Round ball size/mould for 1853 Enfield

[tackdriver]

A few years back I posted this question and had some nice responses. I was wondering if anyone had any current info before I go out and buy stuff. I would like to try shooting patched round balls in my 1853 Enfield. Has anyone found this load to be more accurate than the Minie? I would like to cast my own but am not sure what size or maker mould I'll need. I assume my bore is .577
Thanks

[Muley Gil]

The first thing you need to do is to determine the actual diameter of your bore. Is your 1853 an original or a reproduction? The easiest way to determine the diameter is to use pin gauges.

[bobanderson]

Original and repro 3 banders have a .577 bore and a 1:78 twist, so you should do well with round balls. The patch will make up for variations in the ball size. I'd say use the tightest combination of patch and ball that you can fit in your bore, say a .575 round ball and a .010 to .015 thousandths patch. Using a short starter when loading will help you get it down the bore.

Also the rule of thumb for powder charge says 2f powder for 50 caliber and over and 1 grain per caliber, meaning 55 to 60 grains as optimal.

Lee round ball moulds (cheaper) will work well enough for load development, but once you determine the size, shop for an RCBS or Lyman steel mould which gives you far superior quality bullets.

[Muley Gil]

Not all re-pops have a .577" bore. I believe Steve Sheldon's 1st Enfield had either a .581" or .582" bore.

I carried my set of pin gauges to an SCV meeting last year and measured the bores of any member who brought their rifle muskets. One Euroarms Enfield measured .578", while another went .579".

[Maillemaker]

Not all re-pops have a .577" bore. I believe Steve Sheldon's 1st Enfield had either a .581" or .582" bore.

I carried my set of pin gauges to an SCV meeting last year and measured the bores of any member who brought their rifle muskets. One Euroarms Enfield measured .578", while another went .579".

My first Enfield, a Euroarms P1853 I bought off of gunbroker, ended up having a .584" bore.

My Pedersoli Enfields take .578" bullets. My Hoyt and Whitacre barrels take .576" bullets.

[Muley Gil]

My first Enfield, a Euroarms P1853 I bought off of gunbroker, ended up having a .584" bore.

My Pedersoli Enfields take .578" bullets. My Hoyt and Whitacre barrels take .576" bullets.

I remembered it being large, but .584", WOW!

[tackdriver]

Thanks everyone. I size my Minie balls to .576. I can find molds in .562 so I assume I would add a .o15 patch. But lordy, the good molds are $100 ! II guess the smart thing for me to do is buy some balls from Midway and see if my rifle likes that combo first.
Ive used 45g of FFF for years and it shoots pretty good. I have however, only shot at large plowing plate type targets out to 300 yards.

[PoorJack]

Thanks everyone. I size my Minie balls to .576. I can find molds in .562 so I assume I would add a .o15 patch. But lordy, the good molds are $100 ! II guess the smart thing for me to do is buy some balls from Midway and see if my rifle likes that combo first.
Ive used 45g of FFF for years and it shoots pretty good. I have however, only shot at large plowing plate type targets out to 300 yards.

With your bore being a .576, Hornady makes a .570 swaged round ball for those dead set on shooting PRB from a minie gun. I've done it for demo purposes and you'll have to experiment with patches to get something that will work.


And NO, not all 3 band repros are .577. I have a Euroarms that comes in at .580. As with most ammo development in our sport, measuring the bore is the essential first step to success.

[David Cole]

It begins with using a pin gauge to measure the bore. Not worth buying a mould until after you do that.

[Maillemaker]

I remembered it being large, but .584", WOW!

Yeah it was quite shot out. It was funny. I showed up at my very first skirmish just to see what was going on. Brought the Euroarms P53 I had bought off of gunbroker.

Bob Kelley, the team commander at that time, grabbed me up and after checking to make sure it was unloaded, they took me to the line with some loaned ammo to "try it out".

Bob is standing with me there on the line, coaching and spotting. First shot BLAMO - right in the bull. Bob looks at me approvingly. I'm sure he was thinking, "Hey, we might have someone here!"

Kept shooting, and many shots were not even hitting the paper! I could see Bob giving me the side eye and I was like, "Honest! I've been shooting all my life, I'm sure I can hit at least the paper!"

So we went downrange to check things out, and sure enough, the few bullet holes that were hitting the cardboard were making little "Wiley Coyote" silhouettes as they key-holed through the cardboard sideways.

So I straight-away went to Dan Whitcare and had a custom barrel made.

I agree with Dave the easiest thing is to get some pin gages to determine actual bore size. They are cheap. $4.77 each

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006JDOF8

You can click the drop-down and pick your size. I recommend .575, .576, .577, .578, .579, .580. This will cover most .58 muskets you will encounter.

You can also 3D print some pins. They won't print at design size but just print one bigger and bigger until it just fits and measure that with some calipers to find out what you've got.