Navy Arms Enfield
- Thread starter hessian45
- Start date
bedbugbilly
New member
First - welcome to the forum! Lots of good folks here!
What "combinations" have you tried? What is or isn't working? Are you shooting a "Minie Ball" and if so, what weight and design? Or, are you trying to shoot RB out of it?
I've always shot a 505 gr. soft lead Minie Ball out of a Lyman 575213 Mold with the standard "service load" of 60 gr. of 2F out of my rifled muskets with excellent results. All I've ever used for lube is a smear of Crisco in the base which keeps the fouling soft. There are others on here who shoot NSSA that will chime in as well.
The important thing is to have your Minie Ball sized to your bore. Soft lead wants to be used so the base expands upon firing to grip the rifling on the way out.
What "combinations" have you tried? What is or isn't working? Are you shooting a "Minie Ball" and if so, what weight and design? Or, are you trying to shoot RB out of it?
I've always shot a 505 gr. soft lead Minie Ball out of a Lyman 575213 Mold with the standard "service load" of 60 gr. of 2F out of my rifled muskets with excellent results. All I've ever used for lube is a smear of Crisco in the base which keeps the fouling soft. There are others on here who shoot NSSA that will chime in as well.
The important thing is to have your Minie Ball sized to your bore. Soft lead wants to be used so the base expands upon firing to grip the rifling on the way out.
bedbugbilly
New member
Rumor has it that Hawg uses more powder than Gary and I "cause he likes to shoot further away from the target . . . something he learned from his ancestors who were much better shots than my ancestors during the "late unpleasantness". 
Sorry Hawg . . . couldn't help myself! :roll eyes:
Years ago, I participated in a long range rifled musket shoot at Camp Grayling in MI utilizing their 1,000 meter range. We were shooting at knock down targets at 100 meter intervals. You shot as many rounds as you could in an hour and scored by # of hits and distances. My shooting partner and I had four rifled muskets between us. A Remington Zouave, a Mississippi Rifle - both of which were basically the same rifle - so to speak. We also had an original 1861 Contract Rifled Musket and a repro 3 band Enfield. We'd take turns shooting while the other "spotted". Of the four rifled muskets - the Enfield seemed to "out shoot" the others regardless of which of us was doing the shooting. Some don't like the shape of the Enfield but I have always found it to be a very comfortable rifle to shoot regardless of whether ti's a 2 or a 3 band. Just a great rifle.
At that shoot, the furthest target was at a 1,000 - a full size cut out in the shape of a horse with a rider out of 3/8" steel. Just as an interesting note, all of the shooters tried for it but very few hit it. The fellow who had the most hits was not shooting a rifled musket - he was shooting a 44 repro Henry rifle and by the time we were done, most of us stopped shooting just to watch the guy as he hit it repeatedly.
Enjoy that Enfield . . . you've got a nice rifle that will provide you with a lifetime of pleasure!
Sorry Hawg . . . couldn't help myself! :roll eyes:Years ago, I participated in a long range rifled musket shoot at Camp Grayling in MI utilizing their 1,000 meter range. We were shooting at knock down targets at 100 meter intervals. You shot as many rounds as you could in an hour and scored by # of hits and distances. My shooting partner and I had four rifled muskets between us. A Remington Zouave, a Mississippi Rifle - both of which were basically the same rifle - so to speak. We also had an original 1861 Contract Rifled Musket and a repro 3 band Enfield. We'd take turns shooting while the other "spotted". Of the four rifled muskets - the Enfield seemed to "out shoot" the others regardless of which of us was doing the shooting. Some don't like the shape of the Enfield but I have always found it to be a very comfortable rifle to shoot regardless of whether ti's a 2 or a 3 band. Just a great rifle.
At that shoot, the furthest target was at a 1,000 - a full size cut out in the shape of a horse with a rider out of 3/8" steel. Just as an interesting note, all of the shooters tried for it but very few hit it. The fellow who had the most hits was not shooting a rifled musket - he was shooting a 44 repro Henry rifle and by the time we were done, most of us stopped shooting just to watch the guy as he hit it repeatedly.
Enjoy that Enfield . . . you've got a nice rifle that will provide you with a lifetime of pleasure!
..........Or not.