It's a Springfield kind of Christmas!

[Flatwater]

We have a tradition where we open one gift on Christmas Eve before church. The wife and kiddos surprised me with a Pedersoli 1861 Springfield musket! Quite a surprise, indeed!

Now I have to get my kit together. I haven't had a percussion gun in ten years so I have to start fresh. I have gobs of Goex 2F and 3F. I will need musket caps. What do y'all recommend for projectiles? RB or Minie balls? Any recommendations for starting loads? Overall impression of Pedersoli's model?

Thanks and Merry CHRISTmas!!!

 

[MosinRob]

:thumbsup:

 

[M. De Land]

They were designed to shoot Minie's ,No? 60 grains of 2F with a 510 minie is a good place to start I think. Mile D.

 

[Alden]

A Pedersoli. Wow. Santa loves you.

Minie balls of course. 80 grains FFg.

 

[Trot]

Minies can be a challenge to find a good shooting combination, but that is what they were designed for so that is definitely the route I would go.

 

[Flatwater]

10-4 on the Minies. I will track some down. Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[Bugflipper]

Mine shoots all of the types of minies good. I just have to use less powder on the old style minies, they have a thin skirt that blows out easy. They will give you trouble with 80 gr. 60-65 is good. For the rest of them anywhere between 60-80 is good, just have to dial in what your gun likes. Mine shoots best with a .578 modern minie that look like soup cans. Next best is the improved minies that look like the old ones, they just have a thicker skirt for more power behind them. Lastly the old 500 gr civil war style minies with the thin skirts. But they aren't dogs, still will hit 12x12 plates at 300 just fine. Won't print cloverleafs from the bench though.
Have a merry Christmas.

 

[Flatwater]

Thanks for the info! I have been looking at different styles and TOW sells them in packs of 25. I could get a couple packs of different types. Find what works, melt the rest.

 

[Hawgeye]

Mine does well with the lyman 575213 minie and 60 grains of ffg. Much more than that and I get blown skirts. Also does well with .570 PRB with the 60 gr load but gets hard to load after four or five shots so I wipe after every shot with round ball.

 

[ian45662]

try 40 grains of 3F with the 510 minie or a minie with a thin skirt. Make sure you put some kind of lube on the minie. I have 2 muskets and 40 grains will make a ragged hole at 50 yards all day long. Another key to good accuracy is bullet to bore fit. .001 under bore is ideal but I have seen good enough accuracy with bullets.005 under. Certainly good enough for hunting. Another very important thing is that you must make sure the lead is as pure as possible when shooting minies. I would also look into getting a new nipple when you get bullets from track of the wolf. A stainless one with a smaller hole in the bottom would be a good start. I would also stick with thin skirt minies although I must admit I have never tried any thick skirted ones. Minie balls are alot of fun. I go through almost 700 or so in a year. Santa sure does know how to pick a gift!!!

 

[BillinOregon]

Flatwater, merry CHRISTmas back at you and yours, and congratulations on a fine Christmas gift.
By the way, the Nebraska Panhandle is one of the prettiest, most underrated places in these United States, by my lights.

 

[Flatwater]

Yessir, I agree. It's a fine place to live.

Well, I struck out with procuring components locally today. I received a Cabela's gift card from the folks, so I went to the store with hopes of buying some musket caps. Nope. Plenty of plastic inlines, sabots and substitute propellant, though... :barf:

I guess I'll have to check out some mail order shops and get something Pony Express'd.

 

[satwel]

80 grains is a stout load for shooting mini balls at paper targets. 45 grains of 3F and a 510 mini works great in my Pattern 1858 Enfield.

 

[Steve Grentus]

Congrats on your new Pedesoli. I was torn between the Springfield and the Enfield 3 bander and chose to go the way of the Enfield simply because the more exactness of the repro as I'm using mine in CW shooting. Love the 1861 Springfield and I guess that is next on my list. Best of luck.

gh

 

[Flatwater]

Just a quick update...

I FINALLY got around to sourcing some Minies for the Springfield. I ordered a sample pack, consisting of:
(10) .575", 555gr
(10) .575", 530gr
(10) .577", 512gr
(10) .578", 430gr
(10) .576", .396gr

Any input or advice before I get to shooting?

 

[Alden]

Yes -- carefully consider the variables you are going to change in testing, limit it to these (such as powder charge, cap, and lube, I dunno...), and record the groups and variable chosen in three-shot groups on scored targets. Look for consistency; smallest groups (POA must not change). And try to keep the other parameters the same... Same wind, barrel temp, etc...

 

[Flatwater]

Thanks for the input! :thumbsup: I plan on using the same can of powder and the same tin of caps, as well as a clean barrel between each "string".

 

[varsity07840]

Where did you order them from?

Thanks,

Duane

 

[Flatwater]

Ummm... off Gunbroker. I've had them a while now and can't remember the company's name off the top of my head. I'm working (OTR truck driver) and won't be home until this weekend. I'll check and PM you.

 

[varsity07840]

Ummm... off Gunbroker. I've had them a while now and can't remember the company's name off the top of my head. I'm working (OTR truck driver) and won't be home until this weekend. I'll check and PM you.

Thanks!

Duane