Kongsberg Jaeger rifle

[Dusty Texian]

Very nice Jaeger, what caliber is your rifle ? Yes it does look formidable with the bayonet in place. I am sure that it does feel awkward with the bayonet extended.RW

[Staffy]

Hi all,
     Perhaps an enquiry of the Norwegian Army Museum would be profitable. I have found them to be most helpful. The markings clearly have some meaning. There is a 'contact' heading on their web page. Good luck in your investigations.

[jæger justnæs]

Thank you, DT. The barrel is a standard Colerain Hessian .62 caliber barrel. Only minor diferrences to the original. The rest is a group buy from The Rifle Shoppe. Mind you, back then it took a lot of time and money before we received all the parts. I don't know what the current delivery status is...

Let's see if we can work out the barrel markings. Maybe an idea to post pictures and what the text might say one pipe at a time. Probably somebody that know. TGhe first thing is to find if they are og Dasnish or Norwegian origin. Some may have both.

The good fellow Trond had visited the chat and asked me to post a couple of pictures. He is convinced that your rifles are based on the M1803. The sideplate is distinct for the M1803 and M1807 Kyhls (the one with the hammer/frizzen spring on the inside of the lockplate).
From the top: M1803 - M1803/41 - M1803/41/51


The other side, reverse order


Best regards, Tor

[Dusty Texian]

Thank You Staffy , I will look into contacting the museum.DT.

[Dusty Texian]

Thank You for all your effort Jaeger Juntnaes you have been a great help. After looking at the photographs you have posted I must agree the Jaeger rifle that I have looks to be a match with the 1803/41/51 . I did remove the lock and look behind the lock plate and found a very small mark /stamp, I will have to enlarge this and try to identify the mark. This may tell the lock's origin.  Again Thank You for all of your help. Respectfully Ron Wehmeyer ,,,,DT

[Dusty Texian]

Thank's to the help from others here , It appears that my Jeager rifle may be a Danish / Norwegian 1803-41/51  model. My question is about the rear sight. The sight has markings on it 300/400 and so on up to and including 600. What measurement was used in that time for this sight? 300 = what today? Another question I have , does anyone know what the original bullet weight and powder charge would have been for this . 72 cal. rifle? Thank You in advance . DT .

[Øyvind F.]

The sight settings are in Norwegian alen (ells). One Norwegian ell is .6275 metres or .686 yards. 300 ells is thus 188 metres or 205.8 yards.

[Dusty Texian]

Thank You Oyvind F. This information will help during the range test of this old rifle . I will order a copy of your book , From Musket to Metalic cartridge today . I am in search for loading information about the bullet and powder charge that was originally used in this rifle .DT

[jæger justnæs]

Hello again, Dusty.
That picture futher up, is it taken at The Alamo?
Regarding the bullet design; they used the same bullets as the kammerlader rifles.
Please take a look at this thread on the Norwegian forum.
I think I have read that the charge was sligtly lower than that used in the kammerladers. Will have to come back to a link...if I can find it.

Regards, Tor

[jæger justnæs]

You might find these two threads concerning 18-lødig paper cartridges interesting.
Link 1
Link 2
So far, all I can say that I think I have heard that the load differed from kammerlader loads but I cannot offer you a source yet.

Tor

[Øyvind F.]

The powder charge was 71 grains of coarse rifle/musket powder versus 96 grains for the kammerlader rifles.

The paper cartridge also differed. The muzzle-loading rifles used the first cartridge from the left:



The middle cartridge is simlar to the type used by the kammerlader rifles until 1861 when a new model based on the British Pritchett cartridge was adopted.

[Dusty Texian]

Hello Jaeger Justnaes, Yes Sir, that is my Grand daughter and myself standing in front of the old Alamo in San Antonio Texas.The effort and information in helping me to get this old Jaeger rifle shooting again is very much appreciated . By the way after seeing your Flint Jaeger, I have really been considering a contemporary build myself.  Good Shooting ,,,DT

[Dusty Texian]

Hello Oyvind F. Again Thank you for the valuable information you have provided. I have been told by my Elders , That if you want answers , Go to the man that has them. Looks like I have came to the right place. Good Shooting ,,,DT

[Dusty Texian]

Hello All. Since my last post I have managed to make and install a brass nose-cap and front sight for my M-1803/41/51 . I built these two parts using the photographs posted by the kind folks here on forum. I have machine turned and am in the final stages of making the copies of the cleaning worm and chamber/pillar scraper. I will post photos of these two items when they are complete.  I have had a chance to shoot the old Jaeger rifle with ball-n-patch and it was suprisingly accurate. I am still thinking of purchasing a bullet mould for this rifle . Hope all are well, So long for now.  DT

[Daryl Sapergia]

DT- what is the groove and bore diameter of your rifle, please?
 
In the larger bore sizes, we've had very good luck/accuracy with paper ctgs. patched tight to the bore using round balls, with the base or tied tail of the paper getting shoved and seated down hard on the powder, the snug paper patched ball above

We are getting accuracy rivaling tight cloth patched round balls.

Do these rifles have the Tige' or Delvinge chambers meant for slugging up the ball to the groove diameter with 3 blows of the rifle's loading rod.  

The US Military purchased many of those types of rifles, back in the 1850's, I've read.  The Tige' had a post that projected up into the bore for slugging up the ball with repeat blows of the rod. The Delvinge had a shouldered powder chamber against which the ball was hammered against.
Neither of these would allow for a paper ctg. I would imagine.

Curiosity call.

[Øyvind F.]

All the Norwegian /41/51 conversions have a pointy tige or pillar in the bottom of the chamber. The jäger rifles were loaded with a patched roundball in their original flintlock configuration, and also after the conversion to percussion after 1841. When they were converted to pillar-breech rifles after 1851 they were loaded with the 18 bore kammerlader bullet. The paper cartridge was slightly different from that of the kammerlader though. The load was 71 grains of rifle powder, as opposed to 96 grains in the kammerlader.

[Daryl Sapergia]

Thanks for that information- very helpful!!
Daryl