2 & 1/2 feet high

[Buck]

A friend of mine purchased a EuroArms 2 Band Enfield recently. When we go to the range and practice, this musket consistently shoots 2 & 1/2 feet high at 50 yards. I've shot other muskets brand new and out of the box at 50 yards and most seem to shoot 6 or 8 inches high, but have never seen anything like this 2 Band Enfield. The musket groups well and there is no keyholing or anything like that. Does a EuroArms 2 Band Enfield shoot like that at 2 and a half feet high at 50 yards? Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Edwin Flint, 8427]

What charge are you using? Bullet size?

[Buck]

40 grains 3F, bullet is sized .001 of an inch less than bore diameter

[Norm Gibson, 4901V]

I wonder if the bore is off center.

[Edwin Flint, 8427]

Ditto, what norm said.

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Describe your sight picture. Are you aligning the top of the front sight blade with the top of the rear sight vee or at the bottom of the rear sight vee? Each of these will have an effect on the strike of the ball.

Also, are you shooting from a bench or offhand? Surprisingly, it does make a difference particularly whether you are breaking the round at the top of your wobble (at 12 o'clock) or at the bottom (at 6 o'clock). This coupled with your breathing technique (or the absence thereof) could well account for shots this high.

What was the air temperature (was it hot) while you were shooting when you got these high shots; also was it in bright sunlight or overcast? If its a hot day or if in bright sunlight, these conditions will cause the round to fly higher than on a cooler day or under overcast skies. A 10 degree F increase in air temperature could also cause the rounds to go this high, which means at 80 degs your impact will be lower than at 90 degs.

What is your (range location) elevation relative to sea level? I can sight-in and shoot dead-on in practice where the elevation is no more than 20 feet above sea level, and will shoot a foot high at the Nationals which has an elevation of about 500 feet higher.

What bullet style and weight (in grains) are you shooting? Being the 2-band Enfield rifle, the rifling should be 1:48 and with faster rifling requires a heavier bullet than what you would use with a long spiral or slow rifling like with a 3-band.

Richard McAuley, 3014V
37th GA

[Yancey von Yeast, 8073]

Interesting about sea level. I have no idea what the elevation is where I live, but I do notice that I am often "off" in elevation at the Nationals. Has anyone else experienced this? How do I convice my wife that I need an extra week in Virginia each year to get sighted in?

[Buck]

Thanks for the posts that offer ideas as to why this gun is shooting so high.
I'm not sure about the sight picture, but that is a good thought and I will ask my friend what kind he is using. But he is an experienced shooter.
We are shooting in South Texas which is probably not that different from El Paso, TX in temperature. When we have shot this 2 Band Enfield, the temperature has been between 90-95 with a heat index around 105. We also live on the coast, so the elevation is probably 25 feet.
At this time, the musket is being shot from a bench and we haven't been doing any offhand shooting just yet. We're shooting from the bench at this time because we're still trying to figure out what the gun is doing.
The kind of minie that we have been using is the RCBS Hodgdon which weighs about 410 grains. Is that minie heavy enough for a 1:48 rate of twist?