Anyone hunts with replica/original blackpowder firearms?

[unionblue]

gary, Johan, Mr. King,

You all might be interested in a new book on the subject.

The Rifle Musket In Civil War Combat: Reality and Myth, by Earl J. Hess.

I understand the man is very good and knows what he is talking about.

I'll be buying this one.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

[gary]

Thanks Neil. I enjoy his books and have several of them. His Field Armies and Fortifications, Trench Warfare Under Grant and Lee are well worth reading. I know from one of those two Prof. Hess feels that the rifle musket was overrated in terms of how it affected warfare. In a sense that is very correct since battles did not begin and remain at 500 plus yards like some antebellum European adherents to marksmanship theorized. Most soldiers missed (and that will be addressed in my own work). What the rifle musket did was make more soldiers capable of sharpshooting provided they knew how to use the sights and were calm under fire and willing to kill someone.

[Mr King]

Originally Posted by unionblue

gary, Johan, Mr. King,

You all might be interested in a new book on the subject.

The Rifle Musket In Civil War Combat: Reality and Myth, by Earl J. Hess.

I understand the man is very good and knows what he is talking about.

I'll be buying this one.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

Thank you sir for posting your recommendation on this book, Unionblue. Earl J. Hess is a fantastic author. Have you read Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg by Earl J. Hess? He wrote an extremely detailed account on the third day of the battle at Gettysburg providing a fair balance with the North and South.

[Dutchman Dick]

Back in April I bought one of the "uncleaned, as-found" P1853 Enfields (type II) from International Military Antiques for $240. Now, I was prepared to do a lot of work on it if it turned out to look like SOME of the pictures they showed (guns with chunks of wood missing, heavy rust, etc). I was pleasantly surprised when my gun arrived. The only parts that required replacement were the wood screws, the nipple, and the rear barrel band spring. The gun cleaned up beautifully. I pulled the breechplug and cleaned the bore thorougly, and found that while the first 6 inches of the bore near the breech was heavily pitted (though not dangerously so), further up the bore it looked great, and at the muzzle you can still see the machine marks in the bore metal. I test-fired the gun (remotely, of course), and it held up just fine. I had somebody recrown the muzzle (it was slightly irregular, and recently I sent it off to Todd Watts to have it "authenticity modified" to have the Gurkha markings replaced with ones appropriate to a British-made Type II from 1855-1857 (he put an 1857 date on it), and I should have it back by this Friday.
So far, accuracy hasn't been so hot. I think the biggest problem is I have been using cast Minies from Dixie Gunworks (probably Lyman 575231-OS) and 60 grains APP. Somebody told me to try 50 grains of 777. If it will do "minute-of-whitetail", I'll probably use it for muzzleloader season.

[johan_steele]

Get heavy bullets, I shoot a 520 grain bullet w/ 60 grains of Goex or Elephant 2F. You may need to adjust your sights. Experiment w/ her. If the trigger pull is better than a fence post you should be able to get decent groups w/ her.