Best bullet & powder weight

[SMARTY]

Hi all im new to the board and this is my first post.

Has anybody got a good bullet/powder weight for .577 Lee Enfield muskatoon?
I have tried a 600gn bullet with a 55gn powder at 100yds but i dont think the
bullet stabilises at that range.

all replies much appreciated.

[tacfoley]

Hi all im new to the board and this is my first post.

Has anybody got a good bullet/powder weight for .577 Lee Enfield muskatoon?
I have tried a 600gn bullet with a 55gn powder at 100yds but i dont think the
bullet stabilises at that range.

all replies much appreciated.

Welcome to the forum, Mr Smarty!

1. You don't actually have a Lee Enfield musketoon, what you have is an Enfield Musketoon - is it an original, a Parker-Hale or a more recent version, such as the Euro-Arms model? Lee, by the way, was the American inventor who contributed his name to the Lee-Metford, Lee-Speed and then the Lee-Enfield - a bolt-action military service rifle used by Great Britain and the empire and commonwealth since about 1895.

2. There is a distinct possibilty that you are using the wrong size bullet. The ideal size is about two thou undersized, to enable the bullet to be 'thumbed' down the bore, and then, when fired, to enable the skirt to blow out and engage in the very shallow rifling of the musketoon. Certainly the original only shot a bullet of around 500-530gr - sharing the common pre-made paper cartridge with the three-bander P53 rifled musket.

3. The Parker-Hale version of the musketoon uses a Minie bullet made from the Lyman mould that came with the complete gun set, which also included a Sergeant's Multi-purpose tool and arm patch. MY Parker-Hale musketoon shoots thisLyman mould Minie bullet #575210 that weighs in at 510gr over 55gr of FFg - no actual wad should be used. I prepare my bullets beforehand with a home-made lube of a 50/50 mix of Neats Foot Oil and bees wax, but Butler-Creek Bore Butter is good too.

3. I shoot mine with a good deal of success - hitting a PL12 pistol target at 100 yards and staying in the black is about right for this short-barrelled arm. No doubt there are folks here who can shoot their musketoon like a bench-rested .223 with a x40 scope on it, but I'm not that clever, being old and decrepit, as well as a pompous, vindictive and cynical old fart. They'll pop up with their advice, and you should read that, too. Remember that the original was used by sergeants and by cavalry and artillery, particularly in the WoNA, as was a close-defence arm, not a long range sharpshooter's weapon.

Hope this helps you somewhat.

Best of luck

tac