DANCING WITH BLACK GIRLS Enfield 53

[OLD and GRUMPY]

You know I like them old and black.

Just found this.  https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/493/1/AAS-145

1853 3 band 24ga Enfield. Smooth Bore Foraging gun.  She is a Virgin !!

Well in my price range -- under $200. I can do the little bit of work.

Please read the page and give me feed back. Don't hold back.  At worst I turn her over and recoup my cash. 

Like fine wine girls improve with age!

[MR_22]

Looks decent to me, and with some good furniture! And old girl needing some TLC is always a fun project. I've had a few myself, but nothing that old and nothing with nipples, LOL. All of mine have been cartridge guns, and all communist guns and most of them bolt-action.

I love sitting down with a project gun in the basement on a table full of tools and cleaning materials and nothing but time with old shows running on the TV.

[pietro]

.

24ga ?

The blurb says the smoothbore is .565".

Once upon a time, I had a T/C 56SB (.56 cal smoothbore) that I used modern 28ga shotcups filled with #7 shot (with an overshot card) for small game & a .535" PRB for whitetails.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

Will find out. Have lots of wads. Front stufers are very forgiving of what you cram in them. No plastic. Powder ,Rag for a wad. Shot,Paper or some crap  on top to keep the shot from falling out.

[theysayimnotme]

Toilet paper worked quite good on the double barreled 14 gauge I had although I suppose it could be a fire hazard.

[Texduk3]

thanks for the link

[OV-1D]

  Fine looking piece , going to be real fun finishing her out . You did real good Old&G .

[Uncle_Lee]

Good looking smokepole.
Hey, in the pictures, it looks new....

[OLD and GRUMPY]

She is old but unfired. Flash hole under the nipple was never drilled in to the powder chamber. Was a display gun. Sounds and looks 99% if not better. Nipple is missing.

Quote from Track-----
"The lock plate is stamped V.R. TOWER with crown stamp above the wording. This indicates that this replica Enfield smooth bore musket would have been made at the Tower of London, during the reign of Queen Victoria. "  "Correctly shaped, the parts of this correct replica, by East India Company, can be made to interchange with the original."

I ordered nipples for musket caps and #11.  Will drill the proper size flash hole.

Now----- She is a virgin. Do I fire her?  A new replica not from the Tower is well over $1000. 

She moves in on Monday .

[OV-1D]

  Holy mackerel Old&G you really do have a true collectors piece there and to be able to finish it is a real treat and honor , Wow .

[OLD and GRUMPY]

.

[Uncle_Lee]

I vote for "shoot her" and smell her smoke.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

Well---  she is not quite what I expected but for what I paid and the fact they said she needed work I will not complain.More on that latter. I am still happy.

As they said the flash hole under the nipple was not drilled through. Looking at it I think I will pull the breach plug first. It looks easy enough. Besides protecting the barrel from scratching are there any tricks?

[Uncle_Lee]

Pour  a bunch of penetrating oil down the barrel and set it in a corner for a month.
Of course take the barrel out of the stock.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

I am getting ready to drill the flash hole under the nipple. Track of the Woolf said to use 3/32. Then clean the nipple seat threads with a tap. I ordered 2 nipples . One musket the other #11 both stainless.

Because she has never been fired I want to "proof" the barrel before  shouldering it.  A full military charge is 60gr. How high should I go?

This is a screen shot of the info from track. Hope it posts large. On my computer clicking on it will let me enlarge it.

[Uncle_Lee]

I don't think I can get in on that.
Your choice.