Anyone shooting vintage rifles?

[foxfire]

Annnnywayyyyy....you can expect fairly coarse variables with Sniders, just like any antique guns.

Bore dimensions will vary.

My Belgian Snider carbine was in excellent condition, but had quite a generous bore and needed a bullet around .580.

No different than any rifle will have ammo preferences.

 

[tac]

Annnnywayyyyy....you can expect fairly coarse variables with Sniders, just like any antique guns.

Bore dimensions will vary.

My Belgian Snider carbine was in excellent condition, but had quite a generous bore and needed a bullet around .580.

No different than any rifle will have ammo preferences.

All my sniders have been .600 +/- a thou. You were VERY lucky with your near-.577cal Snider! 'Belgian-made' was often closer to government specs than the Enfield, bearing in mind that until the arrival of the steel barrel versions, they had simply whacked the first four inches off the breech-end of a P53 and screwed the new conversion on - that barrel might have been well worn, to say the least.

 

[Jabbablack]

First and only warning.
Please keep things civilised.
Thank you.

Pukka Bundy is sending abuse again see his latest message

 

[Jabbablack]

First and only warning.
Please keep things civilised.
Thank you.

Pukka bundy is sending more abuse

 

[NIVEA]

@Jabbablack

We are getting nothing but reports and complaints about you and you seem to have a lot to say about nothing so its a Taxi for you

 

[Frederick Williams]

All my sniders have been .600 +/- a thou. You were VERY lucky with your near-.577cal Snider! 'Belgian-made' was often closer to government specs than the Enfield, bearing in mind that until the arrival of the steel barrel versions, they had simply whacked the first four inches off the breech-end of a P53 and screwed the new conversion on - that barrel might have been well worn, to say the least.

I too have had more generous bores in my Sniders.
My present model. The presentation prize rifle featured earlier, also prefers a .600 slug.
It's a MkIII as well, so was not a conversion.
I worked my way up from .578 to .585 then .590s Opening out the mould in a lathe along the way.
I eventually got it to .602 (I just gave the turret too much of a turn on my final pass). I can shoot it as cast, or sized to 600. It shoots extremely well.
Since then, I have ended up with four different 600 moulds. They all shoot. The Pukka Bundook bullet is probably the easiest to load, and has the edge on the others at the target.

A ten shot detail.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Robin,

Edited to say, when I blew up your target, that is hellish good shooting with the standard and worn Snider sights!

When I first made a snider mould, (A big cardboard box was safe at 25 yards with the normal P'53 projectile!)
I cut it .590" but, tapped into the breech end of the bore of a dismounted barrel, I could see daylight in all three grooves.
When you think about it, the bore is a nominal .577" and grooves are 15 thou deep at the breech, so even One groove brings the bore up to .592", but we have three, so as we found out, even a .60 cal fits and is not tight in the grooves at the breech end of the rifling.
It gets swaged down on the way out of course!

That scraper step on the bullet cuts nice holes in your target Rob.
All best,
R.

 

[Rookandrabbit]

@Frederick Williams that is excellent shooting well done!
years ago a colleague used to shoot a cap and ball P53 musket it was slow to load and fire but given he shot it off hand standing at 100 yards outdoors he did extremely well. The black powder smoke kept the midges away !
Never shot a snider in .577 but looks great fun!

 

[DRZ]

That's one I a not familiar with. Can you post a photo ?
The one military trainer I always looked for was a Krag, but even decades ago they were as rare as finding a Polar bear in the Desert.

Sorry it has taken a while...

 

[DRZ]

I bought it to shoot in a historical rifle 'postal'-style competition for .22LR trainers (and similar). Standing unsupported at 25m, no slings, period sights only. Four targets a month over 6 months, 5 shots per target.

This group was shot under those competition conditions but sadly only on a practice target!

 

[Sarge]

...I also have a 1943 Mossberg 42MB .22LR trainer which is American but was made for the UK lend-lease program....

I bought one at an auction on a whim, as no one else wanted it I got it for the starting price.

It is a lovely rifle and so much info on the web about the batches that came over. Mine came over in March '42 IIRC, and has the Weaver B4 scope. Great fun to shoot.
But why a 7 round mag?

 

[DRZ]

I bought one at an auction on a whim, as no one else wanted it I got it for the starting price.

It is a lovely rifle and so much info on the web about the batches that came over. Mine came over in March '42 IIRC, and has the Weaver B4 scope. Great fun to shoot.
But why a 7 round mag?

You're only the 2nd person I now know of with one other than myself. Most people, even those into historical .22LR stuff, don't know they even existed. Despite this seeming lack of numbers, riflemags.co.uk sell brand new magazines for them! Not at all cheap though...

 

[Magus]

I have a passion for Martini Henry rifles, currently have 577/450, .310 Cadet, .300 Sherwood, .300 Rook, 297/230 Morris (long and short). And a.22lr target rifles.
Please don't get me started on my collection of vintage shotguns !!

 

[Frederick Williams]

Please don't get me started on my collection of vintage shotguns !!

Here we go.
Frederick Williams & His Single 4

 

[Frederick Williams]

This thread seems to have stalled a little. Let's give it a kick start.
Another one of my old girls. That gets a regular outing. Now despite all the history about the military's change to smaller bores, and the search for a purpose built breech loader. I've never got the accuracy out of this, that I have from my Snider.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Good photo of the old girl Robin!
Here is our half sized 200 yard 1887 volley target after being shot..
You can see holes from P '53- Snider down through M-Henry and to .303 Long Lee etc.

Volley at 200 being delivered!

Brett with his 150 yard snider Challenge target.
4 in black with my gun he hadn't shot before.
8 shots, 5 count.

this was this last weekend.
Annual Alberta Victorian shoot.
also, on shooting

vintage guns,
This our 300 yard gong, shot offhand.
and some spent ammo found below it..

Above gong is 33 by 51 inches with a ragged top!

 

[rocketdogbert]

I have an early sixties (I think) BSA international Mk3 (.22lr) and an Enfield P14 that’s in a target stock and has been rebarrelled as 7.62.
Both are wickedly accurate, the BSA I’ve only shot to 50yds, the Enfield to 1000yds, both on Parker Hale diopter sights

 

[Frederick Williams]

Good photo of the old girl Robin!
Here is our half sized 200 yard 1887 volley target after being shot..
You can see holes from P '53- Snider down through M-Henry and to .303 Long Lee Enfield

Looks like you had a superb weekend yet again, Richard.
I await Rob's usual video, with great anticipation.

Come the day I can beat my claustrophobia. I will take you up on your kind offer, and join you all.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Robin,
Very sadly Rob could not attend this year, through a family member being unwell.
A few took footage though, so will keep you posted on where it can be viewed!
You would be welcome any time Rob!

 

[Offa]

Robin,
Very sadly Rob could not attend this year, through a family member being unwell.
A few took footage though, so will keep you posted on where it can be viewed!
You would be welcome any time Rob!

That's a shame, I also look forward to Roberts Alberta shoot videos, sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy an hour of black powder goodness

Hopefully the family member is on the mend

Has Robert ever expressed any interest in joining this forum? I know his knowledge would be of huge benefit to relative newbies to black powder/muzzle loading like me!