flintlocke
04-22-2014, 12:26 PM
My friends, I need some input. Apparently, I have a Peabody European contract musket, ostensibly in 11.15x58R (.43 Spanish to us ordinary folks). Fine, but a cast and a bore slug would favor a .44-77 Remington/Sharps chamber, but the bore, slugged twice appears to be a whopping .459" right in front of the leade, tapering or choking to .452" ish at the muzzle. Three groove rifling, being what it is, makes measuring fun, my method being: gently forcing my slug into a #1 Morse taper painted in Prussian Blue and measuring the diameter at the point of interference. Any glaring errors in my methodology?
Most authorities agree the original loads were paper patched, .439, 370gr....given the tactics of massed ranks and volley fire you still have to wonder about the .020 thou gap at the leade. So what was the original goal of a tapered bore?
Initial testing with soft greased .456 pistol bullets and barely supersonic charges of Unique indicates the old girl wants to shoot, lands are smooth with pitting in the grooves. My main question is, will I start getting pressure issues with slightly harder bullets, say a 10 or 12 Bhn , for instance a .458" 405gr in that tapered bore? Paul.
Most authorities agree the original loads were paper patched, .439, 370gr....given the tactics of massed ranks and volley fire you still have to wonder about the .020 thou gap at the leade. So what was the original goal of a tapered bore?
Initial testing with soft greased .456 pistol bullets and barely supersonic charges of Unique indicates the old girl wants to shoot, lands are smooth with pitting in the grooves. My main question is, will I start getting pressure issues with slightly harder bullets, say a 10 or 12 Bhn , for instance a .458" 405gr in that tapered bore? Paul.