any quallity minie ball rifles out there with...

[Matt85]

sights that are adjustable for windage?

for some reason im fascinated with the minie ball and while i love my armi sport 1842 springfield it shoots about 8" to the left at 50 yards which requires some major kentucky windage to compensate.

i was thinking for a future gun a 58 cal minie ball rifle that i could really dial in would be fun.

 

[TFoley]

sights that are adjustable for windage?

for some reason im fascinated with the minie ball and while i love my armi sport 1842 springfield it shoots about 8" to the left at 50 yards which requires some major kentucky windage to compensate.

i was thinking for a future gun a 58 cal minie ball rifle that i could really dial in would be fun.

Sadly, the vast majority of .58cal guns are based closely on military arms and they do not have any form of adjustment in the sights.

I guess that there ARE some guns out there with this kind of sight fitted - a Hawken replication by TCA maybe?, but in general, 58cal goes with military-style and not target-style shooting.

tac

 

[David W.]

You should be able to move the rear sight to the right a brass drift pin. Look closely at the front sight and se if it may be bent to the right.

 

[hawkeye2]

Unfortunatly the rear sights on US and Confederate issue Civil War arms are not windage adjustable as they are screwed to the barrel. The front sight is too low to bend. The usual method is to fill the existing notch and file a new one where needed.

 

[TrueBlueYankee]

If you stumble upon a Parker Hale Enfield in good shape, think about buying it. I have the 2 band 1858 (with an English barrel) and swear buy it. I just started shooting it at 200 yards and am on paper every time. Not always in the black at that range since the front post covers all the black at that distance, but on paper. At shorter distances accuracy improves dramatcally.

Almost forgot to mention that the sights are not adjustable for windage, but the gun is pretty dead-on accurate.

 

[varsity07840]

sights that are adjustable for windage?

for some reason im fascinated with the minie ball and while i love my armi sport 1842 springfield it shoots about 8" to the left at 50 yards which requires some major kentucky windage to compensate.

i was thinking for a future gun a 58 cal minie ball rifle that i could really dial in would be fun.

You can epoxy a new blade to the left side of the old one. Make it thick enough so you can file it
left or right.

Duane

 

[Matt85]

sights that are adjustable for windage?

for some reason im fascinated with the minie ball and while i love my armi sport 1842 springfield it shoots about 8" to the left at 50 yards which requires some major kentucky windage to compensate.

i was thinking for a future gun a 58 cal minie ball rifle that i could really dial in would be fun.

You can epoxy a new blade to the left side of the old one. Make it thick enough so you can file it
left or right.

Duane

i thought about doing this but i cant figure out how to do it and still have the gun look right. maby if i filed down the old one and used a new one that was the same type of metal and the same shape...

as for using a hawkens, it wouldnt work aswell. according to my research to get minie balls to perform the best you need somewhat shallow rifling. (most are .006 deep)

 

[Trot]

One of the most common alterations is to remove the front sight and dovetail a new one for adjustment.

 

[F.G. Ford]

One of the most common alterations is to remove the front sight and dovetail a new one for adjustment.

The above suggestion is the best and easiest remedy.
If you are happy with the heigth of impact as it is now.
Measure from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the present front sight.
File off the front sight post, but leave the base.
Dove tail the base, slide in a new post, then file down to the exact measure that you previously took.
Adjust your sight to desired point of impact ( windage)
Now you're readdy to kick a$$. :thumbsup:
Fred

 

[Idaho Ron]

sights that are adjustable for windage?

for some reason im fascinated with the minie ball and while i love my armi sport 1842 springfield it shoots about 8" to the left at 50 yards which requires some major kentucky windage to compensate.

i was thinking for a future gun a 58 cal minie ball rifle that i could really dial in would be fun.

You can epoxy a new blade to the left side of the old one. Make it thick enough so you can file it
left or right.

Duane

i thought about doing this but i cant figure out how to do it and still have the gun look right. maby if i filed down the old one and used a new one that was the same type of metal and the same shape...

as for using a hawkens, it wouldnt work aswell. according to my research to get minie balls to perform the best you need somewhat shallow rifling. (most are .006 deep)

You can get a Green Mountain barrel that would do that for you. I have shot a lot of 45 and 50 cal minie's with good results. Ron

 

[hawkeye2]

Both Bobby Hoyt and Dan Whitacre make and install dovetailed sights for the Civil War arms however because the military barrels are so thin near the muzzle the dovetail is extremely shallow and can't be depended on to hold the sight reliably. After adjustments are made the sight is soldered in place. This provedes the necessary strength and also meets the N-SSA requirement that the sight be non adjustable. The sights in both cases are taller and have a wider blade so that they can be reshaped and the elevation adjusted with a file. I actually like Whitacre's sight/dovetail over Hoyt's but either works well.

 

[damron]

I too have good luck with the 2 band 1858 PH.Mine shoots 3"(or less sometimes) at 100 with windage that's pretty darn close.They are getting expensive for some reason lately.I wonder if a guy would be better buying a Zoli with a bad barrel and having a new custom one installed or relined.

George

 

[ian45662]

Go buy a euro arms mississippi rifle. Send it off to hoyt for a reline and tell him you would like a benington rear sight( if thats how you spell it) installed. The sight is adjustable for elevation by a screw that has a knob on the top. Turn the knob and the elevation will go up of down. The sight is installed with a dove tail so a brass punch and hammer will adjust it for the windage

 

[Viking78]

To my knowledge the only Minié rifle with options for windage adjustment is the Pedersoli replica of the German Model 1857 Würtembergischen vereinsgewehr. Although never issued during the American Civil War and only available in .54 caliber, this rifle is the preferred Minié rifle among today's European target shooters. Here's a link to it on Pedersoli's website.

 

[TFoley]

Go buy a euro arms mississippi rifle. Send it off to hoyt for a reline and tell him you would like a benington rear sight( if thats how you spell it) installed. The sight is adjustable for elevation by a screw that has a knob on the top. Turn the knob and the elevation will go up of down. The sight is installed with a dove tail so a brass punch and hammer will adjust it for the windage

Do you mean the Buffington rear sight as found on some officers' models of trapdoor rifles?

tac

 

[Matt85]

To my knowledge the only Minié rifle with options for windage adjustment is the Pedersoli replica of the German Model 1857 Würtembergischen vereinsgewehr. Although never issued during the American Civil War and only available in .54 caliber, this rifle is the preferred Minié rifle among today's European target shooters. Here's a link to it on Pedersoli's website.

i dunno how i missed this rifle, thats exactly what im looking for. i dont really care what caliber the rifle is as long as its designed to fire minies accurately.

it appears dixie carries them but they are freaking expensive! also strangely enough dixie has it listed with a 1-48 twist while pedersoli lists 1-55. also kinda funny that dixie recomends using a .535 patched round ball... but says right before it that the rifling is onley .006" deep.

 

[varsity07840]

sights that are adjustable for windage?

for some reason im fascinated with the minie ball and while i love my armi sport 1842 springfield it shoots about 8" to the left at 50 yards which requires some major kentucky windage to compensate.

i was thinking for a future gun a 58 cal minie ball rifle that i could really dial in would be fun.

You can epoxy a new blade to the left side of the old one. Make it thick enough so you can file it
left or right.

Duane

i thought about doing this but i cant figure out how to do it and still have the gun look right. maby if i filed down the old one and used a new one that was the same type of metal and the same shape...

as for using a hawkens, it wouldnt work aswell. according to my research to get minie balls to perform the best you need somewhat shallow rifling. (most are .006 deep)

One other alternative to consider rather than buying another musket. Take the front barrel band of and put it aside. Buy a replacement from a Pedersoli parts dealer (VTI Gun Parts) or a repro for an origial from S&S. Buy a barrel pin tennon for round barrels from TOW. They have a concave base. File off the front sight on the replacement barrel band and solder or epoxy the tennon on as a front sight. The concave base may not match the radius of the band perfectly but it can be heated and bent. It can be moved and resoldered/epoxied to get the windgae right. It'll also be higher than the original which helps because most muskets shoot high. If down the road, you want to sell it, the origianl band goes back on and the "fixed" one goes with it. I did a similar fix to my original 1863. Since the front sight is brazed to the barrel and I didn't want to remove it, I left it as is and put the new sight behind it. If and when I want to part with this musket, the new sight comes off with a bit of heat and the musket remains original.

Duane

 

[garandman]

I hear ya about the Minie Ball.

I picked up a original M1863 TypeII Springfield, and it shoots dead on PoA at 50 yards, and groups well.

But the concept of the minie ball I find fascinating.

 

[ian45662]

No. This is different than the buffington sight found on trapdoors. If you are familiar with tang sights that are on some buffalo rifles it is similar to those but it sits on the barrel rather than tang and instead of having a know for wind age it is dovetailed onto the barrel.

 

[ken.clements]

To my knowledge the only Minié rifle with options for windage adjustment is the Pedersoli replica of the German Model 1857 Würtembergischen vereinsgewehr. Although never issued during the American Civil War and only available in .54 caliber, this rifle is the preferred Minié rifle among today's European target shooters. Here's a link to it on Pedersoli's website.

i dunno how i missed this rifle, thats exactly what im looking for. i dont really care what caliber the rifle is as long as its designed to fire minies accurately.

it appears dixie carries them but they are freaking expensive! also strangely enough dixie has it listed with a 1-48 twist while pedersoli lists 1-55. also kinda funny that dixie recomends using a .535 patched round ball... but says right before it that the rifling is onley .006" deep.

Hello Matt,

for a lot people here, the fun is in getting there more than being there. This means take your time and try everything in system.
You have many more variables in ML than you do in a “regular” rifle. The charge, grease, projectile, weather are just some of them.
Here is what I’ve found out works the best to start”¦in order of importance.
Minie: It has to fit very tightly down the Barrel when it is greased. This means you have sized all your Minie’s first, for the first couple of times you are shooting they are also weighed +/- 1 grain.
Charge: with your prepared Minie’s, weigh your charge and put them in prepared powder tubes. 6 charges of 45 grains, 6 charges 50 grains etc. up to about 70 grains.
Target: for every 5-6 shots of one size charge, change the target. You will see at some time the group will close and then open again when comparing the targets later. When you have found the two closest groupings, your final charge size will be between these.
Grease: play around with that later.
Distance: start at 50 yards”¦when you have your groupings (bench rest) down to 2-3 inches, then think about 100 yards.
If the Minie doesn’t fit (too small) its like shooting a ball bearing out of a garden hose..it will go somewhere, but probably not where you want.
When the groupings are like you want, everything is all figured out”¦.then take a look at where the grouping/sight picture should be. If the rifle shoots to the right/left/up/down, find a quality rifle maker, call him, and tell him what you want”¦tuning.
Do you really think that when these rifles were being made and sold to the Military, no one took the time to also sell the Military proper munitions (and how long did it take ti figure that out?) and the Rifle’s weren’t tuned for “Dog and Pony Show” so long well known in the Military history?
You’ve bought the rifle off the shelf, mass produced, with some rough information (loading)”¦.now tune your load, then your rifle, then go to freehand shooting”¦.it works, it takes time and a little money”¦and lots of patience.


:thumbsup: