Best minie' for the 2-band Enfield

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  • Last Post 21 August 2015
delmarskid1 posted this 27 June 2015

I have an Italian 1/48” twist 2-band Enfield copy. I would like to start looking for an accurate minie ball mold.  I'm not a skirmisher or enactor but I would like to use an original style bullet. I found out that my Great Great Grandfather<color="#373e4d"><font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"> was a sharpshooter.Civil War Service Record: (Confederate)J. P. H. ReavisResidence was not listed; Enlisted on 9/4/1862 at Wake County, NC as a Private.On 9/4/1862 he mustered into “A” Co. NC 1st Battn SharpShooters  

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Ed Harris posted this 27 June 2015

Many years ago I had an original 2-band W.J. Jeffery artillery rifle which I shot in N-SSA. I used the “old style” Ideal Minie and either 45 grains of 3Fg, 55 of 2Fg or 65 grs. of Fg, depending on the range I wanted the battle sights to zero, with RWS caps, and lubricated with 50-50 lard and beeswax. I filled the skirt with lube too! Bullets were cast 1:50 tin/lead. If I recall correctly the twist was slower than 48", I believe one turn in six feet if memory is correct. I never shot very many groups on paper, but killed more than my share of 6” 100-yard flower pots and 50-yard clay birds wired to the backer. I was less into how many rounds I could get off in the alloted time, but seriously into hits and not misses and was well satisfied. I wish I still had that rifle today, but selling it in 1970 paid a year's tuition at Virginia Tech.Somewhere I have a picture of myself in my blue Yankee cadet uniform and great coat standing with that rifle on the upper quad behind Brodie Hall on a guard mount.   Lyman 575213-OS is close to the original bullet shown below, but lighter. http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details-blackpowder.php?entryID=90 <url=http://www.midwayusa.com/product/589474/lyman-1-cavity-minie-ball-bullet-mold-575213-os-58-caliber-575-diameter-460-grain-old-style>http://www.midwayusa.com/product/589474/lyman-1-cavity-minie-ball-bullet-mold-575213-os-58-caliber-575-diameter-460-grain-old-style

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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delmarskid1 posted this 27 June 2015

Thanks Ed, If you hadn't gone to Tech you might have ended up working with me.

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gnoahhh posted this 28 June 2015

I used that same Lyman Old Style Miniè in my Parker-Hale 2-band Enfield, lubed with Crisco, 60gr. Goex FFg, RWS caps. It was the most accurate ball I tried in that rifle (I don't remember which molds cast the the other samples- they came from friends' stashes).

Didn't the originals (and the P-H repros) have progressive rifling? I can't remember. Or was it choke bored?

I killed one deer with it, on the edge of the Antietam battlefield appropriately enough, and was gob-smacked at the tissue damage it created.

Sadly, the rifle got horse traded to fund yet another adventure of some sort or another.

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Ed Harris posted this 28 June 2015

My W.J. Jeffery, and an Isaac Hollis & Sons 3-band rifle I had did have about 0.005” "choke” near the muzzle.  I am told this was intended to ease loading with a fouled barrel.  RIfling in both of these was 5 equal width lands and grooves.  I could not tell if they were gain twist, if so it was very gradual.  Either rifle was capable of 4-inch, ten-shot groups at 100 yards. Then as now, bullet “fit” was critical.  Best grouping was obtained using the dilute tin/lead alloy such that bullet required loading with a short starter and mallet. Once engraved they would ram home easily.  Many N-SSA fellows sized their bullets to permit easier loading, but I opted for better precision and a lower rate of fire, which worked for me.   Here is a better drawing of the original .58 Minie bullet. The pistol-carbine bullet has a thinner skirt, larger base cavity and lighter weight, more closely resembling the current Lyman “Old Style.” I am told by N-SSA competitors that Lyman adopted the carbine bullet profile to reduce recoil and to improve accuracy with the lighter charges favored by target shooters. That would make sense.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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marguerite posted this 01 July 2015

Hi, I'm working on a television show about the War Between the States. I'm looking for images of minie balls being cast. I was wondering if you had any photos or drawings you'd be open to sharing. If so, or if you have any questions, please reach out to me at margueritedtv at gmail dot com. Thank you!

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Dirtybore posted this 15 August 2015

I've tried a mirade of Minnies in my 1861 Colt Special musket and much prefered the 500 gr RCBS Minnie.  That bullet has a thicker skirts than the magority of Lyman Minnies and therefore did better on the target.   The 1961 Colt Special musket has 1 in 72 gain twists brooves but you shouldn't have any trouble with using elongated Minnies in your 1 in 48 twist either.   I've used all of the following:.570 round ballLyman 315 grLyman 400 grLyman 460 gr RCBS 500 gr  The Lyman bullets with their thinner skirts had to be accompanied with a reduced load whereas the RCBS 500 gr bullet performed well with 70 gr of GOEX 2Fg black powder. I'm of the opinion that if you're going to hunt, try that 315 gr trunkated cone bullet. That flat nose will do all the damge if not more than one of the bigger round or ogive shaped bullets.    Many shooters give up on the Minnies and turn to the round ball.  You can tell who these shooters are by the sky scraper shaped front sights on their rifles.   They are ignoring many years of testing by the US Army and the fact that the rifle muskets have 3 wide shallow grooves rather than the deep narrow grooves of a round ball barrel. 

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delmarskid1 posted this 15 August 2015

I went with the Lyman 213 because I want to shoot lighter loads (60g). I cast up a goodly bunch and all looked good. The bases filled out well and all of that. I get a few going through the paper sideways. I see no signs of the bases flaring so I may just have to whoop 'em up a bit. They load easily with a fouled bore. They don't fall in or anything they push down easy after a dozen shots or more. I got the side-winders even while the bore was pretty clean. When I get time I'll try 70g. I'm lubing with SPG by rubbing it onto the bands. It goes easier than I thought it would. It's like using a big crayon.

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gnoahhh posted this 15 August 2015

Sounds like your skirts aren't expanding to fill the grooves. What alloy did you use? I only ever used dead soft lead when casting that bullet, and like I said 60grains (FFFg Goex) did the trick in my P-H 2 bander.

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delmarskid1 posted this 15 August 2015

gnoahhh wrote: Sounds like your skirts aren't expanding to fill the grooves. What alloy did you use? I only ever used dead soft lead when casting that bullet, and like I said 60grains (FFFg Goex) did the trick in my P-H 2 bander.My alloy is unknowable. I know that I can mark them with my thumbnail.

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Ed Harris posted this 16 August 2015

Back in my North-South Skirmish days, the top shooters always used pure lead. If you couldn't get xray shielding and plumber's lead would not fill out only the minimum amount of tin was used to get good castings, no more than 1:75 tin/lead.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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tlkeizer posted this 16 August 2015

Greetings

Delmereskid, I have had luck pan lubing mine-balls which seems to work better for me than hand lubing. I bought a silicon cupcake pan at the 2nd hand store for $1, and it seems to work well with either flat base or hollow base bullets. Being soft I think it helps seal the base of the bullet while lubing. Of course, I have to melt the SPG (in a kettle with the SPG in a canning jar, lid off). If you do that and have not pan lubed before, watch the level of the lube carefully as you pour and stop when you reach the top band on the bullet; if you have pan lubed before you know this. Oh, and wear gloves or cooking mittens. I have better groups pan lubing than hand lubing, but sometimes get my fingers greasy for one or two bullets. Send me a private email if you have questions on my experiences. I use hollow base mine balls in both my 45-70 and >58 muzzle loader, my .45 is too slow a twist for other than round ball.

TK

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JeffinNZ posted this 19 August 2015

This one:

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details-blackpowder.php?entryID=89

I know a shooter who uses 40gr 3Fg under it for remarkable accuracy out of a 2 band Enfield.

Cheers from New Zealand

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delmarskid1 posted this 21 August 2015

JeffinNZ wrote: This one:

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details-blackpowder.php?entryID=89>http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details-blackpowder.php?entryID=89

I know a shooter who uses 40gr 3Fg under it for remarkable accuracy out of a 2 band Enfield.Jeff, I looked at that mold. I kind of like the traditional looking bullets. I may give that one a try though as I have a Nepal Snyder.

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delmarskid1 posted this 21 August 2015

Ed Harris wrote: Back in my North-South Skirmish days, the top shooters always used pure lead. If you couldn't get xray shielding and plumber's lead would not fill out only the minimum amount of tin was used to get good castings, no more than 1:75 tin/lead.I had pure lead all cleaned up but my alloy piles got mixed together when I moved. It was not my idea to do this by any means. 

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