More on the Enfield

You'll remember that the musket came as a "non-firing replica" and I had to drill it out. Track of the Wolf suggests a 3/32" drill bit. I didn't get any pictures while I was drilling but basically under the musket nipple theres a channel machined, I lined up the bit with the channel and drilled through. This is easy with good drill bits. I have some Cle-Line bits that worked superbly, they're expensive but 100% worth it. I went back later with a 7/64" bit and enlarged the hole trying to get the hole angled more to the rear.

Around Labor Day I had time to get to the range, I loaded with 40gr of 2F thinking I wanted to start with a light load and work up and the dang thing wouldn't fire. When I pulled the ball there was a definite scorch mark on the patch so I knew the ball was sitting too far back.

Looking at this piece of wire in the nipple hole (breech plug removed) it should be tilted down a bit more.

The view from the opposite direction, the wire needed to be angled to the rear a little more.

Since I could remove the breech plug I had an idea to test the flash hole, I reinstalled the breech plug and "loaded" the gun with 50gr of corn meal. I did the 50gr by volume since its volume I'm concerned with. Then I carefully removed the breech plug.

Somehow I forgot to take a picture after I dumped the cornmeal out but the good thing is that the flash hole was open meaning the gun would probably fire with a 50gr load.

While I was there I took a burr grinder and carefully cut a little channel from the flash hole rearward parallel to the barrel. The idea being that this would help the flash find powder even with a lesser load.

On the range again I tried the 50gr load and the dang thing wouldn't go off. I tried to pull the ball to no avail. This is a problem in a smoothbore gun, the ball isn't held as tightly as a rifle would so the ball spins. Not wanting to give up in desperation I tried again and to my surprise it went off.

Not wanting to get caught again I went up to a 60gr load which fired reliably. Whew, wipe the brow for that one.

My plan right now is to pull the breech once more and deepen the channel I put in the barrel, I want that powder to have the best chance possible to go off. I also want to try it as a shotgun, I'm going to try my same 60gr load with an equal measure of shot, thats just over 2 drams which I think is going to be around 3/4 oz of shot which seems about right. .58 caliber is about 24ga and 24ga wads fit pretty well.