whitworth

[MattNH]

I've come back to the BP world in a big way, I am about to buy a dixie whitworth, i think the rifle is unique and I plan to cast the bullets myself.

any input or experience with these is appreciated

 

[Richard Brinkman]

Welcome MattNH just came back myself about a year ago. Don't know anything about the Dixie Whitworth is that fast twist for lead bullets? Hope you get it and let us know how it works for you.
Richard

 

[Jason Lewis]

hi! welcome! i shoot the same gun only mine says euroarms on the barrel. just like a GMC Sonoma and a chevy S-10, our barrels are made by euroarms and some got stamped dixie and some got stamped euroarms. it's a very good shooting gun once you get a load worked up. the first thing you really need are proper sights for it. the battlefield sights are horrible. you need to get on www.lrml.org, they are the experts on this gun and the other types of LRML. they can point you were to get the proper sights. i use a baldwin front sight with sight inserts from distant thunder. my rear sight is a dr. goodwins orthoptic AKA a holbrook #4. this will give you the right kind of sights to shoot past 100yrds with accuracy and out to around 1200yrds before you run out of staff.

you will also need to bed your barrel too, the barrel channel is also too deep and your gun will string diagonally to the right. bedding corrects this.

you will also need a platinum lined nipple too, the heavy bullets and powder charges this gun shoots will burn out the factory nipple in about 10-20 shots and accuracy will go to pot. rick weber makes these or i have an extra one i could sell you.

i reccomend that you get some dry .50cal felt over powder wads, 1.5lbs swiss powder. and for bullets DO NOT BUY THE PETER DYSON MOLD, it is a terrible mold and a waste of money IMO. for bullets you should be shooting paper patched bullets, don't get the hex bullets from dixie as they are too big in dia. you should begin by shooting cylindrical bullets of .440 or .442 dia and weights anywhere between 500 to 580grn. i shoot 540's. cleanliness is also critical to the whitworth bore. first off, you should buy a .50 cal jag and then file in hex to match the bore. getting into the corners of the rifling.
clean after every shot, otherwise you will have an awful time loading. use a wiping technique of 1 damp patch followed by two dry to get you started.

head hurt yet?

 

[Richard Brinkman]

His head might not hurt yet but bet his shoulder will as soon as he lights off a few of those. Looks like a pretty light rifle to me.

 

[Jason Lewis]

from a sitting posistion or offhand the recoil is managable, but shooting prone is another matter. a PAST magnum recoil pad is 30$ and solves all of that problem.

 

[MattNH]

wow, I can see there is a bit more to the whitworth than my 1853 enfield or my flinters.

I'm getting excited to shoot it!!!

 

[Jason Lewis]

oh it's a lot of fun.

 

[Richard Brinkman]

I'm waiting on a report!

 

[ken.clements]

I'm waiting on a report!

he can't....his shoulder hurts :rotf:

 

[F.G. Ford]

I had the Parker Hale Whitworth, a remarkable rifle!
An exfriend ( :bull: ) talked me out of it, and offered me cash ( in front of the wife )
The Whitworth / Gibbs rifles demand a lot of extra work to make them perform, but it's worth every bit.
Just wait till you score your first 10 at 400 yds.
No typical muzzleloader can come close.
You will be hooked.
The rifles are heavy, and are better suited to bench or prone position.
I would recommend not buying too much loading materiel, untill you speak to other shooters in this field, or money will be waisted.
Merry Christmas
Old Ford

 

[BillinOregon]

Matt: Medic is giving you the straight poop on proper bullets, the platinum-lined nipple, Swiss No. 1.5 and the right sights. These rifles are historic and highly specialized tools. You'll want to track down the long-range ML matches held in spring and fall in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, too. Rick Weber can help you there, as well as with the lined nipple.

 

[Ian]

I was lucky enough to buy yrs ago a Parker Hale Whitworth from a friend who special ordered it from P.H. in the 70's, I was too broke back then, It came with a Lyman mould 535gr cylindrical, a hex wad punch and a sizing die. It is the most amazing rifle and will out shoot most of my BP cartridge rifles I shoot 90 gr 3fg goex the greased felt wad under the bullet the 100 yd sight is on bull also the 200yd, at 300yd setting it is a couple of inches low. past that my eyes don't work so good as to tell you the truth.It is fast to load easy to clean and when digging a pure lead bullet out of the sand bank @300 yds it is a fine mushroom with a hex base, cant imagine any crittur it wouldn't kill. cheers Ian.