Hi how accruete are the 2 band/3 band 577/58 at 50 .100 and 200yds what sort of loads ..thanks
Hi how accruete are the 2 band/3 band 577/58 at 50 .100 and 200yds what sort of loads ..thanks
ballkeeper
Well, I have no idea how accruete they are, but with the right load and projectile they can both be reasonably accurate.
The first time that the Minié bullet was used in anger was during the Crimean War, and the main targets, Russian gunners, were mightily impressed to be slaughtered at 600 -800 yards by the enthusiastic British and French infantry.
I shoot a .58cal carbine, a two and three-band Enfield as well. Loads go from 45gr of 3Fg [50m] up to the service load of 2.5 drams - 68.5gr, depending on the range, of 3Fg - 2Fg also works well. I've never fired the three-band further than 600 yards though.
Groups from the carbine hover around three inches at 50m and six inches at a hundred - same for the two and three-band rifles, but it is imperative to have the correct-sized projectile. If you have a REAL Parker-Hale rifle, then it should have the correct mould along with it, else you are going ot have to do some figuring and experimentation. the correct size is 2thou less than bore diameter, and the lube is also fairly critical. On a good day you can figure on getting a group of around 12" at 200 yards, depending on your level of skill. They ARE all somewhat picky, so don't be expecting anything like a modern laser-like accurate shoot.
Watch Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmflqQfgXgM
Rob there uses correct loads, even wears the correct uniform, and has a HUGE experience shooting these guns.
Another great site is capandball. The owner, Balasz Németh, is THE man. He and his brother run a huge BP gun store in Budapest, and he is a former world-class BP target rifle AND handgunner. He is also 'Mr Pedersoli' in Hungary, so much of his stuff is aimed at publicising their wares. No bad thing, really. But he DOES shoot a lot of the real thing, too. He recently had a difference of opinion with the folks who run YT, and needs support. IMO he is worth every forint.
OTOH, a visit to Wedgnock on a shooting day will bring dividends - nothing but BP shooters there.
tac
PS - some people shoot substitutes like Pyrodex RS. Do it if you must, but is IS different - feels different - and my loading figures do not count.
Last edited by tacfoley; 26-04-2017 at 09:25 AM.
thank you tac very helpful,guess get a variation added next,bp all the way
there both great channels
Last edited by gtpkeeper; 26-04-2017 at 10:14 AM.
ballkeeper
about 40 odd miles from kranks,variation for the 577/58 plus one other, yup i have bp license,i shoot mostly pistols ,oh an a 45 bp rifle too
ballkeeper
email...... stephenbarrow@ntlworld.com
A trained marksman could consistently hit a 4" square at 200 yards.
I think they had better powder than us. Curtis & Harvey is reckoned to have been the best one around. Even the Americans pre war,post war and during the Civil War,preferred it to their own makes.
The British also used swaged bullets so they had absolute consistency with every bullet.
The strange thing about BP is that some days they can be deadly accurate and another day they are all over the place. I've never figured out if it is the gun, theweather or the shooter that is fault. Probably the latter!
Have fun.
Tell me more about the 'deadly accurate'. So far I'm way too familiar with the 'all over the place' style of shot placement.
I was able to shoot some genuine C&H 'fine rifle powder' straight out of its original lead-lined tin a few years back, and I have to agree with you. Made in 1893, it was as powerful as the day it was made. A 60gr load performed like 75gr of the best Swiss powder of the same grade - both shot to exactly the same POI at 100 yards with an original Springfield.
Happy shooting!
tac