Enfield shoots WAY too high!

[hickok45]

I've had a pretty nice Enfield reproduction (Parker Hale) for 8 or 10 years. Don't shoot it nearly enough, but it's a blast when I do. Lots of fun.

I'd shoot it more if it didn't shoot so high. I understand it's set, more of less, for longer ranges. I can shoot out to 230 yards on my range, but most of my steel targets are set at between 50 and 80 yards. I have to hold under the target about a foot, and it still hits high on the target.

Sights are all the way down and I'm taking as fine a bead sighting as I can. I'm thinking about taking off the rear sight,as I did with my old Trapdoor.

Anybody have any suggestions? I'm not a re-enactor. I am pretty much a traditionalist, but I'd even consider replacing the rear sight with something else lower if it's not obnoxious looking.

Thanks for any tips. This is a great gun - very accurate! I just don't enjoy aiming at dirt in order to drop a turkey, pig, or ram!

Hickok45 ( www.youtube.com/user/hickok45 )

 

[torn moc]

What powder charge are you using? Perhaps drop the powder charge down to 40 grains and it wont shoot so high then....

 

[paulvallandigham]

You can replace that front sight with a taller one. That is what I did with my Trapdoor to get it to strike reasonably close with the open sights on the barrel. Do some math to figure out how much more height you need for the load you are using, and then take a look at Brownell's On-line catalog to order a taller sight. I bought a " Sourdough " blade sight to put on my Springfield, and had to drill a new hole in the base of the new sight to fit the front mount, but hey- its my gun, and the blade can be thrown away if I want to go back to the military sight on the gun.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Most of the rifled muskets do shoot high with the sight at it's lowest. What I did on one was to bend a thin strip of brass into an inverted V shape to set over the front sight and secured with JB Weld. That made the front sight both taller and more visible with no permanent alteration to the gun. To completely remove JB Weld just heat it with a propane torch until it begins to smoke, pop off the brass and rub off the remaining JB with steel wool or a coarse cloth while it is still soft. It comes off without a trace and doesn't harm the bluing.

 

[texcl]

You need to find someone who shoots NSSA, and ask where they currently get their replacement front sights and all the particulars. I know alot of the guys I used to shoot with removed the front sight and dovetailed in a new one so that they could adjust the sight for windage, seems like the best choice for a shooter. Others filed the front sight square then filed a vertical slot and inserted a blade front sight securing it with a pin or solder, then filed the sight down to the proper poi, it's a real common problem and I know there are several fixes, but I personally wouldn't mess with the rear sight(assuming its soldered on, not screwed), that's doing it the hard way.

 

[Dphar]

I've had a pretty nice Enfield reproduction (Parker Hale) for 8 or 10 years. Don't shoot it nearly enough, but it's a blast when I do. Lots of fun.

I'd shoot it more if it didn't shoot so high. I understand it's set, more of less, for longer ranges. I can shoot out to 230 yards on my range, but most of my steel targets are set at between 50 and 80 yards. I have to hold under the target about a foot, and it still hits high on the target.

Sights are all the way down and I'm taking as fine a bead sighting as I can. I'm thinking about taking off the rear sight,as I did with my old Trapdoor.

Anybody have any suggestions? I'm not a re-enactor. I am pretty much a traditionalist, but I'd even consider replacing the rear sight with something else lower if it's not obnoxious looking.

Thanks for any tips. This is a great gun - very accurate! I just don't enjoy aiming at dirt in order to drop a turkey, pig, or ram!

Hickok45 ( www.youtube.com/user/hickok45 )

They were battle sighted to stay on a mans body for the longest possible "point blank".
Install a taller front sight and file it down to get the proper zero.


Dan

 

[zimmerstutzen]

My Zoli Zouave hits 3 inches high at 50 yds and still hits a bit high at 100 yds. With 60 grains and a PRB. I shot good groups at 50 yds, just had to hold six o clock on the black bull.

A machinist friend made a narrow brass ring with a split in it that clamps around the barrel at the muzzle. It has a higher sight mounted on it. Uses an Allen head bolt to tighten it. Fixed the problem without actually changing the gun around.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

What load are you using? The people that designed this rifle-musket expected the shooter to use military loads in it. 2 and 1/2 drams of powder (68 grains) and a bullet of 500 grains or so. My old Parker-Hale does fine with this powder charge in GOEX FFg and a pure lead Minie. Right now I'm trying some 560 grain .575" store boughts that I found in the back of a drawer. They shoot to point of aim at 100 yards and are a bit high at 50 yards. I can live with that.

 

[ResearchPress]

The rifle was also originally designed for shooting with cartridges (i.e. a paper patched bullet).

David

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

And changing to lighter bullets or balls isn't going to get the rife-musket shooting to its sights. The right load is the way to go.

 

[hickok45]

Thanks for the tips. I rather like the idea of adding a piece of brass to the front sight. I might get my gunsmithing tools out and try that - sledge hammer and Dremel!

Thanks,
Hickok45
www.youtube.com/user/hickok45

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

What is your present load? I think before I defaced the gun I'd see if less drastic measures worked.

 

[59sharps]

YOU CAN GO TO THE N-ssa board and ask some of the other guys. I use 1 of 2 methods when I do sights.
first is to file the front sight flat to the top of the block. then cut a notch the block put in a pcs of tall bar stock and silver soider it in place. (if shooting left or right do the notch off center). file it down were you need it not to much at one time.
other method JB weld on top of the existing sight file and shape it as needed. If you can not get enough for windage fill you rear sight v notch w/ JB weld and file in a new one

 

[Dphar]

The rifle was also originally designed for shooting with cartridges (i.e. a paper patched bullet).

David

They were not "paper patched" I doubt the bullet would load properly if still wrapped in cartridge paper. It was not how they were meant to be loaded in any case.

Dan