Milsurp After Hours

Got out of bed at the crack of dawn. Loaded up the guns and ammo and headed out to the range to be there when it opened. This range fills up fast and if you aren't there early you may not even find a parking space much less bench space.

One gun I wanted to shoot was the 1853 Enfield reproduction I've had for years. I had gotten a resupply of ammo from SOG that was a different configuration of .58 caliber bullet than I had been used to. I also had some new Dynat Nobel caps that I had not used before. And I added to the mix a tube of bore butter to lube the rounds.

First round at 50 yards was encouraging. Next two were almost as good. Just used 60 grains of Double F BP and a light finger lube of the chunk of lead maxi bullets with bore butter. I tried different amounts of bore butter in the grooves with no noticable difference if full of grease or not. At 100 yards one round would be nearly dead center and the next a foot away, unlike more consistent groups at 50 yards....however, with my eyes using the old iron sights it was more probably me than the gun, load, or ammo at fault.

All components did work as well as I could expect. I did notice after about a dozen shots there was a little powder buildup and it was harder to load. Even had to use the short starter a time or two to get the bullet down the barrel six or so inches. After the helping short start the bullet pushed down without any difficulty the rest of the way.

Those repros, and even the originals, really vary in bore size. First thing, I would slug the bore to determine the actual size. It could be anywhere from .575" to .584". From your target, it appears that the maxi ball may be tumbling.

If you really want to get into accuracy with that or use it for deer hunting, then I would seriously go for minie balls. They can be extremely accurate out to 100 yards or so. Ideally, minies should only be .001" or no more than .002" smaller than bore and should be cast from as pure lead as can be found. The softer the better. This allows the skirt to expand and fill the rifling grooves. And for that caliber, switch to 3f powder. Its faster and cleaner. Oh, and get rid of the steel ramrod and get a brass one. The steel rod will rapidly ruin the crown on the muzzle. You may find that you need to replace the front sight for a taller one. Not a big thing but also goes with accuracy. I see you've got the best caps so no change there.

Let me know how you make out. Do you know anyone nearby that shoots in N-SSA? If so, they'll be able to help also.

As you say the shape of this chunk of lead I was shooting yesterday doesn't look like the standard minieball. I've gotten some pretty good 100 yard groups out of the minie before......but that could have been luck. My shooting eye still isn't as good as I wish it was after the correction for the operation from hell. But I can at least tell where the target is and can make out a really small black target center....with black bullseyes...and with the long barrel, get a decent sight picture. Maybe I could try to learn to shoot left handed, as my left eye is almost as good as Dave's.

One thing that the photo doesn't show is that the base of the minnie has a hollowed out dome of space in the end that meets the powder and the Maxi is just a flat base. That thin wall at the base of the minie caused by the hollowing out dome of space is supposed to expand into the rifling of the barrel when fired. There is nothing to expand with the Maxi.

Maxis are not made to expand but need to be really tight to the bore. They are mainly for hunting. If the maxi is made correctly each ring is slightly wider than the next. Check the side to side dimensions of each ring with a good caliper or mike.

If you decide to shoot left handed be sure to pick up a deflector to fit around the nipple. This will save your left eye.

Many people can't shoot Enfields (I'm one of them) due to the lack of drop in the stock. You have to bury your face in the stock just to aim. Even the WW2 Enfields are thay way.

Yep Karl, my fault in buying the MAXI. I should have been thinking about that base more rather than the cheaper price in the purchase.

I've used a cup shield on some of my other BP guns because of the smaller caps that sometimes shed pieces when fired.....and to keep some of the burnt powder off of the woodwork of the stock.