Load for Euroarms Enfield

**roundball1** · 12-31-2010

Hello fellow shooters. I am trying to work up an accurate 100 yard load for my 1853 pattern Euroarms Enfield. I have cast many minnies using the Lyman 577611LT mould. This creates a 530 grn conical minnie with a thick skirt. I have schuetzen 2fg powder and I use a combination mutten tallow/beeswax lube. It is sold through Dixie under the name "Old Zip". I can print tack driving groups that are about 2-3 inches high at 50 yards, but sometimes I do not even print on the paper at 100. The ballistic charts that I have studied tend to show that the round is climbing high after this and I just need to compensate by holding low. What are your thoughts?

**DAVE FRANCE** · 01-01-2011

Hello Roundball,
It's more likely that the bullet is hitting about 1 1/2 feet lower at 100 yards that at 50 assuming you are using the same sight.

If you sight in to shoot at the point you aim at at 50 yards, on the way to 50 yards, the bullet has probably risen a little above the level of the target bull and then drops down some. If you had a target at 25 yards and aimed at the center,the bullet would be high.

At 100 yards the bullet has dropped down quite a bit, because it has slowed down its horizontal speed but has started dropping fairly fast by the time it goes 100 yards.

If you used 3f powder it would increase the muzzle velocity you get with the same amount of powder.

Hope this helps,

David

**Southron Sr.** · 01-03-2011

I replaced the front sight on my repro Enfield, Parker-Hale Naval Rifle and then "set up" my sights where:

1. When the sight leaf was all the way down, the rifle was "Dead ON' for 50 yards.

2. When the sight leaf was set on the first shoulder of the sight, the rifle was "Dead ON" for 100 yards.

This makes life real simple when I am at the range or Skirmishes.

**David Lapell** · 02-11-2011

I had a very similar issue using my 1853 Enfield musketoon. Dead on at 50 yards, almost off the target board at 100 yards. I never changed the load, I found out I needed to raise the sight. Once I did that, 100 yard groups were no problem.