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Posted: 6/15/2009 6:43:51 PM EDT
| So an older guy at work brought his 1853 Enfield rifle into work today, and of course I had to go check it out. Started asking some questions, and he soon mentioned he had a carbine version he would sell me for 150$. Is a Navy Arms (??) replica, that his son used to use in reenactment. Has only had powder charges fired, and was always cleaned afterwards. I for got to ask if it came with any kit. So my question is, what all do I need to go with it? And what kind of performance can I expect to get from it? This will be my first muzzle loader. I am heading to the book store tomorrow to get a few books on the subject. Also any back round on this type of rifle would be cool to, and pics are always nice! Thanks in advance! |
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Rifled Muskets like the Enfield models of 1853, 1856, & 1861 fired .577 caliber "mini balls", a slightly undersized hollow base slug. They have to be pure lead to expand into the rifling correctly and be accurate. I'm afraid this probably means casting your own. The only "ready made" mini-balls I have seen were imported from Italy. They were cast from scrap lead like wheel weights and so wouldn't expand into the rifling properly. You couldn't hit a flock of barns with them. You definitely will need to use ffg black powder in one of these. The best is "Swiss" brand, but it is expensive. It is made with charcoal from, I believe, a specific type of alder and therefore leaves softer, moister fouling that allows more shots to be fired without having to stop and clean the bore. Other brands are fine, but you'll clean more often. Then you'll need the large "musket" type percussion caps that look like a little top hat, not the small #10 or #11 caps used on cap and ball revolvers.
In cooler weather straight Crisco vegetable shortening is fine to lube the mini-balls. In hotter weather you can add bees wax or regular bullet lube to the Crisco to thicken it. Lube the outside of the mini-ball liberally. Some also fill the base cavity with lube, others don't. Some lube by hand at the range. I use to use fairly stiff lube which I would melt in a pan and pour around my mini-balls which were sitting in a baking pan. I would fill it up to the top of the grease grooves and once the lube cooled and hardened I cut them out of the lube with a "cookie cutter" I made from steel bar stock. The 3 band 1853 was the full length rifled musket which replaced the earlier .69 & .75 cal. smoothbores. The shorter 2 band 1856 "sergeant’s fusil" or "Naval Pattern" was used more widely by the South than the 1853. It is a handy, well balanced length and would be good for reenactment, target shooting, or hunting. It’s similar in size to the Remington "Zuave". The 1861 "Musketoon" is a short, stubby weapon with a 22" barrel intended to arm artillerymen and mounted troops. Cute looking but not as practical as the 1856. Quality of the European replicas varies widely. Some are as good as the originals, which were excellent. Others are junk. |
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You really need to be casting your own pure lead mini balls. I've bought minie balls from Dixie Gun works and other online sources and the lead was too hard. If the lead is too hard the mini ball base will not expand and grip the rifling.
It's best to cast them 0.002 smaller than your ACTUAL bore size. This is to facilitate easy loading. After casting, you can push them through a sizer to ensure they are the correct size. |
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