Updates:
This is getting interesting. I pulled the trigger on the Brown Bess last night, and I'm due to drive out and get it over the weekend. In the meanwhile, I've been trying to locate parts.
Yikes! There is some discrepancy on exactly what bullet to use. It's a .75 bore. Folks either load a .69 ball in a paper cartridge for volley fire, or a .735 ball for more accurate shooting. I was all ready to buy a .735 mold from Pedersoli, but Yikes! $45 shipping from Italy. I looked around and found a mold on Dixie Gun Works that's .735 for far less. I'll see how the balls fit. There's a Lee .69 mold out there as well. Lyman used to make one, but. . .
Flints? Nobody seems to have musket flints right now. I finally found some on Ebay. I met a flint knapper years ago that used to furnish one of the big web stores (maybe Track of the Wolf) with all their flints. I had to make some calls to find out his name. I finally reached someone who knew him; he flaked out (literally) years ago and dropped off the radar. Flint knapping must be hard on a guy.
I also found a dull-looking sling for it for $35 on a Civil War sutler's site. I wasn't going to pay $90 for a neon-white one even if it was period-correct.
My goal at this point is to try and get my first shot off before turkey season starts, and have a working system together for Kentucky's ML Season in October.
I wish I could find someone who would sell me some #6 shot in the meanwhile. I want to try using this thing on squirrels and turkey, but there is no #6 shot around locally. No great matter, this is a long term project, and I expect to be refining my Brown Bess' capabilities well into my dotage.
