CS Richmound

[mudd turtle]

I have a CS Richmond musket and I would like to start shooting it again. The barrel mic at0.577 What bullet would work the best in this musket I have a mould that will cast a 0.575 minnie ball.Also can you use a paper patch to wrapp the bullet. any advise or help would be welcomed. Mudd Turtle.

 

[arquebus]

You need the Minie to be a close fit to the bore size. The mould I use throws a Minie of .581" diameter, & then I have a few sizing dies that I can size the bullet down to suit different guns. I like to size my Minies so they are a close slip-fit without being engraved by the rifling. I guess you can paper patch the bullets, the original English-made CW-era 'Minies' were paper wrapped (they were also smooth-sided, not grooved), but regular double-wrap paper patching will add about .010" to the bullet diameter, depending on paper thickness.

 

[rice1817]

Congratulations! I just got one of those from James River Armory from a guy who was selling it on the NSSA board. Although specially barreled for target work and light loads,mine shoots good enough for my purposes with the Lyman 505 grain minie, sized to 570.Very easy to load, even after multiple shots. I like to shoot with the service load of 60 grains 2F. I am still fiddling with the sights, but even with the service load it puts three shots into 2 inches at 50 yards...maybe not great by competition standards but good enough for my purposes.

 

[jdstrang]

MT:

Welcome back to the rifle musket!

There's no need to paper-patch a minie - they are designed to expand to fill the rifling. The secret is, soft lead. As in pure lead - not wheelweights, or stained-glass window lead. It has to be pure and soft.

Best results generally are obtained with a bullet one- to two-thousandths under bore size, so if yours is a .577, you want a sizing die of .576 or .575. Such dies are available from, among other places, S&S Firearms. Some appear on page 55 of their catalog, available at:[url] http://www.ssfirearms.com/images/07 Cat/SS0752-67.pdf[/url]
If you don't have a lubrisizer, call them and ask about a simple push-through die, which runs about $15. Another good source for musket shooting supplies is Miami Valley Sutler, 5083 Panhandle Rd, St. Paris, OH 43072 (513) 857-9836 email - [email protected]

You'll also need a good lube. Some folks like Bore Butter; I like MCM. Or, you can make your own by mixing about 50-50 beeswax and crisco, with a tablespoon or so of extra-virgin olive oil mixed in.

Lots of folks find a very accurate load within a couple grains of 45 grains 3f under a Lyman old-style minie (575213). That will work for targets, or deer-sized critters within reasonable ranges. try loading up several rounds with charges ranging from 43 grains through 47 grains, and see what your rifle likes. It'll tell you!

If your sights are as-come repro, the rifle will shoot about 10 inches high and maybe 3 inches left. The solution to that is to learn to apply Kentucky windage/elevation when you shoot it, or replace the front barleycorn-type sight with a higher blade.

If you want someone who can do the sights for you, you're lucky. There are lots of North-South Skirmish Association shooters throughout North Carolina who can put you in touch with gunsmiths who specialize in such work. You might check with either the Tidewater region, which includes eastern NC, at: [url] http://www.n-ssa.net/TIDEWATER/tidewater.html[/url]
or the Deep South, at:[url] http://www.n-ssa.net/DEEPSOUTH/deepsouth.html[/url]

Well, that's a boatload. :yakyak: But soft lead, good lube and patience will be rewarded!