Reenacting Muskets

[texascavcadet]

Does ant one here know anyone or a cheep sutler who sells muskets for reenacting? Iv been lookin but the prices are kind of high.



regards
garrett estey
11th texas cav

[johan_steele]

11th TX Cav was carrying Savage revolvers, Hall Carbines & M1841's in .54 as well as Double Barreled Shotguns in 1863. For some reason I recall reading somewhere that they also carried some Kerr Revolvers though I'm not sure of that if so they would have come from those issued to the 8th TX Cav same w/ any Colt Navies. The 8th & 11th TX were very close working together several times, I believe Trioni might have done a unit study on the 11th but I may be confusing them w/ the 8th. It would be well worth checking into.

So unfortunately the arms carried by the 11th TX Cav are not really offered in the Repro market. W/ only the Double Barreled Shotgun & M1841 offered as Repros... and the repro double barreled percussion shotgun that I have seen are typically the more expensive.

What portrayal do you plan I am assuming 11th TX Cav? Cav will have different requirements than Infantry. What kind of price tag are you looking for? What specifically are you looking for? All questions you will have to ask. THere should be someone in your unit willing to help you out in defining what you need and where to get it... if there isn't you may want to find a different unit.

You are likely going to pay $450 or so for a good new arm. You should be able to shop around and find a loaner for sale but you will often end up w/ a badly abused weapon. So be careful when buying used and make certain you have someone who can look at a used arm to make certain it is safe.

As a CS Inf or you are probably wanting an Enfield either 2 or 3 band. An M1841 Mississippi is not out of line either. An M1861 or M1842 are both acceptable as well.

http://www.lodgewood.com/consigne.htm has some nice things on Consignment, including a couple of period shotguns that would work. There is one for about $200; it's an original that is capable of use the moment its picked up.

www.umvmco.com is the best locale I know of to buy as you get a canvas gunsock, sling & tampion w/ the purchase about an added $30 value or so.

http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers....scarbines.html has an Enfield for $375 IIRC. I have heard varied info about this company and frankly I am VERY leary. THese are smoothbore arms so if you ever wished to do any live firing...

To be honest, if you are doing a Cav impression representing the 11th TX Cav I would suggest an M1841 mine is a beautiful arm, at approx $500 it is well worth the $.

That said, if you haven't already, get some experiance around horses for real and if possible (again you may have already) join up w/ a Cav unit that has horses. experiancing what is required for the day to day care of horses is vital to truly understanding what a CW Cav trooper lived through. It is very important to realize that the men of Wheelers 2nd Brigade almost literally lived and breathed horses. Many of those boys of the 8th & 11th TX would quite literally mount their horse to cross the street... I'm not kidding. They knew and lived horses and were some of the best in the world, bar none.

When I first started their was a Texan, a cowboy by trade who did one of the finest impressions I have ever seen. He looked & acted the part, seeing him around horses was seeing a master at work... that man was heart and soul a CS Cavalryman. In short do it right and do it the best you can they deserve no less.

Good Luck.

[texascavcadet]

John Steele,

Thanks for the info! and yes I am in the 11th Texas Cav (dismounted)

regards
garrett estey
11th texas cav

[johan_steele]

If I might suggest then go for an M1841 Mississippi and a Colt Navy pistol. You're looking at about $500 (new) for the Mississippi. THey are only made by EuroArms now but several years back an outfit by the name of Zoli made them as well and you can sometimes find them for the $300 range on the used market. There were a LOT of different versions of the Mississippi so as you get more money you can upgrade by adding a different rear site, different front barrel band front site bayonet stud etc. Don't buy a Zouve and call it a Mississippi... they don't look the same and it is a glaring mistake, a lot of events forbid Zouves alltogether because they were never issued during the war and absolutely never saw CS Service. Send me a PM w/ your email if you would like some pics of an M1841. My own is a "Colt Standard", which means it has a Colt rear site and a band w/ stud for the bayonet... and is one of the the types carried by the 4th MN VI, my primary impression.

As for a Colt Navy... Places like Gander Mtn, Sports Authority and many other sporting goods stores sell a kit w/ a Colt Navy for around $150 that includes flask, lube and various Black Powder gear you will need for a pistol. Though I might suggest Cabelas as they seem to have the best price.

I don't know about advising you to pick up shotgun or not. I know some events refuse to allow shotguns on the field under any circumstances.

One thing I've read about in several places from period accounts has been Cav units who were dismounted trading in the Cav equipage and arms for Infantry gear when they lost their horses. I don't know if this ever happened w/ the 11th. I thought they managed to stay mounted through most of the War.

You've chosen a hobby that will likely catch you up in it and I suspect down the road when you have the opportunity to pick up an original arm of the kind carried by the 11th you likely will move heaven and earth to do so.

Now, please don't take the following in the wrong way. I'm not trying to be condescending, mean or rude I'm trying to pass on knowledge that might help you out as you get started. I have learned to be extremely leary of the plethera of "dismounted" Cav units I've run across; both Union & CS. My experiances w/ dismounted Cav have almost all been poor... it was a dismounted unit that sent wonder wad my way at an event and up here in the Upper Midwest there are several Dismounted Cav units that are generally banned from events because of a lack of standards. I've seen dismounted Cav troopers w/ absolutely no knowledge of horses... which is something that really stands out. When I first began in the hobby it was CS units that impressed the hell out of me w/ their attitudes safety and their complete authenticity package. Note that I still remember that Texan Cowboy... 15 odd years later. A glaring warning sign might be something like a preponderance of Zouves or Hawkens Rifles in a unit; while they are an inexpensive option they are not correct in any sense and they stand out as incorrect. I've seen a man go out on the field w/ a Hawken and no less than four pistols...

Those boys of the 11th were some of the toughest Cav the CS had to offer, they were Texans through and through and by late 1863 they were Veterans of some of the toughest fighting of the War. Many had fought Commanches before the War, some were veterans of the Mexican War and all were a very tough lot. They were generally used to a bit of hardship and many were used to life in the saddle. They deserve every bit of honor and respect you can give their memory. There are several excellent places to look for solid research on texan Cav. I might suggest www.authentic-campaigner join and lurk for quite a while. Take advantage of the excellent search function and ask serious questions only after exhausting the search function. It isn't always what I would call a friendly or tolerant place but the information held w/in is nothing short of spectacular. www.37thtexas.org/html/chboys.html is another unit w/ an excellent reputation. There is also a Cav web ring out there w/ many excellent sources.

Again, good luck.

[texascavcadet]

Thank you once again, Yes as you said im thinking about getting a infield or springfield because as skrimishers we arn't in the thick of the fighting and were kind of like snipers so If i wont to make a CS sniper impression im all set.

thanks for the info
garrett estey
11th texas cav and yes saftey is like the #1 thing in our unit.

[scone]

Here is quick history of you unit Garrett, looks like they were dismounted for a bit the were remounted.

11th Cavalry Regiment was organized with 855 men at Camp Reeves, Grayson County, Texas, in May, 1861. Some of its members were from Clarksville and Mt. Pleasant, and Bowie County. This regiment, along with the 8th Texas Cavalry, was one of the best in Confederate service. It was active in the Indian Territory and Arkansas, then was dismounted when it arrived on the eastern side of the Mississippi River. After fighting at Richmond and Murfreesboro, it was remounted and assigned to Wharton's and T. Harrison's Brigade. The unit participated in the Chickamauga, Knoxville, and Atlanta campaigns, then was active in the defense of Savannah and the campaign of the Carolinas. It contained 599 officers and men in the spring of 1862 and reported 7 killed, 87 wounded, and 20 missing at Murfreesboro. Only a remnant surrendered on April 26, 1865. The field officers were Colonels Joseph M. Bounds, John C. Burks, James J. Diamond, Otis M. Messick, George R. Reeves, and William C. Young; Lieutenant Colonels Robert W. Hooks and Andrew J. Nicholson; and Majors H. F. Bone, John W. Mayrant, and John B. Puryear.

[johan_steele]

Whoever told you that skirmishers weren't in the thick of fighting... oh boy. Skirmishing was very dangerous work and it was not very popular work. It often pitted one or two men against similar numbers and as often pitted those one or two against large numbers. Anyway regardless the M1841 sounds like the best option for an accurate purchase. That $50 or so extra for the proper arm might be well worth it.

Good Luck

[scone]

My unit does skirmish drill .. and boy do you cover a lot of room & burn alot of powder. And the barrel dont take long to get very hot after shooting a 6-8 rounds.
It can be fun if you have cover to work with.