Getting the best from my Parker Hale

[bisleyjohn]

I am 'getting in to' my Parker Hale Navy Two Band. The learning experience of load-testing is progressing. My shooting year is all but over and I am hoping to spend the winter months preparing to make further (hopefully) improvements next year. I have two Lyman 575213PH moulds with two different base plugs, conical and 'square' . The latter has, so far proved the more accurate with my best load so far (60g Swiss 3F) Research and advice (wecome) on this forum is leading me towards lighter loads which I shall try next time out. I am tempted (just because it's there) to go down the patched 'Pritchet' bullet and paper cartridge route (aware that I can't use paper cartridges in competition). Pritchet moulds are available and Accurate moulds will produce to 'my design' with hollow base - for a cost of course. Assuming that the nut behind the butt will get tighter as I progress, is the expense of a 'Pritchett' mould going to be worth it?

Would paper patched patched 'Pritchett' under-sized hollow based projectiles out-shoot the PH?


I should perhaps add that I would like to shoot paper catrtidges because I run shoots to raise charity money and non-shooters would, I think, find it of historic interest.

 

[Stantheman86]

I found Pritchett bullets to be mediocre, accuracy wise , out of my P-H Musketoons but its maybe a different animal than a 2-band 33".

The 1863 Pattern cartridge with a .575 Burton ball is my go to.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

When I shot the 2-band Parker Hale in the N-SSA, I loaded the short Lyman minie wadcutter style bullet (mine is a Rapine mold) sized to .577 over 35 grains of 3Fg powder. It would shoot inside two inches at 50 yards all day long. The sights were set for that load at that distance, with a higher rear sight setting for 100 yards. Very pleasant to shoot. It also shot .570 patched round balls well, but I don't recall the charges used.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Stantheman86]

I love the Pritchett cartridge , I'm gonna try the .563 bullet and get a kit from Jefferson Arsenal to get started.

 

[bisleyjohn]

When I shot the 2-band Parker Hale in the N-SSA, I loaded the short Lyman minie wadcutter style bullet (mine is a Rapine mold) sized to .577 over 35 grains of 3Fg powder. It would shoot inside two inches at 50 yards all day long. The sights were set for that load at that distance, with a higher rear sight setting for 100 yards. Very pleasant to shoot. It also shot .570 patched round balls well, but I don't recall the charges used.

ADK Bigfoot

Your load steers me towards lightening mine from the current 60gn Swiss No. 3 and sticking with my Lyman ‘Minnie’ Stan’s post is telling me to spend my money on lead rather than a ‘Pritchett’ mould. I say ‘Minnie’ because the Frenchman merely modified an earlier bullet shape. Anyway, thanks, all very helpful.

 

[Stantheman86]

I think the P-H Musketoons had an entirely different twist than the 2-Bander.

I'd recommend ordering an 18 pack of Pritchett cartridges from papercartridges.com, he has both sizes , the early. 563 with the shorter tube i.e. the pattern the CSA adopted and he makes the later (I forget) smaller diameter bullet "Ludlow " cartridges that were designed to make them easier to load.

That way you can see how they do in your rifle before committing to a mold.

It is long believed that the Pritchett was the best "combat" cartridge but the Minie/Burton was the most accurate.

This is me with a box full of Pritchett cartridges trying 1.5f to see if I can finally get any groups but accuracy was "combat accurate" at best. If the bigger .568 bullets don't shoot tight I'm just going to chalk it up to the short barrel doesnt like them. I tried shooting off a rest , standing, etc. I almost think my .69 Smoothbore did better at 50 - 80 yards.

 

[curator]

I have excellent results with the Lee .575 "soup-can" minie' bullet. I cast mine from pure lead with 1/4% tin added to get good fill-out. I shoot them over 45 grains of FFFg Olde Eynsford powder and wipe in between shots with a damp patch.

 

[Heelerau]

I use the longer .55 pritchett with 68 grains of fffg, Beinfang 360 linen rag paper, anti fouling ( 11 parts beeswax to 1 part paraffin oil, from the feed store) I can shoot all day and no fouled rifle. I have not got these to shoot quite as well as my Bugg Minnie (Burton) bullet but not to far off. I have not shot these with a plug in the base as yet. The fine powder has enough oomph to properly upset the skirt of the bullet. I have two PH Navy rifles and this bullet shoots well in both and in my original 3 band Enfield. The bullet is designed for combat and not minute of angle accuracy. Look up Making Enfield Cartridges and follow the links. A whole bunch of us have been working them up. Contact Brett , Authentic Paper Cartridges if you want to try some before purchasing a mould. He does a great job of them.

 

[bisleyjohn]

I use the longer .55 pritchett with 68 grains of fffg, Beinfang 360 linen rag paper, anti fouling ( 11 parts beeswax to 1 part paraffin oil, from the feed store) I can shoot all day and no fouled rifle. I have not got these to shoot quite as well as my Bugg Minnie (Burton) bullet but not to far off. I have not shot these with a plug in the base as yet. The fine powder has enough oomph to properly upset the skirt of the bullet. I have two PH Navy rifles and this bullet shoots well in both and in my original 3 band Enfield. The bullet is designed for combat and not minute of angle accuracy. Look up Making Enfield Cartridges and follow the links. A whole bunch of us have been working them up. Contact Brett , Authentic Paper Cartridges if you want to try some before purchasing a mould. He does a great job of them.

Thank you, I purchased some of the Beinfang paper some time ago, but not yet a mould. I have the drawings and some brass plate for the paper templates (not yet made) However, from the advice received here it is beginning to look like the sensible course would be to do a little more load testing with the Lyman bullets to squeeze out the best I can. I think my 90/10 Trex /Beeswax, although a little messy, is keeping the fouling down. The bullets (unsized) are tight in the muzzle (soft mallet to start) but slide down easily after the first ten inches or so. Having dry-balled the last shot last time out, I now have a slug to correctly gauge the barrel, what are your thoughts on me making a sizing die and reducing the bullets to a thou or two under?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Have you guys fixed Parker Hales faults of their reproduction?

First thing I did was remove the high spot from the inletting that is under the breach. Then shimmed it up with glued canvass to bed it properly.
Then I got the lock plate off the nipple bolster.
Shot a lot better after that.

 

[bisleyjohn]

Thanks. On purchase I noticed that the internal woodwork was binding and sometimes preventing half-cock. Marking blue and ‘dremel’ sorted that. I am planning to follow the Bill Curtis route (Managing the Enfield) and see where the barrel is being pinched, remove excess wood and pack with water-pump grease as he suggests. The lock plate is clear, I have learned not to over-tighten the screws. Would glued canvas bedding upset my MLAGB colleagues and make me ineligible?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Thanks. On purchase I noticed that the internal woodwork was binding and sometimes preventing half-cock. Marking blue and ‘dremel’ sorted that. I am planning to follow the Bill Curtis route (Managing the Enfield) and see where the barrel is being pinched, remove excess wood and pack with water-pump grease as he suggests. The lock plate is clear, I have learned not to over-tighten the screws. Would glued canvas bedding upset my MLAGB colleagues and make me ineligible?

They use to use wood veneers in days gone by. I understood traditional bedding methods were accepted??
The pump grease I recall was to facilitate never having to remove the barrel for cleaning purposes thus not disturbing a sound bedding etc.
The tightening of the lock plate has nothing to do with the nipple bolster John. The bolster needs a slight gap between bolster and plate.

 

[bisleyjohn]

They use to use wood veneers in days gone by. I understood traditional bedding methods were accepted??
The pump grease I recall was to facilitate never having to remove the barrel for cleaning purposes thus not disturbing a sound bedding etc.
The tightening of the lock plate has nothing to do with the nipple bolster John. The bolster needs a slight gap between bolster and plate.

Understood thanks, unfortunately for me, the gun is at Bisley and I'm in Plymouth, however I am truly grateful for all the advice. The gun comes home in a couple of weeks and then my fettling shed becomes the focus of preparation for next year - during which I hope to properly apply all the stuff you guys are enlightening me with.

 

[Britsmoothy]

The Parker Hale routing tool cuts two channels at the breach end resulting in a high spot in the middle. Consequently the inletting is deeper than should be and usually the barrel sits mostly on the tang. This is counter conducive for accuracy.
The barrel can vibrate against various points of contact....not good.
When the barrel has good continuous contact with the stock and supported well the vibrations are dampened in a consistent manner. Consistency and accuracy go hand in hand.
Parker Hales are a very close copy for sure but I bet it was a fellow carving the stock channel for a barrel and not a machine!

 

[bisleyjohn]

The Parker Hale routing tool cuts two channels at the breach end resulting in a high spot in the middle. Consequently the inletting is deeper than should be and usually the barrel sits mostly on the tang. This is counter conducive for accuracy.
The barrel can vibrate against various points of contact....not good.
When the barrel has good continuous contact with the stock and supported well the vibrations are dampened in a consistent manner. Consistency and accuracy go hand in hand.
Parker Hales are a very close copy for sure but I bet it was a fellow carving the stock channel for a barrel and not a machine!

Added to the ‘Todo’ list, thanks.

 

[Heelerau]

You should be able to get 13 shot match done with the Burton bullet before you need to wipe. My Burtons are a nice slip fit in the bore, I use beeswax and unsalted tallow as a lube and 68 grains of FFg

 

[Stantheman86]

I didn't mess with anything, I just left them as is. The previous owner "tweaked" my one Musketoon because the trigger is a lot nicer and it seems more accurate than my other one , which he pretty much bought and stuck in a closet.

I still have to try the. 58 REAL bullets that our awesome member Enfield58 gave me to try, I haven't forgotten. Maybe this week

 

[bisleyjohn]

You should be able to get 13 shot match done with the Burton bullet before you need to wipe. My Burtons are a nice slip fit in the bore, I use beeswax and unsalted tallow as a lube and 68 grains of FFg

Ha! When I googled ‘Burton Minnie’ I was directed to snowboards!!! However, I did find the ‘improved’ minnie, which has the pointed base cavity, my loads are, currently, more accurate with the flat bottomed cavity. I am out of projectiles and lead at the moment so I can’t tell you the weight difference ( kit and project notes at Bisley). You have just added another job to the todo list! Thus far about six elements to go under the heading of ‘Further load development’

 

[jwberns]

You should be able to get 13 shot match done with the Burton bullet before you need to wipe. My Burtons are a nice slip fit in the bore, I use beeswax and unsalted tallow as a lube and 68 grains of FFg

Heelerau.....Could you tell me more about your lube recipe such as what percentage of beeswax to tallow you use. Do you use lamb or beef tallow?

Can you give me an exact or approximate amount in ounces of each to dip lube minies in?
Thank you kindly,
jwberns

 

[nkbj]

Recently I acquired a #57730 with a non-tapered base cavity plug.
Hadn't seen that before.
Is this what was (earlier post) referred to as "square"?