musketoon horizontal stringing

[charger 1]

The 58 PH is shootin real good. Every once in a while it will through one or two wild by 4-6 inches at 60 yds. never a change up or down always left to right. 82 grs of ffg behind 577611. I find when I use pure bore butter its less apt to do it than when I use my mix of bore butter and toilet seal wax, it still does it though. Thoughts?

[Buckshot]

..................Ju scale them Minie' bullets boy? Heh, heh!

...............Buckshot

[charger 1]

..................Ju scale them Minie' bullets boy? Heh, heh!

...............Buckshot


Oh ya, I'm just dying to cull some more out

If they were outta balance wouldnt they be flyin all over. A line is kinda odd for balance aint it?

[leftiye]

If it were a more modern ritoofle my first inclination would be to look at the bedding. Can't hurt to get the best boolits ya can get, and the best lube. Front loaders IMHexperience can shoot very accurately or fling em all over, usually something about boolit deformation (fouling?). And yes, I've had them fling em horizontally and predictably, or to some other given spot that they liked (not where aimed) when a change in loading would bring them back to shooting straight. Maybe see what cleaning (patch with hoppe's & wipe dry) between shots and lubing the bore after seating the boolits does (or maybe just cleaning).

[shooter575]

Well looks like you are in the ballpark.Now the real expermenting comes in.
The service charge in that carbine was 60 gr.I would bet that a lot of the powder is burning after the minne is past the muzzle?Also with a heavy load the skirt is the weak link,Any boo bo
around the bottom at leaving the muzzle can cause a major flyer
Try some lighter loads.For paper punching I bet 40-50 gr of ether ff or fff will group better
How are you lubing the Minne? You can do the outside,the cavity or both.
Lubes,Lots of options here.[btw toilet bowl wax is not BW] I started out with Crisco.Works well in under 80 deg weather.A bit messy unless you just use it in the cavity.Mixing with BW will stiffen it up though
Get some real bees wax and mix it with some oil. start at 50/50 Olive or neetsfoot both work good.
With the right combo you should be able to shoot 10 shot strings with out wiping the bore and still load easy.And still group

[charger 1]

Or should I say have had it. To many metal filings pulled outta them over the years. I noticed this A.M. that to get that rear V clear, I mean super crisp I gotta hold the gun bout 5" from shoulder. I dont wear glasses but I'm thinking glasses with plane glass and one of them diopters

[44man]

Yep theres that, but I am willing to bet the charge is too high and the skirts are blowing out once clear of the muzzle. A slight flaw on the crown will make some blow out the same to string them worse then others.
I have seen high speed pictures of one leaving the muzzle with too heavy of a charge and a thin skirt. Darn thing was almost twice the original diameter in the back.

[KCSO]

Minnie's are notoroius for voids right where in the point of the hollow base. I would look through all the ones you have cast and if you find one with a pinprick hole up the backside there is your problem. That's why I stick to r/b in my muskets, that and saving a ton of lead.

[shooter575]

Or should I say have had it. To many metal filings pulled outta them over the years. I noticed this A.M. that to get that rear V clear, I mean super crisp I gotta hold the gun bout 5" from shoulder. I dont wear glasses but I'm thinking glasses with plane glass and one of them diopters

Cheep way to see if a diaopter will help is to punch a hole in a piece of black tape and stick it over the lens of your shooting glasses may need to try a few size diffrent holes.I have seen some use black cardboard cliped on glasses also.
I only have one eye so I bump into too many things wearing one.

[Ricochet]

I have seen high speed pictures of one leaving the muzzle with too heavy of a charge and a thin skirt. Darn thing was almost twice the original diameter in the back.
I have a Lyman manual from the '80s with that picture in it. If I recall correctly, it wasn't an outrageous charge of powder loaded under it, maybe 80 or 100 grains. Looked like the old standard #575213 Minie.

[drinks]

Charger1, I take it you do not wear shooting glasses.
That is really taking a chance when shooting flintlock and cap lock guns.
A good pair of wrap a round clear or amber lexan glasses are $10 or so, a hell of a lot cheaper than a glass eye.

[charger 1]

Cheep way to see if a diaopter will help is to punch a hole in a piece of black tape and stick it over the lens of your shooting glasses may need to try a few size diffrent holes.I have seen some use black cardboard cliped on glasses also.
I only have one eye so I bump into too many things wearing one.


I took a piece of black tape long enough to go over my eye and punched a 3/32 hole in it and the rear sight sharpened right up..I would still love to know why the ell it is that the very second I get everything running to where as the voids go away back side I immediately start with the butt cracks on the ogive

[44man]

Those darn things are super hard to cast. I have seen molds that will leave a hole in the top of the hollow base and nothing done to the mold will do away with it. Then the next mold will give a perfect Minie'. I have made new pins, grooved them for vents, over heated them, vented the mold better, cast every way possible and still some molds will leave a hole. I really hate the things!

[charger 1]

I laddies the ladlers have it. Couldnt find a proper ladle in town, so just bought a frikin soup one. Poured 20 got a 20 count without culls

[DonH]

It never hurts to look at simple things first. With the relatively long time of flight of big low velocity bullets, small changes in wind velocity will make shots string horizontally. This may have nothing to do with the situtation in question but it won't cost anything to check it out. I certainly am not saying to ignore the other suggestions or thoughts, BTW.