Post by: hawkeye on October 23, 2008, 04:22:47 PM
Post by: hawkeye on October 23, 2008, 10:28:05 PM
) and then I dipped them up to the grease rings in a mix of bee's wax and olive oil. Now I can't wait to get the musket out to the range and give her a try!
Post by: butterchurn on October 24, 2008, 12:01:26 AM
Post by: dbm on October 24, 2008, 02:26:31 AM
Beeswax and olive oil should be fine as a lube.
I shoot 75 grains of a 2f equivalent powder and don't experience any problems with the skirt 'blowing' - my Minie is heavier at 560 grains. I won the MLAGB (http://http) National 600 yard Championships with this last year and was 2nd this year, so it works OK.
David
Post by: hawkeye on October 28, 2008, 11:41:57 AM
(http://www.muzzleloader.us/images/colt-musket.jpg)
(http://www.muzzleloader.us/images/colt-lock.jpg)
Post by: butterchurn on October 28, 2008, 12:38:16 PM
Post by: hawkeye on October 28, 2008, 12:42:14 PM
(http://www.muzzleloader.us/images/minie.jpg)
Post by: Uncle Russ on October 28, 2008, 01:25:19 PM
I hope this one makes it!
Anyway, that is indeed a good looking rifle!
Uncle Russ...
Post by: hawkeye on October 28, 2008, 02:52:23 PM
Quote from: "RussB"
Anyway, that is indeed a good looking rifle! :rotf You would know best!
Post by: Uncle Russ on October 28, 2008, 05:13:56 PM
In my very, very limited experience with that rifle, I discovered that shooting Minies is something of a trick.....
I am told it is due, in most part, to the progressive rifling of the Colt, but a similiar situation exists with most all Minies, and that is matching the powder charge to the "skirt" of the Minie.
In particular, the 575213PH, a heavy 562gr "weighted forward" (the majority of the weight is beyond the hollow cavity) Minie with a very stout, thick skirt, will take a rather hefty charge of powder w/o blowing the skirt.
A 575315, 315gr Minie has something of a thin or fragile skirt and appears to do best with around 40 / 45gr of FFFg Goex.
The RCBS NSS Hodgdon .580 @ 416gr is another good Minie for this style of rifling. This particular Minie has a very wide margin of error for powder charges and some even feel you can safely go up the charge of FFg to 120+ grains for hunting and still maintain accuracy.
The one thing that is certain when using Minie Balls....if you blow the skirt, you will loose accuracy. Plain and simple.
A friend of mine in Olympia, WA has a Colt 2-Band, and he prefers the Lee REAL for hunting....it is a .592 @ 440gr and I have chronographed that particular Minie, over my own chronograph, at 1800 fps from his gun..... I don't recall the particulars of lube, or powder charge, but that is one whup butt chuck of lead for hunting.
Personally, I have always though the Colt was quite possibly the most handsome of all the muskets made.
Col. Sam Colt sold the Government a bill of goods when he came out with the 1861...promised the world that the parts would interchange with the Springfield, and they could use all the "extra parts" they had on hand in his gun if the need should ever arise...that was all just sales talk because only a very limited number of the parts do actually change out without special fitting.
You may want to read the following, if you haven't already.
http://www.civilwarguns.com/specmod.html (http://www.civilwarguns.com/specmod.html)
Good luck, and I do hope ya bring home the bacon with rifle!
Uncle Russ...
Post by: Pitchy on October 28, 2008, 05:46:12 PM
Post by: Roaddog on October 30, 2008, 06:35:48 AM
Post by: hawkeye on October 30, 2008, 07:58:43 AM
Quote from: "Roaddog"
A darn nice lookn gun. are ya going to take her deer huntn this year?
I might use it but my primary deer gun is my .62 early Virginia flint rifle. Our deer season starts in 2 weeks so that may not be enough time to get the rifle sighted and be comfortable with it.
Post by: Roaddog on October 31, 2008, 06:04:00 AM