Navy Arms 3 band 1853 Enfield

[Mike McDaniel]

Practical question - will you be able to get black powder in Alaska?

[gjones]

Practical question - will you be able to get black powder in Alaska?

Yes, as I have been told by friend who lives there. Goex is brand given to me he said could be found.. He has also said TRIPLE 7 can be found. Those were my concerns also. I am working to achieve best load for BIG DANGEROUS game with the 1853. Something I have desired to do for many years. I am casting my own minies, using tight weight tolerance for consistency to eliminate that variable.

[Hal]

G,

I read once where guys who live where it snows (I don't), will sometimes shoot ever increasing charges over the snow until they find unburned powder on the snow in front of their firing line in order to find the maximum practical charge. Another way, if'n you got a chronograph, is to shoot ever increasing loads across the chrono. You will eventually find a point at which increasing the charge does little to nothing for velocity. That is another way. Bear in mind though, that all either of these tests do is tell you at what point you cannot burn all the powder before it exits the muzzle. That maximum practical charge will not necessarily (And probably won't) be the most accurate.

[gjones]

Hello Hal,
That's good information. I have begun the shooting process to get the most accurate load possible. From there I do plan to use my chronograph to be able to calculate energy. Your point is well taken on maximum loads. That said, it does seem I need to simply find the most accurate load, then incrementally increase charges until a good decent balance between power and velocity is found for a reasonably safe distance (backup on hand). As I am starting, does 3f give more consistent accuracy than 2f?

[Hal]

That is something that varies from gun to gun and probably from opinion to opinion. Generally, I am of the opinion that 3f is for .50 cal and smaller, although I do make exceptions. I feel that my opinion is likely in the minority, as most people I know shoot 3f in their muskets. I actually use 1-1/2f Swiss in our muskets and also in my wife's Sharps and my Smith. We have loads worked up that do well with that powder. In the Smith, the larger grains are less apt to come out the flash hole. In the Sharps, it wouldn't matter except my wife (I trust she's not reading this) is convinced that 3f will kick harder than 1-1/2f and she already has a bruise on her shoulder after a skirmish. I'm sure I could work up a 3f load for her Sharps that would be accurate, but why bother when what she has works? I am, however, working with a Merrill and a Burnside and I'm using 3f in those...for now.

[Southron Sr.]

May I suggest that you do some research on 19th Century, British black powder, MUZZLELOADING Elephant Rifles. See what worked back in that time on big, dangerous African game.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_gun

Regardless on what load combo you settle for with your Enfield, on your bear hunt, be sure to have a couple of "back up" shooters armed with modern, repeating rifles in the unhappy event the shot from your Enfield doesn't put the bear down, but just makes him mad at you.

Good to Know....most replica Enfield ramrods are of a "two piece" design, i.e., the "Head" of the ramrod is "press fit" on the rod portion of the ramrod with a male/female socket arrangement. then the joint between the head and rod is polished to the point where the junction between head of the ramrod and the rod portion is almost invisible.

In practical terms, this does not matter until one has a Minie Ball stuck into the barrel of the rifle. Then the shooter threads the ball puller on to his ramrod, runs the ramrod with the puller attached down the barrel, and screws the puller into the stuck Minie Ball. Then the shooter runs a screwdriver blade thru the slot in the head of the ramrod and PULLS. Nine times out of ten, the head of the ramrod comes off, leaving the Minie Ball, Ball Puller and rod portion of the ramrod stuck in the bore!

So before heading to Alaska, have the head of your ramrod TIG welded to the rod portion of the ramrod to avoid this embarrassment in the field.

Let us know on this BB know how the hunt comes out (include pictures if possible)! I have a feeling you will have a great hunt!

[gjones]

Thanks for those super tips, I did not know of ramrod possibly coming apart! I will research the elephant gun information for certain. I am working on the overall best load to use for reasonable distances, and yes, backup will be there without doubt. With all good luck, lots of practice, and working on best loads, I hope to succeed in this endeavor. And do not want an angry BROWN charging me. That would ruin a good day, and the MRS. wouldn't be happy either! Having the ramrod TIG welded will certainly happen. It's thing I don't want to happen, especially if in back country. As for pictures, yes I'll definitely post for y'all. Your help in this endeavor is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Southron Sr.]

Generally FFFg black powder will be a tad more energetic than an equal load of FFg. I suggest that you use Swiss Black Powder as it is not only strong but a bit more clean burning than other brands. You can order it here:

https://www.blackpowderva.com/

Also suggest you use RWS percussion Musket caps as they are fairly strong. Avoid the CCI Re-enactor musket caps like the plague as they are relatively weak....and you wouldn't want to have a misfire when you are confronting a bear.

On the morning of the hunt, I suggest you run several patches down the barrel to remove any excess oil. Then fire one shot to fully burn out any oil left trapped in the flash channel and/or the breech threads. Again, this is to prevent a misfire.

There are also several excellent "substitute black powders" out there like Pyrodex and others. Their only possible drawbacks is that they have a higher ignition point than real black powder-again increasing your chances of having a misfire.