Spending a few minutes shooting "The Old Gas Pipe " P-H P53

[Stantheman86]

I had 12 rounds of the .568 Pritchett cartridges from Brett at paper cartridges. Com, so last night I loaded them with 60 grains of 1.5f.

I traded for this Parker-Hale P53 from a forum member and haven't gotten to fire it yet.

I only had about an hour before work so I had to do basically just do a quick and dirty test fire, I hung a target at 100, and just loaded up 5 cartridges and let them fly from a standing position with a "half sight" picture. I apparently pushed off to the left, there was a cluster of hits off the paper on the target backer. I tightened up my form and put one just off the right arm of the bad guy.

I think some went below the paper as I played with Fine Sighting, I'm not sure.

I walked up to 50 yards and put one right in the Bull with a Full Sight picture, so there's that. I missed most of my shots at 100 but I didn't start at 50, or work up loads, I just started shooting about a half hour after waking up.

I lubed up two Lyman Minies sized to .575, with the shallow base and loaded them over 60 grains of powder, one hit the left arm, one went somewhere. Loading started to get challenging as that 1.5f caked the bore up, so I left.

If I had more time I'd have swabbed the bore and tried more Minies to see if I could get a group, but I had to just enjoy blowing some smoke and test firing this rifle today.

I'll see how it does with standard .575 Burton balls next time and 2f powder.

 

[TDM]

Beautiful rifle with great potential. Congrats.

 

[Stantheman86]

Beautiful rifle with great potential. Congrats.

Thank You

10 shots and I wasn't even warmed up yet so I need to load up 50 cartridges and really spend some time with it

 

[hanshi]

Test it from a bench and remove those variables present when shooting off hand. That's a very nice rifle too.

 

[Frod733]

Where did you get the British style cartridge box? Looking for one.

 

[Stantheman86]

Test it from a bench and remove those variables present when shooting off hand. That's a very nice rifle too.

Thank You, the previous owner hunted with it a lot so it picked up a field worn look, I love it.

I need to sandbag it off the bench so I know where the baseline is and what load it likes, hopefully it does ok with a .575 Minie.

I hope to get out tomorrow with some loose .575's and see if I can get a load worked up.

 

[Stantheman86]

Where did you get the British style cartridge box? Looking for one.

It's one of the Indian made ones you can get off EBay for $50, with an Indian made canvas cartridge box sling I think I got from Milk Creek Mercantile and a cap box from LePierre Leather. The Indian stuff is good quality stuff, unless you need "the best" like the CD Jarnigan one that's $350 which I don't need just to carry cartridges to the range and get dirty with my black powder crusted hands anyway.

The solder is really poorly done on the tin though and one of the dividers already broke off, and it's not like I use this stuff hard in the field or anything

 

[Stantheman86]

I went out again with 50 lubed and sized .575's I did last night. 60 grains of 1.5f

Well, nothing is safe at 50 yards, at least. I used the range bench that allows a "standing rest" on the bullseye target and just stood offhand and fired at the 50 yard silhouette. The Cold Brew coffee was kicking in and the front sight was wandering around the target but I just let fly . This rifle has potential as a 50 yard Turkey Shoot rifle

I had to move the slider to 200 to shoot at 100, from a standing rest. I seem to have put a good 3 shots together then the wheels came off.

Happy to have hit something, I quickly punched the bore and left.

I haven't fired my Enfields in a while and the sights took some re-warming up to. Next time a Treso nipple is going in, and I'll use 3f OE.

40 Minies down the pipe, no swabbing, they all went down clean.

I will admit it's probably me at 100. I can punch a ragged hole at 50 with my Musketoons too but I fall off at 100. I've done better at 100 with revolvers recently.

I guess I'd have failed the test to be a Sharpshooter today, back to the Line Grunts with my .69 Smoothbore

 

[OldSmoky1967]

Try it with 3F.

 

[Stantheman86]

Try it with 3F.

I had the same thought, I think the rifle didn't completely like the 1.5f and the 3f will bring the POI up and tighten the groups.

The .575 Minies work, a 60 gr charge of 3f might be the ticket. I will work this up so I can roll cartridges for this rifle.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

I had the same thought, I think the rifle didn't completely like the 1.5f and the 3f will bring the POI up and tighten the groups.

The .575 Minies work, a 60 gr charge of 3f might be the ticket. I will work this up so I can roll cartridges for this rifle.

You might try 70 Grains.. That is what mine like. 60 works ok, but better groups with 70.

 

[ResearchPress]

I had the same thought, I think the rifle didn't completely like the 1.5f . . .

One of the joys of muzzle loading. . . no answer fits all - there’s always something else to try! Remember though that besides all the rifle fine tuning and load development, the shooter needs fine tuning! I’ve seen some neglect basic shooting skills and chase that elusive ‘perfect load’ which of course never comes.

Having said that, my Enfield short rifle likes 1.5Fg Swiss, and I’ve won matches with it this year at 200, 500 & 600 yards.

David

 

[Stantheman86]

You might try 70 Grains.. That is what mine like. 60 works ok, but better groups with 70.

I'll give 70 a shot , this is why I bring my adjustable measure out

Truth be told the spring is weak on my Ted Cash measure and half the time I was at 70 instead of 60 anyway , but with the 1.5f. So I may as well stay with 70 for 3f

 

[Stantheman86]

One of the joys of muzzle loading. . . no answer fits all - there’s always something else to try! Remember though that besides all the rifle fine tuning and load development, the shooter needs fine tuning! I’ve seen some neglect basic shooting skills and chase that elusive ‘perfect load’ which of course never comes.

Having said that, my Enfield short rifle likes 1.5Fg Swiss, and I’ve won matches with it this year at 200, 500 & 600 yards.

David

I like to admit when it's me that's the "variable "

Plus shooting is a perishable skill , there's no replacement for quality time behind the trigger

I was actually making fun of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin who was on Facebook shooting some whatever scoped rifle at a match, bragging about hitting a 1000 yard target, I commented "Calm Down Steve, you hit a target at 1000 with a .50 with the Hubble telescope on top, good job.......British Match Shooters hit 1000 yard targets with iron sighted .58 Enfield rifles every day"

If I don't have it that day I usually just shoot at a closer target or else I'm looking for fliers on the target backer trying to see what's going on

The excuses I tell myself when I'm shooting any of my rifle-muskets and not doing good....

- "they only expected 4-6" at 100 with service loads anyway'

-"These are battle sights not target sights"

- "I'd have hit the guys next to him"

 

[Stantheman86]

Plus after so many years of shooting military surplus bolt action rifles I have to make myself get away from the "60 grains of 2f and a .575 Minie ball" standard service load that has been preached by everyone since I got my first .58 rifle in 2003 and have a hard time getting away from.