Pedersoli Enfield NEED HELP!

[ADK Bigfoot]

My 2-band PH Enfield was purchased used from an experienced Skirmisher. He had bedded the rear of the barrel. I cast and sized the 315 grain Wadcutter Minie bullet to .577 so that, unlubed, it would slowly "fffffft: down the barrel with the hammer off the nipple. Perfect slip fit. It would shoot one hole at 50 yards and two inch groups at 100. 35 grs. FFFG Goex.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[RjSixgun]

1st off it seems everyone on here has a love of using excessive powder charges and round balls......STOP right there!!!
Size your minie's to 1-2 thousandths under the bore size. then make up charges from 35-60 grains of 3F in 5 grain increments (5 per each powder charge) then using a large piece of paper at 50 yard shoot 5 shots at the same spot. Mark the target with what load it was shot with and move on to the next target and powder charge also at 50 yards.
DO NOT worry about where the musket is shooting, you dont care at this point! all you are looking for is the smallest group and what powder charge makes it.
After you find the powder charge that has the smallest group, then and only then do you sight the musket in to hit the target where you want it to hit.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

Try shooting 60 grains of FFG black powder, every time.
I have an original 1861 Bridesberg and that's what I use.
I get decent shot groups with a 150 yr old barrel that was used as a shot gun for a while back in the 60s. I'm going to have Bobby Hoyt reline the barrel with some new rifling and see if I can make it even better.

That will really be a tack driver, then! Bobby makes 'em sweet!

 

[SolidLeadSlug]

Using solid lead?

 

[dave951]

1st off it seems everyone on here has a love of using excessive powder charges and round balls......STOP right there!!!
Size your minie's to 1-2 thousandths under the bore size. then make up charges from 35-60 grains of 3F in 5 grain increments (5 per each powder charge) then using a large piece of paper at 50 yard shoot 5 shots at the same spot. Mark the target with what load it was shot with and move on to the next target and powder charge also at 50 yards.
DO NOT worry about where the musket is shooting, you dont care at this point! all you are looking for is the smallest group and what powder charge makes it.
After you find the powder charge that has the smallest group, then and only then do you sight the musket in to hit the target where you want it to hit.

After reading the rest of this thread, heres the answer right here.

It's amazing the number of times this comes up. Not like we haven't hashed this out before. I'll say this one more time, minie ball guns are a world unto themselves and round ball stuff almost NEVER works

 

[ord sgt]

With my three band P-H Enfield, I used a 500 grain minie from an unknown maker (never found any markings, only size) sized to .575, lubed with crisco and beeswax, 44 grains FFFg. That mix would help me break clays at 50 yards and tiles at 100 yards.

 

[1861 Springfield]

So, I've had my beautiful 3-band for nearly a year now and still can't get any meaningful or consistent accuracy from it. I've tried various Lee Minie molds and then popped for the Lyman "Blue Gray" mold No. 578675 -- which I'd read a lot of good things about on here, and which throws a beautiful bullet of between 400 and 410 gns. These mike out right at .577. Problem is, I've never managed consistent 50 yd groups (let alone 100 yds.) with any of these bullets, including the Lymans, of less than 6-8" -- and sometimes much, much worse than that -- shooting from a solid bench rest. 1) I've been dip-lubing my Minies with SPG. 2) I use between 40 and 50 gns. of Triple 7, usually 45 for the Lyman bullets (which for a while showed promise, but not lately). 3) I KNOW HOW TO SHOOT -- I get fine accuracy with my two Pedersoli Hawkens in .50 and my Pedersoli Kentucky .45. 4) I have not so far been doing anything to size my bullets (see below).

Winding back to the beginning -- what should I try? What am I doing wrong? I've ordered one of the Pedersoli sizing tools from Flintlocks Etc. -- which lets you choose between .577 and .576. CapNBall, in his YouTube video, got great results using the Pedersoli 3-band with sizing a BIG Minie (over 600 gns.) to .576. But I don't want to use that much lead. Is SPG the wrong kind of lube for Minies?

SUGGESTIONS? I love shooting this rifle (Ok, rifled musket) but I'm going to lose interest if I can't begin to get actual groups out of it. Right now it seems little better than a smoothbore.

Thank you!

i use spg lube in my 1861 and its great.

 

[1861 Springfield]

I, too, can shoot one-hole groups. It's the second shot that tends to ruin it all for me.

lol..i dont think anyone here believes that guy shoots one hole groups at 100 yards with a musket.

 

[dave951]

lol..i dont think anyone here believes that guy shoots one hole groups at 100 yards with a musket.

Maybe not one hole groups but I've seen some pretty darn close. Hang out long enough with us in the N-SSA and you'll see some amazing shooting

 

[1861 Springfield]

Maybe not one hole groups but I've seen some pretty darn close. Hang out long enough with us in the N-SSA and you'll see some amazing shooting

with all this covid crap are yall still having shoots?