Roundball size for .580 bore Enfield Musketoon

[Chook]

I've been shooting .570 round balls with .010 Ox-Yoke patches, and it's a tight fit, yet the patches are still blowing through because they are too thin. I'm wondering if maybe it's the rifling still being too new that is tearing them. In any case, I was thinking of trying the .562 ball from a friends Lee mold with thicker patches. I had the bore gauged and it was indeed .580 (Armi San Paolo made in 1975). It is 5 groove 48" twist. Would appreciate any thoughts on this.

[mooman76]

Did you examine the patches? Are they cut, shreaded or what? .010 is kind of then but prelubed patches you just don't know how old they are and the lube can start deteriorate them. What load are you using? An over powder wad can help and yes the rifling being new can be part of the problem which usually goes away after 100 or so firings.

[Outpost75]

Use a patch thick enough that you need a hammer and short starter to get them into the muzzle. Muslin pocket drill or pillow ticking should be about right, 0.015" and lube with Crisco. Use 80 grains of 2Fg.

[Chook]

Did you examine the patches? Are they cut, shreaded or what? .010 is kind of then but prelubed patches you just don't know how old they are and the lube can start deteriorate them. What load are you using? An over powder wad can help and yes the rifling being new can be part of the problem which usually goes away after 100 or so firings.

Thanks, the patch is cut along the rifling marks, they were new bought. I will add extra lube to the patch and see what happens with that. Also the musket only has about 50 rounds through it. It is amazingly accurate though, grouping within 2" at 50 yds, although high by 6" and to the left 6".

[Chook]

Use a patch thick enough that you need a hammer and short starter to get them into the muzzle. Muslin pocket drill or pillow ticking should be about right, 0.015" and lube with Crisco. Use 80 grains of 2Fg.

Right now I can push it down with a good tap with my palm, then again with a tap by my palm on the starter. After that the ramrod gets it down, but requires a couple of final jabs to fully seat it; it always seems to try to sit 1/4" above my mark on the ramrod.

[Chook]

Oh yeah, and I'm using 50 grains of Triple 7.

[Outpost75]

If you have a rusty spot which prevents seating the ball all the way down against the powder, try lapping the bore to smooth the rough spot. If patched ball still resists seating all the way with a few light mallet taps, add more powder so that the charge is compressed above the rough spot which is tearing the patches.

[Nobade]

I only shoot bullets in my Enfield, but in the 58 cal. Hawken I like to use a .562" ball and a denim patch. It shoots way better than a .570" ball and thinner patch. Might be worth a try. Or use minie' bullets like it's designed for, that works even better.

-Nobade

[rfd]

.562" ball and .010 to .015 flannel patching works great out of my .58 fowler, much better than the .570 mould i previously used.

[curator]

chook,

If your Enfield's barrel was made exactly like the originals, the groove depth at the breech end will be deeper than at the muzzle. It was designed to shoot a hollow-base conical bullet, not a patched round ball. Your patches are being shredded by gas blow-by in the rifling's grooves. It is possible to get a patched round ball to shoot accurately from one of these rifles by using some kind of over-powder wad or filler to act as a gas seal.