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Yes, you are correct was a reenactor for close to 30 years so probably don't know much about that aspect, Raised and shooting, hunting since about 6-7 years old probably don't know much about that either, 8 years in the Marine Corps seems to me somewhere in there done a bit of shooting both in a good place and some not so good places, and I think instructing basic marksmanship for the rifle and pistol. Oh, the pistol thing was ranking Marine Corps officers. Was scouted for Marine Corps sniper recon position but I shot left-handed so a no go there was really looking forward to that. 26 years in law enforcement 15 of those was firearms instructor for revolver, semi auto pistol counter sniper rifle and shotgun probably don't know much there 12 years as a lead squad member on my agencies weapons plt reactionary operations force, SOG or special operations group also, Finished out that aspect as the range commander and one of the top ranked instructors in the state, match pistol, revolver shooter worked my way to master class, All I know is the hype of I am a NSSA shooter is exactly what I stated a bunch of Yahoos breaking tiles or plates at minor distances, that has nothing to do with the actual ability to efficiently utilize those period weapons to their full potential. Read a few of the posts regarding the different modifications to the weapons that are shot at those cracker jack matches I forgot if I have too, I can shoot standing on my head in a bucket of Cranberries in a 25 MPH cross wind. Which is exactly where I leave you and your make believe shooting skills.
So... what you are saying is that you are old... and experienced.
I too have shot High power( service rifle, garand ,and bolt) followed by practical pistol ( revolver ,limited, and open) . Not interested in urinating at 50 yards.
 
picked up a nice musket the other day but now cant find caps without dropping 150 bucks with minimum order and fees involved . my choices now seem pay the money, use reenactment caps or convert to #11 percushion caps.i did find some caps for around 75 bucks for 200 but that still seems ridiculous. what are yall guys using and whats your thoughts on reenactment caps vs percushion caps.
I found CCI#11 caps for $10 per 100 in a local gun store where I live in NC and they had a decent supply I bought 300 and didn't buy them all so other people can buy some to use also if more people would do this instead of buying them all and trying to resale them at ridiculous prices then they would be easier to find
 
I found CCI#11 caps for $10 per 100 in a local gun store where I live in NC and they had a decent supply I bought 300 and didn't buy them all so other people can buy some to use also if more people would do this instead of buying them all and trying to resale them at ridiculous prices then they would be easier to find
Thats what happens here in France. People who I suspect aren't interested in BP shooting at all are selling them at ridiculous prices - like, 50 Euros for 100! That sort of thing prompted me, not that long ago, to post a similar thing as @Tin sandwich did here. Luckily I found a far more honest seller who sold me 1000 at a reasonable price.
 
Sure, no problem. I shoot competition with the North South Skirmish Association. We're a competition shooting org that centers around American Civil War arms. We compete with pretty much anything that went back during the Late Unpleasantness. I have more than a couple guns for several classes of competition- Smoothbore, Musket, Carbine, Revolver. The groups I generally post are from one of my competition muskets. In the N-SSA, if you want to have a prayer of being competitive, you have to engage in load development and research and that means extensive testing into what works with your guns. As such, I've tested powders, caps, lubes, bullet designs, and sizing. In short, all the variables I can control within the rules of competition. I do my base testing at 50yd on a bench and bench method is a huge part of being consistent. Since our competition is all offhand, knowing how your rifle will recoil and where the point of impact is from the offhand position is extremely important. I use two types of sights but mainly shoot my P58 Enfield in competition. I sometimes shoot the 62 Colt but since the Colt has aperture sights, the "fog of war" on the range from shooting can make sighting uhmm, problematic, not so much with post n notch.

The basics of shooting minies aren't rocket science and we've covered them more than once- pure lead minies sized to .001 under measured bore size, real high quality black powder (often 3f but sometimes 2f), quality caps (reenactment caps are for blanks and not conducive to accuracy) and right lube applied the right way (I use a beeswax/lard/coconut oil/lanolin mix for most loads)

So here's a couple pix of some outstanding loads I've found-

Load data is in the pic, rifle is a 1st gen P58 Birmingham Parker Hale. Sights are post n notch. And yes, the flyer is the first shot, the next four are in that one hole. You will NEVER get this kind of accuracy and precision without paying close attention to the details and using methodical testing.
View attachment 264269

Different musket, different bullet, different load. Musket is an 1862 Colt repop with aperture sights. Bullet is a Moose International Minie. Load data is in the pix, caps were RWS. The Colt doesn't seem to "throw" the first shot high. This group is a great example of having a too large flash channel. The flyer is a direct result of a broken nipple. There was a run of nipples that were heat treated incorrectly and they tend to shatter leaving a fairly large hole to the flash channel.
View attachment 264270

Korean made "Zouave". I think it'll shoot just fine with this load
View attachment 264271

This is a group shot offhand, rapid fire at 50yd from one of the "Zouaves" we use when teaching muzzleloading with the Scouts. Load is RCBS Hogdon sized .579, 45g 3f Scheutzen, Scheutzen caps, beeswax/lard. String was fired offhand, loading from the cartridge box, no wiping, just load, aim fire, repeat quickly.
View attachment 264272



But to the original post, again, there are multiple threads on this stuff, "Search" is your friend. It's how I've stumbled onto quite a bit of very interesting information in my search for a good load for my guns. The information was a starting point, then consistent experimentation, observe, RECORD RESULTS, alter ONE variable, repeat. This method works in any muzzleloading or centerfire arm, only the details change. There's no rocket science, nor are there any real shortcuts.
Reason I asked is because I get pretty good results with sized .448 Minies (330gr) in a (modern custom barrel) .451 bore so far, but it's early days in load development, and I'm packing it in until Spring. I need a cane to walk in the cold, but come May I'll be back at it. I want to see if I can knock the paint off a 20"^2 steel at 500yds.
 
poor guy most likely will leave this forum because of some miserable folks that seem to want everyone else to be just like them [ miserable and mad ] I just don't get all the smart a-- and degrading The others of us should say a prayer for some of the others May God Bless you all
 
No one's miserable or mad and if he leaves the forum shame on him, the original poster asks for opinions and the holier than thou nssa groupie jumped on board, perhaps he didn't like what the discussion turned to that's on him, don't go poking your head in a hornet's nest if you don't expect to get stung a bit. I don't like false claims and that's exactly what happened. And actually no one is impressed with 50-yard groups no matter what you're shooting and what components your using, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
 
No one's miserable or mad and if he leaves the forum shame on him, the original poster asks for opinions and the holier than thou nssa groupie jumped on board, perhaps he didn't like what the discussion turned to that's on him, don't go poking your head in a hornet's nest if you don't expect to get stung a bit. I don't like false claims and that's exactly what happened. And actually no one is impressed with 50-yard groups no matter what you're shooting and what components your using, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
And for those who insist on disputing facts, spew false keyboard bravado, and have no clue, welcome to where you belong, ignore.
 
I say lets get back to each and all just enjoy whatever type of shooting fun that appeals to you and not down grade each other for what we enjoy doing And get back to what the op ask about without arguing
sounds good to me. dang. i aint never asking questions on here.love coming here when i get off work and gain some knowledge.that is when im not hunting
 
I found CCI#11 caps for $10 per 100 in a local gun store where I live in NC and they had a decent supply I bought 300 and didn't buy them all so other people can buy some to use also if more people would do this instead of buying them all and trying to resale them at ridiculous prices then they would be easier to find
i seen a guy buy all that was in stock.
 
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