Skirmish Line Report on the Parker-Hale Molds

[devisser]

Does anyone remember a article in a old "Skirmish Line" about a report on using the Parker-Hale mold in the 1st Generation Parker-Hales? I am looking for information on the use of a Parker-Hale mold. I have a Parker-Hall mold and now I have a 1st generation 2 band rifle. Someone took a lot of time to do some research on this gun and I was wondering if anyone remember's this article. (It must of been publish in a Skirmish Line in the late 70"s when the Parker-Hales were introduced to the US markets.)

[Mike McDaniel]

I've no recollection of such an article, but the P-H mould is known to work great in P-H Enfields. It's all I shoot.

[devisser]

Which rifles are yu using the parker molds in. I have both the 2 band and the musketoon. The two banded works grat,but the musketoon still likes the Lymon PH mold. Any suggestions on powder charge?

[Mike McDaniel]

2-band. 45 grains Goex 3F.

[Gary Van Kauwenbergh, 101]

I can't help you with the Skirmish Line article, but that was my bullet of choice for my 1st generation 3-band, 2-band and musketoon. Go to http://acwsa.org/Pages/ShootingNotebook.htm to see my chronograph results under Gary Van Kauwenbergh notes.

That was a good shooting bullet out of just about anything. The Parker-Hale molds were different from the Lyman shallow-based minie molds that were recommended after they quit making them. It's a very heavy bullet, and you had to manually remove the base plug when casting, but I really enjoyed shooting them. I had two mold blocks mounted on one set of handles to speed up my casting.

I shot 50 grains of FFg GOEX out of all of the guns, and used that load for hunting with them too.

[devisser]

I have a Parker Hale Mold. It cast a bullet .573 using pure lead. I know it works in my re-barreled Springfiled (.576) using 45gr. & 50 gr of 3f Goex. Using a 573 PH bullet in a .577 seems like a lot of expansion. However, I do realize the PH mold was designed for the rifling in the 1858 Naval Rifle (two Band) and the 1861 Artillery Carbine (Musketoon using the 1:48" twist. I do have the lyman PH style, but thought I would like to try and using what the English Parker-Hale's were designed to shoot. (I know the folks at Parker Hale knew what they were doing. (Both of my Parker Hale's were made in the 1970's with both s/n's in the 4,xxx range.)