Chiappa Enfield

[2ndDEboy]

What size and type bullets are people shooting out of their enfield? I'm only able to find .563 caliber.

 

[RedRover]

What size and type bullets are people shooting out of their enfield? I'm only able to find .563 caliber.

I believe the Chiappa is made in .58 caliber (instead of the Enfield's historical .577.)

.58 was standard for US muskets of the time, and for .58 minie balls, or "expanding ball" historically the ball's diameter was .577:

Dixie Gun Works and others sell minie type balls of say .575 or so. I see Track of the Wolf makes their minie's for .58 bore in the .575 diameter too:

Track of the Wolf: Balls

Some folks have fired patched round balls from them, say .570 or .575 diameter...



Just for historical reference, original Enfields were made in .577 caliber, and their expanding base ball ("pritchett" type) had a diameter of .567.

 

[2ndDEboy]

I believe the Chiappa is made in .58 caliber (instead of the Enfield's historical .577.)

.58 was standard for US muskets of the time, and for .58 minie balls, or "expanding ball" historically the ball's diameter was .577:

View attachment 486319
View attachment 486320

Dixie Gun Works and others sell minie type balls of say .575 or so. I see Track of the Wolf makes their minie's for .58 bore in the .575 diameter too:

Track of the Wolf: Balls

Some folks have fired patched round balls from them, say .570 or .575 diameter...



Just for historical reference, original Enfields were made in .577 caliber, and their expanding base ball ("pritchett" type) had a diameter of .567.
View attachment 486323

Thank you! So .563 is way too small

 

[RedRover]

Thank you! So .563 is way too small

I should think so. If your Enfield's bore was .577 it would probably be pretty close. But as mentioned, Chiappa Enfields are made in .58 caliber (that's what their website says) and consequently balls of .570 to .575 would be closer to what you want.

The point of the minie, or "expanding" ball, is that they are sub-caliber to allow for quick loading, but the force of the explosive gasses forced into the base of the ball forces the "skirts" outward, tight against the bore, and catching the rifling of the bore, etc.

This was advantageous as previously, the round ball had to fit pretty snug, and was patched, so required two-hands to ram (as given in the pre-war military manuals like Scott's abstract). The "expanding" or minie balls, being of a reduced diameter could be loaded quickly (like a musket), and without any patch necessarily, and in spite of fouling from previous shots as the skirts of the ball only expanded to the bore diameter on firing. Firing with patched round balls required the bore to be wiped every few shots at most.

IN the United States service in the Civil War, every 10th round (one in each packet of 10 cartridges) was a patent cleaner bullet, with a zinc tail designed in a measure to aid the ball in scouring the bore somewhat in firing...

I've taken that to mean that in common modern shooting, wiping the bore every several shots would be best to avoid a jam in loading (which is a VERY bad and troublesome thing!)

Wiping the bore between each shot is a great way to prevent the possibility of accidental discharges, etc. (if you are inclined to fire quickly in succession) and keep things running smoothly.

It's been a looong time ago, feeling bold, firing without wiping to see what happened. I got off about 20 shots before the fouling became a real problem. Though I cannot recall the exact diameter of the minie's I was shooting.

 

[2ndDEboy]

I should think so. If your Enfield's bore was .577 it would probably be pretty close. But as mentioned, Chiappa Enfields are made in .58 caliber (that's what their website says) and consequently balls of .570 to .575 would be closer to what you want.

The point of the minie, or "expanding" ball, is that they are sub-caliber to allow for quick loading, but the force of the explosive gasses forced into the base of the ball forces the "skirts" outward, tight against the bore, and catching the rifling of the bore, etc.

This was advantageous as previously, the round ball had to fit pretty snug, and was patched, so required two-hands to ram (as given in the pre-war military manuals like Scott's abstract). The "expanding" or minie balls, being of a reduced diameter could be loaded quickly (like a musket), and without any patch necessarily, and in spite of fouling from previous shots as the skirts of the ball only expanded to the bore diameter on firing. Firing with patched round balls required the bore to be wiped every few shots at most.

IN the United States service in the Civil War, every 10th round (one in each packet of 10 cartridges) was a patent cleaner bullet, with a zinc tail designed in a measure to aid the ball in scouring the bore somewhat in firing...

View attachment 486345

I've taken that to mean that in common modern shooting, wiping the bore every several shots would be best to avoid a jam in loading (which is a VERY bad and troublesome thing!)

Wiping the bore between each shot is a great way to prevent the possibility of accidental discharges, etc. (if you are inclined to fire quickly in succession) and keep things running smoothly.

It's been a looong time ago, feeling bold, firing without wiping to see what happened. I got off about 20 shots before the fouling became a real problem. Though I cannot recall the exact diameter of the minie's I was shooting.

Thanks you!

 

[RedRover]

Thanks you!

I have a friend that destroyed his Enfield replica several years ago. He was live firing, when he got the ball jammed in the barrel. He could not get it to seat, and the ball was several inches from the breech.

He knew it was wrong, but laid the piece down and fired it off with a string, hoping it would just fire off the jammed ball. It ended up bulging his barrel!

If you get a jam, remove the cone (or nipple as some call it) and flood and flush the powder from the breech as much as possible. Then apply a ball-screw, or ball puller. If that can't yank the ball you'll have to remove the breech plug and tap out the ball with a wooden rod, etc.

Such a pain!

Easily avoided by using correctly sized balls, and keeping the bore clean.

 

[2ndDEboy]

I have a friend that destroyed his Enfield replica several years ago. He was live firing, when he got the ball jammed in the barrel. He could not get it to seat, and the ball was several inches from the breech.

He knew it was wrong, but laid the piece down and fired it off with a string, hoping it would just fire off the jammed ball. It ended up bulging his barrel!

If you get a jam, remove the cone (or nipple as some call it) and flood and flush the powder from the breech as much as possible. Then apply a ball-screw, or ball puller. If that can't yank the ball you'll have to remove the breech plug and tap out the ball with a wooden rod, etc.

Such a pain!

Easily avoided by using correctly sized balls, and keeping the bore clean.

So you think .575 would
Be ideal size to start with? I'm trying to find someone who can slug my barrel to get the correct bore caliber

 

[RedRover]

So you think .575 would
Be ideal size to start with? I'm trying to find someone who can slug my barrel to get the correct bore caliber

Yes. Thats a super idea.

Considering the regulation US military diameter was .577 for .58 bores, the .575 should fire from your piece, but there are some chaps that claim they are too small in diameter for best accuracy.

The ca. 2-thousandths smaller than than bore, like the wartime standard, is a military standard, but many shooters suggest no more than 1-thousandth (.001) difference for best accuracy.

Moulds to cast your own can be had from various vendors.

From some previous online discussions, minie's after casting can be "Sized" to fit your bore more correctly for accuracy (note they can only be sized down, and not up!)

Sizing Minie balls: muzzleloading forum

And with patched round balls, a similar discussion:

Ball size for .58's: muzzle loading forum...


Here's some interesting previous threads on the subject on the forum:

CivilWarTalk: What is the Best Minie Ball...

CivilWarTalk: pulling a Minie ball