FIE Zouve 1863 contract musket repro

[Jonnytoobad]

Recently found a F.I.E marked Zouve 1863 .58 caliber rifled musket. It very good condition looks to have been made in the 70's. Main spring seems a bit weak, but that is easy enough to fix. Anyone have any experience with these rifles?

I also have an old Enfield 2 band 1856 cavalry Musketoon which I believe is an Indian copy probably from the 70's and is 12 gauge. smooth bore. It does not have a sling bar or sling loop on the side plate however. I have shot this gun for years and really enjoyed it, but I don't really need it.

Jonnytoobad

[doc1876]

I wish I had a dollar for everyone I met that loved theirs.

[fouronesix]

I have a Rem Zouave original and a Zoli Zouave repro. Both shoot well. The locks on the Italian repros are not as good as the originals- but if you can work them over a little they are perfectly functional and won't adversely affect the shoot-ability. Load it with about 50 gr BP, a good Minié with some soft lube and see how it does. It may pay to check the nipple and, if needed, replace it with a newer design with the smaller flash hole… helps prevent excessive back flash.

[mountainman]

I loved mine it was a zoli repo ended up slling it and have kicked myself ever since. I've got to agree with fouronesix check the nipple you can get a good amount of flash coming back at you if it's burned out or the flash hole is too large. I used minnies with Crisco for lube it shot really well.

[Jonnytoobad]

This gun in fact has a spare nipple in the patch box, but I will check it next time I get to the shop where its at.

[fouronesix]

Here's a comparison of two types.

On the left is an old nipple with a very large flash hole. Most of the originals were either this large or had a deep countersink before the actual large flash channel hole.

On the right is a new nipple with a small flash hole. If the hammer hits the nipple cone square and the cap is correct there is no problem with this type nipple firing a charge. The musket cap charge is large and the small hole simply focuses the "jet" into the bolster's flash channel and on into the main charge.

The small hole also minimizes the main charge flash back out the nipple during firing…. with many obvious advantages.