First time out with my new Zouave

[rdrash]

Hello, i bought a unfired 1863 Remington contract rifle (Zouave) at the gun show a month back and finally got out to shoot it today. I'm using .575 balls with a 10 thousandth lubed patch and 60 grains of 2f black powder. So here's my results, at 25 yards it's shooting a foot high and 6" to the left and at 85 yards it's 18" high and a foot off to the left. It does give pretty good groups though. So my question is how do I adjust for that if the sights are not dovetailed so can't be drifted over? Thanks

Trevor

 

[BigSkyRambler]

Might try a Minie' bullet, since that is what itwas made to shoot. I think most military rifled muskets are sighted at 100+ yards.

 

[TFoley]

I bleeve that the sighting system developed by the good ol' boys in Kentucky is the answer to your problem.

tac

 

[ZUG]

I would use Minie's also. I never got good groups with a RB with my Zouave. If I don't size my Minie's skirt using my homemade sizer I will get a group size of about 6"+ @ 75 yds but when the skirts are sized nice and round and 0.001 under bore then I can get 3" or under at the same distance :v .

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I bought a used 70's era Navy Arms 1863 rifle and the previous owner had filed the rear sight and bent the front sight to the right. When I shot it with .575 round ball and 63 grains of 2Fg powder it shot 5 shot clover leafs at 35 yards right at point of aim. The front sight looks a little odd in the rear sight notch but I don't care it shoots lights out and I have won several matches with it loaded as noted above.

 

[rdrash]

thanks for the advice everyone. I will have to order some minie balls and try them out first. Just a thought, as for it shooting high what about the globe sight that track of the wolf sells for the Zouave that just slips onto the end of the barrel? It looks like it is higher than the stock front sight.
Trevor

 

[ZUG]

Shoot it with the Minies first - you might find you need to do nothing at all to the rifle. I use 60 gr of FF Goex and my rifle does just fine :wink: .