cleaning tools: one to clean the barrel, and the other to clean the breech. Other than that, its quite efficient technology. The designers at the time believed that a small air gap between the bullet and the powder ensured more efficient burning. The pattent breech ensured that. It also gave consistent internal ballistics, just as the Tige breech did (another difficult to clean design solution). A few additonal examples (by NO means a complete list of everyone who used the design) of the design in service: The Austro-Hungarians used it in their Muster 1842 and 1849 Kammerbusche rifles (called Garibaldis here), their Muster 1842 smoothbore muskets, and in their Augustin system (tube lock) and percussion lock cavalry carbines. And, the Swiss used it in their Muster 1851 Feldstutzer sharpshooters rifle. But, the armies that used the system by design also had the wit to issue their troops proper cleaning gear. The Federal army, unfortunately, did not.

Regards,
Don Dixon
2881V

[William H. Shuey]

FWIW: Many moons ago the Numrich Co. sold a replacement barrel for civil war Springfield 3 banders that had a patent breech. 7 lands and grooves on the one I have, and shoots .58 patched round ball as well as a Minie ball.

Bill Shuey
1st Maine