1841 Mississippi questions

[Zingger]

Hello Friends- I got myself into a black powder rifle- one of those "really good deals" type of thing. A Euroarms US in very good shape. With lots of stuff with it. .451 ball with a patch on it. I am doing some reading and seeing that 75 grains is the load to use. What is the recommendations for a mold, or boolits that have worked well for you? It is a 54 caliber.
Should I use the original ramrod or invest in a T-handle?
What is the experience with the minie ball? Is the Lee a good mold, or should I try to find one somewhere?

Any/all help is appreciated.

Zingger

[LAGS]

Are you sure you have all your numbers correct ?
A .54 cal usually takes a .530 lead ball.
I made a T handle for my rifles that screws into the one end of the ramrod.
But I don't know what type of Ramrod you are using or want.
I prefer to have an original style rod for the rifle , and use a aftermarket rod for general shooting and cleaning.
I use mostly Lee molds , but do have a few Lymans.
I prefer the Lee mostly because of the cost.
That way I can buy more molds since I shoot so many calibers in BP as well as Smokeless stuff

[Zingger]

Thank you for the response LAGS. I double checked and while I do have the .451 rb, there is no way they will fit. The T-handle looks like a good option for higher volume shooting. I will look into the Lee molds as my option for casting in this rifle.

[LAGS]

The T Handle fitting for my ramrod was actually made out of an old plastic pull handle off an old lawn mower.
My ramrods have a 8/32 hole on one end and 10/32 on the other.
I just installed a 10/32 screw onto the handle , and I was ready to go.

[indian joe]

Thank you for the response LAGS. I double checked and while I do have the .451 rb, there is no way they will fit. The T-handle looks like a good option for higher volume shooting. I will look into the Lee molds as my option for casting in this rifle.

Somethin screwy here
451 roundball ? thats cap and ball pistol ammo (usually anyhow)
what do ya mean "higher volume shooting"? ...... yes get or make a range rod with a cleaning jag shaped to ram the ball and a captive VEE shaped muzzle protector so you dont ding the rifling or wear it ramming the ball. also get or make a short starter - captive muzzle protector on it too.
Is the gun marked 54 cal ? ............if so most of them take .530 or .535 ball ----LEE makes molds, they work great, none better for roundball.

The mississippi rifles I have seen are slow twist and shoot round ball good - minies not so good

[mooman76]

What do you mean by no way the ball will fit? It should be way too small from what you are saying. You don't have to go with 70gr of powder. I usually start out, with a new to me gun with powder equivalent to caliber in increments of 5, so I would start out with 55 gr. Then after a few shots work up 5 increments at a time until I get where I feel is good for my shooting. Like the others stated, you probably need a .530 ball and around a .015 patch.

[mooman76]

I've seen no reason to need a T handle. I prefer a range rod which can be made of many things. Some prefer steel, brass or some type of plastic resin just to mention a few. My range rod is simply a longer ramrod. A longer one is easier to grab. Wooden ramrods that come with most guns are not good to use. They are usually made from plain old dowel rod and they break easy. You don't want one breaking and going through your hand. If wood they should be made from a good straight grained Hickory.

[carbine]

There are at least 500 guys shooting Mississippi's in the N-SSA.org. Most shoot .54 Minie's in competition. The top team, the 110 Ohio all use them to great effect.
You might check out the website. Most folks use 35-50 grains of BP with their minies

[carbine]

You might want a Brass ramrod. Softer than steel. several carry them, S&S in Ny, Lodgewood, etc

[toot]

I have never heard of the MISSISSIPPI RIFLE ever taking a .451 RB. yes that is CAP& BALL REVOLVER AMMO, a NO GO! NEVER, you would have to use a 1/2 inch of patches to even get it to stay in the barrel.

[indian joe]

There are at least 500 guys shooting Mississippi's in the N-SSA.org. Most shoot .54 Minie's in competition. The top team, the 110 Ohio all use them to great effect.
You might check out the website. Most folks use 35-50 grains of BP with their minies

Mine is a Zoli mississippi rifle 58 calibre its a 1:70ish twist shoots roundball fine but durned if I could get it to do anything useful with a minie - some fellers seem to get these slow twist barrels to shoot minies ok but most struggle with it - I are one of them that struggled and quit

[mooman76]

To get the Minie to shoot well, it needs to be the right exact size. It also may be that it needs a particular minie. I got them to shoot ok for me but not great. Also they were a tad too big meaning I had to forced them in so I figured, might as well use a maxi.

[Outpost75]

Mine is a Zoli mississippi rifle 58 calibre its a 1:70ish twist shoots roundball fine but durned if I could get it to do anything useful with a minie - some fellers seem to get these slow twist barrels to shoot minies ok but most struggle with it - I are one of them that struggled and quit

The originals had twist of rifling one turn in six feet and would not handle Minies in light charges, but did fine with a full service load 65 grains of 2Fg, but the recoil was unpleasant. Lighter wadcutters do well with 40-50 grains of 3Fg. Mine was a 2-band W.J. Jeffery artillery rifle, 5-groove. Can't speak to the modern repops.

[pietro]

.

Here's an interesting read on how one fella converts repro 1861 Mississippi's into an authentic-looking 1861:

http://www.lodgewood.com/M1841-Mississippi-Rifle_c_294.html

.

[Zingger]

Somethin screwy here
451 roundball ? thats cap and ball pistol ammo (usually anyhow)
what do ya mean "higher volume shooting"? ...... yes get or make a range rod with a cleaning jag shaped to ram the ball and a captive VEE shaped muzzle protector so you dont ding the rifling or wear it ramming the ball. also get or make a short starter - captive muzzle protector on it too.
Is the gun marked 54 cal ? ............if so most of them take .530 or .535 ball ----LEE makes molds, they work great, none better for roundball.

The mississippi rifles I have seen are slow twist and shoot round ball good - minies not so good


Indian Joe- Thank you for the insight! Indeed the rifle is marked 54 caliber. The 300 balls that came with it are .451 but the ball in the side is the correct size. There is a starter that came with the rifle, in the set. A possibles bag, powder, primers, some patches... I will look into the lee mold and I am very appreciative that you pointed out the mini ball accuracy. I was steering that way.
Zingger

[Outpost75]

Original Mississippi rifles were .54 caliber. Service load was .535" patched round ball and 60 grains of musket powder which was about 1-1/2F by modern granulation. Same charge used with .54 Minie.

[bob208]

I have one in .54 use 60 gr. 3f. 020 patch and a 526 ball. I even got the nipple to use no.11 caps. I am going to try sewing the patch around the ball like they did in old days.

[indian joe]

The originals had twist of rifling one turn in six feet and would not handle Minies in light charges, but did fine with a full service load 65 grains of 2Fg, but the recoil was unpleasant. Lighter wadcutters do well with 40-50 grains of 3Fg. Mine was a 2-band W.J. Jeffery artillery rifle, 5-groove. Can't speak to the modern repops.

Thanks -- that fits - I reckoned I measured it 1:72 - been round this track before with a three band enfield we bought for my son - couldnt get minies to shoot so we sold it on and got him a two bander for the 1:48 twist - same story again I have seen fellers get great accuracy from these slow twist enfields with the right minie load - but it takes more persistence than I had at the time (I like round ball and find that easier to figure out)

[Outpost75]

Thanks -- that fits - I reckoned I measured it 1:72 - been round this track before with a three band enfield we bought for my son - couldnt get minies to shoot so we sold it on and got him a two bander for the 1:48 twist - same story again I have seen fellers get great accuracy from these slow twist enfields with the right minie load - but it takes more persistence than I had at the time (I like round ball and find that easier to figure out)

My original shot well with a naked .585 ball loaded "Hessian" style, loaded with hammer and short starter over 80 grains of 2Fg, and wet-patched between shots.

[Zingger]

Hello Friends! Thank you for the insights and Carbine for the visit on the phone. The rifle came with 3 boxes of balls, which were the wrong size. This was after the original owner had passed away and the BIL ended up taking care of the estate. The one ball in the patch box is .535+ and fits as it should. I have found a semi-local with some .535 for sale and will be purchasing from him. The rifle is in excellent shape and Carbine herded me down the right path. I had lots of questions from lack of experience with bp. In this day of "google it" you guys keep the newbies from becoming statistics with your knowledge and experience base. Keep up the good work and the good words, one and all. Thanks again everyone! I will try to get some pictures of the rifle posted.