Which Rifled Musket?

[StewartLeach]

Glad to see some posts regarding Civil War, er, "War of Northern Aggression" rifled muskets. I'm thinking of buying one, to use in NMLRA and CSMLA competitions, and need your advice.

Which model do you like, and why? I am considering the Springfield 1861 and Enfield 1853.

These rifles have slow twist rates, in the range I associate with patched round balls. Any problems with shooting home-cast minies?

Which manufacturer? ArmiSport, or Euroarms?

Sights seem to be rather primitive. Any hints on getting them targeted at 50 and 100 yards?

Do you have a favorite bullet and lubricant?

What did I forget to ask about?

Thanks for any help......

White Fox

 

[jbg]

I personaly prefer the Enfield myself, that and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee. I had an Armisport, which I recently sold to help cover legal bills. The best reproduction out there, if you can find one, is a Parker Hale. While I am not sure how close it is to the originals, it sure is pretty.

With my Armisport, using .575 home cast Minie's of pure lead, with bore butter for lube and 80 grains of FFG, I could get a torso shot on a mansize target, at 300 yards. 7 or 8 out of 10 shots.

 

[arquebus]

I have a couple of repro rifle-muskets by Euroarms (Enfield Musketoon & a Zouave) & am very pleased with them.
The twist rate is correct for Minies, most originals were 1:48" thru 1:72" depending on make & model. You have to remember that Minie balls are a weight-forward design, unlike a conventional solid-based conical bullet, & therefore do better with a slower twist.
In my Zouave I use a heavy (612gn) Minie with 55gns of Goex 3Fg & it will comfortably hold the 9-ring on a B-19 ISU target at 100yds.
The Zouave has very similar sights to the Springfield you are considering, whereas the Enfield's are a bit more sophisticated, but I actually prefer the Zouave/Springfield type.
As far as which model to get, I suggest you try & shoot each type & get a feel for them. The Enfield & the Springfield/Zouave are stocked quite differently & one will feel more comfortable to you than the other. For me, the Enfield is too straight (or something!) & I have to scrunch down on the comb to get a good sight picture which makes them very unpleasant to shoot, even with the relatively light recoil of this type of firearm.

 

[hanshi]

I use to have a a Zouave and liked it a lot. A few years ago I got a US M1841 "Mississippi" rifle in the original .54 and never looked back. They were use during the Great War and about a third of them were converted to .58 so as to use the same ammo as the Springfields. The .54 is best. It's an extremely accurate rifle and I prefer the sights on it. Just another choice thrown in.

 

[dyemaker]

Parker Hale made both a Henry rifled and Rigby rifled Volunteer "Enfield" as well as a Whitworth rifle. I'd like to get ahold of the Rigby rifled version. I think maybe these would be considered long range muzzleloaders. Unfortunately Parker Hale is no longer making these.

 

[bingo1952]

1. Original in good shape if you can find one.
2. Parker Hale in good shape if you can find one. They were supposedly made using the original gauges.
3. EOA
4 Armi Sport
:2

 

[Damsha Bua]

You may wish to check out The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy--Lock, Stock and Barrel Modifications for Reproduction Civil War Era Enfield and US Pattern Rifle-muskets by Craig L. Barry. This book has good information on original and reproduction Enfields and Springfields as well as US smoothbore muskets. They basically tell what is wrong with Armi Sports and Euroarms, how to fix them, and how the various 'defarbed' makers stack up.

I think as far as Enfields go, the Armi Sport is closer to what was used during the late unpleasantries. It has the proper barrel bands and is lighter which is closer to the originals than the Euroarms. I have seen recommendations for Armi Sports on various reenacting units' websites. I think the Parker Hale is closer to a Type IV Enfield whereas Type IIIs were imported during the war. I'm kind of doing this by memory from recently reading the book, PM me if you have anything else in the book you want me to check out.

I am strongly considering a Skrimish Grade James River Armory Enfield. I need to confirm I want an Enfield by checking one out as the stock is a common complaint.

 

[59sharps]

I to would go w/ the James river skirmisher grade
either gun. I prefer a springfield over the enfield only for the stock. Had a P-H 53 enfield shot great w/a hodgens minie and also the original P-H minie.
the james rivers are made from armi-sport parts from what i recall. Blank Barrels Rifled by Hoyt.
If I was not doing a J-R I would go for the euroarms then armi sport (only because I had problems w/ an armi sport sharps.

 

[ResearchPress]

Parker Hale made both a Henry rifled and Rigby rifled Volunteer "Enfield" as well as a Whitworth rifle.

Not "Enfields" but a seperate class of arm; a military match rifle in the small-bore calibre of .451 as opposed to the large bore .577 Enfield.

These were popular with the Volunteers for competition use in any-rifle events. They were made by many makers including Whitworth, Henry, Lancaster, Kerr, Edge and many others. The Kerr was manufactured by the London Armoury Co and fully interchangeable with the P.53, so a Volunteer on a budget could have two barrels with one stock. They saw most use for a period during the early 1860s, before the match rifle and military diverged into two very different classes.

Enough rambling.........

David

 

[Tom Compton]

Mine is a 2 Band PH.
http://www.navyarms.com/ph_enfields.html

TC

 

[StewartLeach]

My thanks to all for the information and advice. There is real value in this website!

Believe I will call Cabella's and ask if they will arrange for me to handle an ArmiSport Springfield and Enfield if I drive up to their HQ in Sidney, NE. Only another hour from my inlaws in NE Colorado.

Will also look into James River Armory.

Thanks again,

White Fox