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1861 Springfield
- Thread starter Tuco Tom
- Start date
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The 61 in Cabelas is an Armi Sport......It has a 1 in 66 inch twist and an Oil finish stock. The Euroarms has a more traditional 1 in 72 twist or somewheres thereabout. The Euroarms has an modern finish.......The Pedersoli from what I've seen is probably a better gun, but man that thing costs several hundred dollars more than the others...........All three will need to be tuned in order to bring out there best......This means trigger work, load development, and sight modifications...........They are "Not" out of the box shooters,especially for hunters, until they are tuned..You can occasionally find tuned muskets on N.S.S.A bulletin board for sale..........Bob
JackAubrey
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2004
- Messages
- 586
- Reaction score
- 5
Quite right,Leatherbark.I've been trying to iron out the bugs in my Armisport '61 for years.Best regards,J.A.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 808
- Reaction score
- 17
The various '61 Springfields I've seen all look real nice. It depends what you want it for.....I know they aren't that popular with the MLAIC shooters, as the barrels are quite a bit lighter (thinner at the muzzle) & after a few shots they tend to 'walk' up the target, however we have to shoot 13+ shots in 30 minutes, so the barrels do tend to warm up a bit. The Parker-Hale (& Italian-made) Enfields, as well as the Zouave replicas have a good heavy barrel. Personally, I can't comfortably shoot the Enfields as the stocks are too straight.....I much prefer the Zouave, which has stock dimensions very close to the Springfields.
I've gotten good comments on the Euroarms 1861 Springfield, apparently the part are readily available..is anyone familar w/ the Pedersoli? I'm most interested in the Springfield since it was the primary American infantry weapon. Just wish it was still made in America.
I have an ArmiSport that was a good shooter right out of the box. I use a 400-gr minie ball sized to my bore diameter on top of 50 gr. pyrodex. I usually use real BP, but for some reason I like Pyrodex RS in my caplock rifles. I have to run a nylon brush tru the bore after the 3rd shot and then after every other shot to maintain accuracy. The sights could use some work, but I do fine so long as I bury the front blade deep in the rear V. Not a bad rifle for the money. You may want to avoid Japanese-made 1861's, as some say the breechplugs are weak and will crack.
DJL
DJL
Enfield1
40 Cal.
I shoot an out of the box 1853 Enfield from Euroarms. Without "tuning" it will print 5 to 6 inch groups at 100 yards. I spent a lot of time working up the right load, but I never did anything to alter the rifle from it's factory configuration. In the garage, I cast 530 grain Minnie balls from a Lyman mould and the charge I shoot depends on the distance. My 50 yard loads are not quite as potent as my 100 are. Good luck with your decision.
I've got the Euroarms M1861. As a reenactor,I like it to look as correct as possible. I've found that original Springfield parts like the lock assembly,and the triggerguard drop right in (You have to use the original screws,as Euroarms are metric).I was not especially happy with the look of the stock,so I stripped it and restained it. Others in my company with new Euroarms have gotten stocks that look very close to original,though. (My Euroarms '53 Enfield has a beautiful piece of wood for a stock,however)
Speaking of Enfields, The Armisport version is a bit closer to the look of an original that the Euroarms one-I had to change my barrel bands and lockplate,among other things,to get a more authentic look.
Speaking of Enfields, The Armisport version is a bit closer to the look of an original that the Euroarms one-I had to change my barrel bands and lockplate,among other things,to get a more authentic look.
tuco, if you are really looking for a shooter, i would suggest looking up james river armory online. look at the "skirmisher grade" rifles. they take the euroarms imported rifles and then have the barrel rifled by hoyt with the correct twist. i have been told that they do a little work on the lockparts as well (but i cant verify that). i guess it all depends on what you want to do with the rifle. i have a 1st generation parker hale enfield, and i doubt ill ever find another musket that i like as well.
