Best load for the Enfield Musketoon?

[DavidB2]

I am getting a Euroarms Enfield Musketoon. What is the best load for the Musketoon? I shoot 60 grains of FFG with .575 Minnie balls in my 1861 Springfield. Not sure what works for the Musketoon? Thanks for all suggestions

[Hawg]

That should work well with the musketoon.

[kwhi43]

Accuracy & power and has won many a match. 570 round ball, .015 thick patch
and 90 grains of Goex FF black powder.

[maillemaker]

I find slightly reduced loads work well in my two-band rifled muskets as compared to three-band muskets.

Steve

[Model12Win]

Start with about 20 grain of FFg and move on up. The sweet spot should be anywhere between 40-80 grains of powder. Also, use a Minie bullet that is 1 or 2 thou. under your bore diameter.

[Hawg]

No disrespect but 20 grains to move a 500 grain minie is ludicrous. I would start with the original 60 grain service charge. The .575 isn't ideal but it should work ok. My minies drop from the mold at .577 and load easy and are accurate. I use a 70 grain charge out of a 3 band Enfield.

[4V50 Gary]

There must be sufficient energy to expand the skirt so the minie will engage the rifling.

[Hellgate]

"Best load" depends on its intended use. For targets, it is whatever is most accurate. So, if 20 grs shoots the ball or minie most accurately then it is the best load for target work. For hunting, whatever delivers a killing whollop and is reasonably accurate for the expected distance to the prey is the best load.

[Hawg]

Best load" depends on its intended use. For targets, it is whatever is most accurate. So, if 20 grs shoots the ball or minie most accurately then it is the best load for target work.

20 grains is not going to sufficiently expand the skirt. 20 grains IMO is barely a sufficient load for a 140 grain round ball let alone a 500+ grain minie.

[maillemaker]

I agree with Hawg. I usually start my load work-ups for target shooting at 35 grains 3F. Full-size traditional-style Minie balls take a lot of oomph to get them going and often have thick skirts, too. I'd probably start my load workup at 40 grains 3F and go up from there to maybe 65 grains 3F.

Steve

[Hellgate]

I agree that 20 grs is not likely to flare the skirt on a minie unless it's really thin. I was just being snarky about the concept of "best load". My apologies. A 20 gr starter load is just gonna waste lead. 35-40grs is what I'd do too.

[4V50 Gary]

Was talking to a fellow at Ben Avery who was using a 2 band Enfield rifle. He loaded it with 50 grains FFF and every now and then his minies would keyhole. I suggested a reduced charge or that his minies, which were purchased and lubed with beeswax and tallow were not pure lead and that the skirts were being blown out.

[Hawg]

Was talking to a fellow at Ben Avery who was using a 2 band Enfield rifle. He loaded it with 50 grains FFF and every now and then his minies would keyhole. I suggested a reduced charge or that his minies, which were purchased and lubed with beeswax and tallow were not pure lead and that the skirts were being blown out.

They were probably too small or too hard or the skirts were to thick. A minie harder than pure lead won't let the skirt expand with normal charges. The original service charge was 60 grains same as the three band. A 50 grain charge should have no problem expanding the skirt on a traditional minie with a thin skirt.

[4V50 Gary]

Agree with you Hawg. He didn't know what the composition of those minies were since someone else casted it. I suspect they were too hard and a piece of the skirt came off and caused his minies' erratic flight. It's really hard to say since he didn't cast his own.

BTW, they looked like my parker-hale casted minies.

[Hawg]

It's unlikely a piece of skirt came off. A blown skirt usually just means the pressure blew past it without expanding it for whatever reason.

[4V50 Gary]

Thoughts on why it keyholes sometimes Hawg?

[Hawg]

Skirt not expanding.

[Hellgate]

My understanding of a blown skirt was that the excess pressure from too high of a charge cause the skirt to flare like a shuttlecock and accuracy would suffer but the minie usually wouldn't tumble. If the charge was too low or the lead was too hard causing the skirt to not flare enough to seal the bore then the minie could tumble/keyhole because it did not contact the riflings enough to impart a spin. Also soft lead will upset (obturate) and swell to engage the rifling if fired quickly enough. So, the right load will swell the bullet and expand the skirt to engage the rifling and send it spinning accurately down range.