Advice on hunting with Zouave Replica?

[Steve499]

I was using 62 grains of Goex FF. My rifle isn't particularly accurate and that load was giving me 4 inch groups at 75 yards. If you'll pm your address, I'll mail you a few of the two styles of minies I have molds for so you can try them without buying the mold first.

Steve

 

[agiyo]

Navy Arms Zouave loads

I've had one since the '70s, tried every minie ball I could find but by far, the best accuracy has been with a .575 round ball with a tight Irish linen patch, over 60 grains of FFFg.

To correct the silly sight problem, I fitted a tall front blade made from a piece of a shovel, iirc.

Your mileage and results will, of course, vary.

 

[bedbugbilly]

What's known as the "Zouave" was introduced by Remington in 1863. Very few if any actually saw service in the Civil War. I have one that was made in the early 1960s. Other than the serial number of 1292 on it (was always easy to remember that because of Columbus) - mine has no maker marks as far as mfg. Check your bore - it is probably three lands and three grooves and shallow. They were intended to shoot the service load of 60 grains FFG with a minie. Actual bore measurements will vary from mfg. to mfg. - i.e. Zoli, etc. I shot mine in NSSA - most shooters "sized" their minies to match their bores - some might be .575, some .577, etc. Once you have the minie that works best for your bore - you'll find that it's a fairly decent shooter. You should be able to take out a clay pigeon at 5o yrds. with no problems. I have a round ball mold for mine but I have never tried a round ball in mine. My guess is that the rifling is too shallow to work effectively with a "patched" round ball - just a guess though. As already stated I believe, there are a varitey of minie ball styles for the 58 caliber rifled muskets. There are wad cutters, original, improved, etc. I had good success with mine using wad cutters - especially on clays at 50 yards. Skirt thinckness will also play a factor. It just takes time to work up a load so don't get discouraged on it. In Michigan, I believe we are limited to using round ball for hunting - if I am incorrect in this, someone please correct me. Check with your state game laws before you use minie balls for hunting. I did take a few rabbits with mine using minies - striving for head shots - but it probably wasn't "kosher". Keep playing with your loads/projectiles and you'll fnd something that "jives" eventually. Just remember that these types of rifles were designed for "service loads" - i.e. 60 grains and minies. Don't go overboard with "magnum" loads - the object is to work up a load that will get the projectile on target and get the job done. Good luck to you!

 

[mykeal]

I'm not aware of any prohibition against minis in muzzleloaders for hunting in Michigan. That said, I get good accuracy from my Zoli at 50 yards using a .570 rb patched with 0.018 dry lubed ticking over 60 gr/vol ffg Goex.

 

[Hawg]

I don't have a Zouave but I have a three band Enfield. I use a Lyman traditional minie with 70 grains of Pyrodex. It holds minute of five gallon bucket at 300 yards. I also have a mold that makes a Lee improved with a wide meplat. I haven't tried it long range but it does as well as the Lyman out to 100. The original service load was 60 grs for Union troops and 65 for Confederate. You won't blow the skirt off with heavy loads but you can blow gas past the minie. I've used as much as 120 and accuracy didn't suffer much but it didn't really gain anything from it. 70 grains with a minie is a destructive force. You need a thin skirted minie like these. The Buffalo bullets have a skirt too thick to expand and engage rifling.

And a fired one.

A good fitting minie will be .002-.003 under bore size. Mine will load just from the weight of the ramrod down to the last three inches or so whether it be the first shot or the 50th.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Here I go again, differing with HH.
I'm late to this thread, others have said what I am about to say.
That is, resist the temptation to use heavy loads with a minie ball/bullet.
I am happy that HH has not had blown skirts with heavy loads. Puzzled too.
The Lyman BP manual has photos of minie skirts being blown with heavy charges.
The champion musket shooters I have known tend towards the original style minie and usually max out charges at 60 gr 2Fg of real black powder. Keep in mind that is more "Oomph" than was available in the CW due to our powder today being higher quality. That load will kill anything in the lower 48.

 

[Hawg]

Rifleman are you talking about the 70 grain loads I normally used or the 120 I have used? If it's the 70 remember I'm using Pyrodex.

 

[bedbugbilly]

Mykeal - thanks for clarifying the hunting in Michigan. It's been many years since I deer hunted in Michigan - when I was hunting was really before the hunting with muzzleloaders started to emerge. I was thinking that it was limited to roundball only over 45 . . . BUT . . . that may have been in the very beginning when they (the DNR) were addressing the use of muzzleloaders. There's a lot of new things that have come down the pike since then - maxi balls, inlines,etc. At any rate . . thank you for responding and setting that straight - much appreciated.

AND - to clarify why I don't hunt deer in Michigan anymore . . . first I'm in AZ for the winters now where I don't have to shovel snow . . . but more importantly, the last few years I was deer hunting, I usually walked in, sat down against a tree and within ten minutes was asleep. I finally figured out that if I was going to nap in the woods, I might just as well stay in where it was warm and take a nap. I had plenty of opportunities to take a deer but always ended up passing the shot up and just watching them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against hunting . . . but for me, I just can't stand to shoot anything anymore other than a paper plate or a dead pop can.

 

[mykeal]

I finally figured out that if I was going to nap in the woods, I might just as well stay in where it was warm and take a nap.

That's the smartest thing I've heard all day.

 

[shortwave]

I'm late to this thread

I suspect we all are. It was started in 2007.

At any rate, some good reading.

 

[Newtire]

My Minie Experience with the Zouave

Saw that this thread was old but I am too so, in the interest of information for those looking for it, I thought I would post this.

I wound up with 2 of the Zouaves. Both of these were made by Zoli and both nice looking rifles. After doing alot of searching on the net, I decided to give it a go with what I had plus the addition of another mould. I even wound up buying a few .580" Minie's from Track of the Wolf (TOW).
Turns out the Alliant Black MZ that I picked up at our LGSworked the best with the heavier Minies but with a lighter Lyman design, I had better luck usig 777 powder in 2f granulation.
All my shooting was done at 50 yds. I avoided Pyrodex due to my experiences with the rust it caused in a gun I had when Pyrodex first came out. I just won't use it anymore.

The first Zoli liked slugs cast at .578" on up so I wound up getting the best accuracy using the TOW .580" Minies. I was getting 1000-1100 fps using 70-80 gr. (by volume)with the Alliant Black MZ. I also got good accuracy using 60-70 gr volume of 777 but with alot more kick and same velocity using less powder. The lighter weight Lyman "target" minies did just great with 60 gr. 777 and got velocity in the 1200- 1250 fps range. They only worked after "beagling" the mould out to throw a .578" slug. (Go to castboolits-gunloads.com & look up "beagling".) The Black MZ took more powder to get same velocity. So, these are good propellants to use although I think the Black MZ is a lot easier on the shoulder.
The 2nd Zoli tuned out to be a completely different animal. It had a smaller bore so liked .575" Minies. However, I couldn't hit a 12" target at 50 yds and the shots were all over the place. Long story short...The first rifle was glass bedded and Zoli #2 was not. After glass bedding #2, the accuracy came right up there. Both rifles shot high and one had the front sight soldered(brazed?) on off center. That was the #2 POS rifle. I might get around to rectifying that one of these days.

So, the rifles both put the Minies into 1-1/2 to 2" 3-shot groups @50 yds. Plenty good for deer. Will have to take it out to 100 yd. range now & see what it will do this coming summer.