.577cal Pritchett rifle comes home with me today!

[TALL]

HI TAC,
I have been following this with great interest and green eyes,
i have a .54 hollow base minie mould, my .54 Hawken is smooth bore, so i do not use this,
would it work paper patched to get yours shooting or is it to small,
you may even be able to drill it out to make your flat sided bullet,
just an idea, let me know,
yours if you want it,
regards,
T

[tacfoley]

HI TAC, I have been following this with great interest and green eyes, i have a .54 hollow base minie mould, my .54 Hawken is smooth bore, so i do not use this, would it work paper patched to get yours shooting or is it to small, you may even be able to drill it out to make your flat sided bullet, just an idea, let me know, yours if you want it, regards,T

That's a very kind offer, Tall, but it is sadly waaaay too small - no amount of paper patching would make that up. Thanks again for the kind offer, yet another example of why belonging to a great group like this can demonstrate such offers of help when required.

[mel h]

TAC. Among my varied collection of 'useful things' I have a nice original .577 mould which I'm told makes a Prichett bullet, I wouldn't mind casting a few for you to try if you wish. I do have the measurements somewhere, they're under .577 . The downside is that the only lead I have is old scrap stuff.

This is not a disguised 'selling' post

[WebleyWombler]

The downside is that the only lead I have is old scrap stuff.

Almost the only 'pure' lead available nowadays is old scrap lead pipe and roofing lead . It is perfect for making Muzzle loader ammo. Just cut any solder joints out and water that down with pure lead to make smokeless cartridge bullets. Only problem then is guessing the hardness.

Salvaged range lead should be sorted before use and often is only fit for plinking ammo

[DesG]

I'm just curious as I've never used wooden plugs. Didn't they decide that the gas pressure alone was enough to expand the skirt into the rifling? I have access to a longer range to play in now so would like to try my 577 ph musketoon out to 300+ and will experiment.

[tacfoley]

I'm just curious as I've never used wooden plugs. Didn't they decide that the gas pressure alone was enough to expand the skirt into the rifling? I have access to a longer range to play in now so would like to try my 577 ph musketoon out to 300+ and will experiment.

Most folks of my acquaintance, me included, would be loathe to waste precious lead by sending it downrange at 300 yds from a Musketoon. Still, you never know until you try, right? Good luck with that.

[DesG]

Most folks of my acquaintance, me included, would be loathe to waste precious lead by sending it downrange at 300 yds from a Musketoon. Still, you never know until you try, right? Good luck with that.

I’ve got plenty. The locals in the village all seem to have kept their old lead water pipes and lots of stuff from the coal mines. A lot of that came my way. We also have a very active airgun section in the club which I clean out from time to time. Lovely soft lead in airgun pellets. I’ve had a lot of success with 22rf lead as well. The 50/100 yd is 22 and airgun only and is due deleading soon. Lots of lovely soft lead there!

I think I have a good few hundred 1lb ingots tucked away.

[tacfoley]

TAC. Among my varied collection of 'useful things' I have a nice original .577 mould which I'm told makes a Prichett bullet, I wouldn't mind casting a few for you to try if you wish. I do have the measurements somewhere, they're under .577 . The downside is that the only lead I have is old scrap stuff.

This is not a disguised 'selling' post

Mel, 'old scrap stuff' is exactly the right stuff to use. Especially if it is pre-Atomic age - ie, before 1945, as most of it is. My hoard of scrap is from a Victorian shop canopy and, legally-acquired, from a church re-roofing. The old stuff having been relocated by a bunch of itinerant lead re-locators, the parish council took the bold decision to stop funding the care-free/tax-free travelling lifestyle of the thieves by installing this new frawk 'lead' substitute. It is totally useless for anything else other than making into thin sheets of waterproof roofing, as it has a melting point even lower than Cerosafe.

I'd be VERY grateful to see a couple of your bullets - .577" is the nominal size anyhow, as they get paper-patched when making them up into the official Enfield cartridge.

You might even have my address? If not, please PM me when convenient.

[mel h]

Mel, 'old scrap stuff' is exactly the right stuff to use. Especially if it is pre-Atomic age - ie, before 1945, as most of it is. My hoard of scrap is from a Victorian shop canopy and, legally-acquired, from a church re-roofing. The old stuff having been relocated by a bunch of itinerant lead re-locators, the parish council took the bold decision to stop funding the care-free/tax-free travelling lifestyle of the thieves by installing this new frawk 'lead' substitute. It is totally useless for anything else other than making into thin sheets of waterproof roofing, as it has a melting point even lower than Cerosafe.

I'd be VERY grateful to see a couple of your bullets - .577" is the nominal size anyhow, as they get paper-patched when making them up into the official Enfield cartridge.

You might even have my address? If not, please PM me when convenient.

I'll make a few up for you when I get some time. I've just had a look at some notes I made a while since and they measured up at .565 which seems to be three thou less than the specification size for the Pritchett of this style with the radiused concave base as opposed to the plug base.
Mel.

[tacfoley]

I'll make a few up for you when I get some time. I've just had a look at some notes I made a while since and they measured up at .565 which seems to be three thou less than the specification size for the Pritchett of this style with the radiused concave base as opposed to the plug base.
Mel.

The radiused base is a correct Pritchett-form design. I look forward greatly to seeing them and trying them out - say, five hundred to start with, eh?

Just joshing.

Ten will be just fine.

[mel h]

I remember from a long time since when I first had an interest, reading American magazines ( no WWW in the seventies) and the lead mix for printer's type seemed to be a popular choice.

[mel h]

The radiused base is a correct Pritchett-form design. I look forward greatly to seeing them and trying them out - say, five hundred to start with, eh?

Just joshing.

Ten will be just fine.

TAC.

PM sent.

[Hares Ear]

I'll make a few up for you when I get some time. I've just had a look at some notes I made a while since and they measured up at .565 which seems to be three thou less than the specification size for the Pritchett of this style with the radiused concave base as opposed to the plug base.
Mel.

Mel.
Big favour to ask of you please. If I P.M my address, would you send me 10 of your slugs at .565 please?

I am trying to perfect Pritchett cartridges for an early '53. The Unions favourite .550s fly wide of the target board, .563s are without doubt better. I am getting 8 inch groups at 100yd with .568s and .569s. But they aren't quite taking enough grease down the bore with them. After a detail, ramming feels a bit gritty. Somewhere in between may be the answer.

[tacfoley]

Mel.
Big favour to ask of you please. If I P.M my address, would you send me 10 of your slugs at .565 please?

I am trying to perfect Pritchett cartridges for an early '53. The Unions favourite .550s fly wide of the target board, .563s are without doubt better. I am getting 8 inch groups at 100yd with .568s and .569s. But they aren't quite taking enough grease down the bore with them. After a detail, ramming feels a bit gritty. Somewhere in between may be the answer.

Please tell me about your rifle. BTW, 8" @100 yard is WAY better than the Union soldier's requirement of accuracy, which was ten shots into 18inches from standing at 100 yards.

[mel h]

Mel.
Big favour to ask of you please. If I P.M my address, would you send me 10 of your slugs at .565 please?

I am trying to perfect Pritchett cartridges for an early '53. The Unions favourite .550s fly wide of the target board, .563s are without doubt better. I am getting 8 inch groups at 100yd with .568s and .569s. But they aren't quite taking enough grease down the bore with them. After a detail, ramming feels a bit gritty. Somewhere in between may be the answer.

Robin PM sent.