Enfield Pritchett bullets

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OK seeing as how I’m on a muzzle loading roll along with the Gardener bullet I also like a good mould of the original Enfield Pritchett bullet.

This drawing was done for/by Oyvind Flatnes when he had a Lee special order mould cut for the Modern Pritchett he designed, I have one of these no longer available moulds and the short bullet works well in the slow twist P53s especially at the shorter ranges.

I would like to see a mould of each the long original and the newer modern Pritchett.

Any one else shoot 577 rifled musket, Britain supplied a substantial amount of these rifle to the North and the South during the American Civil War so surely there has to be some of you shooting these fine firearms.

Topic

[adamsutherlandModerator]

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Just a thought, Milliput should work, just need to work out the shrinkage.

[Scotsman13a]

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It’s a thought. Might work on that, but not sure I trust my math quite enough to come up with set in stone gospel. Worth a shot, though!

Glad to hear on the moulds. I had checked out the forum when first I asked you about these and they looked within my budget and experience. However, we quickly exceeded my admittedly amateur level of bullet mould knowledge, and I wasn’t entirely sure we were still discussing anything I’d recognize.

The coyote plug mould, is that one you use with clay?

[adamsutherlandModerator]

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The coyote plug mould, is that one you use with clay?

No it is too small for my Brooks mould, similar cavity dimensions to this one, I found a Minie with a bigger cavity drilled a hole through it and used that to cut out the plugs from the rolled out clay, They were pushed out of the bullet with a dowel through the drilled hole.

[SwedeNelsonKeymaster]

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Got it listed
http://noebulletmolds.com/smf/index.php/topic,917.0.html
and
http://noebulletmolds.com/smf/index.php/topic,918.0.html

Bullet maker, maker
Al Nelson

[adamsutherlandModerator]

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Thank you Al.

[lylemcelrath]

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yes please

[adamsutherlandModerator]

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Did you follow the links?

[nobadeSpectator]

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My new Pritchett mould came in yesterday! Looking forward to playing with it. I do need to get the templates for cutting paper for the cartridges. Does anyone know how to get those? I see they are in the Handbook For Musketry, but I haven’t figured out how to download that from Google. Anybody have scans or drawings they’d care to post? Thanks!

[maillemaker]

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Hello nobade:

Here is a page I have written about Enfield and US expanding ball cartridges.  Patterns and sources are available:

http://4thla.weebly.com/paper-cartidge-patterns-and-information.html

I’m still trying to get a period source for the 1860 pattern with dimensions, but Bruce Carin’s article claims to show them at “full size”.  Beware that Mr. Carin’s article has incorrect assembly instructions for the 1860 pattern.  He has the inner wrapper backwards on the mandrel and I don’t think the stiff paper of the powder chamber should extend beyond the end of the mandrel as he shows.  It appears he copied the instructions created by Geoff Walden in the April 1983 Camp Chase Gazette. 

Steve

[maillemaker]

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Here is a video I made on making the 1855 style of Enfield cartridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzA9aXEyT-c

Steve

[nobadeSpectator]

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Thank you! Just what I was looking for. I appreciate your sharing your work with the rest of us.

Now, the question of base plugs. I keep hearing Milliput being mentioned. I had no idea what that was, so looked it up – epoxy putty. I make bedding epoxy for rifle stocks, and it seems that would work similarly. I got the base plug mould from NOE, so I suppose I will try some of my epoxy and see how that works.

For those who have shot these bullets, did it seem to make any difference if you used the base plug or not?

[adamsutherlandModerator]

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I find the plugs make a difference, especially in the 0.550″ obviously in the deep cavities, that is why I asked Al to make the plug moulds.

I find Milliput easier to work than most other epoxies, it isn’t tacky and can easily be applied with the fingers also before it cures it can be worked with water.

Ordinary epoxy does work it is just messy and a faff on, don’t get the elastic type though.

[maillemaker]

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I made up a batch of plugs for my .550 bullets today:

http://i.imgur.com/ZJfZKTW.jpg

I used Bondo.  After I took these pictures of my first 1 and a half batches (did not mix up enough Bondo on the first batch), I discovered that if you lay the plug plate on a sheet of wax paper, fill all the cavities, then lay on another piece of wax paper, and then clamp the whole affair between two boards in a machinist vice it squeezes away all the excess on either side of the plate and also compresses the cavities so that there are no voids/air bubbles.

The Bondo plugs are also extremely tough – I set one on my anvil and had a go at it with a hammer and they survive even fairly stout blows.

I’ve got a batch of no-plug 1855 pattern bullets made up with the .550″ bullet in the Confederate style; I will make a batch identical with plugs and compare.

Steve

[nobadeSpectator]

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I am looking forward to hearing your results. I just finished patching and dip lubing a batch of these bullets, hope to get to shoot them tomorrow or next weekend.

[maillemaker]

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I posted the results in another thread:

http://noebulletmolds.com/smf/index.php/topic,1048.30.html

Steve

[Author]

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