1842 Palmettos

[mnreb]

Hello:
I hope that this is the right place to ask this question. I have been reading the posts on the Lorenze and need some feedback. My unit purchased 3 1842 Palmettos from Loyalist Arms. The concerns we have are as follows: The bands are on really tight (almost have to use a rubber hammer) and the size of the barrels. On two of them, a .69 jag will go down, but it seems to get looser towards the end of the barrel. On the 3rd, the jag will not even fit the barrel. Are these major concerns? Has anyone else purchased from them? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. If I have posted in the wrong place, I apologize. We have contacted them, but still could use some feedback from this forum. It would help a lot.
Thank You,
William Feucthenberger

[ley74]

Re: 1842 Palmettos

First - This probably belongs in Camp of Instruction forum?

Second - I would check out the posts on the Loyalist Arms products. There have been several discussions regarding their quality.

Third - Sorry to hear about your issues. Sounds like poor QC.

[Gary of CA]

Re: 1842 Palmettos

Remember where the gun was made and kept can affect the stock. Humidity causes the wood to swell so you may want to wait for a dry season before you do some in-house modification to the stock. Here's how to do it:

Mark the inside of your band with a black felt marker. Push it onto the stock. Whereever you see a black mark that was transferred onto the wood, shave a little wood off with a chisel. Don't use a mallet to tap the chisel. You can remove too much if you do. Rather, you hand push it (one hand holds the chisel by the shank and the free hand pushes on the side so as to shave off slices of the wood. If I'm not clear and need clarification, ask a cabinet maker to show you the technique). Reapply more ink on the band and try again. Continue marking & shaving until you get the tightness you feel comfortable with. When the wood and metal fit, apply some stain and then rub in some beeswax over the stained wood. You might want to rub some beeswax on the inside of the band too.

On the jag, you might want to drill a short piece of metal rod and tap it so it mates with the jag. Chuck the metal rod into a lathe (or if you don't have a Bridgeport in your house, use your "Kentucky" Lathe - a hand drill mounted in a vise). With the jag spinning, hit it with emery paper. By rotating it in a lathe (or Kentucky lathe) you'll ensure that it'll reduce the diameter evenly. If you didn't mic the jag and measure the bore, you might want to stop and check the fit every now and then.