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Veteran Arms, LLC

Matchlock Musket Owner!s Manual

WARNING - DANGER!
Under the Term & Conditions of Sale, this manual MUST be read and understood in its entirety before using your Veteran Arms, LLC musket. Failure to read and fully understand the information contained in this manual may lead to serious injury or death. If, after reading this manual, you still have any question as to the safe and proper use, function, or operation of your weapon, contact Veteran Arms, LLC (www.VeteranArms.com) for further information.
ATTENTION! - Gun Use Fundamentals Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction away from other people. Never place your nger on the trigger until ready to re. Never load your musket until you are ready to shoot.

Proper Use of Veteran Arms, LLC Muzzleloading Black Powder Muskets. ! If you are not familiar with the safe and proper handling of muzzleloading weapons - STOP! Do NOT attempt to use this weapon until you have sought and completed competent instruction administered by a professional in the safe and proper use of blackpowder / muzzleloading rearms. It is YOUR responsibility to consult a qualied instructor.
! ! If you are unfamiliar with any term used in this manual, consult a professional or contact Veteran Arms, LLC (at www.VeteranArms.com). !

! The operation of historical weapons differ dramatically from those of modern rearms. Take time to familiarize yourself with all the functions of your weapon - that includes reading and understanding this manual. ! ALWAYS keep the muzzle pointed downrange and away from others. NEVER re your weapon except into an adequate backstop. NEVER re unless you are sure of your target. NEVER re at rocks, water, or other hard surfaces. Doing so may cause a ricochet which may cause damage to property and injury or death to you or others. ! WARNING - NEVER prime your weapon until you are ready to re. Failure to abide by this rule may result in accidental discharge resulting in property damage, serious injury or death. ! NEVER store a loaded rearm. All muskets should be discharged prior to storage. NEVER transport a loaded rearm in any vehicle. Storing or transporting a loaded rearm may result in property damage, serious injury, or death. ! Care should be taken not to drop, jar, jam, bump, or otherwise forcefully disturb a loaded musket as accidental discharge may occur. Failure to do any of the above may result in serious injury or death. ! NEVER turn over possession of a loaded rearm to another or accept for ring a weapon loaded by another. NEVER lean a loaded weapon against any surface, nor leave it unattended. Doing so may result in serious injury or death. ! NEVER attempt to clean or disassemble a loaded musket. Doing so may result in serious injury or death. ! ALWAYS mind your weapon and keep it pointed in a safe direction. NEVER run, jump, crawl, climb, or do other such activities with a loaded musket. It may accidentally discharge causing serious injury or death. ! ALWAYS inspect your weapon before loading and ring to ensure it is in safe & proper working order. If you suspect your weapon may not be safe for ring - STOP - do NOT use it until it has been inspected by a professional gunsmith. ! NEVER use your rearm while under the inuence of alcohol or drugs, or while you are tired or distracted.

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Propellants: ! WARNING - DANGER! This weapon is designed for use with FF Grade (two F) Black Powder ONLY.
Shooters should NEVER use any other grade of black powder, any smokeless powders, mixed black and smokeless powders, Pyrodex, Triple Seven, or any other black powder substitute. Use of any propellant other than FF Grade black powder may result in serious injury or death to you or others. ! Black Powder means gun powder specically designed for muzzleloading rearms. WARNING - Because a gun-powder is black in color does NOT mean it is Black Powder or suitable for use in this weapon. Never use any powder unless you are sure it is Black Powder and of the proper grade. ! Your weapon is designed to re FF Grade Black Powder ONLY. Black powder generally may be had in 5 grades: 1. Cannon 2. F Grade 3. FF Grade 4. FFF Grade 5. FFFF Grade ! Cannon and F Grade powders are used for large bore weapons. Neither of these grades is suitable for use in your Veteran Arms, LLC musket. ! FF Grade (called Two F Grade) powder is designed for muzzleloaders with a bore diameter over .50 caliber. This is the REQUIRED black powder for your Veteran Arms, LLC musket. ! FFF Grade & FFFF Grade black powders burn more quickly and create much higher barrel pressures than is safe for your musket and should NEVER be used. Using these grades of powder could result in an explosion of the barrel and serious injury or death to you and bystanders. ! NEVER pour black powder from a can, ask, or other large container into your weapon. Should a spark ignite the powder being poured from a large container it may explode causing serious injury or death. ALWAYS use a measured, single powder charge to load your muzzleloader. NEVER place any part of your body directly over the muzzle of the weapon. ! ALWAYS use an accurate powder measure in making up powder charges. NEVER

exceed the maximum charge of black powder prescribed for your weapon in this manual. Exceeding the maximum charge may cause detonation of the weapon and serious injury or death to you and bystanders. ! ALWAYS make sure that the ball is rmly seated against the powder charge at the breach. Care should also be taken to see that the projectile remains fully seated against the charge during handling and aiming. If not properly seated, the ball may roll forward in the barrel and create an obstruction. Failure to fully seat the ball against the powder charge may cause the barrel to burst posing a serious risk of injury or death to you or others. ! Only lead projectiles should be used in Veteran Arms, LLC muskets. Care should be taken when handling lead as it has been linked to serious physical ailments. Always wash hands after handling lead.

WARNING ! NEVER exceed the maximum recommended powder charge, or use anything other than FF Grade black powder and the size ball recommended in the Specications section of this manual. Doing so may cause a weapon failure and the potential for serious injury or death. WARNING ! NEVER use any type of smokeless gun powder, bulk powder, Pyrodex, Triple Seven, or ANY type of black powder substitute. Just because a gun powder is black does NOT mean it is black powder. Know your propellant. Other Cautions:
! The ignition systems of historical muzzleloaders may produce sparks, ame, smoke, metal or chemical fragments, and other emissions and particles which have the potential to cause serious injury or death. ALWAYS wear protective clothing and equipment when handling or shooting your weapon. ! Approved Shooting glasses should ALWAYS be worn to protect the eyes. Ear protection should ALWAYS be worn to protect

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3 ! Using a worm, jag, or other device wipe the barrel free of excess oil. ! Pointing the weapon in a safe direction, place a small mount of powder in the pan and close the pan. ! Place the butt of the musket on the ground in front of you. Hold the musket upright and away from your face and body. ! Pour your pre-measured black powder charge into the bore at the muzzle making sure not to place your hand or ngers over the barrel. ! Place the appropriate sized musket ball into the bore. It should slip in with no need for forcing. (A piece of paper or wadding may be placed on top of the ball to prevent it rolling forward after being seated.) ! Remove the ramrod from its channel. Place the ramming tip into the barrel at the muzzle and using short strokes, seat the ball rmly against the powder. (At this point you may wish to mark the ramrod again at the muzzle. This will allow you to ensure that subsequent rounds are fully seated.) WARNING - Failure to seat the

hearing. A heavy shirt or jacket of non-ammable materials should ALWAYS be worn to protect from ying particles or sparks. Care should be taken to keep beards and hair away from the ignition system. ! NEVER smoke while handling a black powder weapon. The ame may cause an accidental discharge, ignite loading or cleaning supplies, or cause an explosion of powder or primers resulting in serious injury or death. ! ALWAYS keep powder, primers, and other ammables and explosives well away from the ring area. Failure to do so may result in serious injury or death.

Firing Blanks: WARNING ! No less measure of care should be taken when ring blanks from your musket than when ring live. ! NEVER point a rearm at another person,
even when ring blanks.

! NEVER overload, or double charge your musket with gun powder at any time, even when ring blanks.
Even with no projectile, the increased pressures created by exceeding the maximum powder charges outlined in this manual may cause the barrel of your musket to burst causing serious injury or death to you or others.

Loading & Firing Procedure: ! The following is meant as a general guide

to loading and ring your muzzleloading musket. It is NOT meant to be a comprehensive guide. If you are unfamiliar with muzzleloading arms STOP. Do NOT attempt to load and re your musket until you have sought out and obtained proper instruction by a trained professional.

ball rmly against the powder charge may cause the barrel to burst upon ring causing serious injury or death to you or others. If the ball should become lodged in the barrel or otherwise fail to seat, STOP - do not attempt to re the musket. Carefully remove the stuck ball, or contact a professional to assist in its removal. Remember to handle the musket as if loaded.
! Remove the ramrod and return it to its channel. ! Pick up the weapon and, pointing it in a safe direction, place the pre-lit match in the jaws of the cock and take aim at your target. ! Pull the trigger. (The cock should fall bringing the smoldering match in contact with the priming powder which will ignite the main charge and propel the ball toward your target.)

Steps:
! Remove the ramrod from its channel and insert its tip into the bore. ! Gently lower it into the barrel until it makes contact with the breach. All but the very end should be inside the barrel. ! Mark the spot where the ramrod exits the bore at the muzzle"s face. ! Remove the ramrod from the bore.

WARNING - It is important to press the butt rmly against the shoulder. If improperly held, the recoil of the weapon may strike and bruise the shoulder or face.)
! Should you decide not to re after bringing your weapon to the ring position, close the pan and bring the weapon down from the aiming position, but be sure to keep it pointed in a safe direction. Remove the match from the cock"s

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jaws. Remember that your musket is still loaded and treat it accordingly.

Failure to Fire: ! Should your musket fail to re - STOP.

Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Reprime the musket and re again. ! NEVER attempt to dislodge a ball that has failed to seat properly by discharging the weapon. The musket could explode. Manually extract the ball, or consult a professional to assist in extracting it.

assumes NO liability or responsibility for property damage, injury, or death resulting from intentional misuse, accidental discharge, or for any other circumstance beyond our control including but not limited to, improper handling, improper loading, unauthorized modication, neglect, or carelessness. See Terms & Conditions of Sale for more information. Limited Warrantee ! Veteran Arms, LLC will repair or replace, at its sole and exclusive discretion, any defective part within 3 months of the rst sale of the musket to its original purchaser. Purchaser MUST contact Veteran Arms, LLC prior to returning any item for repair to get approval. This warrantee does not cover any other damage including, but not limited to, scratches, dents, dings, or damage caused by use, modication, alteration, misuse, or neglect.

Cleaning Your Musket: ! Black powder is corrosive, and failure to

properly clean your musket may lead to poor performance, destruction of the weapon, or injury to those who attempt to use it. Care should be taken to keep the weapon clean. ! There is no need to remove the breachplug for regular cleaning, and removal should not be performed in any case except by individuals qualied and experienced in the proper procedure for removal and reinstallation. ! Water is generally all that is needed to adequately clean your musket. Use water and a cleaning patch (on a jag) to swab out the barrel until all fouling is removed. Clean other metal parts including the hammer. ! Thoroughly dry all metal parts with swabs and a cloth. Finish the cleaning by applying an adequate coat of oil. ! If you are unfamiliar with the proper procedure for cleaning your musket, contact a professional. ! Never attempt to clean you musket until you are certain that it is unloaded.

Proong:
! All Veteran Arms, LLC muskets come preproofed. NEVER attempt to re-proof the musket as injury or death may result. Veteran Arms, LLC will not be responsible for any damage to property or person resulting from any attempt at proong.

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY ! Your Veteran Arms, LLC musket is a DANGEROUS WEAPON. Veteran Arms, LLC assumes NO liability for unsafe handling or resale (except by authorized dealers). Veteran Arms, LLC
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