Newest Smokepole 1863 Springfield replica

[DRAGONFLYDF]

While I do like Mil Surps and have a nice selection, I do have a soft spot for Black Powder and had to add this one to the collection. It is a Navy Arms, 1863 Springfield, .58 Caliber, it looks like it was never fired. I found some Minni balls, just need to get to the range and let her clear her throat.

[steved66]

Nice pick up. Let us know how it shoots.

[JBinIll]

Nice.I have a weakness for CW era weapons.Picked up a London Armory repro Enfield M1853.Like to have a two-band,a little lighter and easier to handle for a beat up old fud.LOL

[Major Tom]

I have a replica CS Richmond by Euroarms that is exactly like the Springfield. Great shooting fun. I found that the mni balls I had were a tad too large for the bore ( excessive force needed to seat bullet) so I ran them thru a .575 sizer die and accuracy improved greatly.

[musketshooter]

The Navy Arms replicas made in Japan are the most dimensionally correct of all the replicas. Their only fault is the improperly shaped tang. Try RCBS mini-balls and 60 grains of ffg. Clean with Formula 409 spray cleaner and tepid water. Never use hot water!

[JimF]

. . . . Never use hot water!

Why not? --Jim

[Embalmer]

I've used boiling water in my Euro arms Enfield for 16 years noissues. Same for my armisport Springfields and sharps for last 6-10 years

[musketshooter]

You will ruin the bore using hot water. The combination of sulfur residue and hot water makes sulfuric acid. It will etch the bore and you will get rusting. Don't believe any of the BS about hot water cleaning. It is promulgated by people who have no experience with shooting or cleaning black powder guns. It is folk lore or old wives tale to use hot water. There is no evidence in training manuals from the civil war instructing soldiers to clean with hot water. If you still doubt my posting, check with your local chemistry teacher and verify the info.

[jon_norstog]

Learn something everyday!

jn

[madsenshooter]

We used to dispose of old cars in the acidic sulfur water that flows from old coal mines around here. It didn't take them too many years to totally disappear.

[Mickey Christian]

I have owned both Enfield Repro's as well as Springfields.
I found the Springfields more comfortable to shoot. Had more drop on the butt so there is more room for your cheek alowing easier eye access to the sights.
I built and really liked the M1855 short rifle. I liked the rear sight better than the sights on most CW muskets.

[2flasargent]

Saw a similar discussion previously. Old guy taught me black powder when I started reenacting ~25 years ago. I have a sharps I purchased about the second year in and have used boiling hot water about a dozen times a year on that weapon, live fire, and reenactments. I do use very large amounts, to the point where I can't touch the barrel. It dries within 10 minutes when I then clean it conventionally with Hoppes. I pull the lock and spray it down separately, and completely strip the block each time and ream out the spark channel. So far little or no degradation of the bore. Finish is about gone from carrying it on the saddle. I also use a replica Cook and Brother muzzle loader as a Confederate, and treat it the same way, with little or no deterioration. I believe the trick is large quantities of boiling water to flush it out fast, and then conventional cleaning to remove any remaining residue.

[Southron]

Here is the "Useful Information" page from the Northwest Territory of the N-SSA.

It has a really good article on modifying your lock. Also info on casting if and when you decide to cast your own Minie Balls.

http://www.nwtskirmisher.com/useful.shtml

The rest of the drill is fairly simple:

Size your bullets 2000ths of an Inch UNDER your bore diameter for best accuracy.

You must use bullets made out of PURE Lead. Other lead is too hard.

Weigh your Minie Balls..separate them into "Lots" of Plus or Minus 1 Grain.

When loading your musket ALWAYS keep the muzzle pointed AWAY from any part of your body.

Use ONLY two fingers on the ramrod when loading.

After firing, LEAVE THE HAMMER DOWN ON THE FIRED CAP. This prevents air from entering the breech through the flash channel of the nipple-possibly keeping a burning spark alive and causing a "Cook Off."

You will likely find your most accurate load somewhere between 45 and 55 Grains of FFFg real black powder.

NOW, GO AND HAVE FUN, FUN, FUN....

[holdover]

I have been shooting muskets for over 50 years. Always use hot soapy water. I might agree with the hot water opinion if only a small amount of H2O was used and not rinsed well, but the way I do it is remove the barrel from the stock, remove the nipple, place the breech in a gallon of hot soapy water. With a cleaning rod with a worm on it sized to the bore and a wet patch on the worm insert the cleaning rod and do a pumping action pulling water to the muzzle, then push it out the nipple. After a number of cycles, change the patch on the worm and move to clean water repeating the cycle till the water comes out clear. Place the muzzle facing down, let it drain for a few minutes, wipe bore with a few dry patches, followed by an oily patch. If using hot water will ruin the bore it will not happen in my lifetime. My '63 Springfield has been cleaned this way for over 50 years and is as shiny today as it was in 1961, same same for my two Shiloh 63 Sharps (purchased in 1975) and my H&P smoothbore conversion. These 4 firearms are shot about a combined 3K per year in N-SSA competition and cleaned at the end of shooting each day..

[Southron]

Well, I have been cleaning my original and replica rifle-musket barrels since 1967 with hot soapy water followed by hot clean war with no issues. Matter of fact, the barrels, because I clean them right after shooting them are still "as good as new."

[James Kelly]

My Grandfather shot his first breech loading rifle at age 18. He told me to clean with cold water

As a Young Idiot I cleaned my Zouave with hot soapy water.
Bore tended to rust near muzzle. Dag-gone.

Learned from working with the guys at Proctor & Gamble that all, ALL soap has salt in it. Sodium chloride, table salt, whatever you want to call it. Makes the soap flow easier, as they pump it through the manufacturing process. Kinda like how it makes garden slugs flow . . .Also any excess lye is neutralized by just a little hydrochloric acid (blame Rachel Carson).

Soap, especially things like Lemon Joy dish soap, rusts of steel. The liquid hand soap in a fancy hotel room pits holes through stainless, given a few days or weeks.

Finally realized Grampa knew whereof he spoke. Clean with cool, at least room temperature, tap water. Plain H20, no magic additions. Dry & oil.

I've been a metallurgist since 1963, last couple of decades involved with corrosion resistant alloys (think stainless on steroids). Age? Well past my expiration date, per Moses.